Ferrante Vincenzo Gonzaga

Prince Ferrante Vincenzo Gonzaga is the son of the general Prince Maurizio Ferrante Gonzaga, marquis of Vescovato and from 1932 marquis of Vodice. Ferrante Vincenzo inherited the titles of Prince of Holy Roman Empire, Marquis of Vescovato, marquis of Vodice, count of Villanova, count of Cassolnovo, lord of Vescovato and Venetian patrician on his father's death. After graduating in engineering at the University of Turin, he then decided to pursue a military career.

After participating in the Libyan war and the First World War, in 1926 he was assigned to the Command of the Rome Army Corps. Then, in 1936, as colonel, he commanded the 1st artillery regiment "Cacciatori delle Alpi" in Foligno. The Second World War saw him command the artillery of the XIII Army Corps in Cagliari (from 10 June 1940) and then promoted to Brigade General on 1 July 1940, in Elbasan, Albania, under the command of the XXV ° (from 8 April to 1 November 1942).

On February 10, 1943, Gonzaga del Vodice was given command of the 222nd Coastal Division, located in the Salerno area (a unit with a serious lack of staff and with officers and soldiers often not up to par). After the armistice of 8 September, the Germans started the Achse operation which involved the disarmament of all the Italian units. For some days General Gonzaga had begun to prepare for any eventuality, and issued timely orders to the wards not to hand over the weapons to the Germans, but to regroup and prepare to resist. In Buccoli, in the municipality of Eboli, General Gonzaga was joined with his own department by a German group commanded by Major Alvensleben who ordered him to surrender. Gonzaga refused to give up shouting to his men: "A Gonzaga never gives up". However, having held his own gun, she was killed with a burst of gunfire. Major Udo von Alvensleben then expressed admiration for Gonzaga's courage.