Tenente Carlo Francesco Lombardi known as Francis was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.
[2] Carlo Francesco Lombardi was born on 21 January 1897, in Genoa, the Kingdom of Italy.
[3] As Italy entered World War I, Lombardi was posted to the Italian Army's 22nd Infantry Regiment as a reserve officer.
His next exploit was flying extended reconnaissance sorties 100 kilometers into Austro-Hungarian territory; it brought him a second Silver Medal for Military Valor.
[3] Lombardi was then pulled from combat in August 1918, being reassigned to Torino's home defense squadron.
[3] While Lombardi participated in Gabrielle D'Annunzio's postwar insurgency, he eventually returned to running his family's rice mill and dabbling in sport aviation.
Also in 1976, the Regia Aeronautica recognized Carlo Lombardi's lifetime achievements in aviation with the award of the Gold Medal for Aeronautical Valor.