At the beginning of World War II, Spannocchi commanded a platoon that took part in the Invasion of Poland, in the course of which he was promoted to a first lieutenant.

After various positions at both Eastern and Western Front and being wounded twice, he was captured by American forces in late April and became prisoner of war until June 1945.

After the war, Spannocchi worked in the private sector for several years, until he decided to join the proto-military of Allied-occupied Austria, the B-Gendarmerie.

In 1956, by then having reached the rank of a lieutenant colonel, he worked in the central office of the Austrian ministry of defense in Vienna.

[1] Utilizing partisan tactics of a war of attrition or popular resistance, but also mobilizing scare-tactics, a small, neutral Austria could defend its sovereignty against both NATO and the Eastern bloc.