Sergente Giovanni Nicelli was an Italian World War I flying ace. He was credited with eight or nine confirmed aerial victories (sources vary), and died in service to his nation on 5 May 1918.
Giovanni Nicelli | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 October 1893 Lugagnano Val d'Arda, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 5 May 1918 (aged 24) Montello (hill), Kingdom of Italy |
| Service/ | Corpo Aeronautico Militare |
| Rank | Sergente |
| Unit | 79a Squadriglia |
| Awards | Three Silver awards of the Medal for Military Valor French Croix de Guerre |
Early life edit
Nicelli was born on 27 October 1893 in Lugagnano Val d'Arda, Province of Piacenza, the Kingdom of Italy.[1]
World War I edit
First records available of Nicelli show him as a Caporale, piloting a Nieuport 17 for 79a Squadriglia in April 1917. His first aerial victory claim was reported for 14 June 1917. He would post 11 more claims before his death.[1]
As 79a Squadriglia was drawn into the Battle of Caporetto towards the end of 1917, Nicelli forced down two Austro-Hungarian airplanes and won his first Silver award of the Medal for Military Valor. On 30 January 1918, he claimed his sixth victory and was once again awarded the Silver Medal for Military Valor. He continued his successes until 4 May 1918, when he tackled seven enemy aircraft singlehandedly, and was credited with downing one of them. He was also credited with a second victory that day, in a separate action. The following day, 5 May 1918, Giovanni Nicelli's Nieuport 27 broke up while in flight, killing him.[1]
List of aerial victories edit
See also Aerial victory standards of World War I
Confirmed victories are numbered and listed chronologically. Unconfirmed victories are denoted by "u/c" and may or may not be listed by date.
| No. | Date/time | Aircraft | Foe | Result | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| u/c | 14 June 1917 | Nieuport 17 | Enemy aircraft | Mount Verena | Victory originally confirmed, but disallowed postwar | |
| 1 | 25 October 1917 @ 0800 hours | Enemy aircraft | Forced to land | Marcesina | ||
| 2 | 7 November 1917 circa 1615 hours | Enemy aircraft | Forced to land | Fonsazo | Awarded Silver Medal for Military Valor | |
| 3 | 7 December 1917 @ 1130 hours | Enemy aircraft | Val d'Assa | |||
| 4 | 13 December 1917 ca. 1130 hours | Enemy aircraft | Asiago | |||
| 5 | 30 January 1918 @ 1000 hours | Enemy two-seater | Col d'Eshele, Asiago | Awarded Silver Medal for Military Valor | ||
| u/c | 4 February 1918 ca. 1100 hours | Black enemy fighter craft | Valstagna | Claim shared with Antonio Reali | ||
| 6 | 5 February 1918 ca. 0830 hours | Enemy two-seater | Forced to land | Case Girardi | Shared with Marziale Cerutti | |
| 7 | 13 February 1918 @ 0915 hours | Enemy fighter | Marcesina | |||
| u/c | 24 February 1918 | Enemy aircraft | Mount Grappa | |||
| 8 | 4 May 1918 @ 0850 hours | Nieuport 27 | Enemy aircraft | Montello | Austro-Hungarians reported no matching loss | |
| 9 | 4 May 1918 @ 1025 hours | Nieuport 27 | Enemy fighter | Montello | Austro-Hungarians reported no matching loss[1][2] |
The victory claims of Italian aces were scrutinized postwar by a commission from Italy's Military Intelligence branch. They disallowed Nicelli's first victory, crediting him with eight confirmed victories.[3] Aviation historians credit him with nine.[1]
Endnotes edit
References edit
- Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell; Alegi, Gregory. Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918: Volume 4 of Fighting Airmen of WWI Series: Volume 4 of Air Aces of WWI. Grub Street, 1997. ISBN 1-898697-56-6, ISBN 978-1-898697-56-5.
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