When there weren't any school camps available to teach, on August 18, 1916, he volunteered in the
75th Fighter Squadron as part of the III group (later the 3rd Land Fighter Group) on the with the task of air defense of
Verona. He made numerous reconnaissance and escort flights around this time. He was recorded as having such a magnanimous temperament that one day in Verona, while returning from an escort at the limits of autonomy, he preferred to land a bomber, risking both his plane and his life as he managed to only get wounded and landed on some railway carriages. In January 1917, he moved to the
76th Fighter Squadron as his plane had the inscription of "Due di coppe" which became famous. In March 1917, he became commander of the 80th Hunting Squadron in the field of
Santa Maria la Longa within the 1st Group of
3rd Army. He was later transferred to the famous
80th Fighter Squadron which initially specialized in
Nieuport 11 aircraft but later on, as a result of criticism from the aeronautical command,
Nieuport 17 models adopted the white star on a red field . On April 30, 1917, Captain Gordesco was transferred, together with the 80th Fighter Squadron and the 77th Airplane Squadron, to the field of Aiello del Friuli where the two squadrons formed XIII Group (later the 13th Fighter Group) under the command of Captain Gordesco who also had the responsibility of commanding the camp. Together with the pilots of the squadrons, a total of 64 servicemen served at the aircraft maintenance and repair shops. The squadrons of Aiello were very active during the
Tenth Battle of the Isonzo and Captain Gordesco was commended by the
Duke of Aosta, commander of the 3rd Army on June 13, 1917, as he said: On June 18 at Santa Maria la Longa, the annual Bersaglieri festival took place and
Gabriele D'Annunzio was invited to speak. During his speech, he spoke of Gordesco, describing him as "not a Gordesca cow, but early and restless". Gordesco replied to the joke by spilling a whole bucket of water on D'Annunzio's head, staining the high collar of the jacket that the Poet calls a collar. Gabriele bursted out laughing and then continued his speech undeterred. On August 20, 1917, Gordesco shot down an enemy plane at
Komen and it was on the same day that Gabriele D'Annunzio was forced to land three times at the Aiello airfield to repair his bomber. Beginning in September 1917, the 84th Squadron was also added to Aiello and despite the largely obsolete and inadequate air assets, numerous escort and reconnaissance flights were carried out and many victories were obtained without any losses. However, after the disastrous
Battle of Caporetto, Gordesco was the only commander who served with two squadrons for the entire 3rd Army, day, night and in any weather condition in order to protect the infantry. Orders were given to vacate the camp on October 24, 1917, and the following day, and it was burned and abandoned on October 27. The 84th Squadriglia abandoned the obsolete Nieuport 11 aircraft and was forced to destroy two Neiport 17 and one SPAD S.VILL which weren't even assembled yet. On November 3, 1917, the squadrons had withdrawn to Comina before retreating to the and finally to
Marcon, near
Mestre. Gordesco commanded the Camp of Marcon in great harmony with all his men until March 1918, when he left the camp to assume command of the Hunting School of Furbara, a hamlet of
Cerveteri and home to one of the oldest airports in Italy. Gordesco then became the Chief Instructor of the Acrobatic School in June 1918. He trained numerous pilots from prestigious American universities which were known as the "famous hunters of the air" who later made their mark on the French battlefields of World War I. Gordesco continued teaching in the training camps and was commander of the first acrobatic school and for this he was remembered by Gabriele D'Annunzio in his speech to the aviators of Centocelle on July 9, 1919, as he stated: “Are there none of you who remember this? Captain Gordesco very elegantly instructs the jugglers of the air in Cerveteri ”. After participating in the
Senussi Campaign and following a position as a flight instructor at the schools of San Giusto and Malpensa, in 1916 he directly took action in World War I, initially with the 75th Fighter Squadron and then with the 80th Hunter Squadron. Equipped with the
Nieuport XI, he commanded the Squadron and distinguished himself on the Isonzo line to provide support to the line units. The 80th lost five aircraft during the retreat from Caporetto. During the following summer, it was transferred to the
Furbara Airport where Gordesco became the Chief Instructor in June 1918. Among his students were also American pilots serving on the European fronts. [4] . ==Rome-Tokyo Raid and Death==