Antonio Locatelli
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Antonio Locatelli | |
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Silver Medal of Military Valour (3) Knight of the Military Order of Savoy |
Antonio Locatelli (19 April 1895 – 27 June 1936) was a pioneering Italian aviator and
Early life
Locatelli was the son of Samuel Locatelli and Anna Gelfi, a family of modest financial standing in Bergamo, Italy. From 1908 until his graduation in 1913, he attended the Bergamo Industrial Institute. He was a keen mountaineer in his youth, climbing the Adamello, Trentino, with his brother Carlo. He then became chief technician at the Ansaldo di Cornigliano Ligure.[1]
Aviator
Having joined a flying unit of the army, Locatelli was granted his pilot's licence in 1915. He went on to fly 523 sorties during World War I, starting out in reconnaissance and then flying fighters and bombers. He was particularly celebrated for performing solo reconnaissance over Zepellin yards in Friedrichshafen and flying over Vienna on 9 July 1918. He was subsequently downed and captured by the Austrians, spending some time at Sigmundsherberg POW camp. In recognition of his valour, he received gold and silver medals and was made a knight of the Military Order of Savoy.[1]
Locatelli led Italy's attempt to achieve the first aerial circumnavigation during the 1924 scramble by six nations to achieve the feat. Flying a metal hulled
Memorials
The following were dedicated to the memory of Antonio Locatelli:
- Via Antonio Locatelli and the rationalist style fountain with aviator's bust, Bergamo
- the Bergamo Section Antonio Locatelli of the Italian Alpine Club
- Antonio Locatelli Primary School, Cavernago
- Antonio Locatelli Hut in Tre Cime di Lavaredo Natural Park
References
- ^ a b c Crociani, Piero (2005). "Biographical Dictionary of Italians". Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Lowell (1925). The First World Flight. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
- ^ "The Locatelli Rescue". Historic Wings. Retrieved 19 May 2019.