For the first time, a detailed history of a little known aspect of the Great War in the air: the forty-two Italian aces. From legendary personalities such as Francesco Baracca and Scaroni to completely forgotten aces, each biography details their personalities, and their combat careers during and after the war. Charts report all their victories, with careful cross-referencing to Austrian and German losses. An introduction puts the air war on the Italian front in perspective, showing the development and actions of the Italian air force including many orders of battle, and brief histories of all fighter squadrons. Over 500 previously unpublished photographs from private sources, as well as twenty-four pages of color profiles of Nieuports, Spads, Hanriots and Macchis provide a stunning visual complement for the historian and modeler.