Sabbadini, Alessandro (32626304): Difference between revisions

(18 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)

Line 5:

|first=Alessandro

|birth_year=1916

|nativity=It

|nativity=Italy

|enlistment_place=NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK

|state=NEW YORK

Line 14:

|photo=1459807742850148.jpg

|caption=Portrait of Sgt. Alex Sabbadini, 1944.

|birth_place=Rome, Italy

|rank_final=Technician Third Grade

}}

'''[[Sabbadini, Alessandro (32626304)|Alessandro Sabbadini]]''' (born 1916) was a Ritchie Boy (from Italy) who trained at Camp Ritchie.

'''[[Sabbadini, Alessandro (32626304)|Alessandro Sabbadini]]''' (born 1916) was a Ritchie Boy (from Italy) who trained at Camp Ritchie. The record lists a final rank of Technician Third Grade.

</div>

== Biography ==

~~As America celebrates Independence Day this weekend, the family of Ritchie Boy Alessandro (Alex) Sabbadini remembers his fight to liberate Italy on America's behalf 83 years ago this month.~~ Sabbadini was born in Rome to a Jewish family in 1916 and escaped Fascist Italy on the eve of WWII, only to join the fight with the U.S. 5th Army a few years later. Sabbadini ~~lived for 18 years under~~ Benito Mussolini ~~before emigrating~~ to ~~America~~ at the ~~age of 23~~.

Sabbadini was born in Rome to a Jewish family in 1916 and escaped Fascist Italy on the eve of WWII, only to join the fight with the U.S. 5th Army a few years later. He unconscious, shrapnel wound; returned to duty 11 August 1943. Alessandro graduated from Special Class (SC) No. He worked as a career as professional fine arts appraiser and auctioneer in California. He worked as manager in factory producing smoking pipes. After three years in the U.S., Sabbadini became one of the first Ritchie Boys and was one of the very few Italian-born Jews to fight with the Allies in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Sabbadini graduated from Camp Ritchie in late 1942 and served in combat, initially as an enemy alien until he received battlefield citizenship in North Africa prior to the invasion of Sicily on July 10, 1943. After Sicily and Salerno, Sabbadini’s third amphibious landing was at the Anzio beachhead (Operation SHINGLE on January 22, 1944), where he arrived on the beach just two hundred yards from the Sabbadini villa where he spent the first 23 summers of his life. There was no trace of the Sabbadini family in the beach house, and only after four more months would he know that his family in Rome had been hiding, and that all were safe. In another episode near the end of the war, Sabbadini was assigned to a special unit ordered to capture Fascist leader Benito Mussolini. They missed Il Duce by mere hours in late April 1945, but Sabbadini was able to sit at Mussolini’s undisturbed desk, examining the late Italian dictator’s military and personal documents, including those that led to Sabbadini's expulsion from Italy 7 years earlier.

~~After three years in the U.S.~~, Sabbadini became one of the first Ritchie Boys and was one of the very few Italian-born Jews to fight with the Allies in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Sabbadini graduated from Camp Ritchie in late 1942 and served in combat, initially as an enemy alien until he received battlefield citizenship in North Africa prior to the invasion of Sicily on July 10, 1943. Sabbadini received the Purple Heart for injuries suffered in the Sicilian campaign.

On 13 June 1943, Sabbadini worked as a naturalized as an American citizen while in Algeria by INS Director Henry.

After Sicily and Salerno, Sabbadini’s third amphibious landing was at the Anzio beachhead (Operation SHINGLE on January 22, 1944), where he arrived on the beach just two hundred yards from the Sabbadini villa where he spent the first 23 summers of his life. There was no trace of the Sabbadini family in the beach house, and only after four more months would he know that his family in Rome had been hiding, and that all were safe. In another episode near the end of the war, Sabbadini was assigned to a special unit ordered to capture Fascist leader Benito Mussolini.

~~They missed Il Duce by mere hours~~ in late April 1945, but Sabbadini was able to sit at Mussolini’s undisturbed desk, examining the late Italian dictator’s military and personal documents, including those that led to Sabbadini's expulsion from Italy 7 years earlier. Visit the archive here: Unavoidable Hope: A Jewish Soldier’s Fight to Save His Family from Fascism is a biography of Alex Sabbadini's WWII experiences written by ~~his eldest son Roger. Alex sat at Mussolini’s undisturbed desk sifting through documents~~.

== Research notes ==

~~''No notes were in the source row~~. ~~Add what you know~~.''

* OCR (100%) of `1459807756183480.jpg` (gallery document) — dated 28 August 1943 — rank mentioned: Major.

* OCR mentioned officer rank Major (not auto-filled — verify).

== Gallery ==

Line 36:

Line 35:

1763679370320643.png

~~1459807742850148.jpg|Portrait of Sgt. Alex Sabbadini, 1944.~~

1459807722850150.jpg|Sabbadini poses with four-legged and four-wheeled friends, Naples, early 1944.

1459807756183480.jpg|The Alex Sabbadini Documents Trust has donated Sabbadini’s extensive collection of WWII documents and artifacts to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

1459807756183480.jpg|The Alex Sabbadini Documents Trust has donated Sabbadini’s extensive collection of WWII documents and artifacts to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

1459807829516806.jpg|The Alex Sabbadini Documents Trust has donated Sabbadini’s extensive collection of WWII documents and artifacts to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

1459807829516806.jpg|The Alex Sabbadini Documents Trust has donated Sabbadini’s extensive collection of WWII documents and artifacts to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

</gallery>

</div>

Line 72:

Line 70:

| row_source || demographics

|}

== Timeline ==

* Born 26 October 1916 in Rome, Italy.

* 11 November 1942 — Joined Army in NYC as Pvt (ASN 32626304). Assigned to Camp Upton NY.

* 6 January 1943 — Promoted to SOS Cpl.

* 13 February 1943 — Promoted to T/3. Ordered away. Assignment: I-29.

* 15 February 1943 — Shipped by air to Algeria (arr. 2/28) assigned to special G-2 Advanced Document Section.

* 13 June 1943 — Naturalized as an American citizen while in Algeria by INS Director Henry.

* 10 July 1943 — Landed near Licata, Sicily with 3rd Infantry Division (Operation Husky).

* 6 July 1945 — Assigned to OSS.

* Unconscious, shrapnel wound; returned to duty 11 August 1943.

* Assigned to IPW It Team 4 (included DeBondini and OIC Lt. Ciforelli).

* Served with IPW It Team 4 attached to AFHQ of the 5th Army in North Africa, Sicily, and Italian Campaigns (Anzio, Rome,..).

</div>

</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

== Sources ==

* Camp Ritchie ~~class roster~~ (~~classes~~ 1–31), ~~merged~~ research ~~file~~

* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data

* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records

* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)

* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)

Line 80:

Line 97:

* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2026-06-30 (1 post)

* Facebook-linked source: [https://www.ushmm.org/search?query=Sabbadini US Holocaust Memorial Museum]

* [[:File:1459807756183480.jpg|OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 1459807756183480.jpg]]

* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Alessandro Sabbadini for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)

* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Sabbadini, Alessandro for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: ALESSANDRO SABBADINI (2021).doc)

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |first=Alessandro
 |birth_year=1916
-|nativity=It
+|nativity=Italy
 |enlistment_place=NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK
 |state=NEW YORK
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 |photo=1459807742850148.jpg
 |caption=Portrait of Sgt. Alex Sabbadini, 1944.
+|birth_place=Rome, Italy
+|rank_final=Technician Third Grade
 }}
 <div class="soldier-lead">
-'''[[Sabbadini, Alessandro (32626304)|Alessandro Sabbadini]]''' (born 1916) was a Ritchie Boy (from Italy) who trained at Camp Ritchie.
+'''[[Sabbadini, Alessandro (32626304)|Alessandro Sabbadini]]''' (born 1916) was a Ritchie Boy (from Italy) who trained at Camp Ritchie. The record lists a final rank of Technician Third Grade.
 </div>
 == Biography ==
-As America celebrates Independence Day this weekend, the family of Ritchie Boy Alessandro (Alex) Sabbadini remembers his fight to liberate Italy on America's behalf 83 years ago this month. Sabbadini was born in Rome to a Jewish family in 1916 and escaped Fascist Italy on the eve of WWII, only to join the fight with the U.S. 5th Army a few years later. Sabbadini lived for 18 years under Benito Mussolini before emigrating to America at the age of 23.
+Sabbadini was born in Rome to a Jewish family in 1916 and escaped Fascist Italy on the eve of WWII, only to join the fight with the U.S. 5th Army a few years later. He unconscious, shrapnel wound; returned to duty 11 August 1943. Alessandro graduated from Special Class (SC) No. He worked as a career as professional fine arts appraiser and auctioneer in California. He worked as manager in factory producing smoking pipes. After three years in the U.S., Sabbadini became one of the first Ritchie Boys and was one of the very few Italian-born Jews to fight with the Allies in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Sabbadini graduated from Camp Ritchie in late 1942 and served in combat, initially as an enemy alien until he received battlefield citizenship in North Africa prior to the invasion of Sicily on July 10, 1943. After Sicily and Salerno, Sabbadini’s third amphibious landing was at the Anzio beachhead (Operation SHINGLE on January 22, 1944), where he arrived on the beach just two hundred yards from the Sabbadini villa where he spent the first 23 summers of his life. There was no trace of the Sabbadini family in the beach house, and only after four more months would he know that his family in Rome had been hiding, and that all were safe. In another episode near the end of the war, Sabbadini was assigned to a special unit ordered to capture Fascist leader Benito Mussolini. They missed Il Duce by mere hours in late April 1945, but Sabbadini was able to sit at Mussolini’s undisturbed desk, examining the late Italian dictator’s military and personal documents, including those that led to Sabbadini's expulsion from Italy 7 years earlier.
-After three years in the U.S., Sabbadini became one of the first Ritchie Boys and was one of the very few Italian-born Jews to fight with the Allies in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Sabbadini graduated from Camp Ritchie in late 1942 and served in combat, initially as an enemy alien until he received battlefield citizenship in North Africa prior to the invasion of Sicily on July 10, 1943. Sabbadini received the Purple Heart for injuries suffered in the Sicilian campaign.
+On 13 June 1943, Sabbadini worked as a naturalized as an American citizen while in Algeria by INS Director Henry.
-After Sicily and Salerno, Sabbadini’s third amphibious landing was at the Anzio beachhead (Operation SHINGLE on January 22, 1944), where he arrived on the beach just two hundred yards from the Sabbadini villa where he spent the first 23 summers of his life. There was no trace of the Sabbadini family in the beach house, and only after four more months would he know that his family in Rome had been hiding, and that all were safe. In another episode near the end of the war, Sabbadini was assigned to a special unit ordered to capture Fascist leader Benito Mussolini.
-They missed Il Duce by mere hours in late April 1945, but Sabbadini was able to sit at Mussolini’s undisturbed desk, examining the late Italian dictator’s military and personal documents, including those that led to Sabbadini's expulsion from Italy 7 years earlier. Visit the archive here: Unavoidable Hope: A Jewish Soldier’s Fight to Save His Family from Fascism is a biography of Alex Sabbadini's WWII experiences written by his eldest son Roger. Alex sat at Mussolini’s undisturbed desk sifting through documents.
 == Research notes ==
-''No notes were in the source row. Add what you know.''
+* OCR (100%) of `1459807756183480.jpg` (gallery document) — dated 28 August 1943 — rank mentioned: Major.
+* OCR mentioned officer rank Major (not auto-filled — verify).
 == Gallery ==
@@ Line 36: / Line 35: @@
 <gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
 1763679370320643.png
-1459807742850148.jpg|Portrait of Sgt. Alex Sabbadini, 1944.
 1459807722850150.jpg|Sabbadini poses with four-legged and four-wheeled friends, Naples, early 1944.
-1459807756183480.jpg|The Alex Sabbadini Documents Trust has donated Sabbadini’s extensive collection of WWII documents and artifacts to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
+1459807756183480.jpg|The Alex Sabbadini Documents Trust has donated Sabbadini’s extensive collection of WWII documents and artifacts to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
-1459807829516806.jpg|The Alex Sabbadini Documents Trust has donated Sabbadini’s extensive collection of WWII documents and artifacts to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
+1459807829516806.jpg|The Alex Sabbadini Documents Trust has donated Sabbadini’s extensive collection of WWII documents and artifacts to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
 </gallery>
 </div>
@@ Line 72: / Line 70: @@
 | row_source || demographics
 |}
+== Timeline ==
+<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
+<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
+* Born 26 October 1916 in Rome, Italy.
+* 11 November 1942 — Joined Army in NYC as Pvt (ASN 32626304). Assigned to Camp Upton NY.
+* 6 January 1943 — Promoted to SOS Cpl.
+* 13 February 1943 — Promoted to T/3. Ordered away. Assignment: I-29.
+* 15 February 1943 — Shipped by air to Algeria (arr. 2/28) assigned to special G-2 Advanced Document Section.
+* 13 June 1943 — Naturalized as an American citizen while in Algeria by INS Director Henry.
+* 10 July 1943 — Landed near Licata, Sicily with 3rd Infantry Division (Operation Husky).
+* 6 July 1945 — Assigned to OSS.
+* Unconscious, shrapnel wound; returned to duty 11 August 1943.
+* Assigned to IPW It Team 4 (included DeBondini and OIC Lt. Ciforelli).
+* Served with IPW It Team 4 attached to AFHQ of the 5th Army in North Africa, Sicily, and Italian Campaigns (Anzio, Rome,..).
+</div>
+</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>
 == Sources ==
-* Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
+* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
+* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
 * NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
 * 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
@@ Line 80: / Line 97: @@
 * Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2026-06-30 (1 post)
 * Facebook-linked source: [https://www.ushmm.org/search?query=Sabbadini US Holocaust Memorial Museum]
+* [[:File:1459807756183480.jpg|OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 1459807756183480.jpg]]
+* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Alessandro Sabbadini for Camp Ritchie'' (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
+* Dan Gross, ''Timeline of Sabbadini, Alessandro for Camp Ritchie'' (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: ALESSANDRO SABBADINI (2021).doc)