Florence Airport, 12 May 1935: a pilot and two Regia Aeronautica’s high ranks helping the Duce Benito Mussolini to put the parachute before to leave Florence with his personal aircraft after the meeting with the Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg. The latter is in back of the Duce. Victor Sierra

A parachute for the Duce

This young pilot in front to an Italian Army’s Caudron G.4 during the WW1 is Aldo Finzi, an important figure, but today almost forgotten, of the first Fascist government and destined for a tragic end: Jewish family, but not practising, sportsman, aviator, companion in arms of the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio on the epic flight over Vienna (9 August 1918), after 1920 Fascist, close collaborator of the Duce Benito Mussolini, member of the first cabinet Mussolini, founder of the Regia Aeronautica as independent air force, involved in the “Matteotti affair”, important farmer after his retirement, a Fascism’s objector, one of the 335 martyrs of Fosse Ardeatine massacre. Born on 20 April 1894 at Legnago, near Verona, son of a wealthy patron of mills of a Jewish family, but not practising any religion, sport’s journalist at the beginning, Aldo Finzi knew the aviator’s world at Milan and, on 1912, was copilot of the pioneer Celestino Usuelli, placed second on the Gordon Bennet Contest for balloons and afterwards took part to many motorcycle contest. Just after the WW1 outbreak, at beginning rider soldier of a Mounted Cavalry Regiment, Finzi, in the meantime promoted officer, asked for the his transfer to Italian Army’s air component and, June 1916, was licensed airplane’s pilot. For his gallantry was awarded of two silver medal. Dismissed from the Army, Finzi joined in the Fascism on January 1920 and on 1921 was elected to Kingdom’s Parliament. In this period was hard by Mussolini and on August 1922 prepared the meeting of the same Mussolini with the King Victor Emmanuel III. After the March on Rome, in first Mussolini’s government Aldo Finzi was Deputy Secretary of the Interior, but never abandoned the aeronautical “milieu” whom remaining strictly related. For this reasons on 1923 Mussolini appointed Finzi Deputy Commissioner for Aeronautics (the Commissioner was the same Mussolini). In this role Finzi drafted the text of the Royal Decree Law No 645, 28 March 1923, which established the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force) as independent armed force. The Finzi’s work for the Air Force’s organization was very difficult from the merge of personnel of different provenances and the budget’s narrowness: 250 million Lire for July 1923-June 1924. But despite this and other problems, and also some accusations of malfeasance administrative, Finzi was a good organizer founding the Aeronautic Academy and the Aeronautical Corps of Engineers, inviting tenders to supply of new airplanes and leaving to his successor, the General Bonzani, and air force in state of health. The Finzi’s fall, which were still Deputy Secretary of the Interior, arrived for his involvement, true or spurious, in the “Matteotti affair”, the Socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti abducted and killed by a Fascist squad on 10 June 1924. Finzi paid for everyone and was compelled by Mussolini to resign on 17 June. After his retirement from the political life, Aldo Finzi changed into the agriculture, using some terrains in the Latium for tobacco’s farming, but keeping his contacts with the aviation’s world and his pilot’s license. When the Italian government enacted the racial laws, 1938, Finzi (in Italy Finzi is a classic Jewish family name) declared: not of Jewish race, but of the Catholic religion (and in effect his wise was catholic). In this year Finzi detached oneself from the Fascism and, because some critics to Mussolini’s regime, on 1941 was apprehended and interned on some islands and on 1942 was threw out the National Fascist Party. Returned to home after the Fascism’s fall, 25 July 1943, Finzi committed in the partisan’s unit and moved close again the Roma Jewish community. On 25 February 1944 was apprehended by the SS on his home at Palestrina and transferred on the Rome’s prison Regina Coeli. On 24 March 1944 was executed by the Germans during the Force Ardeatine massacre, the reprisal for an attempt against soldier of a South Tyrol unit. Today Aldo Finzi rest on the Fosse Ardeatine Memorial Cemetery together the other 334 martyrs. Victor Sierra