At the outbreak of World War II he became commander of the 2nd Alpine Group in the Battle of the Western Alps. In September 1940 he was given command of the 11th Infantry Division Brennero, which he led during the Greco-Italian War. In September 1941 he was promoted to Major General and became chief of staff of the Seventh Army. In 1942 he was commander of the 12th Infantry Division Sassari in Yugoslavia; he was later included in a list of war criminals wanted by the Allies for crimes committed by his troops in Yugoslavia (CROWCASS). In January 1943 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and sent to Tunisia, where he commanded the XXI Corps. For his part in the battles of the Mareth Line and Wadi Akarit he was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valour. He was wounded and captured by the British on 12 May 1943, being then sent to England as a prisoner of war.