Cosimo Renella's citizenship

[Knusel]

Good evening Gentlemen,

can anybody tell me if Cosimo Rennella was a citizen o Ecuador or of Italy ?

Cheers,

Michael

[josquin]

Knusel,
An interesting question: how does one ascribe citizenship? By officialdom's paperwork or by service and sentiment? Quoting one source, "He was born in Secondigliano, now a district of Naples, at that time an autonomous municipality, on February 15, 1890, the son of Salvatore Rennella Andretta and Enrichetta Barbatto, but he grew up in
Guayaquil, Ecuador, where his family had moved in 1892. Always he considered Ecuador his native land...although it does not appear that he ever assumed Ecuadorian citizenship: (source: "Cosime Rennella--Biografia/Kripkit" https://kripkit.com).
Strengthening his claim for Ecuadorian nationality, he volunteered to serve in the
Patria I Battalion in military operations against Peru, in 1909. He became the first
Ecuadorian to fly in Ecuador, at Guayaquil, on 8 October 1913 (source: Hagedorn,
Dan, "Conquistadors of the Sky: A History of Aviation in Latin America," University
of Florida Press, 2008). His status as an Ecudorian is reinforced by the fact that
the Italian War Ministry refused to accept him as a military pilot when he returned
to Italy to volunteer, in July 1915. He was only eventually accepted after literally
begging the War Ministry, despite his considerable record as a prewar pilot (having
received pilot training in France and Italy). Postwar, Rennella was commissioned a
Captain, in 1924, at the inception of Ecuador's Air Force, flew the air force's
first operational missions in August 1924, and was subsequently promoted to Major.
He died at Quito, Ecuador, on 3 May 1937, either of pneumonia or appendicitis
(depending on the source). It appears that Rennella was an Ecuadorian national
by choice, sentiment, and military service (in 1909 as well as 1924 and after), but
not a citizen with the status conferred by official naturalization paperwork.
(An additional source: Perez Pimentel, Rodolfo, "Biographical Dictionary of Ecuador,"
2nd Edition, Volume VII, (University of Guayaquil, 2002)

Josquin

[Knusel]

Dear Josquin,

thanks a lot for your elaborate and well-balanced answer, which helps a lot.

I wish you a nice Thursday evening.

Michael

[Knusel]

Good evening,

I conclude there has not been an ace with the citizenship of Ecuador.

Raul Banderas, Mauricio Mata & Carlos Uzgategui scored one kill each in 1995, thereby becoming the top scorers of the calendar year and of Ecuardor:
http://www.aces.safarikovi.org/victo...ador-1995.html

Cheers,

Michael

[Knusel]

Good morning Gentlemen,

I'm interested in Cosimo Rennella's plane when he scored his first and third kills. His first kill o 24Sep1917 is indicated in Italian Aces of WW1 and their Aircraft by Gentilli/Iozzi/Varriale as "Hd?". We know that Nardini flew a Hanriot at 78. Squadriglia already on an earlier date whereas Fornagiari flew a Nieuport still on a later date. Thus Rennella's first is a possible Hanriot kill. What is more puzzling is his third kill on 14Jan1918. In his own combat report Rennella talks about a "Macchi Nieuport" although he is known to have ferried a Hanriot on 14Nov1917 already. Can anybody clarify if he really flew a Nieuport that late in the war ?