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HEROIC AIRMAN.

GREAT FIGHT AGAINST ODDS. AN ITALIAN INCIDENT. Details recently reached Paris through the special correspondent of the “Pettit Journal” of an incident of conspicuous gallantry that occurred during the Italian air raid on Lubiana. Lieutenant-Colonel Barbieri, the commander of the squadron, was on a giant Caproni aeroplane, accompanied by Captain Baili and Captain Salamone. On its way to Lubiana the Italian squadron was attacked by Austrian aviators attached to the Disovizza aerodrome. The Austrian aeroplanes, as they had to rise, could not prevent the passage of the Italian machines, and were obliged to let them pass and attack them from/the rear. The Caproni machine, piloted by Captain Salomone, was in touch with several enemy aeroplanes, with which it engaged and succeeded in concentrating the enemy’s attack on it, while the other Italian machines continued on their way. One after another, all the men on the Caproni fell to the enemy’s machine guns.

Captain Salomone was the first to be wounded and seriously, but all the same he continued in control of the aeroplane and tried to bring it back into the Italian lines. The other pilot, leaving his post, moved to the rear of the machine, where, armed with an automatic rifle, he began to fire on the Austrians. After a few shots, he was hit, and fell dead. Colonel Barbieri was also hit by a rain of bullets and dropped over the machine gun that he was operating. Captain Salomone was thus left alone with the dead, fighting the enemy. Colonel Barbieri’s body was fouling the altitude gear, and with a terrible effort he had to move it. Another body was stopping the action of the pump, and Captain Salomone had to move that, too. Gallantly the heroic captain, wiping away the blood that was pouring from his wound, kept his machine going. The enemy, who were close to him, in vain urged him to surrender. Each time he refused the Austrians opened fire again with their machine-guns. Pursued all the time by the five enemy aeroplanes, the heroic pilot was finally able to land near Palmanova, bringing his aeroplane and his dead back to his country’s soil. The soldiers, as they came up, when they saw no one leave the machine, at first thought everyone on board was dead. Captain Salomone, after his supreme effort, had fainted. General Cadorna afterwards decorated Captain Salomone with the gold medal for military valor that the King had awarded him, and his name, the correspondent of the “Petit Journal” states, has now become a household word in Italy.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIPM19160506.2.24

Bibliographic details

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7717, 6 May 1916, Page 4

Word Count
428

HEROIC AIRMAN. Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7717, 6 May 1916, Page 4

HEROIC AIRMAN. Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7717, 6 May 1916, Page 4

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