Francesco Baracca
Lugo di Romagna, Emilia-Romagna, Kingdom of Italy | |
---|---|
Died | 19 June 1918 near Monte Montello, Italy | (aged 30)
Allegiance | Italy |
Service/ | Italian Army Corpo Aeronautico Militare |
Years of service | 1907 – 1918 |
Rank | Major |
Unit | 1a Squadriglia, 70a Squadriglia, 91a Squadriglia |
Awards | Gold Medal of Military Valor, three Silver Medal of Military Valor, British Military Cross, French Croix de Guerre, Belgian Order of the Crown |
Biography
Baracca was born in
World War I
During the months between the outbreak of World War I and Italy's entry into the war, there was intense political controversy in Italy between pro-war and pro-peace factions. Baracca remained aloofly neutral but ready to serve his nation. After Italy's entry into the war on the
The Nieuport 11 single-seat fighter with Lewis guns entered service in April 1916, and on 7 April, flying this new fighter, Baracca scored his first victory, holing the fuel tank of an Austrian Hansa-Brandenburg C.I and wounding its two-man crew. This was also Italy's first aerial victory in the war.[4][5] This first victory featured his favourite manoeuvre, which was to zoom in unseen behind and below an enemy and fire his machine gun from pistol range.[6]
It was around this time that Baracca adopted as a personal emblem a black prancing horse on his Nieuport 17, in tribute to his former cavalry regiment.
Baracca's second victory was an Austrian
Baracca's friend Fulco Ruffo di Calabria nearly ended Baracca's career — and life — in June 1917. Ruffo di Calabria burst out of a cloud firing in a head-on pass at an enemy airplane, and barely missed Baracca. Later, on the ground, Baracca assured his companion, "Dear Fulco, next time, if you want to shoot me down, aim a couple of metres to the right. Now let's go for a drink and not talk of it any more!"[10]
Baracca temporarily upgraded to a
A dedicated fighter pilot, Baracca found life away from the front unbearable and remained as much as possible with the 91st Squadriglia, even after being promoted to Maggiore in November 1917.[citation needed] Baracca remained a modest, sensitive man conscious of his duty and compassionate to both his squadron comrades and to his defeated enemies. He would try to visit his victims in hospital afterwards, to pay his respects, or he would place a wreath on the grave of those he killed.[6] He had raised his score to 30 by the end of 1917.[9]
Soon afterwards, Baracca, Piccio, and Ruffo di Calabria were tasked with evaluating the new Ansaldo A.1 Balilla fighter. Baracca was personally decorated by King Victor Emmanuel III at La Scala at this time. It was March 1918 before Baracca convinced his superiors that he belonged back at the front. He was not long back before he found himself in a situation similar to the previous late October: his squadron was forced to withdraw by enemy advances on 27 April. It was about this time that he adopted the griffin as an insignia for the planes in his unit. Most of his pilots adopted it, though some still flaunted the prancing stallion as a gesture of respect for their commander.[12]
Death
Baracca saw little action in 1918, but he added more victories, for a total of 34, before failing to return from a strafing mission on the Montello (hill) area on 19 June.[5]
The Italians were taking advantage of their air superiority to fly treetop ground attack missions into a storm of small-arms fire. In the 06:30 troop support mission, Baracca and rookie pilot Tenente Franco Osnago were hit by ground fire and split from one another. A few minutes later, both Baracca's home airfield and Osnago saw a burning airplane fall.[13] According to other sources, Baracca had left Osnago to provide him with top cover as he dived on the enemy trenches. Osnago lost sight of his commander, then he saw something burning in a nearby valley.[14] Some days later, on 24 June, after an Austro-Hungarian retreat, Baracca's remains were recovered from where they lay, four meters from the burnt remnants of his Spad VII.[13] A monument in his memory was later built on the site. Osnago, Ferruccio Ranza, and a journalist named Garinei retrieved his body for the large funeral that was held in his home town of Lugo.[15]
His body, when found, reportedly bore the marks of a bullet to the head. His pistol was out of its holster, but away from his body, leading to suspicions that he elected to take his own life rather than die in a crash or be taken prisoner.[16] An Austrian pilot reportedly claimed to have shot him down in combat. This claim is allegedly supported by evidence, but the most accepted version is that Baracca was hit by ground fire.[13] Research in Austro-Hungarian records indicates that he was killed by the gunner of an Austrian two-seater while attacking from above and behind.[17]
Ltn Arnold Barwig in Phönix C.I 121.17, piloted by Zgsf Max Kauer, claimed to have shot down the Italian ace.[14] The Austrian crew also photographed the shot-down aeroplane and noted the time and place of engagement.[citation needed]
Legacy
Baracca's total of 34 victory claims can largely be verified from known Austro-Hungarian losses and surviving military records, establishing the Italian as one of the highest-scoring Allied pilots during the conflict. After the war, his home in Lugo di Romagna was turned into the Francesco Baracca Museum, which displays mementoes, uniforms, and medals from Baracca's life, as well as rudders and guns taken from shot-down aircraft. In the 1920s, a SPAD VII once flown by Baracca in December 1917 was presented for display, which was subsequently restored by GVAS (the Italian aeronautical preservation society).[citation needed]
Many
In later years, Baracca's mother presented his prancing stallion emblem, the Cavallino Rampante, to Enzo Ferrari.[1] The prancing horse has been the official symbol of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team since 1929, and of Ferrari automobiles since they began being manufactured.[13] The roller coaster at Ferrari World on Yas Island Flying Aces, is named after him and themed to him.
He was decorated with the Order of Karađorđe's Star with swords and a number of other decorations.[19]
See also
- Luigi Olivari
- Giovanni Sabelli
- Flavio Baracchini
- Guido Nardini
- Giorgio Pessi
- Attilio Imolesi
- Gastone Novelli
- Pier Ruggero Piccio
- Fulco Ruffo di Calabria
References
- ^ a b "The début of the Prancing Horse". www.ferrari.com. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ Italian Aces of World War 1. p. 18.
- ^ Italian Aces of World War 1. pp. 18–19, 7.
- ^ Above the War Fronts, Franks, Guest & Alegi grub street, 1997
- ^ a b c Nieuport Aces of World War 1. p. 76.
- ^ a b c d Italian Aces of World War 1. p. 19.
- ^ "The prancing horse - Museo Baracca - Museo Francesco Baracca - Comune di Lugo". eng.museobaracca.it. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ "Francesco Baracca". www.theaerodrome.com. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- ^ a b Italian Aces of World War 1. p. 22.
- ^ Italian Aces of World War 1. p. 21.
- ^ SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. p. 24.
- ^ SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. pp. 24–25.
- ^ a b c d SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. p. 26.
- ^ a b Varriale 2009, p. 21.
- ^ Italian Aces of World War 1. pp. 20–21.
- ^ http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/baracca.htm firstworldwar.com
- ^ Shores 1983, p. 41.
- ^ "Amministrazione provinciale | Provincia autonoma di Bolzano - Alto Adige".
- ^ Acović, Dragomir (2012). Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima. Belgrade: Službeni Glasnik. p. 363.
Sources
- Nieuport Aces of World War 1. Norman Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2000. ISBN 978-1-85532-961-4.
- SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I. Jon Guttman. Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 978-1-84176-316-3.
- ISBN 978-1-898697-56-5.
- Varriale, Paolo. Italian Aces of World war 1. Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2009. ISBN 978-1-84603-426-8.
- Shores, Christopher. Air Aces. Greenwich, CT: Bison Books, 1983. ISBN 0-86124-104-5.
- Gentilli R., Iozzi A., Varriale P. (2003). Italian aces of World War I and their aircraft. Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen PA. ISBN 0-7643-1664-8