Cesare Magistrini

Sergente Cesare Magistrini began his lengthy aviation career as a World War I flying ace credited with six confirmed and four unconfirmed aerial victories.

Biography
Cesare Magistrini was born in Maggiora, Kingdom of Italy on 26 January 1895.

After Italy entered World War I, Magistrini began flying training in December 1915. He received his basic pilot's license in March 1916. Rated as a Caporal, he was initially assigned to 2a Squadriglia for a short spell. On 28 August 1916, he was posted to a fighter squadron, 78a Squadriglia.

On 1 March 1917, he was promoted to Sergente. By now, he was engaging in serious dogfights, during one of which he was seriously wounded but continued fighting. On 10 May 1917, he was awarded a Silver Medal for Military Valor for his tenacity in this engagement. Nevertheless, the wound did not prevent him from scoring his first aerial victory on 17 June, when he forced an enemy Albatros to land. On 18 July, Magistrini backed Guido Nardini on the latter's victory, but Magistrini's own victory claim for participation was denied. He would stake one more unconfirmed claim before transferring to 91a Squadriglia on 1 November. On 23 November, Magistrini shared a victory with Bartolomeo Costantini. One week later, in concert with Ferruccio Ranza and Gastone Novelli, he shot down a German two-seater, killing both members of its air crew. On 7 December 1917, Magistrini and Ranza shared in the kill of an Austro-Hungarian Brandenburg C.1. Magistrini's Silver Medal award for this action noted he had engaged in 20 aerial combats

Reference

 * Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell; Alegi, Gregory. Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918: Volume 4 of Fighting Airmen of WWI Series: Volume 4 of Air Aces of WWI. Grub Street, 1997. ISBN 1-898697-56-6, ISBN 978-1-898697-56-5.