Editing Enrico Mattei (section)

==Early life==
Enrico Mattei was born in [[Acqualagna]], in the [[province of Pesaro and Urbino]], [[Marche]], as the second of five children of Antonio Mattei (a ''[[carabiniere]]'' – a member of the Italian national [[gendarmerie]]) and Angela Galvani.<ref name=NYTobit>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0E11FD35551A7B93CAAB178BD95F468685F9 "Italian Oil Chief Dies In Air Crash"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. 28 October 1962.</ref><ref name=ENIbio>[https://archiviostorico.eni.com/aseni/en/explore/collections/IT-ENI-TEMI0001-000003/ "Eni's Historical Archive - Enrico Mattei"]''[[Eni]]''</ref> In 1923, he became an apprentice in the [[tannery]] industry in [[Matelica]]. His career was rapid; from factory hand, he quickly moved on to become a chemical assistant and then to laboratory chief at the age of 21. After his military service, he became the tannery owner's chief assistant. However, the economic crisis at the end of the 1920s made business go from bad to worse until the tannery closed.<ref name=ENIbio/>

Mattei moved to Milan where he worked as a sales representative for foreign companies in tanning dyes and solvents. In 1931, he became a member of the [[National Fascist Party]] ({{langx|it|Partito Nazionale Fascista}}) created by [[Benito Mussolini]] but was not active in politics. Subsequently, he set up a factory producing oil-based emulsifiers for the tanning and textile industries with his brother and sister. In 1934, he founded Industria Chimica Lombarda and two years later, in 1936, he married Greta Paulas, in Vienna. After acquiring an accountancy qualification, he enrolled at [[Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore]] in Milan.

In May 1943, he met the [[Christian Democracy (Italy)|Christian Democracy]] leader [[Giuseppe Spataro]], who introduced him into anti-Fascist circles in Milan against the [[Italian fascist]] regime of Mussolini. After 25 July 1943, when Mussolini was forced to resign, Mattei joined a partisan group of the [[Italian resistance movement]] in the mountains around Matelica, supplying them with weapons. He was able to join the resistance, despite suspicion over his former membership of the Fascist party. His role was rather marginal, concentrating mainly on administering and organising activities. After a number of roundups, he escaped to Milan.<ref name=ENIbio/>

Impressed by his organisational and military skills, Christian Democrats put him in command of their partisan forces. On 26 October 1944, he was captured in Milan, along with others, at the Christian Democrats' secret headquarters in Milan. Detained at the military barracks in [[Como]], he was able to escape on 3 December 1944, taking advantage of a confusion caused by a short circuit which he himself may have engineered. Mattei participated in the North Italian military command of the [[National Liberation Committee]] ({{langx|it|Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale}} – CLN) on behalf of the Christian Democrats.<ref name=ENIbio/> He was decorated by the United States with the [[Silver Star]].<ref name=NYTobit />