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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



cities of the Venetian plains from the 

 ruthless bombing raids of enemy air- 

 planes. Fleets of seaplanes were also re- 

 quired to patrol the long Adriatic sea- 

 board of the peninsula to give warning 

 of the approach of raiding Austrian war- 

 ships, while a constant lookout main- 

 tained for enemy submarines was no 

 small part of the duties performed by the 

 Italian air forces. 



With mention of her defensive and 

 scouting air service, developed in the face 

 of a foe already thoroughly equipped in 

 this branch of warfare, the story of 

 Italy's air achievements only begins. 

 Tremendously effective has been the de- 

 structive work which this nation's avia- 

 tors, piloting huge Caproni cars, have 

 wrought on Austrian naval and military 

 bases — Pola, Fiume, Trieste, and Cat- 

 taro. 



TWO EXAMPLES OF ITALY'S AIR 

 ACHIEVEMENTS 



Two concrete examples of. Italian ex- 

 ploits in the air are typical of countless 

 deeds involving exceptional skill, un- 

 daunted perseverance in overcoming 

 enormous difficulties, and magnificent 

 daring in the face of death and disaster. 



A short time ago two squadrons of 

 Caproni bombing machines, rising at 

 four-minute intervals between units, flew 

 from a base aviation camp, located some- 

 where in the Venetian plain, to another 

 camp in the vicinity of Milan. This was 

 the first lap of a history-making expedi- 

 tion through the air. The start for the 

 second lap, from Milan to Rome, was 

 made at 8 o'clock the following morning. 



Rising from a sunny field in Lombardy, 

 the machines had proceeded only a few 

 miles in their southward flight toward 

 the Apennines when they were enveloped 

 in dense banks of fog and masses of 

 cloud. But on they flew, the pilots 

 guided only by their compasses and baro- 

 graphs. 



Over Piacenza they soared, but that 

 city was hidden from the air voyagers by 

 impenetrable mists. Now, according to 

 their calculations, they were approaching 

 the foothills of the Apennines. They be- 

 gan to mount higher and higher, until 

 their barographs registered an elevation 



of nearly two miles — a height sufficient to 

 enable them to negotiate the rift in the 

 peaks known as Cisa Pass. The calcula- 

 tions were accurate; had they been even 

 slightly in error, the great machines, their 

 pilots sightless amid the clouds, would 

 have shattered their wings against the 

 rocks, like migrating birds dashing them- 

 selves to death against the walls of light- 

 houses in their night flights to southern 

 climes. 



CAUGHT IX DAXGEROUS CROSS-CURRENTS 



Once over the great range of moun- 

 tains known as the backbone of Italy, 

 the pilots dropped to within a few thou- 

 sand feet above the land, between the 

 cities of Spezia and Massa, on the shores 

 of the Ligurian Sea. 



Scarcely had the air fleet emerged from 

 the clouds, however, than they were 

 caught in the dangerous cross-currents 

 lying between the mountains and the sea. 

 The machines rolled and pitched like 

 cockleshells in a choppy sea. Safety had 

 to be sought in smoother air strata, and 

 the groups of airplanes were forced to 

 break up into units in their search for 

 less turbulent currents. 



A whimsical fate directed one of the 

 pilots over Viareggio, his home town, and 

 as the whir of his propellers was heard 

 in the distance the people gathered at 

 their doors to watch the birdman soar 

 by. Passing within a hundred yards of 

 his own house, the pilot waved his hand 

 to the aged couple standing on the steps 

 gazing with eager eyes at the giant air- 

 craft but ignorant of the fact that it was 

 their own son in the seat of honor. 



Past Pisa and Leghorn and over the 

 Lake of Bracciano the squadrons flew 7 , 

 and shortly before noon, after a great 

 spiral evolution over the Eternal City, 

 they descended in the rain on the field of 

 the great aviation camp which lies almost 

 in the shadow of the Seven Hills. The 

 trip from Milan, through fog and over 

 mountain, had been accomplished in less 

 than four hours. The second lap in the 

 journey had been completed without ac- 

 cident. 



At ten the next morning the two squad- 

 rons once more spread their wings, head- 

 ing this time toward the southeast, their 



