| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The bombing of one structure during this battle prompted Cardinal Secretary of State Luigi Maglione to call it "a colossal blunder. . .a piece of a gross stupidity." Operation Avenger was the second offensive of this battle, during which a New Zealand battalion seized Castle Hill. At the end of this battle, a Polish unit raised its country's flag atop the rubble of a monastery. For the point, name this 1944 World War Two battle at which the Allies staged four attacks on a hill that is known for its abbey. | Battle of Monte Cassino (prompt on "Battle for Rome") |
| This man governed Libya under the title Marquis of Sabotino and was promoted to the rank of major general after planning the capture of Monte Sabotino during World War One. This man, who staged the fascist propaganda March of the Iron Will, replaced another general as commander of Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia and became the viceroy of Italian East Africa. For the point, name this general who, after the fall of fascism, briefly served as prime minister of Italy and dissolved the Fascist Party. | Pietro Badoglio [[bah-DOH-lyoh]] (prompt on "Duke of Addis Ababa") |
| This conflict began after the fortress of Monteveglio was betrayed to a member of the Ghibelline faction. Passerino Bonacolsi led the victorious army in this conflict, which was aided by professional troops from Milan in fighting a much larger militia force. A feigned river crossing led to a victory at the 1325 Battle of Zappolino for Modena in, for the point, what conflict, named for a trophy taken from a Bolognese well? | War of the Oaken Bucket |
| In 1917, the 7th Regiment of this infantry retreated towards the Piave [[pee-AH-vay]] River after Italy's defeat in the Battle of Caporetto. During World War Two, the "Tridentina," "Julia," and "Cuneense" divisions of this infantry were disastrously tasked with holding a front near the Don River instead of the Caucasus Mountains. A symbol of this infantry is the Capello, the design of which inspired their nickname, "The Black Feathers." For the point, name this mountain corps of the Italian Army. | Alpini (accept 7th Alpini Regiment; prompt on "Alpine") |
| One of these structures was built in 1716 overlooking Govino Bay on Corfu. Robert Burton wrote that one of these structures had an inscription saying, "Happy is that city which in times of peace, thinks of war." That structure of this type was the largest pre-industrial manufacturing facility in Europe and produced galleasses for the Battle of Lepanto. For the point, name these facilities used to build warships for a "most serene republic" on the Adriatic. | Venetian Arsenals (accept Arsenale in place of Arsenals; accept Venice in place of Venetian; prompt on partial answers; prompt on answers such as "shipyard") |
| Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti publicly recognized the existence of this program, which had earlier been revealed at the 1984 trial of Vincenzo Vinciguerra. The Western Union was an initial key funder and organizer of this program, which aimed to delay a hypothetical Warsaw Pact invasion. For the point, name set of planned clandestine "stay-behind" paramilitary activities in Cold War-era Italy and Europe, ultimately organized by the CIA and NATO. | Operation Gladio |
| One member of this family served as suffect consul in the first year of the Republic. After his brothers were killed, a second member of this family defeated three injured soldiers from Alba Longa in a possibly mythical battle. During a war with Clusium, a third member of this family led the defense of the Sublicius Bridge, stalling an attack on Rome. For the point, the Curiatii were fought by triplets from what family, whose "Oath" was depicted by Jacques-Louis David? | Horatius (or Horatii; accept Pulvillus before "Sublicius" is mentioned; accept Marcus Horatius Pulvillus; accept Publius Horatius Cocles; accept Oath of the Horatii) |
| This ruler did not return Singidunum to Emperor Leo the First after defeating King Babai of the Sarmatians. Traustila of the Gepids unsuccessfully attempted to block this leader's crossing of the river Vuka. This man met his first defeat in Italy after he was deceived by Tufa, who had his elite troops murdered by Odoacer. Following his siege of Ravenna, this king slaughtered Odoacer and his followers at a fake reconciliation banquet. For the point, name this king of the Ostrogoths who conquered Italy. | Theodoric the Great (prompt on partial answer; or Theodoric the Amal; accept Theoderic in place of Theodoric) |
| A small, Roman version of this device that was called a "scorpion," was operated by a single person. It was speculated in the documentary What the Romans Did For Us that the Roman military utilized a similar type of this device called a polybolos, or a repeating ballista. According to Ammianus Marcellinius, it took eight men to operate a single-armed onager, which is similar to this device. For the point, name these pre- gunpowder weapons used to launch heavy objects at great distances. | Catapults (accept Trebuchets; anti-prompt on "Ballista"; prompt on "Siege engine" or "Siege tower") |
| Francesco Sforza and Niccolò Piccinino successfully commanded one side in a campaign in these conflicts. The last battle in these conflicts resulted in the removal of Jacopo Piccinino of the Serenissima Republica. Between 1423 and 1543, the Venetian Republic and the Duchy of Milan engaged in, for the point, what series of conflicts, which was named after a region in northern-central Italy? | Wars in Lombardy (accept clear-knowledge equivalents indicating Lombardy) |
| Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, and the Italian Army unsuccessfully defended this specific polity in Operation Appearance. Prior to that battle, the Italian forces were victorious in securing this polity after the British Empire withdrew and retreated to Berbera. Major-General Reade Godwin-Austen failed to defend this territory in the Battle of Tug Argan, which resulted in the annexation of this territory to Italian East Africa in 1940. For the point, name this former British protectorate in East Africa. | British Somaliland (or Somaliland Protectorate; prompt on "East Africa"; do not accept or prompt on "Italian Somaliland" or "Somalia") |
| In this city, the militant TIGR organization planted a bomb, killing newspaper editor Guido Neri. This city's suburb of Risiera di San Sabba contained Italy's only concentration camp with a crematorium. An army brat, Virginia congressman Don Beyer, was born in this city, which was liberated by the Yugoslav 8th Dalmatian Corps. For the point, name this city on the northeastern end of the Adriatic, which was its own independent Free Territory during postwar Allied occupation. | Trieste (or Trst [[TERST]]; accept Free Territory of Trieste) |
| This man died in Liternum, to which he had retired after an incident in which his brother Lucius was tried by a faction led by his rival, Cato the Elder. This man came to fame for his 202 B.C. victory over a Carthaginian opponent at the Battle of Zama after which he obtained his geographically derived cognomen. For the point, name this Roman general of the Second Punic War who was the subject of Petrarch's epic poem Africa. | Scipio Africanus (or Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus; prompt on partial answers) |
| This ruler deposed and drowned Alfredo Manfredi of Faenza and had his condotierri, Vitellozo and Oliverotto, strangled at Senigallia. This ruler was killed by an ambush at Viana while under the service of John the Third of Navarre. Due to his relationship with Sancha of Aragon, this man may have murdered the Duke of Gandia. Julius the Second tricked this man into supporting his election as pope by offering him support in Romagna, only to renege after the election. For the point, name this son of Pope Alexander the Sixth who inspired Machiavelli's The Prince. | Cesare Borgia (prompt on "Borgia") |
| Varro claimed that supplying 5000 thrushes for one of these events led to his great wealth. One of the earliest of these events is thought to have occurred after Rome's defeat of King Acron of the Caeninenses. One of the earliest instances of a filibuster was used to prevent one of these events for Julius Caesar, whose lesser versions of these events were known as "ovations." For the point, name these lavish public celebrations for military leaders who were victorious in combat. | Triumphus (prompt on descriptive answers) |
| The earliest unit of these forces in the Roman military was composed of a group of 300 soldiers called celeres [[CHEH-leh-rehs]], who acted as bodyguards for the king. Romulus allegedly established these forces, the structure of which may have been adopted from an Oscan-speaking people from Central Italy. Another example of these forces, sometimes known as "knights," were called the equites [[EH-kwee-tehs]]. For the point, name these soldiers of the Roman army who rode on horseback. | Cavalry (or Cavalrymen; accept Equites before mentioned; prompt on "Horsemen" or similar answers) |
| During this campaign, Giovanni Messe surrendered to Bernard Freyberg after his troops failed to hold the Enfidaville line. After the Axis captured the capital of one colony, the Allies started a "Run" for that city as part of this campaign. The Mareth Campaign was constructed prior to this campaign to prevent an invasion from nearby Italian Libya. For the point, name this failed German and Italian campaign to conquer a North African French colony. | Tunisian Campaign (or Battle of Tunisia) |
| This organization, which advocated for the Migliorismo ideology, was formed after a split that occurred at the 1921 Congress of Livorno. This organization was led for 26 years by Palmiro Togliatti, who oversaw this organization's official ban and called for resistance to the Social Republic. This now-defunct organization evolved into the Democratic Party of the Left in 1991. For the point, name this left-wing Italian political party, which was supported for many years by the ruling party of the Soviet Union. | Italian Communist Party (or Partito Comunista d’Italiano; or PCI; or PCd'I) |
| This man was a close friend of British scholar Edward Ullendorff who wrote several biographies of him. This man, who led armies that lost the Battles of Maychew and Amba Aradam, used Arbegnoch troops to help liberate his country. One constitution issued by this man, whose dominion was targeted by the Hoare [[HOR]]–Laval Pact, replaced the Fetha Negest. For the point, name this last reigning emperor from the Solomonic Dynasty of Ethiopia, who is highly revered in the Rastafarian faith. | Haile Selassie the First (accept Täfäri Mäkonnän; accept either underlined portion of either name; prompt on "Tafari" after "Rastafarian" is mentioned) |
| Filippo Anfuso remarked that the losers of this conflict could have driven back the invaders with a "well-armed fire-brigade." Alfredo Guzzoni was only informed of this conflict a week before it started, and Galeazza Ciano asserted that this conflict was necessary to parallel the annexation of Czechoslovakia. During this conflict, Shkodër [[SHKOH-dur]] held off Italian forces for twelve hours, and Mujo Ulqinaku was killed by an artillery shell during the Battle of Durrës. For the point, name this conflict, which resulted in the exile of Zog the First. | Italian Invasion of Albanian Kingdom (accept clear-knowledge equivalents; prompt on "Albania") |
| One conflict over the acquisition of these vehicles, including the Drache, effectively ended with the adoption of the Triple Alliance. That conflict over these vehicles largely began with the establishment of the Regina Marina. These types of vehicles, which clashed at the Battle of Lissa, included the Formidabile and her sister ship, the Terribile. For the point, name this type of warship which was at the center of an arms race between Italy and Austria-Hungary in the late 19th century. | Ironclad warships (accept "frigate" in place of "warship"; prompt on less-specific or descriptive answers; do not accept or prompt on "battleships") |
| During this event, strong winds blew paratroopers and gliders off course but also left Italian Coastal Divisions unprepared for an assault on Licata. Prior to this event, papers found on a corpse dropped off the coast of Spain led to the redeployment of troops to Greece and Sardinia. The German offensive at Kursk was canceled and Benito Mussolini arrested following, for the point, what amphibious assault on an Italian island? | Allied Invasion of Sicily (or Battle of Sicily; or Operation Husky; accept clear-knowledge equivalents) |
| Records state this man's name was paired with the word "Invictus" as a victory cry by Roman soldiers following Pompey the Great's win at Pharsalus. Commodus fought weakened wild animals while dressed as this figure, donning a lion's hide and a traditional club. Pompeii and a city named for this mythical figure were two of the municipalities most gravely affected by the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius. Roman art often depicts the "Twelve Labors" of, for the point, which demi-god known for his strength? | Hercules (accept Heracles; accept Twelve Labors of Hercules; prompt on "Herculaneum") |
| The Volturno, Barbara, and Bernhardt Lines were formed to prevent this event which was overseen by General Mark W. Clark. This event's aftermath caused Albert Kesselring to retreat to defend the Gothic Line. This event was the main objective of Operation Diadem and occurred after the ultimate collapse of the Winter Line. Occurring two days before the D-Day invasion at Normandy, for the point, what was this event, during which the US Fifth Army entered the Eternal City? | Liberation of Rome (accept clear-knowledge equivalents) |
| The first Italian establishment in what became this colony resulted from the Rubattino Shipping Company's purchase of Assab in 1869. This colony was established following the Treaty of Ucciale, which ended a war commanded by Ras Alula Engida and Yohannes the Fourth. This colony's capital was the port city of Massawa until 1897, after which it was moved to Asmara. For the point, name this colony of the Kingdom of Italy, which is now a modern country in the Horn of Africa. | Italian Eritrea (or Colony of Eritrea) |
| In 2020, mayors of several Italian cities threatened to send in police with these devices due to citizens not following COVID-19 quarantine protocols. During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, the Italian Army utilized the Model 35 type of these weapons. The Model 40 type of these weapons were used by the Italian corps in its North African campaign against the British. The Lanciafiamme Spalleggiato Model 1935 was a type of, for the point, what weapon, which projects a jet of fire? | Flamethrowers (accept Flame Tankette; accept clear-knowledge equivalents) |
| On this body of water, Italian ships torpedoed the HMS Manchester during Operation Pedestal. In this body of water, the destroyers Francesco Crispi and Quintino Sella attacked the British Base at Souda Bay. In order to re-establish the greatness of the Roman Empire, Benito Mussolini called this body of water "Mare Nostrum." For the point, name this sea, in which the Italian Royal Navy raided northern Crete. | Mediterranean Sea (accept Mare Nostrum before mentioned; accept Gulf of Hammamet before "Francesco Crispi" is mentioned) |
| American GIs removed debris from this landform that had accumulated on warplanes in March of 1944. During the Third Servile War, soldiers serving with Spartacus used grapevines to rappel down the side of this landform. This landform killed the commander of the Roman fleet at Misenum in 79 AD according to his nephew, Pliny the Younger. For the point, name this mountain near Naples whose eruptions have disrupted military planners for at least two millennia. ANSER: Mt. Vesuvius Editor’s note – one such American GI was George Madden, David’s grandfather who fought in Italy in WW2 (29) Italian intervention in this battle led Karl Dönitz to describe the Italian navy as "unable to remain calm in the face of the enemy." Rear Admiral Romolo Polacchini succeeded Angelo Parona in commanding this battle, during which the HG 43 and SC 13 were attacked by the Italian submarine Argo. The longest continuous battle of World War Two, for the point, what is this battle, at which the Allied and German forces struggled to gain control of a certain ocean? | Battle of the Atlantic |
| At the Alpine Wall, obstacles to impede these things were square-pyramidal shaped concrete objects called "dragon's teeth." During World War Two, the Kingdom of Italy developed a model of these objects called the Carro Armato M Celere Sahariano. The first of these vehicles to be produced in series in Italy was the Fiat 3000, which was based on the French Renault FT. For the point, name these heavily armored, tracked combat vehicles. | Tanks (or Tankettes) |
| A sculpture of a man who was killed at this battle depicts him flanked by the freemen Thiaminus and Privatus. That work is the cenotaph of Marcus Caelius, who died near the present-day village of Kalkriese during this battle. In response to news of this battle's outcome, one man allegedly called for the loser to "give me back my legions." The winner of this battle had acquired Roman citizenship before defeating Publius Quinctilius Varus. For the point, name this 9 AD battle, at which a Germanic coalition defeated Roman forces in a namesake forest. | Battle of the Teutoberg Forest (accept Varian Disaster before "Varus" is mentioned) |