Perini Camillo

Camillo Perini (1887–1942) – colonel pilot of the Polish Army, aviator of Italian nationality, Knight of the Silver Cross of the War Order of Virtuti Militari, associated with the 2nd Aviation Regiment in Kraków. He completed officer school in Vienna in 1908 and began service in the Austro-Hungarian army in the 8th Field Artillery Regiment. In 1912 he completed flying training in Wiener Neustadt, obtaining pilot qualifications. Before World War I he gained experience in aviation, setting an aviation record on a 106 km route as a passenger of a Nieuport aircraft. During World War I he served on the Russian, Serbian and Italian fronts, commanding aviation units. After the war, in 1918, he arrived in Poland and joined the Polish Army, where he participated in the Polish-Ukrainian and Polish-Bolshevik Wars, commanding the 3rd Aviation Group and taking part in the defence of Lwów. After the end of hostilities he held senior positions in Polish military aviation, including as chief of aviation at the Supreme Command and commander of several aviation regiments, including the 2nd Aviation Regiment in Kraków. He became known as a charismatic commander and organiser of aviation. After leaving service he remained in Poland, engaging in assistance to soldiers making their way to the West in the early period of World War II. He died in 1942.