Ettore Muti - Between The World Wars

Between The World Wars

During this time, Muti met Benito Mussolini, for whom he developed a lasting fascination. A Fascist as soon as the Fiume episode came to an end, he was arrested on several occasions. On October 29, 1922, he was head of the squad that occupied Ravenna City Hall during the March on Rome. After the taking over of the state, Ettore Muti made a career in the Blackshirts, organized as the "Voluntary State Security Militia" (Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, MVSN).

His life remained adventurous: a womanizer and entertaining host, Muti cruised in speeding cars or on his Harley Davidson. In 1926 he married the daughter of a banker, and, in 1929, fathered his only child Diana. He escaped an assassination attempt carried out by a left-wing activist on September 13 1927, but was shot twice in his abdomen and arm. His survival was uncertain for long, and he was left with a 20 cm scar.

He joined the Regia Aeronautica (Italian air force), developing a passion for aircraft - he accepted to be demoted to lieutenant, according to the practical requirements of the service. He flew during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War in 1935-1936, where his skills as a pilot earned him a silver medal.

In 1936 he returned to Italy, but left soon after as a volunteer on Francisco Franco's side in the Spanish Civil War, fighting under the pseudonym Gim Valeri. He led a squadron of bombers over Republican ports, winning several silver medals, and, in 1938, a gold one. He returned with the new moniker Cid alato ("The Winged El Cid") and the prestigious Military Order of Savoy. Later in 1938, he left for Italian-influenced Albania, staying on through its full occupation by Italians in 1939 (and winning yet another medal).