First reconnaissance mission in airplane - October 23, 1911

On this day in 1911, Italian Captain Carlo Piazza flew the first aerial reconnaissance mission in a Blériot XI during the Italo-Turkish War.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. Hello Hello again. I'm Eves and you're listening
to This Day in History class, where we examine the
past from the present. Today it is October nineteen. The

(00:23):
day was October nineteen eleven. Italian Captain Carlo Maria Piazza
went on the first aerial reconnaissance mission in history during
the Italo Turkish War, marking the first time an airplane
was used in war. Aircraft were put to military use
as early as the late eighteenth century. Armies used reconnaissance

(00:45):
balloons to gather information about enemy maneuvers. The French Aerostatic Corps,
founded in seventeen ninety four and disbanded five years later,
used balloons for reconnaissance. Reconnaissance balloons were also used during
the American Civil War and in other conflicts around the world.
After photography was invented, aerial photography was put to military use.

(01:08):
Reconnaissance with aircraft continued into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
with navigable airships and airplanes. The Wright brothers, known for
flying the first successful airplane, recognized that the plane would
be useful in war. They got the first contract for
a military airplane from the U. S. Government, and the
army purchased the nineteen o nine Right Military Flyer for

(01:32):
thirty thousand dollars, which is eight hundred and forty six
thousand dollars in twenty nineteen. Airships were the military aircraft
of note since they could carry weapons, while airplanes were
used for reconnaissance rather than combat at the time, and
even though the U. S. Army was the first operator
of a fixed wing reconnaissance aircraft, the Italians were the

(01:53):
first to use an airplane in combat. Bilba Right went
on tour in Europe and made public fly of the
Right airplane. He did demonstrations in Italy and trained officers
to fly there. A military flying school was set up
in Centocele, outside Rome, and nineteen ten from their Italian
aviation took off and many people qualified to become military pilots.

(02:18):
The Italian Turkish War was a conflict between the Kingdom
of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from nineteen eleven to
nineteen twelve. When the war began, Italy mobilized its Italian
Aviation Battalion and aircraft under the command of Captain Carlo Piazza.
Italy sent his aircraft inventory to Tripoli and Libya, which

(02:39):
was then part of the Ottoman Empire. That inventory consisted
of two Blerio elevens, three new Poor monoplanes, two Farman
biplanes and two Ettric Talbat monoplanes. The battalion was tasked
with flying over enemy territory. Together Intelligence Piazza conducted a
one hour reconnaissance flight over turkey Ish positions near Tripoli

(03:01):
and a Blerio eleven monoplane with a twenty five horse
power three cylinder engine. On November one. The first aerial
bombing raid took place when Second Lieutenant Giulio Gavati dropped
grenades on Turkish troops in Libya from his etric Talba.
The first reconnaissance photographs of enemy positions were taken in
nineteen twelve. At this time, other European countries were also

(03:25):
developing military aviation and training pilots. Reconnaissance, bomber and carrier
based aircraft were being improved. The French and British militaries
were experimenting with aerial bombing, and countries were beginning to
organize small air forces. World War One saw the use
of heavier than aircraft for reconnaissance and artillery spotting and

(03:48):
improved design and increased power and specialized aircraft proved useful
in war. I'm Eaves steffco and hopefully you know a
little more about history today than you did us today.
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(04:10):
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(04:35):
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