Cavagnari commanded the destroyer Pantera and its flotilla on a goodwill cruise to the North and Baltic seas, then led the naval academy and a cruiser division with Trento as flagship. These were respectable appointments, though they did not necessarily mark him as a rising strategic leader. In November 1933, Mussolini dismissed the navy minister and took the portfolio himself after struggling to find an admiral willing to serve as his chief of staff. Cavagnari accepted, leaving an officer with an otherwise unexceptional career in charge of the Regia Marina roughly six years before the European war began.
Notable Point · 7:34-10:37
An unexpected choice for Chief of Staff
Commands of a destroyer flotilla, the naval academy, and a cruiser division preceded Cavagnari's abrupt selection when Mussolini took the naval portfolio himself.