An Italian soldier lying in the snow waving a handkerchief to a plane overhead. The logo is for Societa Italiana Aviazione, founded in 1916, which became part of Fiat Aviation in 1918.
Logo: SIAReverse:S.I.A. Societa Italiana Aviazione Lingotto - TorinoAlfibri E. Lacroix Milano Inc. St Imp.
"— A story by the artist C———. An Italian officer was trying to induce his men to advance out of the trenches by sheer eloquence. In fiery language he reminded them of their hereditary foe, of their king hovering over the battlefield in an aeroplane. Then he charged forward, but turned around again to observe that his men were still firmly planted in the trench, applauding his speech with cries of 'Bravo, bravo!'"
Undated mid-February, 1916 entry from the diary of Michel Corday, a senior civil servant in the French government. Italy's hereditary foe was Austria, with whom Italy fought three Wars of Independence from 1848 to 1866.
The Paris Front: an Unpublished Diary: 1914-1918 by Michel Corday, page 145, copyright © 1934, by E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., publisher: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., publication date: 1934
1916-02-14, 1916, February, Italian soldier
