Ítalo Piaggi

Who was Ítalo Piaggi?

Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was an Argentine Army commander who was involved in the Battle of Goose Green in the Falklands War.

The defending Argentine army forces known as Task Force Mercedes consisted of the Lieutenant-Colonel Italo Piaggi's 12th Infantry Regiment and a company of the 25th Infantry Regiment.

The day after the battle Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi surrendered all Argentine forces, approximately 1,000 men, including 202 men of the Air Force. He was later drummed out of the army in disgrace.

In 1986, he wrote the book Ganso Verde, where he makes a strong defence of his decisions during the war and criticises the lack of logistical support from the Argentine commander-in-chief in Stanley. He estimates that Task Force Mercedes only disposed 28 per cent of their intended firepower regarding artillery, mortars and heavy machine guns.