The Macchi M.5 was an Italian flying boat fighter that was designed by Nieuport-Macchi in the Italian city of Varese during the World War I. It was praised thanks to it's extreme maneouvrability and it was a match for their land-based counterparts. It had an improved late-production version with a better engine and redesigned wingtip floats, named M.5 mod.
It was flown by American pilots, as a trainer first and as an operational fighter later operating with the 263a Squadriglia (263th Squadron) from the Italian city of Porto Corsini, situated in the shores of the province of Ravenna. The first US Navy airman to be awarded with a Medal of Honor was piloting this airplane. On 21st August 1918 a Macchi M.8 piloted by Walther White and with Albert P. Taliaferro in the observer's position, was escorted by a flight of three Macchi M.5, in a leaflet-dropping mission over Pola, a city located in the Austro-Hungarian Empire's shores. When flying over the Adriatic, they were attacked by four Phönix land-based fighters. The Austro-Hungarian took down one of the Macchis, flown by the Ensign George Ludlow who could manage to ditch the plane at the sea. Seeing the life of his partner in risk, the pilot Charles Hamman landed his airplane close to Ludlow's one in order to take him on board. As Hamman's fighter was overloaded, he returned to base, where he crashed the airplane, however both pilots survived the crash. For that action Hamman was awarded the medal of Honor. Unfortunately, he died in a crash after the war, in June 1919 when he was piloting another Macchi.
As the Macchi had such good reputation, it comes no surprise that the Austro-Hungarians captured and used some of them, both of the M.5 and the M.5 mod version.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.5
2. http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/macchi5.htm
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
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