Francesco Zingales fought in World War I on the Isonzo Front.

In April 1941, during the World War II Axis powers invasion of Yugoslavia, he commanded the Motorised Corps.

[1] In September 1941, he was appointed as commander of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia, but fell ill in Vienna on his way to the front and was replaced by Giovanni Messe.

In November 1942, on his turn he replaced Giovanni Messe as commander of the XXXV Corps, which was a part of the 8th Italian Army in Russia.

After the Soviet Operation Little Saturn, his Corps was forced to withdraw from the Don River.