Messe

## Skills

Armoured Assault (Lv 1)

Crowd Tactics (Lv 1)

Rumor (Lv1)

## General

The best general for beginners. Has good skills and stats for a price of only 550 medals, which you will immediately have after completing the 3 tutorial missions. Use him to help farming for Guderian, or Leeb if you need extra help for completing the campaign missions. Skip him if you bought Manstein, otherwise highly recommended.

## **History**

**Giovanni Messe** (10 December 1883 – 18 December 1968) was an Italian general, politician, and field marshal (*Maresciallo d'Italia*). He is considered by many to have been the best Italian general of the Second World War.

Messe was born in Mesagne, in the Province of Brindisi in the Apulia region of Italy on 10 December 1883. Giovanni Messe pursued a military career in 1901. He saw action in the Italian conquest of Libya and in the First World War. During this conflict, he gave an important contribution to the creation and training of the "Arditi", elite infantry units, and with the rank of *maggiore* was the commander of the IX Nono Reparto Arditi that fought in the zone of Monte Grappa. Emerging considerably decorated from these conflicts, he became aide-de-camp to King Victor Emmanuel III, holding this post from 1923 to 1927. From this date until 1935, Messe commanded a unit of Bersaglieri and held the rank of colonel.

In February 1943, Messe was appointed as the new commander of the Italo-German Tank Army (*Deutsch-Italienische Panzerarmee*) formerly commanded by Erwin Rommel. The name was changed to 1st Italian Army in recognition of the fact that the army consisted of one German and three Italian corps. Rommel was promoted to the command of the new Army Group Africa (*Heeresgruppe Afrika*).

Messe fought a defensive campaign against the advancing American and British forces and was defeated at the Mareth Line. His continuous tactical delay of the Allied offensive could not prevent the inevitable defeat of the Axis in North Africa.

On 12 May 1943 Messe was promoted to the rank of marshal of Italy (*Maresciallo d'Italia*). On 13 May, after the collapse of the 5th German Tank Army, the fall of Tunis and the surrounding of the 1st Italian Army, still holding the line at Enfidaville, he formally surrendered to the Allies.

His later life was not uneventful. Following the conclusion of the war, he wrote a book about his experiences, entitled *Come finì la guerra in Africa. La "Prima Armata" italiana in Tunisia* (How the war in Africa ended. The "First Army" of Italy in Tunisia). His military popularity remained with him in civilian life and from 1953 to 1955, Messe was a democratically elected representative in the Italian Senate. He was also president of the Italian Veterans Association, a post which he held until his death. His life was profiled in a biography written by Luigi Argentieri titled *Messe—soggetto di un'altra storia* (Messe—subject of another history) published in 1997.

Giovanni Messe died on 18 December 1968, at the age of eighty-five.

## In-Game

WC4 Messe, unlike his WC3 counterpart, has Rumor and Armored Assault. In this World Conqueror Tanks rule over Infantry and other units and Rumor adds survivability. Messe is the best starting game general and can help you with daily invasions either as a Tank commander or as an Infantry one (but don't upgrade him).