Maurizio Valentino Mario Moris (13 October 1860 – 19 September 1944) was an Italian military officer particularly associated with the development of military aviation in Italy. Later in life he was a senator.
He was admitted to the military academy in
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) 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. The city is main ...
in 1879. Moris flew in a balloon over Rome on 14 June 1894 at his own expense.
Before World War I, Moris was appointed Inspector General of Aeronautical Services in the Italian War Ministry, holding the rank of
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...
. He studied the possibility of using military aircraft against the Turks in Libya and Italian bombing operations were subsequently conducted during the
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish (, "Tripolitanian War", , "War of Libya"), also known as the Turco-Italian War, was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911 to 18 October 1912. As a result of this conflict, Italy captur ...
1911.
In January 1915, he left the Inspectorate to take on the role of General Director for Aeronautics at the Ministry of War. After the First World War, Moris rose through the senior ranks to lieutenant general and he was appointed a senator in 1939. He was also chairman of the Italian "Association of Aviation Pioneers".
External links
Biographical Dictionary of Italians - Volume 76 (2012) - MORIS, Maurizio Mario
1860 births
1944 deaths
Members of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy
Italian Army generals
Military aviation leaders of World War I
Italian military personnel of World War I
{{Italy-mil-bio-stub