Flavio Torello BARACCHINI: the bullock of Villafranca.
Hi guys and gals, I'd like to introduce you another Italian Ace of World War I: Flavio Torello Baracchini.
Torello, his second name, would be bullock, a young bull, in English and, actually, Baracchini was a true bullock.
Baracchini and his famous marking.
Flavio was born in Villafranca Lunigiana, Northern Tuscany, on 28th July 1895 and since he was a child he proved to be a frisky boy as he practiced Swim and Cycling with good results and fell in love with motor sports. His family was a wealthy one, owning a pastry shop that became famous for having invented the Italian peach cookies, so Baracchini had the opportunity to complete his studies.
Efficient student, he graduated at Technical School in La Spezia then, in December 1914, following his absolute love for his country he voluntereed in the Regio Esercito where, given his studies, he was assigned to 3rd Engineer Battalion as telegraphist.
But he soon realized that a rearward support role, where patience is a natural gift, was not what he was looking for: he wanted to serve his country in a more active role hence he applied for aviation.
His application was accepted and Flavio was admitted to the Aviation School in Venaria Reale where, on 31st March 1915, he earned his Wings flying on Blériots XI. Afterwards, he was sent to Mirafiori to practice on Voisins.
In 1916, now Officer cadet, he was assigned to 7a Squadriglia da Ricognizione e Combattimento (later renamed 26a Squadriglia). His first war flight was on 14 March 1916 when Baracchini had as passanger a certain Maggiore Revelli (the inventor of the Revelli machinegun) to test a new weapon. A few days later, on his second war flight along with his observer Tenente De Bratti, they had a fight with two enemy fighters firing five magazines routing the enemy pilots.
It was on 9 April 1916 that Flavio had his first Official Citation when, during a reconnaissance flight, his Voisin's engine suddenly stuck forcing Baracchini to glide for 18 kilometers safely landing in the no-man-zone managing to escape, along with his observer, into the Italian lines.
While observing the enemy's artillery shells annihilating his machine, Flavio stood up from shelter shouting "You will pay for that!"
Soon his superiors noticed his hunting temper so, after his 58th war flight with the 26a Squadriglia, on 20 November 1916 he was admitted to the Fighter School at Cascina Malpensa where Baracchini trained on Nieuports 10 and 11. Here, among other future Aces, he met that sulfureous character who was Guido Keller.
Eventually, on April 1917, now Second Lieutenant, he was assigned to 81a Squadriglia da Caccia equipped with the Nieuports 11.
Initially Flavio had no succes as a fighter pilot, his enthusiasm did not coincide yet with his experience as when on 24th April he had an encounter with two enemy fighters and his weapon jammed. Displaying his great acrobatic skills he managed to bring his crippled aircraft back home. As soon as he landed his only annotation was "I still have much to learn".
However, after an unconfirmed claim on 15 May 1917 he got his first confirmed victory five days later, when he shot down an "Albatros" (as the Italians used to call the Hansa-Brandenburg C.I) south of Marcon. He scored again on the 23rd and 25th. Flavio scored once more, on 6 June 1917, while flying a Nieuport 17, and he used his new plane to achieve four more victories that month. By the 22nd of June, Baracchini had scored eight victories by fighting 35 times in 39 days. For this extraordinary display of prowess, Flavio Torello Baracchini became the first Italian fighter pilot to be awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valor.
Of course his exploits drew the attention of National newspapers and, despite Flavio's bashfulness, he became to be known as "il D'Artagnan dell'aria - the D'Artagnan of the skies" referring to his acrobatic abilities and habit to fire short and well aimed burtst at close distance after a boom and zoom attack. It was during this period that he adopted what he called "the black shield of D'Artagnan" as his personal marking.
On 15 July 1917 he was transferred to 76a Squadriglia where he was given one of the two Spad VII assigned for evaluation to that unit. With this new and more challenging mount he scored five victories (four confirmed) sharing his 12th victory with Baracca himself on 3rd August.
But his lucky star did fade on 8th August when he had a long and hard fight with one of the many "Albatros" two seater scampering the Italian Front. He forced the enemy aircraft to crash land but was hit in the jawbone by the observer.
Flavio, although bleeding heavily, managed to land and exited his Spad with a gesture of anger but the injury was serious so it was quickly tranferred to the city hospital of Udine. Here, on 15 August, Baracchini was visited by Vittorio Emanuele III, King of Italy and by Raymond Poincaré, President of the French Republic. The latter was so impressed by Baracchini's war perfomances that conferred to him, on the field, the Croix de Guerre avec Palme. The King of Italy, to be no less than his French counterpart, motu proprio, awarded the Italian pilot with the Silver Medal for Military Valor.
Later in his life, Flavio used to joke on that day saying that if the King of England and the President of the U.S.A. had been there he would have been the most decorated soldier in the world.
Noteworthy, after Baracchini was injured, 76a Squadriglia denied the Spad VII equipment judging these were a too difficult mounts to master.
It took several months to recover from the injury and during these months Baracchini longed to rejoin his unit but the recovery process was snaky as he also had to pay daily visits to odontologist. During one of these visits, while on the train wearing his clean black uniform and cloak with shiny boots, he was pointed at and apostrophized by two officers wearing weathered battle uniforms: these two were ranting about rearward shirkers. Baracchini, silently, stood up opening the cloack thus presenting the scar on his face and the blue ribbon of the Gold Medal, introducing himself. The two officers, feeling ashamed, apologized hugging him.
Finally Baracchini was declared fit for service and in March 1918 reassigned to 76a Squadriglia now equipped with the new Hanriots fighters. The long period of inactivity did not weaken his skills and eagerness, instead he again put his best into his actions whishing to become the Ace of the Aces. It was then that he changed his personal marking adopting the famous four aces giving his collegues a clear hint about his intentions.
During his stay at the 76a he shared a balloon with the rising ace Silvio Scaroni, on 3rd April, but although either men admired each other, they had different styles and approach to aerial combat so they rarely flew together.
He scored again on 2nd May and within one months he improved his personal record claiming nine victories in thirty days of fighting.
On 31st May he was transferred back to 81a Squadriglia as this unit suffered severe losses and the morale was extremely low. Flavio decided to drop the four aces marking to readopt his original black shield.
He began his final month of combat with a double victory on 15 June, with a third claim going unconfirmed the same very day thus preventing him to become the first Italian pilot to score a triplet. On the 18th, he once again was denied credit for downing a balloon. On the 21st, he finally became a balloon buster when, flying a Nieuport 27 equipped with Le Prieur rockets, downed a Drachen. He scored again on both the 22nd and the 25th, to bring his total to 31 claimed victories.
But he had to quit his active career when, on 25th June, while returning back to the airfiled after his last victory, he was hit in the abdomen by a bullet shot from the enemy threnches. Once again he managed to bring his Hanriot safely down and was taken to a field hospital. Luckly, although badly injured, he survived and went into a long and painful convalescence. But the war was over for him.
For a few time, after the death of Francesco Baracca, Flavio Baracchini was the living Italian Top Ace, and while still hospitalized he was promoted Lieutnant and awarded with the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus being himself the youngest decorated of this Order.
Although after the war his victories were decreased from 31 to 21, surprisingly without taking into consideration that the Official War Bulletin confirmed on 23rd and 26th June 1918 his 29th and 31st victories, in 1919 Baracchini was one of the six Golden Medals for Military Valor that carried the coffin of the Unknown Soldier, the highest honor for a soldier.
During the 20's Baracchini quit his military career and turned to inventing items that would be useful to fliers. His first patented invention was a signalling device for communications between airplanes, which was adopted by the newborn Italian Regia Aeronautica.
He then opened a factory for the production and development of parachute signal rockets. It is here, on Sunday 29 July 1928, the day after his 33rd birthday that Flavio met his ultimate fate when an accidental explosion mortally wounded he and two of his workers. After three weeks of agony Flavio Baracchini died on 18th August 1928. He was given a State Funeral and among the thousand of people who attended, there were many of his former comrades and fellow pilots.
This was Flavio Torello Baracchini, a man and a soldier animated by high sentiments of honor and love for his country who served tirelessly despite serious injuries. In only six months of active front line service, he claimed 31 victories arising as the deadliest among the Italian pilots.
As for sources, they mainly consist in these books in my possession:
- GENTILI Roberto, IOZZI Antonio, VARRIALE Paolo: Gli Assi dell'aviazione italiana nella Grande Guerra, Aeronautica Militare - Ufficio Storico, Roma 2002.
- VARRIALE Paolo: Gli Assi Italiani Della Grande Guerra, Libreria Editrice Goriziana, Gorizia 2011.
- VARRIALE Paolo: Italian Aces of World War I, Osprey Publishing Limited, 2009.
- BIANCHI Gianni, Flavio Torello Baracchini. Un Fulmine dal Cielo, Tipografia CRD s.r.l., Marina di Massa 2006.
Hope you enjoyed the read!
Mau
Baracchini in his SPAD VII when at 76a Squadriglia
Baracchini and observer De Bratti in front of their Voisin.
Baracchini after his first wound showing the scar on his chin.
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Originally Posted by Flying Officer Kyte
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