Guido Keller (6 February 1892 – 9 November 1929) was an Italianaviator andpolitical activist who was closely associated withGabriele D’Annunzio and played an important role in theseizure of Fiume in 1919.
Guido Keller was born inMilan on 6 February 1892 into a family of the local aristocracy withSwiss origins. As a teenager, he attended the Swiss college of Trotzen, but was expelled for his lack of discipline.[1]: 42
The outbreak of theFirst World War saw him serve as alieutenant in theRoyal Italian Army. Attracted by flying, he obtained his pilot's licence at the civilian flying club at the Torino-Mirafiori airfield.[1]: 42 After further practice he was assigned the rank of lieutenant in theCorpo Aeronautico Militare on 1 December 1915, flyingAviatik B.I aircraft from the Verona-Tombetta airfield, as part of theSquadriglia caccia which became, from 15 April 1916 theSquadriglia.[1]: 42
During a night flight overDesenzano he was mistakenly attacked by an Italian seaplane-fighter, which he was only able to disengage from through a series of difficult manoeuvres. On landing he claimed that the damage to his plane had been caused by enemy aircraft, so as to cover up the mistake of his Italian fellow-aviator.[1]: 44 In 1916, he was licensed to flyNieuport-Macchi Ni-10 and Nieuport Ni-11 fighters, built under licence by Macchi di Varese. In February 1917, he was assigned to theSquadriglia caccia. Here, he challenged an Austro-Hungarian pilot to a weaponless single combat, in which the winner would be the pilot who succeeded in taking his opponent's tail. Keller won the challenge, after which his plane was accompanied back to the Italian lines by an escort of Austro-Hungarian aircraft.[1]: 44
On 1 November that year, he transferred to theSquadriglia aeroplani da caccia commanded byFrancesco Baracca. When Baracca did not return from the action which saw him shot down overMontello, Keller undertook a reconnaissance mission flying over the enemy front line several times searching vainly for his commander. He was one of the pallbearers at Baracca's funeral.[1]: 45
Shortly before the end of the war, he undertook a strafing mission against enemy troops nearGodega di Sant'Urbano. His plane was repeatedly hit by enemy fire and he received serious injuries to his leg. Forced to land, he was taken prisoner and sent first to the hospital at Godega, and later to the military hospital inSacile. He was liberated by Italian troops following thebattle of Vittorio Veneto.[1]: 45
On 12 September 1919 a column of around a thousand irregular troops commanded byGabriele D’Annunzio marched intoFiume, whose annexation to Italy was opposed by US PresidentWoodrow Wilson. This adventure was the beginning of theRegency of Carnaro, and D’Annunzio named Keller “Secretary for Action” and head of the “Ufficio Colpi di Mano”, commonly known as the “Uscocchi”.[2] These units were named after medieval privateers of the Adriatic, theUskoks, and their role was to secure the weapons and supplies needed by D’Annunzio's regime, resorting in many cases to outright piracy.[3]
Keller was responsible for acts of piracy and theft, such as the occasion when he stole a pig and loaded it onto his plane. The animal was so heavy that it broke through the bottom of his fuselage and he landed with its legs sticking out. Keller carried atea set with biscuits on his plane, contributing to his reputation as a refined dandy.
As a protest against the signing of theTreaty of Rapallo, he flew over Rome in anAnsaldo SVA biplane to drop bouquets of flowers on theVatican andQuirinale hills, as a gesture of homage, as well as an enamelled chamber-pot with a bunch of carrots and turnips onPalazzo Montecitorio, seat of theChamber of Deputies, as a gesture of contempt, with a message attached that read “To the parliament and government based on lies and fear, the allegorical embodiment of their value.” During the return flight, bad weather forced him to land, and when peasants came to his assistance, he discovered that he had inadvertently landed in theRepublic of San Marino. Welcomed by the authorities there, he improvised a message from D’Annunzio to the Italian government before securing diplomatic credentials from the republic that allowed him to return freely to Fiume, bypassing the blockade imposed by the Italian army.[1]: 46
Keller was the only one of D’Annunzio's companions permitted to address him using the familiar personal pronoun ‘tu’. While in Fiume he also became a friend ofFilippo Tommaso Marinetti who introduced him tofuturism, which interested him for a time before he became disillusioned.
With his friend the writerGiovanni Comisso, Keller founded a yoga group in Fiume,[4] which adopted theswastika as one of its symbols. The group had esoteric and naturist tendencies and Keller was often portrayed nude in photos of the time. He slept semi-nude at the top of a tree together with his pet eagle. A habitual user ofcocaine, he was also a devotee of group sex, including with male partners.[5][6][7]
Disappointed and embittered, Keller left forTurkey, where he tried to create an airline, but his venture was not successful. Returning to Italy he joined thefascist movement, although the fascists never really trusted him because of his bitter criticisms. He took part in theMarch on Rome. In 1923 he returned to military flying, and was named aeronautical attaché to the Italian embassy inBerlin.[1]: 46 He then asked to be returned to active service and was sent toBenghazi inLibya during the period when Italian forces were engaged in operations against rebel tribes. He returned to Italy before embarking on a long voyage of exploration to South America. He went up theAmazon River, visitedVenezuela, and spent time inPeru as agold prospector.[1]: 46
In the last years of his life, he lived inOstia in poverty, relying on support from his few remaining friends.[1]: 46 He was a friend ofMario de Bernardi and other aviators of the time. He died in a traffic accident at the age of thirty seven, on 9 November 1929 nearMagliano Sabina, alongsideVittorio Montiglio.[8] Following D'Annunzio's wish, he was buried on the Colle delle Arche on his estate, theVittoriale degli italiani inGardone Riviera,[1]: 46 where D’Annunzio was later buried himself.
Keller was awarded the SilverMedal of Military Valor three times for his valour as a pilot during the First World War.
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