The Libya wars (1911-1931)

In September 1911, led by Giolitti, Italy lands in Libya that was dominated by the Ottoman empire. The Italians take Tripoli and several cities on the coast, but the war extends for a year against the Turks and for about twenty years against the Arabs. It is in the Italo-Turkish conflict that the airplane appears for the first time on a battlefield. Aboard French aircraft (Blériot and Farman) and airships, the Italians bomb, observe and take pictures. After WWI and with the rise of Fascism, Rome decides to ‘reconquer’ Libya on which the hold has weakened: in these operations, the Italian Royal Air Force stands out with its contribution in defeating the Arab resistance (1931) by targeting the military and civilians and not hesitating to use gas-charged bombs.