Michael Moutoussis
Air Commodore Michael Moutoussis | |
|---|---|
Moutoussis c. 1912 | |
| Native name | Μιχαήλ Μουτούσης |
| Born | c. 1885 Erineos, Achaea, Kingdom of Greece |
| Died | 16 March 1956 (aged 70–71) Athens, Kingdom of Greece |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | |
| Service years | 1912–1932 |
| Rank | Air commodore |
| Unit | Hellenic Army Air Service |
| Conflicts | |
Michael Moutoussis (Greek: Μιχαήλ Μουτούσης, 1885 – 16 March 1956) was a Greek military officer and pioneer of military aviation. Together with Aristeidis Moraitinis, he performed the first naval air mission in history during the Balkan Wars.[1][2]
Early career
Moutoussis, originally an Engineers officer, became one of the first six Greek officers in 1912 who were selected to receive aviation training in France, in order to man the newly established aviation branch of the Hellenic Army.[3] In the following Balkan Wars (1912–1913) he initially carried out bombing missions on Turkish positions.[4] At the beginning of December 1912,[5] he was positioned in the Epirus front, where he performed various scouting and bombing operations in the region around Ioannina.[6] At the end of the month he was ordered to move to the Aegean front of the war, where he took part in the Battle of Lemnos.[7]
Reconnaissance over the Dardanelles
On 5 February [O.S. 24 January] 1913 a few days after the Greek naval victory at Lemnos, First Lieutenant Moutoussis and Ensign Aristeidis Moraitinis were ordered to find the position of the retreated Ottoman fleet in the Dardanelles with their seaplane, a converted Maurice Farman MF.7. When they reached the Nara naval base, they noted down the Turkish ships and installations. Before they left the area, they also dropped four bombs, but without inflicting any serious damage or casualties.[1] During the return flight, an engine failure forced them down in the Aegean Sea; they were finally collected by the crew of the nearby Greek destroyer Velos.[8] This operation is regarded as the first naval-air operation in military history and was widely commented upon in the press, both Greek and international.[1][2]
Moutoussis also participated in the Macedonian front of World War I as well as in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), where he was positioned in Proussa Air Field.[9]
References
- ^ a b c Boyne, Walter J. (2002). Air Warfare: an International Encyclopedia: A-L. ABC-CLIO. pp. 66, 268. ISBN 978-1-57607-345-2.
- ^ a b "History: Balkan Wars". Hellenic Air Force. Archived from the original on 18 July 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ "Michail Moutousis (The History of the Hellenic Airforce)". earlyaviators.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ Paris, Michael (1992). Manchester University Press ND. Manchester University Press ND. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-57607-345-2.
- ^ See pp. 248-256 of the article by Nikos D. Karabelas Etienne Labranche and Kostia Vlastos. Two war correspondents of Le Temps in Preveza during 1912-13 Archived 10 July 2024 at the Wayback Machine, in Prevezanika Chronika, vol. 49-50, Preveza 2013, pp. 235-282.
- ^ "Aviation in War" (PDF). flightglobal.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ See the article by James S. Curlin Archived 4 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine in Prevezanika Chronika, vol. 49-50, 2013, pp. 283-320.
- ^ Jon Guttman (23 September 1998). "Air Attack Over the Dardanelles - Sidebar: September '98 Aviation History Feature". historynet.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ "History of the Hellenic Air Force", Vol. II, 1919-1929 Archived 20 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Hellenic Air Force Publications .
External links
- Media related to Michael Moutousis at Wikimedia Commons