Giovanni Ancillotto
| Giovanni Ancillotto | |
|---|---|
Giovanni Ancillotto standing in front of the Ansaldo A.1 Balilla in which he flew over the Andes in Peru from Lima to Cerro de Pasco on 2 May 1921.
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| Nickname(s) | Giannini |
| Born |
15 November 1896 San Donà di Piave, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 18 October 1924 (aged 27) Caravaggio, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy |
| Service/branch | Corpo Aeronautico Militare |
| Years of service | 1915–1918 |
| Rank | Tenente |
| Unit | 114a Squadriglia 27a Squadriglia 30a Squadriglia 80a Squadriglia 77a Squadriglia |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Caporetto |
| Awards | One Gold and three Silver awards of the Medal for Military Valor |
| Other work | Flew across Peru's Andes Mountains in May 1921 |
Lieutenant Giovanni 'Giannini' Ancillotto (15 November 1896 – 18 October 1924) was an Italian World War I flying ace credited with 11 confirmed aerial victories. Rather unusually, he served solely with aviation while he was in the military, beginning in the lowest rank. Among his aerial victories as a fighter pilot were three over enemy observation balloons right after the Battle of Caporetto. As an example of the hazards of balloon busting, on 5 December 1917 Ancillotto returned to base with singed swatches of the third balloon's fabric adhering to his damaged fighter plane.
Having survived the war as a Tenente with one Gold and three Silver awards of the Medal for Military Valor, Ancillotto flew a civil aircraft nonstop from Rome to Warsaw on 11 September 1919. In May 1921, he transited the Andes Mountains in Peru.
Giovanni Ancillotto died in an auto accident at Caravaggio, Lombardy on 18 October 1924.
Ancillotto was born in San Dona di Piave on 15 November 1896. He was studying engineering at Polytechnic University of Turin when World War I began.
Ancillotto volunteered for pilot's training. He was accepted on 4 November 1915, with the rank of Soldato. After undergoing basic training at Mirafiori, he was posted to Gaberdini Flying School at Cameri on 5 December. In March 1916, he graduated near the top of his class of 80. In May, he trained at Busto Arsizio and Malpensa. He received his first active posting on 25 June 1916, to 114a Squadriglia. On 31 August 1916, he was promoted to Caporal. On 1 October, he transferred to 27a Squadriglia, remaining with them until 20 December 1916.
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