Ettore Bastico

Marshal Ettore Bastico
Bastico in 1942
Governors-general of Italian Libya
In office 19 July 1941 – 2 February 1943
Preceded by	Italo Gariboldi
Succeeded by	Giovanni Messe
Personal details
Born	(1876-04-09)9 April 1876 Bologna, Kingdom of Italy
Died	2 December 1972(1972-12-02) (aged 96) Rome, Italy
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Italy
Branch/service	Royal Italian Army
Years of service	1896–1943
Rank	Marshal of Italy
Commands	Army of the Po
Battles/wars	Italo-Turkish War World War I Second Italo-Ethiopian War Spanish Civil War World War II Operation Crusader Battle of Gazala Battle of Bir Hakeim Axis capture of Tobruk Battle of Mersa Matruh First Battle of El Alamein Battle of El Agheila Battle of Tripoli (1943)

Ettore Bastico (9 April 1876 – 2 December 1972) was an Italian field marshal who served as the commander of Axis forces in North Africa from 1941 to 1943 during World War II. In addition to being a general of the Royal Italian Army, he served as the governor of the Italian held Aegean islands and of Libya. After his time in the army, he became a military historian and published several books.