[1] After promotion to captain on March 31, 1915, he was transferred to the 24th "Cavalleggeri di Vicenza" Regiment with which he took part in the First World War, being wounded in the battles on the Karst plateau.

[2][3][4] Having become a major in the 12th "Cavalleggeri di Saluzzo" Regiment, he was transferred to the 2nd Transport Group from 10 February 1924, and appointed judge at the Territorial Military Court of Milan, where he remained after promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

[6][7][8][9][10] When the Red Army reached the Vistula in mid-January 1945, the Nazi command decided to evacuate the camp and transfer the internees to Luckenwalde, a town south of Berlin.

The latter rounded up the prisoners and forced them to resume the march, shooting those who were unable to keep pace with the main group; Vaccaneo was shot after slipping on ice, as he was trying to get back on his feet.

Generals Carlo Spatocco, Emanuele Balbo Bertone, Alberto Trionfi, Giuseppe Andreoli and Ugo Ferrero were likewise executed nearby.