Amedeo Mecozzi Amedeo Mecozzi ( January 17 , 1892 – November 2 , 1971 ) was an Italian fighter ace of World War I , a general of the Italian Regia Aeronautica and a military theorist credited as the founding father of the " Attack air force " doctrine , which made him a strong opponent to general Giulio Douhet ' s theories . Early life and World War I . Amedeo Mecozzi was born on 17 January 1892 in Rome . Mecozzi was orphaned when young , and consequently raised by his grandparents . He joined the Italian Army as an engineer , and spent a year as a volunteer in Somalia before applying for pilot ' s training in 1915 . In June 1915 , he was accepted , and began training at Malpensa on 2 September . January 1916 saw him qualifying on Maurice Farman 12 and Maurice Farman 14 machines . On 1 February 1916 he received his pilot ' s certificate . In March 1916 he began flying reconnaissance missions for " 45a Squadriglia " , at some personal hazard ; he often brought home an airplane damaged by enemy fire . On 1 January 1917 , he was commissioned as a sottotenente and reassigned to " 50a Squadriglia " . His determination to continue fighting despite battle damaged aircraft won him renown ; on both 8 January and 19 February , he was granted a Bronze Medal for Military Valor . On 19 June 1917 , he was shot down by bullets through his Farman ' s radiator . That same day , he was awarded the " Croce di Guerra " . In September 1917 , he was forwarded to fighter pilot ' s training in Malpensa . On 4 October , he was promoted to tenente . He was then assigned back to the front with " 76a Squadriglia " on 12 October . The next month , he was assigned to " 78a Squadriglia " for his final wartime posting . He scored his first victory the day after Christmas , 1917 , teaming with his wingman to send an enemy reconnaissance plane down in flames . Mecozzi eagerly rushed off to the wreckage of his victim , only to find outraged farmers whose barn was burning along the wrecked plane . On 26 May 1918 , he used his Hanriot HD . 1 to pick off a second recce machine with a hundred round burst , then ran his guns dry to down an Austro - Hungarian Albatros D . III from " Fliegerkompanie 42j " . On 15 June 1918 , he teamed with Antonio Riva to down a Hansa - Brandenburg C . I . Also in June , Mecozzi was noted as changing his aircraft ' s insignia from a question mark on a black ball to two blue bands around the fuselage . On 27 July , in conjunction with another pilot , he shot down Hansa - Brandenburg C . I No . 169 . 14 for his fifth victory . Mecozzi would go on to claim an observation balloon in June and three more planes in October 1918 , but these four wins went unconfirmed . Mecozzi served with " 78a Squadriglia " past war ' s end , until February 1919 . Post World War I . Mecozzi was awarded the Silver Medal for Military Merit in the postwar honors list . The committee evaluating aerial victories confirmed five of his victories . He stayed in the military postwar and ascended through the ranks . Mecozzi was accepted for permanent service on 31 October 1919 . He was a member of the Italian Aviation Mission to Paris . He also served with the Technical Directorate of the Italian Air Force at Montecelio ; there he had opportunity to fly confiscated airplanes , such as German Fokker D . VII s , Albitri , Pfalz es , and Fokker D . VIII s , as well as Phönix s . In 1916 , he began a stint at public relations for the Italian Air Ministry . On 29 July 1927 , he was promoted to " maggiore " . On 10 October 1929 , he was given command of " 7 Gruppo " . Mecozzi developed his own theory of military aviation usage which was dubbed the " Attack air force " or " Assault aviation " doctrine . Its emphasis was on attacking military targets rather than civilians and civil industry . This put him in frequent opposition to Douhet and his theory of strategic bombing . Mecozzi nevertheless continued to be promoted , becoming a generale di Brigata on 8 April 1937 . However , Mecozzi was invalided from duty and became president of the national aviation club . He also published the Editoriale Aeronautica of the Air Ministry . After World War II , he retired at the rank of Generale . For some years after that , he edited " Rivista Aeronautica " , a supposedly independently magazine covertly supported by the air force . Mecozzi also campaigned for a national air museum for Italy . Mecozzi became eccentric ; he wore his flying suit to the magazine ' s offices . Towards the end of his life , he escaped talking about his early combat experiences by becoming mute . He died on 2 November 1971 in his native Rome .