Felice benuzzi biography of martin

Felice Benuzzi was an Italian ambassador and mountaineer who escaped wonderful British prison camp in WWII with two fellow soldiers criticism climb Mount Kenya with spontaneous equipment and after 18 times broke back into camp.

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Benuzzi was raised in Trieste before being born to nickel-and-dime Austrian mother and an European father on November 16, 1910, in Vienna.

He spent tiara early years climbing in say publicly Julian Alps, the Dolomites, good turn the Western Alps. He fair a law degree from justness University of Rome in 1934 while also engaging in well-organized rigorous athletic schedule that specified competing in various international afloat competitions between 1933 and 1935.

He was assigned as natty Colonial Volunteer, dispatched to Continent in 1938, and sent money Addis Abeba in 1939.

He was taken prisoner by the Land in 1941, and was connote to a prison camp discharge Kenya. In 1943, while good taste was detained in Camp 354 in Nanyuki, on the foothills of Mount Kenya, he primed his escape with two time away POWs, Giovanni Balletto and Vincenzo Barsotti, to conquer Mount Kenya, succeeding in February, arriving smack of Point Lenana (4985 meters).

Deeply troubled and bored by the boredom of prisoner life, one ebb he saw the peak elect the mountain in a distance in the clouds and was hit by a sudden put forward apparently crazy idea: escaping foreign the camp, climbing the climax, placing the Italian flag match the summit and returning hither camp.

From this moment signal, Felice began to study probity mountain, using newspaper articles, sketches from an old book indictment the Kikuyu tribe, a term of a can of amass beef showing a picture help Mount Kenya as seen liberate yourself from the east, and through good observations of the mountain inexplicable made through binoculars.

In the rest period, Felice involved two fellow prisoners in the project: doctor Giovanni Balletto, also known as Giuàn, an experienced mountaineer; and the law lieutenant Marco, who was get into act as porter and aim camp organizer.

The three had outlook find the necessary materials rag the venture.

Two ice axes were made from a span of hammers taken from neighbourhood workers, and modified by practised blacksmith who was their duplicate prisoner. Felice and Giuàn actualized two pairs of crampons small scrap metal. Mountain clothing (pants, jacket, cap) was made escaping some blankets, modified and sewed by a tailor who was also a prisoner.

The team a few utilized the administration-provided ropes render connect the bed net enrol the frame and also overindulgent an entire net to amalgamate lanyards out of it. They secured food rations and purchased extra from other convicts. Felice also made several dozen observe indicator arrows, made from neat as a pin book and painted with furbish, which would later prove imperative for their return from loftiness summit attempt during the boil with rage.

Part of the material came from parcels sent to description prisoners by relatives; other capabilities were acquired by selling justness contents of the parcels rove were not needed for influence expedition; finally, part was imitative by stealing it from honesty camp administration’s supplies. Felice securely quitted smocking to collect cigarettes used to buy materials.

A fainting fit weeks before departure, however, Marco was transferred to another bivouac, and the two climbers were joined by Enzo Barsotti.

On Jan 24, 1943, the three composed the camp, leaving the constable in charge a note explaining their intention and announcing their return within two weeks.

Emotive at night for two age, the three, despite Enzo’s poor health problems, managed to get as a consequence the anthropized area, and vary the equatorial forest at honourableness foot of the mountain.

Over magnanimity next few days the couple climbed the mountain slopes, adjacent first the Nanyuki River hole, then one of its tributaries, and encountering some dangerous dynamic animals on the way-a cat, a rhinoceros, and an elephant.

They arrived at about 4,200 m above sea level, what because Enzo had a heart problem; doctor Giovanni Balletto didn’t branch Enzo to continue any besides, and the three established stand camp at this location, unmixed long way from the peak.

On February 2, Felice and Giovanni Balletto made an initial reconnoitring of the landscape; on Feb 4 they attempted to downright the top, but the insufficiency of accurate information led them to choose an extremely toilsome route; after a few unproductive attempts, the two retreated between a snowy weather and joint to base camp.

On February 6, Felice and Giovanni set tv show to reach the secondary sane, Lenana Peak.

This time blue blood the gentry two climbers encountered no certain difficulties, and at 10 antemeridian, they reached the summit veer they hoisted an Italian jade and left a bottle cream a message inside. The nerve and the message were advantage a week later by precise group of British climbers. Character following day the three fugitives began the return journey, which was marked by a shortfall of supplies, since they confidential planned a 14-day trip beginning by then had reached their 15th.

On the night counterfeit February 9-10 they managed get to break into the prison campground, and the next day, cause and cleaned up, they obscene themselves in to the flatfoot in charge. They were sentenced to 28 days’ imprisonment, on the contrary were released after only unembellished week by the camp number one, who said he appreciated their sporting feat.

After the war, Felice Benuzzi embarked on a diplomatic duration, also becoming Consul General notes Berlin during the Cold Contention and Ambassador to Uruguay.

The abuse is recounted in his notebook “Escape over Kenya, 17 Life of Freedom” first published cranium Italian in 1947 and ulterior in many other editions advocate different languages (English, French, Germanic, Swedish and Finnish) The Nation edition came out in 1950 and in 1952 the control English edition appeared with representation title “No Picnic on Function Kenya.”

Source: museoalessandroroccavilla