PAOLO VARRIALE is the Curator of the Baracca Museum and a World War 1 consultant to the Italian Air Force Historical Office, which has published his previous tomes on Italian World War 1 aviation units and aces. A staff writer of the online aerospace journal Dedalo News (www.dedalonews.it), he is widely published in Italian and foreign aviation magazines. A lifelong enthusiast of vintage aircraft, Varriale served for many years on the Board of Directors of GAVS (Italian Historical Aircraft Preservation Association), and has participated in the restoration of various vintage and veteran aircraft. HARRY DEMPSEY has been passionate about World War 1 aviation for over 30 years, resulting in his production of some of the most technically accurate artwork on the subject for Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series. He has illustrated all the World War 1 titles in this best-selling series to date. Italian Aces of World War 1 SERIES EDITOR: TONY HOLMES O S P R EY A I R C R A FT OF T HE A C ES * 89 Italian Aces of World War 1 Paolo Varriale Front cover First published in Great Britain in 2009 by Osprey Publishing Ranking Italian ace Maggiore Midland House, West Way, Botley, Oxford, OX2 0PH Francesco Baracca of 9V Squadriglia 443 Park Avenue South, New York, NY, 10016, USA obtained his 34th, and final, victory E-mail; [email protected] on 15 June 1918 whilst at the controls of SPAD VII S2445 during the fierce aerial dogfights on the first day of the last Austro- © 2009 Osprey Publishing Limited Hungarian offensive against Italian forces defending the River Piave. At 1300 hrs, Baracca had shot down All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, a Hansa-Brandenburg Br C I two- research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Design and seater of Fliegerkompagnie (Flik) Patents Act 1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a 32/D near Saletto for his 33rd success. Flying with his veteran retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, wingman Sergente Gaetano electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise Aliperta, Baracca subsequently without prior written permission. All enquiries should be addressed to the wrote in his combat report; publisher. 'We spotted a great patrol of 25 fighters flying at a height of about 1200 m. They chased our aeroplanes ISBN 13; 978 1 84603 426 8 for a short while, then headed back toward their lines. One of them had Edited by Bruce Hales-Dutton and Tony Holmes drifted away from the patrol, and we quickly surrounded it. I Page design by Tony Truscott repeatedly hit the aeroplane with Cover Artwork by Mark Postlethwaite my machine gun fire until it struck Aircraft Profiles by Harry Dempsey the ground and nosed over onto its back.' Scale Drawings by Mark Styling Baracca had succeeded in Index by Alan Thatcher downing Albatros D III 153.266, which crashed in a cultivated field Printed and bound in China through Bookbuilders near San Biagio di Collalta. The ace generously shared credit for this victory with Aliperta, Baracca 0708 09 10 11 10 9 8 76 5 4 3 2 1 recalling that 'he had helped me out by continually blocking off the enemy pilot as he attempted to FOR A CATALOGUE OF ALL BOOKS PUBLISHED BY OSPREY MILITARY retreat'. The latter, Ltn von AND AVIATION PLEASE CONTACT: Josipovich of Flik 51, emerged Osprey Direct, c/o Random House Distribution Center, unscathed from the wreckage of his 400 Hahn Road, Westminster, MD 21157 Albatros and was immediately Email: [email protected] captured. After the war, he resumed Osprey Direct, The Book Service Ltd, Distribution Centre, his career in aviation, but this time Colchester Road, Frating Green, Colchester, Essex, C07 7DW as a civilian pilot. Josipovich E-mail: [email protected] subsequently perished in a flying accident [Cover artwork by Mark www.ospreypublishing.com Postlethwaite) CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 6 CHAPTER ONE ITALIAN FIGHTERS 7 CHAPTER TWO VICTORY CLAIMS 1 1 CHAPTER THREE THE ACES 13 APPENDICES 99 COLOUR PLATES COMMENTARY 99 INDEX 104 INTRODUCTION T" T'hen Italy entered the war on 24 May 1915, the Regio Esercito (Royal Army) was poorly equipped and \ JL I lacked the modern weapons - especially machine guns and heavy artillery pieces - essential for trench • • warfare. Under the leadership of Gen Luigi Cadorna, Italian troops crossed the Austro-Hungarian border. In spite of the few enemy troops defending this area of the front, the Royal Army's cautious advance gave their opponents time to reinforce their positions and make the most of the high ground that they held. Minimal territory was gained, and in a short time a stalemate had been reached. The front stabilised, assuming a shape that resembled a horizontal'S' along the River Isonzo from the Swiss border near Trentino to the Adriatic. Almost everywhere along the frontline the terrain was mountainous. The Italian Supreme Command concentrated its efforts on the Isonzo Front, and in the Carso area the Royal Army encountered even stronger defensive works on higher ground. Thousands of men died in this area for no result. In March 1916, following five offensives called the Battles of the Isonzo, the Italians had to face an Austro- Hungarian attack in the Northern Sector from Trentino across the Asiago Plateau. This was the Strafexpedition (puni tive expedition), aimed at pouring forces into the Venetian plain in an effort to cut off the greater part of the Italian Army, which would then be unbalanced towards the east. Despite initially losing ground to the enemy, Italian troops were able to parry the blow and regain the offensive in the Carso area. Indeed, they were eventually able to take the city of Gorizia during the sixth Isonzo battle, only to face a new defensive line directly beyond it. By then Gen Cadorna had become notorious for his disregard of soldiers' lives in useless frontal assaults, the com plete indifference to his men's discomfort in their horrible trench life and the iron discipline that he enforced largely through firing squads. He repeated the attacks (the so called spallateor shoulder-blows) with few results other than to take the army to the brink of mutiny. Despite suffering from exhaustion, Italian troops succeeded in pushing their adversaries virtually to breaking point during the 10th and 11th Isonzo battles. With Austro-Hungarian forces unable to withstand another push, their German allies came to the rescue by sending in a strong and well-equipped contingent led by the experienced Gen Otto von Below. He launched an offensive in the Upper Isonzo sector, which until then had been relatively quiet, on 24 October 1917. Although Cadorna had suspected an offensive was in the offing, several factors - including poor military leadership, low morale, new adversary tactics and the almost immediate breakdown of communication - resulted in the front being broken. The breach came near the hamlet of Caporetto (now Kobarid, in Slovenia), a name which for Italians has become synonymous with defeat. The Regio Esercito retreated westwards. It was almost a rout, with the force retiring well beyond the original border and losing huge numbers of men and much material in the process. Cadorna shamefully blamed his men, accusing them of surrendering without fighting. But while some units did give up almost immediately, others fought hard and contested every step westwards. While Britain and France hurried to send reinforcements to their endangered ally, Cadorna was replaced by Gen Armando Diaz. Thanks to help from their allies, Italian troops were able to dig in along the River Piave on the Venetian plain. The invaders were halted. In the first months of 1918, while the Regio Esercito rebuilt its morale and strengthened its positions, the Germans withdrew from the Italian front. The Austro-Hungarian situation swiftly worsened due to critical shortages of raw materials and food, as well as to the growing tensions between the many nationalities forming the Hapsburg Empire. In June 1918 the Austro-Hungarians launched a desperate offensive aimed at forcing Italy to sue for peace. This time the Italians were ready and did not repeat the mistakes of the previous October. Although the Austro- Hungarians crossed the Piave and established bridgeheads on the Montello Hill and near the mouth of the river, a series of Italian counterattacks, aided by British and French troops, pushed the enemy back after several days of fight ing. The last Austro-Hungarian hope of winning the war had vanished. The army, like the whole empire, agonised during the summer, shaken to its core by the pangs of hunger, desperation and nationalistic demands. On 24 October 1918, just a year after the Caporetto disaster, the Italians attacked across the Piave towards the town of Vittorio Veneto. On 3 November Austro-Hungarian plenipotentiaries signed the armistice that came into effect at 0300 hrs the following day. The conflict between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire was over. ITALIAN FIGHTERS In the first decade of the 20th century Italy was still not fully industrialised. When war broke out in Europe, the air services of the Regio Esercito (Royal Army) and Regia Marina (Royal Navy) had few aircraft and pilots. Anticipating its entry in the war on the Allied side, Italy asked Britain and France to help meet its immediate needs by supplying aircraft to defend its skies against enemy raids. France granted Italian and French officers gather Italy a licence to build the two-seat Nieuport 10 and agreed to train pilots round a Nieuport 10 trainer at Le Bourget airfield in the early for these aircraft in its flying schools. After Italy declared war on Austria- summer of 1915. The tall man Hungary, France sent a seaplane and a fighter unit to defend Venice. in civilian clothes on the right is The Imperial airmen were very active from the outbreak of the war. Tenente Francesco Baracca. With They made repeated attacks and were vainly opposed by the first Italian him, also in civilian clothes, are Capitani Oreste Salomone and fighter unit, 8a Squadriglia Nieuport, whose efforts were hamstrung by Guido Tacchini, while Capitano the poor performance of the aircraft. In a desperate attempt to improve Maffeo Scarpis is in uniform. the speed and rate-of-climb of the Nieuport 10, the Italians lightened the Salomone later transferred to aircraft by leaving the gunner on the ground. No enemy aircraft were a bomber unit and became the first Italian airman to receive the downed, however. On the rare occasions when they were able to catch the Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare raiders, the Italian pilots often found that their machine guns jammed. for his gallant actions on 18 Changing the unit's name to la Squadriglia Caccia (1st Fighter February 1916. That day, Italian Capronis attempted the first ever squadron) on 1 December 1915 did not improve matters. Summarising strategic bombing mission when the situation with bitter sarcasm, Francesco Baracca, who would later they attacked Ljubljana. Salomone's become Italy's 'ace of aces', wrote in his diary, 'Scanavino wounded aircraft was badly damaged during himself in his foot handling the Mauser — perhaps the squadron's only the course of the operation, and he nursed his crippled aircraft home victim in five months of war'. with his dead comrades on board [Fotomuseo Panini) FIRST COMBAT la Squadriglia Caccia shared its frustrations with 2a Squadriglia Caccia, which arrived at the front in January 1916. 3a and 4a Squadriglia were air Nieuport 10 383 was photographed on San Caterina airfield, near Udine. defence units based in Brescia and Verona, respectively, and equipped This Macchi-built machine came with Italian-built Aviatiks which never encountered the enemy. to 8a Squadriglia Nieuport on 12 September 1915, and it was among the first aircraft issued to the unit to be flown operationally by Baracca. The aircraft's poor rate-of-climb, combined with a lack of an effective air raid warning service, meant that Italian airmen serving with 8a Squadriglia Nieuport were usually unable to intercept enemy bombers prior to them dropping their deadly cargo and heading for home. The pilot sat in the cockpit of 383 is possibly Capitano Maffeo Scarpis (Gianclaudio Polidori via Gregory Alegi) The situation improved a few months later when the new Nieuport 11 reached the front. The aircraft had a better rate-of-climb and was armed with the effective British Lewis machine gun. It was the first aircraft deployed by the Italians which really deserved to be called a fighter, and Baracca put its qualities to good use when he scored Italy's first aerial victory on 7 April 1916. This was followed almost 15 minutes later by the second, achieved by Luigi Olivari. Soon, the Luftfahrtruppen had lost its ability to operate with impunity. More Italian fighter units were arriving at the front and forcing a greater number of air combats. On 15 April unit designations were standardised by the adoption of a single numeral. A Sezione Nieuport (Nieuport Flight) was also deployed to Albania in December to fight in that theatre. Only the Army operated specific fighter units and aircraft, while the Navy concentrated on overcoming its initial weaknesses by introducing the general purpose FBA and Macchi L flying boats. In December the Italian fighter squadrons were as follows; An Italian Nieuport 11 is warmed up Squadron Group Airfield before flight. Also dubbed the Bebe 70" {ex-l"Sqn Caccid) Autonomous Campoformido or Niuportino (Little Nieuport) by 71"(ex-2"Sqn Caccia) III Gruppo Villaverla the Italians, this aircraft was the first 72a {cx-3"Sqn Caccid) III Gruppo Brescia effective fighter used by the Regio Esercito. The arrival of the Lewis 73"(ex-4"Sqn Caccid) III Gruppo San Anna Alfaedo gun was also much appreciated, 74" Autonomous Milano although the poor quality of the 75" III Gruppo Verona Italian-made ammunition led to 76" II Gruppo S Maria La Longa frequent jams (Fotomuseo Panini) 77" I Gruppo Istrana One of the new fighter types introduced by the Italians in 1917 HOPES AND FEARS was the Hanriot HD 1. Nimble, easy to fly and with a good rate-of-climb, In 1917 the Italian fighter force continued to grow in both numbers the aircraft was loved by its pilots and strength. New aircraft from France - especially the powerful SPAD and feared by its adversaries. A VII, the nimble Hanriot HD 1 (largely built in Italy by Macchi) and the captured Austro-Hungarian pilot called it 'the fighter with V-shaped Nieuport 27 - also helped to tip the scales further in favour of the Italians. wings'. Hanriot 519, pictured here That same year also saw the establishment of the Aerial Gunnery School, at Casoni airfield in 1918, was the as well as several defence flights near potential targets in parts of Italy. personal mount of Tenente During the summer the Regia Marina began receiving early examples Giuseppe Retino. His leather helmet, visible between the right strut and of the Macchi M.5 - its first flying boat designed as a fighter. Initially, the bracing wire, was decorated with a aircraft was assigned piecemeal to several units, but from November they skull and crossbones insignia were all delivered to two dedicated naval fighter squadrons that had been [Francesco Ballista) newly established in Venice. Italian fighters took part in all the battles fought during the year, defending the skies over their terri tory, escorting both reconnaissance aircraft and bombers beyond the frontlines and eventually gaining air supremacy for the first time. To reverse this situation, skilled and experienced German airmen were sent to the front in October to support their troops during the 11th Isonzo battle. Due to their