Giorgio Pessi
Giorgio Pessi (alias Giuliano Parvis) | |
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Medal for Military Valor, French Croix de Guerre |
Early life and service
Giorgio Pessi was born on 17 November 1891 in
World War I aerial service
Pessi transferred to aviation service. On 10 October 1916, he received his advanced pilot's license, having qualified on
Pessi scored his first aerial victory on 2 August 1917. He staked his eighth claim on 23 November 1917. All of his claims were for victories shared with such aces as Ferruccio Ranza, Giovanni Sabelli, and Francesco Baracca. He served with 91a Squadriglia until 16 March 1918. He was then transferred to the General Commissariat of the air force. It seems probable he upgraded his pilot's training in the next several months, as he arrived in the United States on 20 August 1918 as a Caproni Ca.5 pilot and saw out war's end there.[2] The Caproni he brought to the United States was characterized as the world's largest flying machine.[3]
Post World War I service
On 1 February 1919, the evaluation committee of the aviation military intelligence section released its list of victory confirmations for Italian pilots. Giorgio Pessi was credited with six aerial victories.[4] One of the denials was for a 6 November 1917 claim where the Austro-Hungarian victim had fallen within his own lines; it was later proven that ace Rudolf Szepessy-Sokoll had died in that crash. Also in 1919, Pessi flew the Caproni Ca.5 heavy bomber under the Brooklyn Bridge.[2]
By 1922, Pessi had returned from America and set up a flying school in
Legacy
Rhodes Maritsa Airport (Greek: Αερολιμένας Ρόδου - Μαριτσών) (IATA: LGRD) is a military airport located on the island of Rhodes in Greece. The airport is located 14 km south west of the capital city of Rhodes, near the village of Maritsa, and 3 km south of the new Rhodes International Airport.[citation needed]
The airport was built in 1938 during the Italian occupation of the Dodecanese as a base for the Regia Aeronautica and was called Aeroporto di Martisa "G.Pessi Parvis" and its Italian airport code was 801.[citation needed]
Honors and awards
- Two Silver awards of the Medal for Military Valor: Autumn 1917
- French Croix de Guerre
- Serbian Gold Medal[2]
Notes
References
- ISBN 978-1-898697-56-5.