Alessandro Guidoni (July 15, 1880 – April 27, 1928) served as a

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

in the ''

Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Regio Esercito, Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the mon ...

'' (Italian Royal Air Force).

Guidonia Montecelio Guidonia Montecelio (), commonly known as Guidonia, is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio, central Italy. Geography The municipality of Guidonia Montecelio, formed by the main towns of Guidonia and Montecelio, l ...

, the small town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' where he died while testing a new parachute, was named after him in 1937.

Life

Guidoni was born in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, on 15 July 1880. He obtained his degree in

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

at the

Turin Polytechnic The Polytechnic University of Turin ( it, Politecnico di Torino) is the oldest Italian public technical university. The university offers several courses in the fields of Engineering, Architecture, Urban Planning and Industrial Design, and is co ...

in 1903 and in 1905, while serving in the Navy Engineering Corps, took his second degree in naval engineering. In 1909 he developed a keen interest in the newborn ''Corpo Aeronautico Militare'' ("Military Aviation Corps") of the ''

Regio Esercito The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manf ...

'' (Italian Royal Army), joining many aviation pioneers. Guidoni served in the

Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War ( tr, Trablusgarp Savaşı, "Tripolitanian War", it, Guerra di Libia, "War of Libya") was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911, to 18 October 1912. As a result ...

of 1911-1912 as a pilot trainee, soon achieving a full certification and flying "hydroplanes" (

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

s). He then started studying weaponry and developed a new gyroscope-guided bomb to be delivered by planes against distant targets. In 1912, as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, he experimented with the air-launching of

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

es by dropping weights from a

Farman Farman Aviation Works (french: Avions Farman) was a French aircraft company founded and run by the brothers Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French nationa ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

. He also drew the plans of the

seaplane carrier A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

''Europa'', which entered service with the ''

Regia Marina The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' (" ...

'' (Italian Royal Navy) in 1915.hazegray.org World Aircraft Carriers List: Italy
/ref> In 1920, Guidoni joined the Italian

Embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Oppo ...

with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

. When the ''Corpo Aeronautico Militare'' separated from the army in 1923 to become an independent service, the ''Regia Aeronautica'', he became a member of the new service, and achieved the rank of general. On the morning of 27 April 1928, being dissatisfied with its design, Guidoni tested personally a new model of parachute at the ''Regia Aeronautica'' airfield at Montecelio, Italy, and was fatally injured when it failed.

Commemoration and legacy

Monumento ad Alessandro Guidoni, dettaglio - Guidonia

Guidoni posthumously received the ''Medaglia d’Oro al Valore aeronautico'' ("Gold Medal for Aeronautic Valor"). The third

Dornier Do X The Dornier Do X was the largest, heaviest, and most powerful flying boat in the world when it was produced by the Dornier company of Germany in 1929. First conceived by Claude Dornier in 1924, planning started in late 1925 and after over 240 ...

flying boat built, the X3, registered as I-ABBN, was named ''Alessandro Guidoni'' in Guidonis honor, and entered service in May, 1932. A private airline, ''Società Anonima di Navigazione Aerea'' (SANA) flew it initially; the ''Regia Aeronautica'' later operated it. In the 1930s a town was built around the airfield at Montecelio to house military personnel.

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...

, the Italian ''Duce'', laid the towns founding stone on 27 April 1935, the seventh anniversary of Guidonis death. In 1937, Montecelio and the surrounding ''

'' were renamed

in Guidonis honor. Only a military airfield exists at Guidonia Montecelio today, but a memorial to Guidonia stands on the exact spot where he died in front of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. Guidoni's passion for flight was celebrated publicly by General Ermanno Aloia of the ''

Aeronautica Militare Italiana , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

'' (Italian Air Force) celebrated Guidonis passion for flight 26 April 2006 with these words: “A perfect fusion of military engineer and scientist, General Guidoni ( ITAF) represents more than anyone else in our country the passion of man to conquer space, reach other planets, and investigate stars.”

Decorations

Gold Medal for Aeronautic Valor

Notes

Bibliography

* Alessandro Guidoni, Aviazione, idroaviazione : origine, storia, sviluppi, dagli albori alle traversate aeree dell'Atlantico : note, documenti, disegni, progetti, studi, esperienze ideate ed effettuate dall'eroico generale Alessandro Guidoni raccolte ordinate da Guido Mattioli, Roma, Pinciana, a. XIII dell' E.F. (1935/36) * Intervento del gen. Isp. Capo Ermanno Aloia alla cerimonia di commemorazione del gen. Guidoni del 26 aprile 2006
Portale Aeronautica Militale Italiana

* Chant, Chris. ''The Worlds Great Bombers''. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2000. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Guidoni, Alessandro Italian aviators Italian Air Force generals Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Italian military personnel of World War I Military personnel from Turin Parachuting deaths 1880 births 1928 deaths Accidental deaths in Italy Italian air attachés Recipients of the Medal of Aeronautic Valor