Aristeidis Moraitinis (aviator)
Encyclopedia
Aristeidis Moraitinis D.S.O.
was a pioneer Greek
military aviator
of the early 20th century. During the Balkan Wars
(1912–1913) he performed together with Michael Moutoussis
the first naval air mission in history, while in the following World War I
, he became Greece
's only ace with nine aerial victories in total.
. He entered the Hellenic Naval Academy
in 1906 and graduated in 1910, joining the Navy with the rank of Ensign. During the First Balkan War
(1912–1913), Moraitinis volunteered to join the newly-established Hellenic Naval Air Service
which was formed at Moudros
, Lemnos
. On Army Lieutenant Michael Moutoussis
, with Moraitinis as his observer, were ordered to observe the position of the Ottoman fleet in the Dardanelles
with their hydroplane, a converted Maurice Farman MF.7
. When they reached the Nara naval base they noted down the Turkish ships and installations. Additionally, Moraitinis dropped four bombs, but without inflicting any serious damage or casualties. This operation is regarded as the first naval-air operation in military history and was widely commented upon in both the Greek and international press.
took the initiative and established the first naval air force academy. Moreover, the same year, he founded the first aircraft factory in Greece, a forerunner of the modern State Aircraft Factory.
He was awarded British Aviator's Certificate No. 1087 on 26 February 1915; he had qualified the previous 22 September on a Sopwith seaplane at the Royal Hellenic Naval Air Station, Eleusis, Greece.
When Greece joined the Triple Entente
in World War I (1917) Moraitinis was transferred to the northern Aegean, where he served under the command of the British Royal Naval Air Service
, piloting Sopwith Camel
s. On one occasion, on January 20, 1918, he fought ten enemy aircraft which attacked two British Sopwith Baby
seaplanes he was escorting on their way to bomb the Turkish battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim (the former German ). Moraitinis managed to shoot down three of them. For his service he was awarded with the Distinguished Service Order
by the United Kingdom
.
By the end of the war, Moraitinis was credited with a total of nine aerial victories, making him Greece's only ace. He also became commander of the Greek Naval Air Service
. On December 22, 1918, while flying from Thessaloniki
to Athens
his plane crashed due to harsh weather conditions over Mount Olympus
.
In addition, he received a number of citations from Greek and British commanders, and the British offered him a new Airco DH.9
with the inscription "To the Commander A. Moraitinis, D.S.O.".
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
was a pioneer Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
military aviator
Hellenic Air Force
The Hellenic Air Force, abbreviated to HAF is the air force of Greece. The mission of the Hellenic Air Force is to guard and protect Greek airspace, provide air assistance and support to the Hellenic Army and the Hellenic Navy, as well as the provision of humanitarian aid in Greece and around the...
of the early 20th century. During the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
(1912–1913) he performed together with Michael Moutoussis
Michael Moutoussis
Michael Moutoussis was one of the first military aviators in the Greek Armed Forces. During the Balkan Wars he performed together with Aristeidis Moraitinis the first naval air co-operation mission in history.-Early career:...
the first naval air mission in history, while in the following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he became Greece
Greece during World War I
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the Kingdom of Greece remained a neutral nation. Despite being neutral, in October 1914, Greek forces moved in and occupied the areas of southern Albania that it claimed at a time when the new Principality of Albania was in turmoil...
's only ace with nine aerial victories in total.
Early career and Balkan Wars
Moraitinis was born in 1891 on the island of AeginaAegina
Aegina is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina, the mother of Aeacus, who was born in and ruled the island. During ancient times, Aegina was a rival to Athens, the great sea power of the era.-Municipality:The municipality...
. He entered the Hellenic Naval Academy
Hellenic Naval Academy
The Hellenic Naval Academy is a military academy with university status and has the responsibility to educate and suitably train competent Naval Officers for the Hellenic Navy. Its full name is Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy and was founded in 1845. The academy is one of the oldest educational...
in 1906 and graduated in 1910, joining the Navy with the rank of Ensign. During the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
(1912–1913), Moraitinis volunteered to join the newly-established Hellenic Naval Air Service
Hellenic Naval Air Service
The Hellenic Naval Air Service or ΝΑΥ was the air arm of the Hellenic Navy from 1915 to 1930.The first aviation units in the Greek Armed Forces were formed in June 1912. In the following Balkan Wars, the Hellenic Navy was the first in military history to use aircraft to track down and bomb the...
which was formed at Moudros
Moudros
Moudros is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lemnos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lemnos, of which it is a municipal unit. It covers the entire eastern peninsula of the island, with a land area of 185.127 km²,...
, Lemnos
Lemnos
Lemnos is an island of Greece in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos peripheral unit, which is part of the North Aegean Periphery. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Myrina...
. On Army Lieutenant Michael Moutoussis
Michael Moutoussis
Michael Moutoussis was one of the first military aviators in the Greek Armed Forces. During the Balkan Wars he performed together with Aristeidis Moraitinis the first naval air co-operation mission in history.-Early career:...
, with Moraitinis as his observer, were ordered to observe the position of the Ottoman fleet in the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
with their hydroplane, a converted Maurice Farman MF.7
Farman MF.7
|-See also:-External links:* Contemporary technical description of the MF.7 with photographs and drawings....
. When they reached the Nara naval base they noted down the Turkish ships and installations. Additionally, Moraitinis dropped four bombs, but without inflicting any serious damage or casualties. This operation is regarded as the first naval-air operation in military history and was widely commented upon in both the Greek and international press.
World War I
In 1914 Moraitinis together with Dimitrios KamberosDimitrios Kamberos
Dimitrios Kamberos was the first military aviator in Greek history. His name was spelled variously in contemporary foreign sources, including Camberos and Cambères....
took the initiative and established the first naval air force academy. Moreover, the same year, he founded the first aircraft factory in Greece, a forerunner of the modern State Aircraft Factory.
He was awarded British Aviator's Certificate No. 1087 on 26 February 1915; he had qualified the previous 22 September on a Sopwith seaplane at the Royal Hellenic Naval Air Station, Eleusis, Greece.
When Greece joined the Triple Entente
Triple Entente
The Triple Entente was the name given to the alliance among Britain, France and Russia after the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907....
in World War I (1917) Moraitinis was transferred to the northern Aegean, where he served under the command of the British Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
, piloting Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
s. On one occasion, on January 20, 1918, he fought ten enemy aircraft which attacked two British Sopwith Baby
Sopwith Baby
-See also:...
seaplanes he was escorting on their way to bomb the Turkish battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim (the former German ). Moraitinis managed to shoot down three of them. For his service he was awarded with the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
By the end of the war, Moraitinis was credited with a total of nine aerial victories, making him Greece's only ace. He also became commander of the Greek Naval Air Service
Hellenic Naval Air Service
The Hellenic Naval Air Service or ΝΑΥ was the air arm of the Hellenic Navy from 1915 to 1930.The first aviation units in the Greek Armed Forces were formed in June 1912. In the following Balkan Wars, the Hellenic Navy was the first in military history to use aircraft to track down and bomb the...
. On December 22, 1918, while flying from Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
his plane crashed due to harsh weather conditions over Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 kilometres away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks. The highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 metres...
.
Awards
- Greek War CrossGreek War CrossThe War Cross is a military decoration of Greece, awarded for heroism in wartime to both Greeks and foreign allies. There have been two versions of the cross, the 1917 version covering World War I and the 1940 version the Second World War and the Greek Civil War.- 1917 version :- Establishment and...
- Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
In addition, he received a number of citations from Greek and British commanders, and the British offered him a new Airco DH.9
Airco DH.9
The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...
with the inscription "To the Commander A. Moraitinis, D.S.O.".