Marecello Baccara was from Trieste.

Baccara took part in the Spanish Civil War.

In the morning on 17 November 1936, capitán Ángel Salas led seven Fiats into an attack against two I-16s that tried to intercept a flight of Ju 52/3ms over the northern Madrid suburb of Fuencarral. Both I-16s were shot down. One of them was credited to Sergente Maggiore Brunetto di Montegnacco while the second was claimed as a shared between Sergente Guido Presel, Baccara and Sergente Maggiore Eugenio Salvi.
Soviet I-16 pilot Leytenant Pavlov was killed.

During a patrol at 3000 meters over Torrijos on 7 December, Sergente Giuseppe Ruzzin of the 1^a Escuadrilla de Caza del Tercio together with Baccara spotted seven Papagajos flying at a low level. After a steep dive Baccara shot down one, while Sergente Ruzzin first damaged one and then shot down one.

Baccara ended the war Spanish Civil War with 1 biplane victory.

He continued to serve during the Second World War.

On 13 June 1940, bombers from the 30^o and 36^o Stormi attacked the airfields in Tunis area escorted by the 1^o Stormo’s fighters. The SM 79s of the 108^o and 109^o Gruppi under command of Generale Giuseppe Barba and Colonnello Carlo Drago took off from Castelvetrano at 07:05 in two formations. In the meantime 15 SM 79s of the 30^o Stormo (five each from the 193^a, 194^a, and 195^a Squadriglie) took off from Sciacca and formed with the 36^o Stormo’s formation. On take-off, Tenente Arrighi’s bomber (MM22128) crashed but the crew was unhurt. The bombers then met 15 CR.42s from the 157^o Gruppo, which had taken off from the island of Pantelleria on seeing the bombers passing overhead. The Italian fighters had taken off from Trapani at 04:40 and had landed at Pantelleria at 05:10. They were three fighters from the 385^a Squadriglia (Capitano Aldo Li Greci (CO), Sottotenente Giacomo Cremona and Maresciallo Baccara), six fighters from the 386^a Squadriglia (Capitano Gustavo Garretto (CO), Sottotenente Angelo Carminati, Sergente Fausto Fiorani, Sottotenente Andrea Dalla Pasqua, Sergente Maggiore Giuseppe Tomasi, Sergente Giuseppe Gullà) and six from the 384^a Squadriglia (the war diary of the Squadriglia isn’t available but it seems that Sergente Teresio Martinoli, Sottotenente Luigi ’Gigi’ Caneppele and Maggiore Nobili (CO of the 157^o Gruppo) were part of the formation together with three other pilots).
At around 08:35 when the fighters were flying towards Tunis, Sottotenente Carminati was suddenly taken ill and collided with Sergente Fiorani, both pilots crashed from 6000 metres. The 386^a Squadriglia’s formation became totally uncoordinated with Dalla Pasqua, Tomasi and Gulla returning to Pantelleria after searching for wreckage after their comrades’ aircraft while Garretto went on, lost contact with the bombers and flew alone over Tunis at 6000 metres, finally returning at 09:50.
Over the target, the 36^o Stormo pilots reported being attacked by French fighters tentatively identified as Curtiss that were immediately attacked and dispersed by the escorting CR.42s. Only the SM 79 of Tenente Poggi of the 259^a Squadriglia was slightly damaged in the tail and in a fuel tank.
Two fighters was damaged and one of them as seen to dive away trailing smoke. Sergente Martinoli, Sottotenente Caneppele and Maggiore Nobili each fired their guns at an enemy fighter. Sergente Martinoli claimed a French twin-engined aircraft over Tunis during this mission (it seems that the claim was only made in his personal logbook) while the 385^a Squadriglia’s fighters returned with nothing to report so it seems that only the 384^a Squadriglia’s made contact with the French interceptors.
The 36^o Stormo attacked Ksar-Said and Menzel-Temime airstrips with 50 and 100 kilos bombs while the 30^o Stormo hit El Aouina from 4000 metres with 120 50 kilos and 40 100 kilos bombs. Colonnello Serra’s SM 79 was hit and damaged by AA.
All bombers were back at around 10:00 but on landing at Sciacca the Savoia of Tenente Terzo Mazzotti (MM21331/‘194 – 5’) run into a grove of olive trees and was written off.
The French fighters were almost surely Morane Saulnier MS.406s and Potez 630s (perhaps the twin-engined aircraft engaged by Martinoli) from 2ème escadrille GC I/9 but no other detail regarding this combat is known from French sources (and no losses or claims were recorded). It is also possible that first Escadrille of GC III/5 took part in the action.

In 1943, Baccara served in the 22^o Gruppo.

Eight B-24Ds from the 376th BG attacked Naples on 7 February 1943, hitting the docks and damaging the destroyer Ugolino Vivaldi and at least two freighters. B-24D 41-11602/47 ‘Babe, the Big Blue Ox’ from 515th BS was shot down and the pilot Captain James K. Brereton and his crew became KiA. The bombers gunners claimed three Bf 109s destroyed and one probable between 15:40-15:48. The belly gunner aboard B-24D ‘34/S’ (514th BS) piloted by 1st Lieutenant R. L. Rhoades claimed one probable Bf 109, gunners aboard ‘39/K’ (515th BS) piloted by 1st Lieutenant G. E. Mayfield claimed two destroyed Bf 109s and the belly gunner aboard ‘56/B’ (515th BS) piloted by Captain E. A. Crouchley claimed one destroyed Bf 109.
The bombers had been attacked by 19 fighters, mostly MC.202s from the 22^o Gruppo, which were scrambled at 16:40 to intercept the intruders. Tenente Giulio Torresi (371^a Squadriglia) attacked a B-24 from below, hitting the left wing, A fire quickly started, and the bomber crashed to the ground killing the whole crew. Three fighters from 371^a Squadriglia were damaged by return fire in various degree when Sergente Bruno Biagini’s MC.202 MM7419 was hit in combat and he crash-landed (aircraft destroyed and pilot safe), Tenente Enrico Londei’s MC.202 MM7421 was hit and damaged in combat (pilot safe) and Maresciallo Baccara’s MC.200 MM8198 force-landed (pilot safe).

B-24Ds from 98th BG raided Naples in the evening on 11 April 1943, forcing the 22^o Gruppo and 51^o Stormo to take off at full strength. At Capodichino, eight MC.202s, three MC.200s and three Re.2005s were scrambled at 18:35 while 15 MC.202s from the 51^o Stormo scrambled from Capua.
Six or seven B-24s were claimed destroyed in the Naples area. Three of them were destroyed 18:35-19:35 by the Re.2005s from the 362^a Squadriglia when Sottotenente Armando Moresi claimed two and one shared with Maresciallo Baccara. A fourth was claimed 18:40-19:50 as a shared by four MC.202s from the 20^o Gruppo; Tenente Gustavo Castellano (151^a Squadriglia), Sottotenente Stefano Bolduri (352^a Squadriglia), Tenente Berardo Crucioli (352^a Squadriglia) and Sottotenente Bruno Citelli (353^a Squadriglia). A fifth was claimed as a shared among eight unknown pilots from the 155^o Gruppo at 18:40-19:50. It is also known that Maggiore Vittorio Minguzzi (CO 22^o Gruppo) claimed a shared B-24 together with two other pilots at 19:05 while flying a Re.2005 but it’s not known if this claim is included in the claims above. One B-24 was also claimed by Flak over Naples.
The MC.202s from the 155^o Gruppo claimed two additional B-24s as damaged between 18:40-19:50. These claims were made by Tenente Pietro Zanello (351^a Squadriglia) and Sottotenente Pierpaolo Paravicini (360^a Squadriglia).
Sottotenente Moresi’s Re.2005 was hit by return fire and he was forced to bale out and was rescued while Tenente Gustavo Castellano’s (151^a Squadriglia) MC.202 was shot down; he baled out but unfortunately drowned.
The 98th BG reported being intercepted in the Naples area at 17:15-17:25 and claimed seven fighters shot down and three probably destroyed:
Staff Sergeant Sauer tail gunner in B-24D 42-40102 from 345th BS claimed one destroyed Bf 109 and one probably destroyed MC.202.
Staff Sergeant Frantz tailgunner in B-24D 42-11776 from 345th BS claimed one destroyed Bf 109.
Sergeant Tuegeon left waist gunner in B-24D 198/C from 344th BS claimed one probably destroyed Bf 109.
Technical Sergeant Bray front gunner in B-24D 41-23781 from 343rd BS claimed one destroyed Bf 109.
Sergeant Pyles gunner in B-24D 41-23781 from 343rd BS claimed one destroyed MC.202.
Staff Sergeant Ely waist gunner in B-24D 815/G from 415th BS claimed one destroyed Bf 109.
The top turret gunner in B-24D 782/E from 415th BS claimed one destroyed Bf 109.
The tail gunner in B-24D 782/E from 415th BS claimed one probably destroyed FW 190 (most probably one of the MC.200s).
Technical Sergeant L. Johnson engineer/gunner in B-24D 782/E from 415th BS claimed one destroyed Bf 109.
343rd BS lost B-24D 41-23781 ‘U’ ”Arkansas Traveler II” over Naples with Lieutenant George Groff and nine crew becoming MiA. 415th BS lost B-24D 42-40197 ‘I’ ”Hot Rocks” when it had its’ tail blown off by a small aerial bomb 9,6km south of Naples at 17:18. 1st Lieutenant Keane B. McGhee and three of the crew were KiA while five became PoWs. The aerial bomb was supposedly dropped by an MC.200 and fused to explode mid-air.

Baccara ended the war with 1 biplane victory.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1936
	17/11/36	morning	1/3	I-15 (a)	Shared destroyed	Fiat CR.32		Fuencarral area	3a Escuadrilla de Caza del Tercio
1	07/12/36		1	Papagajo	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32		Torrijos area	3a Escuadrilla de Caza del Tercio
	1943
	11/04/43	morning	1/2	B-24 (b)	Shared destroyed	Re.2005		Naples area	362a Squadriglia

Biplane victories: 1 and 1 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 1 and 2 shared destroyed.
(a) The CR.32s claimed 2 I-16s without losses and it seems that 2 were shot down (Leytenant Pavlov KIA).
(b) Claimed in combat against B-24Ds from 98th BG, which claimed 7 fighters destroyed and 3 probably destroyed while losing 2 B-24Ds. The 22^o, 20^o and 155^o Gruppi claimed 6 or 7 destroyed B-24s and 2 damaged while losing 1 Re.2005 (pilot safe) and 1 MC.202 (pilot KiA). 1 B-24 was claimed by Flak.

Sources:
A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940-1945: Volume Two – Christopher Shores and Giovanni Massimello with Russell Guest, Frank Olynyk & Winfried Bock, 2012 Grub Street, London, ISBN-13: 9781909166127
A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940-1945: Volume Three – Christopher Shores and Giovanni Massimello with Russell Guest, Frank Olynyk & Winfried Bock, 2016 Grub Street, London, ISBN-13: 9781910690000
Courage Alone - Chris Dunning, 1998 Hikoki Publications, Aldershot, ISBN 1-902109-02-3
Due Volte Asso - Giovanni Massimello, 1997 Storia Militare Nr. 49 Ottobre 1997 kindly provided by Massimo Cappone
Elenco Nominativo dei Militari dell’ A. M. Decorati al V. M. Durante it Periodo 1929 - 1945 1 Volume A - L
Fiat CR.32 Aces of the Spanish Civil War - Alfredo Logoluso, 2010 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-84603-983-6
GORIZIA ed il QUARTO STORMO
The Legion Condor - Karl Ries and Hans Ring, 1992 Schiffer Publishing, ISBN 0-88740-339-5
Additional information kindly provided by Alfredo Logoluso.