He achieved the rank of colonel at an extremely young age (he is still considered one of the youngest Italians ever to have held this rank except for members of the royal family). Originally stationed in Libya by the outbreak of the war, he served on the Trento front in 1916. He saw action at the Battle of Asiago. Berti earned the British Distinguished Service Order and was personally decorated by Winston Churchill for his services to the Allies in World War I. He would later be awarded by Hitler with the Iron Cross.