Angelo Iachino

Angelo Iachino (or Jachino; April 24, 1889 – December 3, 1976) was an Italian admiral during World War II.

Early life and career

Iachino was born in Sanremo, Liguria, in 1889,¹ the son of Giuseppe Iachino, a middle school teacher, and Emilia Piccione. He entered the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1904, and graduated in 1907. In 1911–1912 he participated in the Italo-Turkish War with the rank of Sub-Lieutenant. During World War I he first served on the battleship Giulio Cesare as a lieutenant and then, in July 1917, he was given command of the torpedo boat 66 PN. In this role he participated in several missions in the Adriatic, including, on 31 October 1918, the support to the Raid on Pula (66 PN was to tow near Pola one of the two MAS carrying Raffaele Rossetti, Raffaele Paolucci and their mignatta, but she was forced to abort due to engine problems).² For his bravery in combat actions in the Northern Adriatic he was awarded the Silver Medal of Military Valor in November 1918.

From 1923 to 1928 he served in China as naval attache to the Italian embassy and commanding officer of the gunboat , stationed in ; during this period, in 1926, he was promoted to . In 1928 he assumed command of a destroyer, and later (after becoming in 1932) of the in the early 1930s, during a propaganda cruise abroad. In 1936 he was promoted to and in 1938 to ; during the he was the commander of two groups of light ships. In April 1939, on board the light cruiser , he participated in the . In 1939 he became . He also commanded the Livorno Naval Academy for a period.