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Amedeo Mecozzi (January 17, 1892 – November 2, 1971) was an Italian fighter ace of World War I, a general of the Italian Regia Aeronautica and a military theorist credited as the founding father of the "Attack air force" doctrine, which made him a strong opponent to general Giulio Douhet's theories. ==Early life and World War I== Amedeo Mecozzi was born on 17 January 1892 in Rome.〔Franks et al 1997, pp. 145-146.〕 Mecozzi was orphaned when young, and consequently raised by his grandparents.〔Varriale 2009, pp. 62-63.〕 He joined the Italian Army as an engineer,〔 and spent a year as a volunteer in Somalia〔 before applying for pilot's training in 1915. In June 1915, he was accepted, and began training at Malpensa on 2 September. January 1916 saw him qualifying on Maurice Farman 12 and Maurice Farman 14 machines.〔 On 1 February 1916 he received his pilot's certificate.〔 In March 1916 he began flying reconnaissance missions for ''45a Squadriglia'',〔 at some personal hazard; he often brought home an airplane damaged by enemy fire.〔 On 1 January 1917, he was commissioned as a sottotenente and reassigned to ''50a Squadriglia''. His determination to continue fighting despite battle damaged aircraft won him renown; on both 8 January and 19 February, he was granted a Bronze Medal for Military Valor.〔 On 19 June 1917, he was shot down by bullets through his Farman's radiator.〔 That same day, he was awarded the ''Croce di Guerra''. In September 1917, he was forwarded to fighter pilot's training in Malpensa. On 4 October, he was promoted to tenente. He was then assigned back to the front with ''76a Squadriglia'' on 12 October.〔 The next month, he was assigned to ''78a Squadriglia'' for his final wartime posting.〔 He scored his first victory the day after Christmas, 1917, teaming with his wingman to send an enemy reconnaissance plane down in flames. Mecozzi eagerly rushed off to the wreckage of his victim, only to find outraged farmers whose barn was burning along the wrecked plane.〔 On 26 May 1918, he used his Hanriot HD.1 to pick off a second recce machine with a hundred round burst, then ran his guns dry to down an Austro-Hungarian Albatros D.III from ''Fliegerkompanie 42j''. On 15 June 1918, he teamed with Antonio Riva to down a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I.〔 Also in June, Mecozzi was noted as changing his aircraft's insignia from a question mark on a black ball to two blue bands around the fuselage.〔 On 27 July, in conjunction with another pilot, he shot down Hansa-Brandenburg C.I No. 169.14 for his fifth victory.〔 Mecozzi would go on to claim an observation balloon in June and three more planes in October 1918, but these four wins went unconfirmed. Mecozzi served with ''78a Squadriglia'' past war's end, until February 1919.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Amedeo Mecozzi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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