According to the 1910 Italian law for the strengthening of the aeronautics the construction of 9 airships was ordered by the army, including three small, five medium and one large aircraft. The medium-class semi-rigid airships (M type) were designed by the military engineers and officers Gaetano Arturo Crocco and Ottavio Ricaldoni. The first of the airships, M.I, equipped with 2 Fiat S-76A 200 HP engines, was assigned to the Royal Army. In 1913 Regia Marina also decided to equip itself with airships. The first of them, the M.2, was built in Vigna di Valle according to specifications issued by the marine technicians. Worried about having to encounter enemy aircraft during the missions over the Adriatic, they requested the replacement of the two Fiat engines with four of English origin Wolseley 125 HP single-propeller engines, in order to increase the obtainable speed to the maximum, which after the improvement reached the highest speed of 82 km/h. Due to the increase in weight, the transportable load was reduced by about 300 kg (it reached a maximum of 3,000 kg), and the maximum reachable height dropped to less than 2,000 meters.
Gondola of the M.2
The airship was first introduced on 26 May 1913, and took flight for the first time on 13 July, after receiving important modifications to the nacelle. On 11 August the airship performed a test flight over the city of Rome, with an aircraft dropping incendiary devices over the airship, while the latter tried to avoid the attack by performing disengagement manoeuvres. On 26 August it made a two-hour test flight in Bracciano with the Minister of the Navy Enrico Millo on board. Once back in Vigna di Valle, the ship was then transferred to the Ferrara-San Luca Airport on 27 August, carrying out a 380 km flight in seven and a half hours under the command of Lieutenant Emanuele Ponzio and his crew: Lieutenant Giovanni Battista Carniglia, Sub-Lieutenant Giacinto Valerio and Chief Mechanic Antonio Mantero.
Operational history
Hangaring the ship
Between the end of 1913 and 1914 the M.2 performed numerous test flights, including one on the route of Ferrara, Ancona, Capo Gargano, Gulf of Manfredonia and back covering 1,200 km while being 21 hours in the air without any technical stopover, conquering the Italian record for duration and distance without stopping. From 13 to 16 April 1914 the M.2 took part in a combined military maneuver with aircraft, airships and submarines over the sea between Venice and Ancona. In May 1914, during a special ceremony, the war flag, donated by a ladies' committee from the city of Ferrara, was delivered to the airship. Renamed M.2 Città di Ferrara, in May 1915 it was transferred to the Jesi airport under the command of Lieutenant Castruccio Castracane.
After the Kingdom of Italy entered the war on 24 May, the airship was immediately used in operational missions as a part of coastal airpatrols and subsequent bombing of Austro-Hungarian ships. Its first action began on the night between 23 and 24 May, when the V.1 Città di Jesi and M.2 had the task of carrying out an incursion on the enemy naval stronghold of Pola. The M.2, which left at 11.20 p.m., then suddenly found itself in the middle of the enemy operation of the Austro-Hungarian Navy conducting actions against several targets along the Italian coast. At 0.28 a.m., surrounded by the artillery fire from the enemy light cruiser, it gave up action against Pula, reversing course. While returning to the home base, at 5:10 in the morning the M.2 dropped some bombs on the naval units that had just proceeded the bombing raid on Porto Corsini, Senigallia and Ancona, among them the explorer Novara, damaging the destroyer SMS Velebit.[1] Threatened by two enemy seaplanes, the commander suspended the action and returned to the Jesi airfield. On 30 May the airship took off from the Campalto airport near Venice to bomb Pula. The raid was successful: M.2 managed to drop some bombs and also escape the anti-aircraft artillery fire, because, thanks to the clouds and darkness, the anti-aircraft lights were unable to frame and chase him.
Destruction
Airkill of the Italian Navy airship Citta de Ferrara by Austro-Hungarian waterplane L 48, 8 June 1915 (illustration by W. Malchin)
On 8 June 1915, upon returning from a bombing mission against the Whitehead torpedo factories and the Ganz & Co. Danubius shipyards in Fiume, the airship, under the command of Captain Castracane, was hit and seriously damaged. Città di Ferrara attempted to return to base, but approximately 20 km from Premuda it was spotted by the Austro-Hungarian patrolling marine aircraft marked Lohner L 48 piloted by Lschlt. Gustav Klasing with 'Schiesskommandant' (artillerist) Hans Fritsche von Crouenwald as an observer.[2] Klasing managed to got his plane closer to the airship and then the crew shot a flare to the airship body.
The M.2 started to burn and fell into the sea: impact on the water or drowning caused the death of two crew members, while the survivors were picked up by an Austro-Hungarian torpedo boat and taken prisoner.[3] Residues of the ship were collected and taken to Fiume.
The shotdown of the M.2 airship entered to the military aviation history as the first successful attack of a plane on an airship.
