Sergente Attilio Imolesi was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.''The Aerodrome''
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Biography

Attilio Imolesi was born in Cesena, Kingdom of Italy on 11 October 1890. His date of entry into military service is unknown, but he was accepted by the

Malpensa Milan Malpensa Airport is the largest international airport in northern Italy, serving Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria, as well as the Swiss Canton of Ticino. The airport is northwest of Milan, next to the Ticino river dividing Lombardy and Pie ...

flying school of the '' Corpo Aeronautico Militare'' on 31 December 1915. He qualified as a pilot on a Maurice Farman 12 on 1 May 1916, and took a more advanced license on a Maurice Farman 14 on 1 July 1916. His original assignment as a pilot was to the Rimini Defense Flight, which was near his home. However, he applied for training as a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

. He was accepted for training on the

Nieuport 11 The Nieuport 11 (or Nieuport XI C.1 in contemporary sources), nicknamed the ''Bébé'', was a French World War I single seat sesquiplane fighter aircraft, designed by Gustave Delage. It was the primary aircraft that ended the Fokker Scourge in ...

at Cascina Costa on 2 September. He qualified on the Nieuport as of 25 November. On 30 November 1916, he was posted to '' 79a Squadriglia'' in the rank of '' caporale''.Franks et al 1997, p. 141. Imolesi made his first combat flight on 21 January 1917. He staked his first victory claim on 2 April 1917, only to have it unconfirmed. On 26 April, he joined Francesco Baracca and another Italian pilot in a triumphant attack on an

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

Hansa-Brandenburg C.I The Hansa-Brandenburg C.I, also known as Type LDD, was a 2-seater armed single-engine reconnaissance biplane designed by Ernst Heinkel, who worked at that time for the parent company in Germany. The C.I had similarities with the earlier B.I (Typ ...

; however, Imolesi's victory claim was disallowed. In May, he was briefly sent to ''43a Squadriglia'' for escorting their reconnaissance craft with his

Nieuport 17 The Nieuport 17 C.1 (or Nieuport XVII C.1 in contemporary sources) was a French sesquiplane fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during World War I. An improvement over the Nieuport 11, it was a little larger than earlier N ...

fighter. It would not be until 26 August that he won a shared confirmed victory. He received the Bronze Medal for Military Valor that same day. He scored his second victory on 14 September. After a double victory on 26 September, he was awarded a Silver Medal for Military Valor. After a fifth victory on 13 December, Imolesi ended 1917 as an ace. Imolesi was promoted to ''

Sergente Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

''. He scored his sixth and final victory on 14 January 1918, shared with

Antonio Reali Capitano Antonio Reali was an Italian World War I flying ace credited with eleven confirmed aerial victories, and 22 unconfirmed victories. He served in the ''Regia Aeronautica'' Reserves from 1923 to about 1940.Franks (2000), p. 17. Early life a ...

. In March, Imolesi would suffer serious injuries, though whether the cause was combat-related or accidental is uncertain. On 11 March 1918, Attilio Imolesi died in the field hospital in

Marostica Marostica (; vec, Maròstega ), is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It is mostly famous for its live chess event and for the local cherry variety. History Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the l ...

References

1890 births 1918 deaths Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Italy Italian Air Force personnel Italian military personnel killed in World War I Italian World War I flying aces People from Cesena Recipients of the Gold Medal of Military Valor Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1918 {{Italy-mil-bio-stub