Editing Rodolfo Graziani (section)

==World War II==
[[File:Marshal Graziani 1940 (Retouched).jpg|thumb|upright|Graziani in 1940]]

At the start of [[World War II]], Graziani, now styled 1st Marquis of Neghelli, was still Commander-in-Chief of the ''Regio Esercito''{{'}}s General Staff. Graziani oversaw the Italian forces during the [[Italian invasion of France]] on June 1940. After the death of Marshal [[Italo Balbo]] in a [[friendly fire]] incident on 28 June 1940, Graziani took his place as [[Governor General]] and Commander-in-Chief of [[Italian North Africa]].

The Italian dictator [[Benito Mussolini]] had given Graziani a deadline of 8 August 1940 to invade Egypt with the [[10th Army (Italy)|10th Army]]. Graziani doubted the ability of his largely-unmechanized force to defeat the British and put off the invasion for as long as he could.

However, faced with demotion, Graziani ultimately followed orders, and four divisions of the 10th Army [[Italian invasion of Egypt| invaded Egypt]] on 9 September against the British screening forces. The Italians captured [[Sidi Barrani]] and then prepared a series of fortified camps to defend their positions. In December 1940, in [[Operation Compass]] the British counterattacked and completely defeated the 10th Army. On 25 March 1941, Graziani was replaced by General [[Italo Gariboldi]]. Graziani remained mostly inactive for the next two years. During his time in Italy, he played a role in suppressing the Italian anti-fascist movement.<ref>''Encyclopedia of World War II''</ref>

Graziani was the only Italian Marshal to remain loyal to Mussolini after the [[fall of the Fascist regime in Italy]], and he joined Mussolini in the north after the [[Armistice of Cassibile|Italian surrender]] (some say that he chose to adhere to the [[Italian Social Republic]] for his dislike for [[Pietro Badoglio]], who had signed the Armistice of Cassibile with the Allies and because he was his worst enemy during the fascist period). He was appointed Minister of Defence of the Italian Social Republic by Mussolini<ref>{{YouTube|XRb1JsiaV_g|Video of Graziani in 1944 (in Italian)}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2023}} and oversaw the mixed Italo-German [[Army Group Liguria]] (''Armee Ligurien''). Graziani defeated Allied forces in the December 1944 "[[Battle of Garfagnana]]" and led a joint Italian-German force that included the Italian 2nd Grenadier Division 'Littorio', 3rd Marine Division 'San Marco' and the 4th Alpine Division 'Monte Rosa' , the ENR divisions that trained are from Germany.

When Mussolini fled northward on 25 April 1945, Graziani was left as the ''de facto'' leader of what remained of the Italian Social Republic. [[Death of Benito Mussolini|Mussolini was captured and executed on 28 April 1945]]. In the following day [[Surrender at Caserta|Axis troops in northern Italy surrendered]]. Graziani sent a delegation to surrender all RSI troops. On 30 April, he surrendered to the [[US IV Corps]], and on 1 May, he ordered the Army Group Liguria under his command to surrender.

At the end of World War II, Graziani spent a few days in the [[San Vittore Prison]] in [[Milan]] before he was transferred to Allied control. He was brought back to Africa in Anglo-American custody and stayed there until February 1946. Allied forces then felt the danger of his assassination or lynching had passed (many thousands of fascists were murdered in Italy in the summer and autumn of 1945) and so moved Graziani to the [[Procida]] prison in Italy.