Re: WW1 Italian pilot ace's prancing horse

["Dean W. Cains" <dwc@domain.elided>]

Hi Fred and Group:

I've seen a different version of Baracca's death.  My reference source is 
issue No. 51 of Cavallino (June/July 1989), an acclaimed journal of Ferrari 
history and all other things Ferrari.

These are direct quotes from Cavallino:

"The Famous Symbol . . .

The symbol most often identified with Ferrari is the Cavallino Rampante or 
"Prancing Pony" (now the "Prancing Horse").  Enzo Ferrari himself indicated 
that the emblem was carried originally on the plane of Major Francesco 
Baracca, Italy's greatest aviator in World War I, with a score of thirty 
four enemy planes shot down.  Mr. Ferrari further indicated that the symbol 
of the prancing pony was given to him by Contessa Paolina, Baracca's 
mother, to "bring him luck".  Ferrari accepted and only changed Baracca's 
background to yellow to indicate Modena, his own home city."

"The Planes of Baracca . . .

His first plane was a Caproni, a monoplane used as a scout, while his first 
fighter was a modified two seat Neuport 10 which had the second seat 
covered.  Although he engaged the enemy several times, his gun always 
jammed.  On April 1, 1916, he received his first single seater fighter, the 
Neuport 11, and six days later scored his first victory.  Later, in 1917, 
he switched to a SPAD 7, which was in turn replaced by the SPAD 13, the 
plane in the famous painting."

"The Final Battle . . .

Why is it that with every legend, there's always a mystery?  To this day, 
historians still argue whether an Allied aircraft or ground troops were 
responsible for killing the Red Baron, Germany's World War I ace.  The same 
is true of Francesco Baracca.

On June 19, 1918 he (Baracca) took off at 18:30 to support the Italian 
infantry, who were attempting to thwart the Austro-Hungarian plan to cross 
the Piave River.  Although he was not alone, the Austro-Hungarian two seat 
reconnaissance aircraft with Lt. Barwig and Sgt. Kauer aboard was also in 
the area, and Barwig, as rear gunner, apparently shot down Baracca, for his 
plane was seen to be in flames before it crashed.  Like the Red Baron, 
Baracca was also at low level over the enemy forces.

The mystery of Baracca's death was two-fold.  For one, the Italians 
officially denied that any Austro-Hungarian aircraft were involved, but 
argued that it was an Austrian infantryman with a machine gun who killed 
the Italian major as he flew away after a strafing run.  Another part of 
the mystery is that while most probably the Austro-Hungarian aircraft was 
responsible for the downing, and while the SPAD was consumed in flames, 
Baracca was seen to leap from the burning plane.  After the 
Austro-Hungarian retreat, Baracca's body was found away from the plane, 
killed by a single bullet to the head!"

Fred, I certainly have other archives relating to Baracca and the 
now-famous Ferrari symbol, but perhaps the above is evidence enough that 
A.L.F.A. engine played no part in Baracca's mysterious death.  As for that 
"Prancing Pony" gifted to Mr. Ferrari by Contessa Paolina, it certainly 
seemed effective as a good luck charm.  Also from Cavallino, "Since Enzo's 
younger brother, Alfredo Dino, was a member of Baracca's squadron and was 
shot down, it's possible that the Cavallino Rampante was given as a 
remembrance of both Italian airmen."

Kindest regards,

Dean
'74 Spider Veloce
Lutz, FL


At 05:03 PM 10/16/2001 -0400, you wrote:
>Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 15:42:13 -0400
>From: "Ferdinando Di Matteo" <aroctek@domain.elided>
>Subject: WW1 Italian pilot ace's prancing horse
>
>The question of how did Francesco Barracca die in WW1 came up after all
>these years.   It seems Francesco was the top Italian ace having scored 34
>victories before an engine fire on takeoff made him crash.  His logo was the
>prancing horse which was given, after he died by his wife to Enzo Ferrari
>while he worked for A.L.F.A.   Ferrari used that logo on some of the famous
>Alfa race cars.  To research now, was that an ALFA engine?  Fred Di Matteo
>AROC Tech Advisor in Fort Myers, Florida

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