The Legend Of Francesco Baracca

摘要

Italy's most famous fighter pilot was Francesco Baracca, the son of a prominent landowner in Lugo di Romagna and his wife, the Countess Paolina. Baracca was a second lieutenant in the Piemonte Reale Calvary Regiment where he was an acclaimed equestrian. In 1912 he requested an assignment in a new branch of the army-aviation. He learned to fly in Betheny near Reims and received pilot license number 1037. When Italy entered the war, Baracca went to France to fly the new Nieuport fighter. He gained a reputation as a gallant pilot who showed a kind attitude toward enemy pilots, talking to them, shaking their hands, and offering small gifts if they were captured or placing small wreaths on their graves if they were shot down.