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[[de:Pier Ruggiero Piccio]]
[[de:Pier Ruggero Piccio]]

Revision as of 08:16, 25 August 2009

Lieutenant General Count Pier Ruggero Piccio (September 27, 1880–July 30, 1965), Order of the Crown of Italy, Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Medal of Military Valor, was an Italian aviator[1] and the founding Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force.[2] With 24 victories during his career, he is one of the principal Italian air aces of World War I, behind only Count Francesco Baracca and Tenente Silvio Scaroni.[1] Piccio rose to the rank of Lieutenant General and in later years, became a Roman senator under the Fascists before and during World War II.

Pier Ruggero Piccio
AllegianceItaly
Service/branchArtillery, infantry, aerial service
Unit37th Infantry, 19th Infantry, 5to Squadron, Squadrone 3
Commands77to Nieuport Squadrone, 10th Group Squadriglie, Regia Aeronautica
Battles/warsWorld War I
AwardsOrder of the Crown of Italy, Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Medal for Military Valor (multiple awards), Order of Savoy, French Legion d'Honneur
Other workSenator and Minister in Mussolini's government.

Early life

Pier Ruggero Piccio was born in Rome on 27 September 1880, to Giacomo Piccio and Caterina Locatelli.[3]

He attended the Military School of Modena, enrolling on October 29, 1898. He graduated on September 8, 1900, as a sottotenente (second lieutenant) assigned to the 43rd Infantry Regiment.

In 1903, he was seconded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From November of that year until February, 1907, he was engaged in a mission to Kalambari, Africa, which is located in what is presently the nation of Chad.

Upon his return to Italy, he spent from March, 1908 to July 1909 assigned to the 2nd Joint Company of Crete.[2]

From November 14, 1911 through December 2, 1912, he served in the Italo-Turkish War; this war is also sometimes called the Libyan War because Libya became an Italian protectorate as a result of the conflict. This war was notable for the first use of aircraft in battle, although the pioneer events of aerial reconnaissance and bombing occurred just before Piccio's arrival.

Piccio's duty station was with an artillery unit belonging to the 37th Infantry. He was decorated with the Bronze Medal of Military Valor during this service.

On March 31, 1913, Piccio was transferred to the 19th Infantry at the rank of captain. In July, 1913, he began pilot training. Upon qualifying as a pilot on Nieuport Monoplanes in October, he was assigned to the 5to Squadrone.

A Nieuport 11 Fighter. The Bebe Nieuport came into service in July, 1915, as Piccio began his own flying career.

World War I

When World War I broke out, Piccio was assigned to the Aeronautical Military Corps. For his reconnaissance flights between May to August, 1915, he was again decorated with the Bronze Medal of Military Valor.

He then was posted to Malpensa to qualify on Caproni bombers. He also became commander of Squadrone 3, which operated Caproni 300s.

In the spring of 1916, he went to Paris for upgrading his skills to French Nieuport fighters. In June, he assumed command of 77to Nieuport Squadrone, which was stationed at Istrana, Italy, near Venice. In October, he was again decorated for valor; this time, it was a Silver Medaglia al Valore Militare awarded for the hazardous combat duty of shooting a German observation balloon down[2] in flames. This was the first of his air victories, on October 18, 1916; at 36 years of age, he was one of the oldest pilots in a war full of youthful aces.[1]

In December, 1916, he was promoted to major and transferred to command the 10th Group Squadriglie. During this time, he flew with either of two squadrons within the group, 77a or 91a.[2] He usually favored the latter, which contained Francesco Baracca, already Italy's initial and leading ace. There was a break in Piccio's record until May 20, 1917. On that day, flying with the 91a Squadrone, he shot down an Albatros. By June 29, he was an ace.[1] Up until this time, he flew a Nieuport.[4]

On August 2, he caught Austro-Hungarian pilot Frank Linke-Crawford flying a two-seater without a rear gunner and shot him down for victory number eight.[5]

Piccio accumulated successes until his double wins of October 25, 1917, at which time his tally was up to 17.[1] It was during this stretch of time he transferred from the Nieuport he had been flying, to a Spad adorned with a black flag painted on the fuselage.[6] He was meritoriously promoted to lieutenant colonel in October, 1917. Once again, there was a break in his string.

It wasn't until seven months later, on May 26, 1918, that he resumed his winning ways. He followed up with two victories in July, three in August, and an unconfirmed on 29 September 1918.[1] In the meantime, in the summer of 1918, he had become Inspector of the Italian fighter squadrons. He was also decorated again for valor, twice, this time with both Gold and Silver Medal of Military Valor.[2]

Piccio was shot down and captured on 27 October 1918.[7] He ended the war with 23 solidly confirmed victories, another on an unknown date, and one unconfirmed.[1]

Post War Life

Domestic Life

In 1918, even as the war ended, one rather dramatic report says Piccio was courting the young daughter of a deceased Louisiana millionaire. Piccio had been assigned to the Air Attaché's office of the Italian Embassy in Paris. Loranda Batchelder was just sixteen years old and finishing her education at Ecole Lamartine. She supposedly fell for Piccio after he took her on a flight over Paris.

The teenager's mother objected to the match, but Piccio followed them to the United States and they were married in New York. They promptly returned to Paris, and from there, to Italy.

It was a stormy relationship that descended into a welter of cultural misunderstandings and child custody issues over their child. While living in Italy, Loranda Piccio attempted to flee her husband during or before August 1924, taking her child with her, only to be thwarted.[8] The marriage ended with the Countess's successful suit for divorce in July, 1926.[9]

Piccio later married again, to Matilde Veglia. They had one son, Pier Giacomo.[10]

Professional Life

Piccio was named an honorary field assistant to the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III as of 1 March 1923.

In January 1923, Piccio began working for Benito Mussolini. Mussolini was the titular head of the Italian commissariat of aviation. His aim was to establish a Fascist base in Italian military service. Piccio had the skills needed to establish one of the original independent air forces (Britain being the other); his early adherence to Il Duce fueled his upward rise in the Fascist ranks.[11]

He was the Commanding General of Regia Aeronautica from October 23, 1923 through March 1, 1925. The job was converted into Chief of Air Staff and Piccio was appointed the Air Attaché to the Italian Embassy in Paris from April 17 through November 15, 1925. He was then appointed Chief of Air Staff in August, but didn't give up his Air Attache's job. He was constantly in conflict with the Undersecretary of State in the former role while doing neither job well.[12]

From January 18, 1926 through February 6, 1927, Piccio was the first Chief of Staff of the Regia Aeronautica.[3]

As Chief of Staff was the new title for the Commanding General, this was a reappointment. It did not end well. Piccio's superior, Balbo, sacked Piccio for spending excessive time in Paris, where Piccio insisted he was still the Air Attaché. News of his playing the stock market and living luxuriously had led to cries of treason, which made Balbo's task easier.[13]

Piccio was then promoted to air force Lieutenant General on 17 September 1932.

He was appointed a Roman Senator on November 3, 1933, as a member of the Fascist Party. While in the Senate, he held several different positions. He spent two terms on the Board of Finance, from May 1, 1934 to March 2, 1939, and from April 17, 1939 to January 28, 1940. He served on the Commission to verify new senators from March 26, 1939 through August 5, 1943. He was also on the foreign trade and customs legislation Committee, from April 17, 1939 through August 5, 1943.[3]

None of this kept him from living mostly in France; in October 1934, he served as a backchannel between France's Premier Flandin and Foreign Secretary Laval and Piccio's own boss, Benito Mussolini.[13] Piccio even listed an address in Paris on his senatorial records.

Post World War II, he seems to have temporarily forfeited the wealth he had made as a fascist; there is a decree of forfeiture dated 29 November 1945. It is followed by a revocation on 30 June 1946. [3]

Pier Piccio died in Rome, Italy in 1965.

Decorations and Honors

  • 1911/1912: Commemorative Medal of Italo-Turkish war
  • 1911/1912: Bronze Medaglia al Valore Militare (Military Medal for Valor)
  • 31 December 1914: Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy
  • May to August 1915: Bronze Medaglia al Valore Militare (Military Medal for Valor)
  • 18 October 1916: Silver Medaglia al Valore Militare (Medal for Military Valor): First award
  • 28 February 1918: Knight of the military Order of Savoy (A.D. - Aeronautical)
  • Summer 1918: Gold Medaglia al Valore Militare (Medal for Military Valor)[2]
  • Summer 1918: Silver Medaglia al Valore Militare (Medal for Military Valor): Second and third awards[2][14]
  • 17 May 1919: Official knight of the military Order of Savoy
  • 11 June 1922: Knight of the Order of the S.S. Maurice and Lazarus
  • 5 September 1923: Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy
  • 20 November 1924: Knight of the Order of the S.S. Maurice and Lazarus
  • 28 January 1926: Major officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy
  • 29 September 1935: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of Italy
  • Knight of the French Legion d'Honneur[2]

See also

Sources of information

  1. ^ a b c d e f g http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/italy/piccio.php Accessed 11 September 2008
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aeronautica.difesa.it%2FSitoAM%2F%3Fidsez%3D112%26idarg%3D395%26idente%3D1394&lp=it_en&btnTrUrl=Translate Accessed 27 October 2008
  3. ^ a b c d http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnotes9.senato.it%2FWeb%2Fsenregno.NSF%2Fa0cb28c16d0da661c1257134004754fc%2Ff3ec89186ce21df24125646f005e7bff%3FOpenDocument&lp=it_en&btnTrUrl=Translate Accessed 27 October 2008
  4. ^ Robert Wohl (2005). The spectacle of flight. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300106920. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/austrhun/linke-crawford.php Accessed 27 October 2008
  6. ^ The spectacle
  7. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=P7oUgaPNOngC&pg=PA109&dq=pier+piccio&lr=lang_en&as_brr=0 Accessed 27 October 2008
  8. ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/newspaper-articles/32564-countess-piccio-s-thrilling-fight-her-baby.html?garpg=2 Accessed 27 October 2008
  9. ^ "Milestones". Time Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2006. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnotes9.senato.it%2FWeb%2Fsenregno.NSF%2Fa0cb28c16d0da661c1257134004754fc%2Ff3ec89186ce21df24125646f005e7bff%3FOpenDocument&lp=it_en&btnTrUrl=Translate Accesed 11 September 2008
  11. ^ Robert Wohl (2007). The spectacle of flight. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521856027, 9780521856027. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  12. ^ John Gooch (2005). Mussolini and his generals: the armed forces and fascist foreign policy. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300106920. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  13. ^ a b Mussolini and his generals, page 98
  14. ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/medals/italy/mmv.php?pageNum_recipients=4&totalRows_recipients=56#recipients

Reference

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