1933 chewing gum card of Italian ace Francesco Baracca, card number 8 from the National Chicle Company Sky Birds Series of 48 pilots and airplanes of World War I. Baracca had 34 victories when he was killed in action on June 21, 1918. The spelling of Baracca's name is correct on the front, and incorrect on the back. © Copr. 1933
Major BaraccaReverse:No. 8Major BarraccaAce of aces of the Italian army, he had 34 victories to his credit when his untimely end came, June 21, 1918. He had made over one thousand flights over enemy country, and had been successful on 70 bombing expeditions. The day he was killed he had been up 5 times, but finally was met by a number of enemy planes at once. One of them put a bullet through his head and down he went.This is a series of 48 cardsSky BirdsNational Chicle CompanyCambridge, Mass., U. S. A.Makers of Quality Chewing GumCopr. 1933
"While the Allies absorbed successive blows on the Western Front, on June 15, Austro-Hungarian forces crossed the Piave in a bid to defeat Italy. The Italians were dug in and determined, however, and both their aircraft and the RAF's severely punished the Austro-Hungarian bridgeheads until the 19th, when the offensive stalled, and throughout the Austrian's subsequent withdrawal back across the river. Amid those strafing operations, Italy lost its leading ace and leader of its most elite unit, the 91a Squadriglia, when Maggiore Francesco Baracca's Spad XIII crashed near Montello, apparently a victim of ground fire. Baracca, dead with a bullet through the head, had 34 victories to his credit. The Battle of the Piave ended on June 22 with about 190,000 Austro-Hungarian casualties."
From March 21, 1918 until early June, German commander Erich Ludendorff launched four offensives: Operations Michael and Georgette against the British line, and the Aisne and Noyon-Montdidier Offensives against the French. The Germans urged Austro-Hungarian Kaiser Karl to attack the Italians. When he in turn pressured his commanders, who reported they were not ready, they delivered the Battle of the Piave. After being briefly thrown back, the Italians, supported by British and French forces, stopped and then drove the Austro-Hungarians back to their start line. Major Francesco Baracca flew a French Spad XIII. In The White War, an account of the war on the Italian Front, Mark Thompson puts the number of Austro-Hungarian casualties at 118,000.
The Origin of the Fighter Aircraft by Jon Gutman, pp. 252–253, copyright © 2009 Jon Gutman, publisher: Westholme Publishing, publication date: 2009
1918-06-21, 1918, June, Francesco Baracca, Baracca, Battle of the Piave, Piave, Spad XIII
