Fly Past

WORLD WAR ONE VIENNA RAID

86 FLYPAST September 2018

Rank Name Notes

Capitano Natale Palli with Maggiore Both returned unscathed

Gabriele D’Annunzio

Capitano Alberto Masprone Force landed en route

Tenente Antonio Locatelli Returned unscathed

Tenente Ludovico Censi Returned unscathed

Tenente Aldo Finzi Returned unscathed

Tenente Pietro Massoni Returned unscathed

Tenente Giordano Bruno Granzarolo Returned unscathed

Tenente Giuseppe Sarti Force landed and captured

Tenente Francesco Ferrarin Returned to base

Tenente Vincenzo Contratti Returned to base

Sottotenente Girolamo Allegri Returned unscathed

The Vienna raiders

leading up to the famous raid, and

transferred to another unit.

To revitalise the squadriglia, in the

face of a growing demand for recce

missions, command was entrusted

to Capitano Natale Palli, a figure

of the highest stature and prestige.

He was the pilot who had flown

D’Annunzio over Vienna.

The effects of Palli’s energetic

leadership were soon evident. On

the last day of August, SVAs of the

‘Serenissima’ had dropped 11 bombs

on the railway at Fortezza

(or Franzenfeste).

Other notable operations included

that of September 14, when seven

SVAs, divided into two flights,

bombed the depots at Osoppo. This

was followed three days later by an

attack on the Casarsa railway yards.

Tenente Allegri was lost in a mid-

air collision with another SVA on

October 5. Allegri was one of the

most accomplished pilots in the

87th and a veteran of Vienna; he was

awarded a posthumous Medaglia

d’Oro (Gold Medal).

On October 22, the 87th’s SVAs

resumed attack and photographic

missions on the installations at

Casarsa, but Tenente Pierattini, was

shot down and captured during

these operations.

The unit was intensely engaged

in supporting combat operations

during the Vittorio Veneto offensive

of late October 1918. Tenente

Contratti was shot down and killed

in aerial combat over Portobuffolè.

Despite being injured when he was

hit by anti-aircraft artillery, Tenente

Pastorello managed to force land,

albeit in Austrian-held territory.

At the end of the conflict, in seven

months of combat operations,

the 87° Squadriglia recorded 159

sorties, including ten bombing

raids and five air-to-air clashes,

for the loss of four aircraft in

combat. Of these, though, the

low-level cruise over Vienna by the

‘Winged Lions’ was by far the most

audacious exploit.

Right

A signed publicity

image of Gabriele

D’Annunzio.

Below

The route to and

from Vienna.

Below right

A recce photo of

the Royal Palace at

Schönbrunn taken by

an SVA over Vienna.

Below

The fl ight line of

87° Squadriglia at

picturesque San

Pelagio. ALL VIA AUTHOR