Aristedes Moraetenes
(Αριστείδης Μωραϊτίνης) |
Aristedes Moraetenes occupies a prominent position in the Greek Aviation. He was one of the first who attempted an air attack against a naval target , the first Greek pilot with 9 conformed victories and the first to receive the British DSO (Distinguished Order Cross) – an event not to be often repeated with later generations
Born in 1891 he has graduated the Naval Academy in 1910 as an Ensign. During the Balkan wars , in 1912 , he is the commander of a torpedo boat ; his eyes however look forward to a new weapon , the plane. In England the first aviators belong to the Navy and the reason is that to them this is a fast moving machine to cover long range reconnaissance beyond the battleship horizon , notify early the home fleet while at the same time is able to throw some light bombs against enemy shipping far away from the typical naval guns range. Additionally most of them were hydroplanes a very important feature for Greece as they needed no special airfield construction to approach the many islands of the country.
The base of the first two Greek hydroplanes was in Moudros, Lesvos island , opposite to the Dardanelles entry. It was then when Moraetenes volunteered as observer together with the pilot Michael Moutouses to operate for a mapping of the enemy ships stationed deeply into the Dardanelles . Then he is called to Elefsis , the naval base west of Athens where he is trained by the English Commander Pizey as pilot and he then continues training the rest of his group. At this time a severe epidemic fever strikes the area of Attica and many operations have to cease but after some months the first hydroplanes bought from France arrive , they are four Henry Farman F22 and he becomes the squadron's CO with the grade of the Captain |
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