Heroic Italian aviators!

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Sottotenente pilota Dario Magnabosco.

In this regard I found the following: Born on July 12, 1914 in Roana. At the beginning of the hostilities he served in the North African front with the 78 ^ Squadriglia, 13th Gruppo, 2nd Stormo C.T. The Group operated from the Castelbenito Tripoli aerodrome with twenty-five CR.42s and eleven CR.32s in service.

At 16:10 hours on December 9, three CR.42 of the 77 ^ Squadriglia, along with six more of the 78 ^ Squadriglia (Magnabosco among them) took off to attack enemy armored vehicles on the road between Sidi El Barrani and Bir Enba. The attack was carried out under intense AA fire and lasted 30 minutes. On December 17, five SM 79 of the 15th Stormo took off from Z1 at 09:15 hours and attacked enemy ships that were bombarding Bardia. The SM 79 were escorted by 13 CR.42 of the 9th Gruppo; three of the 97 ^ Squadriglia, four of the 73 ^ Squadriglia and six of the 96 ^ Squadriglia, which took off at 09:45 hours. With them were two fighters of the 78 ^ Squadriglia (Sottotenente Natale Cima and Sottotenente Magnabosco) in the last mission of the 2nd Stormo campaign. On Sollum, the 73 ^ and 78 ^ Squadriglie entered combat with British monoplane fighters. Magnabosco claimed a Hurricane shot down with the use of 100 projectiles while Cima did not return. Magnabosco was awarded the Silver Medal for Military Valour for his general activity during December for: "In a violent dogfight against numerically superior enemy fighters, he participated in the downing of four confirmed and two probable monoplanes [probably on December 14] In another combat against monoplanes, although with his plane hit by enemy fire, he was able to shoot down his adversary, forced to land behind the enemy lines, destroyed his plane after having removed the most precious instruments and reached our troops on foot. (...) "

Magnabosco was subsequently transferred to the 394 ^ Squadriglia, 160º Gruppo CT. On August 10, 1941, the 160th Gruppo arrived in Tamet, Libya, with aircrafts CR.42 to replace the 18th Gruppo. On August 14, 1941, Sottotenente Magnabosco died when he crashed with the CR.42 MM7541 when performing an engine test on Got Bersis.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 7 septiembre de 1941.
Fiat CR.42 Aces of World War 2. Håkan Gustavsson, Ludovico Slongo
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_magnabosco.htm

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Tenente Colonnello pilota Mario Bonzano.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Cantalupo on September 1, 1906. He attended the Regia Accademia Aeronautica di Caserta, Corso Drago, from which he obtained the rank of sottotenente pilota. He took part as capitano in the war of Ethiopia, distinguishing himself for his courage, so much so that he was awarded two Silver Medals and one Bronze Medal for Military Valour. In July of 1938 he volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War with the legionary aviation, taking command of the 18th Squadriglia of the XXIII Gruppo Caccia. On January 8, 1939, he yielded command of the squadron, to take command, within the XXIII Gruppo, of an experimental squadron equipped with 12 fighters Fiat G.50 Freccia. At the end of this operating cycle, he had been awarded a third Silver Medal for Military Valour.

When returning to Italy, on July 18, 1939 assumed, with the rank of maggiore, the command of the XX Gruppo, that belonged first to 51º Stormo CT and soon to 56º Stormo CT. With the entry into the war of the Kingdom of Italy, on June 10, 1940, his unit is located at the Rome-Ciampino South airport. Leading this group, framed in the Corpo Aereo Italiano (CAI), took Part from the battle of England. The 45 Fiat G.50 Saetta fighters participated in free-hunting and escort operations to the Fiat B.R.20 Cicogna bombers. His group returned home in April 1941, to be transferred to North Africa during the summer of that year. He returned to the Homeland in March 1942 to be re-equipped with the modern Aermacchi C.202 Folgore fighters. For an action on Sidi El Barrani carried out in September 1941, in which he shot down two enemy planes, he was decorated with the fourth Silver Medal for Military Valour. He remained in charge until May 12, 1942.

Promoted to tenente colonnello, on August 4, 1942 he received the honorary badge of Knight of the Military Order of Savoy. After the armistice of September 8, 1943, he joined the Italian Social Republic, entering the ranks of the newly established Republican National Air Force. He held the role of Officer of Material Services and airports until the end of the conflict, being particularly appreciated by the German allies for his skills. He survived the war and died in 1975.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 8 septiembre 1941
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_bonzano.htm
http://dogfighthistory.be/Dogfighthisto ... _WWII.html
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bonzano

Cheers. Raúl M .

Feliz Navidad - Feliz Natal - Frohe Weihnachten - Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas - Wesołych Świąt!.

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Capitano pilota Valentino Festa.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Naples in 1912. Coming from the Infantry and after fulfilling his obligations as a Sottotenente di complemento, in 1934 he was admitted to the Corso Orione of the Regia Accademia Aeronautica and in 1937 was nominated Sottotenente in effective permanent service. After having served in bombing units, he was promoted to Tenente in 1938 and transferred to the assault and fighting units. In February 1941 he was promoted to Capitano.

On September 4, 1941 in the afternoon, 20 MC.200 fighters from the 54th Stormo CT, operating from Pantelleria and led by the Capitano pilota Valentino Festa, plus another 10 from the 10th Stormo CT took off to cover a Z.506B of the 612^ Squadriglia searching for lost pilots of a mission that morning (Ten Col. Romagnoli and Sottoten. Della Pasqua) when they were intercepted by 8 Hurricanes of the Sqn 249 some 5 miles out of Cape Passero at 15:46 hours. Sqn Ldr Barton recalled it was the toughest aerial battle of his career. The squadron lost two planes and their pilots were killed ............

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 8 septiembre 1941
Fighters Over Malta: Gladiators and Hurricanes 1940-1942. Brian Cull, Frederick Galea.
249 at Malta: RAF’s Top-Scoring Fighter Squadron. Brian Cull, Frederick Galea

Cheers. Raúl M .

Feliz Año Nuevo - Happy New Year - feliz Ano Novo - gluckliches Neues Jahr - Bonne Année - Felice Anno Nuovo - Szczęśliwego nowego roku!!

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Capitano pilota Franco Lucchini.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Rome in 1914. In 1935 he took the course of applicant for complement officer, obtaining the brevet of military pilot in the Scuola Aeronautica di Foggia in 1936 along with the promotion to Sottotenente and then He was assigned to the 91st Squadriglia Caccia, 4th Stormo. Enlisted in the Legionary Aviation in 1937 took part in the Spanish Civil War carrying out 19 months of campaigning and participating in 111 actions of war with the 19^ Squadriglia, 23° Gruppo Caccia. In one of them he was shot down on enemy territory and captured. Released in 1939 he returned to service in the fighting aviation being promoted in 1940 to Tenente in effective permanent service for merits of war. In the month of June, when the hostilities broke out, he was sent to Libya, where he flew with the CR 42 fighter, with which the first mission was carried out the day after the declaration of war. On August 4, during a violent air combat, he shot down an English Gloster Gladiator, piloted, irony of fate, by Fl Lt Pattle named Pat, destined to become the ace of the British fighter with the highest number of victories on Italian aircrafts. At the end of a brief but exhaustive operational phase, for both men and planes (December 1940 - January 1941), the 90^ Squadriglia returned to Italy in January 1941 to reorganize and take over the new Macchi MC 200 aircraft.

In May 1941 he was promoted to Capitano and in the late summer of 1941, he received a new silver medal and in December he was appointed commander of the 84^ Squadriglia. At the end of 1941, because the losses had been high, the unit returned to Italy again to replace the men and to be re-equipped with the new Macchi MC. 202. In April 1942, the IV Stormo began to assemble in Sicily to participate in the bombings that, until then had not had great results, tried to reduce the obstinate resistance of the English base of Malta: with the arrival of the 1st Group, the number of apparatus was more than enough to deal with aircraft British planes and Lucchini was in command of the formation when he was credited with the downing of his 14th enemy plane.

The full 4th Stormo, properly equipped with anti-sand filters, was sent back to the African theater and on June 4, 1942, Lucchini claimed the shooting down of an enemy P-40 fighter in the sky of the fortress of Bir Hakeim, defended desperately by the French. On June 11, Lucchini received his fifth silver medal. On September 2, at the start of the last offensive, Lucchini, in flight with another 17 Macchi of the 10th Group, commanded by Maggiore De Agostinis, on a free-hunting mission intercepted a formation of 18 Boston bombers, escorted by 35 Spitfire, In the fight that followed, Lucchini shot down two enemy planes, one of the escort fighter and one of the bombers. Lucchini once again boldly launches into this fight: on October 20 he shot down a P-40, but is forced to make a lucky landing; on the 24th, during the umpteenth combat, he shot down four enemy planes, two P-40s, two B-25s, but he was seriously wounded in one arm and one leg, so he was forced to abandon the front and the battles of the desert.

In March 1943, Lucchini returned to his unit and on June 20 he was appointed commander of the 10th Gruppo caccia Baracca, well equipped with Macchi 202 and some of the new 205, of "African" pilots, of which there are very few . On July 11, 1943, a massive formation of 500 Flying Fortresses of Group 99, escorted by a number of fighters, flies over the plain at the foot of Etna, Lucchini has only 7 planes at his disposal, including His: it is clear that there was a numerical proportion, but the officer, who was not accustomed to count his opponents before flying, decided to take off to make his last, heroic and desperate effort, during which he managed to shoot down a Spitfire, but shortly after was surprised by the reaction of the bombers' weapons and their plane was seen falling into an orchard.

Franco Lucchini in life had obtained 7 silver medals, four war crosses as well as a German second class iron cross and was credited, even if the total amount is still a matter of debate today: with 22 victories.

Sources: li di Guerra Nº 8 septiembre 1941
http://www.arsmilitaris.org/pubblicazio ... 20ASSO.pdf
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_lucchini.htm
249 at Malta: RAF’s Top-Scoring Fighter Squadron. Brian Cull, Frederick Galea
Le giovani aquile. Storia dell'asso della caccia Franco Lucchini

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Sottotenente Italo Gherardini.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Montescudaio, province of Pisa, on May 29, 1915. Registered in the Regia Aeronautica was assigned, as Sottotenente, to the 44º Gruppo, 41º Stormo equipped with the bombers Savoia Marchetti S.79 Sparviero. The 36 S.79 of the Stormo had to be transferred to Africa, but the obstacle created by the British Egypt allowed the partial realization of the plan and the redistribution operations were interrupted in March 1940, after only 18 aircraft were displaced.

As of June 12, 1940, bombing operations began in the British Protectorate in the Horn of Africa. In August 1940, Italians attacked British Somalia from the neighboring territories of occupied Ethiopia. The role of aviation was considered essential for the achievement of the result and the 6th Squadriglia, 44th Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento Terrestre, participated intensively in the rapid campaign that ended successfully. The British withdrew and finally evacuated the troops to the port of Aden in Yemen, in the nearby Arabian peninsula, leaving Somalia to the Italians. After the entry into the Italian war, which took place on June 10, 1940, only another 40 S.79 managed to reach the Italian East Africa, making a technical stop at the airports of Cufra and Auenat, but this route was interrupted after its conquest by the British, which took place in December 1940 and then from Benina Benghazi airport, through the installation of special tanks.

After gaining access to the Gulf of Aden, the Regia Aeronautica, beginning in September 1940, concentrated on convoys supplying British troops to Egypt from India. The sinkings obtained convinced the British to improve the detachments of fighter planes to stop the Italian actions. In these few months since the beginning of the conflict, Gherardini executed more than two hundred reconnaissance and attack missions to convoys.

On October 13, 1940 three Gladiators of the Sqn 94 interceded the S.79 of Gherardini while bombing Aden and killed two crew members (1st Aviere Armiere Ferrari and 1st Aviere photographer Ugo Baja). On October 15, during a new mission, after taking off from the Dire Dawa airport, his plane was attacked by three enemy aircraft and was shot down in the sky of Yemen with the loss of the entire crew. To honor his courage, he was awarded the Military Gold Medal to memory.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 8 septiembre 1941.
Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Bomber Units. Marco Mattioli
https://www.movm.it/decorato/gherardini-italo/
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italo_Gherardini

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Maggiore pilota Luigi Filippi.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Piandimeleto, on February 2, 1909. Coming from the normal course of the Regia Accademia was nominated as Sottotenente pilota in permanent service effective in November 1929. At the beginning of the hostilities he commanded the 75 ^ Squadriglia, 23rd Gruppo, 3rd Stormo CT, equipped with Fiat CR.42 aircraft. On June 10, 1940 the 3rd Stormo was detached to the French border. On June 15, 1940 at noon the 23rd Gruppo took off to attack the airfield of Le Cannet Des Maures; during the action Capitano Filippi was shot down by Adjutant Pierre Le Gloan of GC III / 6 and after being baled out he was captured. For this action he received the Silver Medal for Military Valour.

After the end of the western campaign, Filippi was released and returned to the squadron, which meanwhile had moved to Sicily in July 1940. After the death in combat of Capitano Chiodi, Filippi resumed command of the 75 ^ Squadriglia and in October 1940 was promoted to Maggiore. At the beginning of December 1941, the Maggiore Filippi, now in command of the 156th Gruppo (MC.200 aircraft) was deployed to Libya. At the beginning of 1942 the 3rd Stormo was again organized with the 18th and 23rd Groups, the latter now commanded by Filippi; the units assembled at Mirafori to be re-equipped with the Macchi MC.202, after which the Stormo was dispatched to North Africa to support the offensive in Egypt.

During the war Luigi Filippi commanded the 75 ^ Squadriglia and the 156th and 23rd Groups, achieving 7 victories in total. According to the book "GLI ASSI ITALIANI DELLA CACCIA NELLA SECONDA GUERRA MONDIALE", he died in action on February 20, 1943.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 10 octubre 1941.
http://www.eaf51.org/newweb/documenti/storia/assi.pdf
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_filippi.htm
Gladiator vs CR.42 Falco: 1940–41. Håkan Gustavsson, Ludovico Slongo.
Malta 1940–42: The Axis' air battle for Mediterranean supremacy. Ryan K. Noppen

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Capitano pilota Domenico Camarda.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Mannola (Reggio Calabria). After approving the normal course of the Regia Accademia was nominated as Sottotenente pilota in spe in October 1935. Took part in the civil war in Spain with the legionary aviation and was decorated with a Silver and two Bronze Medals for Military Valour. Upon entering Italy in the SGM, he courageously distinguished himself over the skies of the central Mediterranean obtaining two more Silver Medals for Military Valour. In North Africa he commanded the 79 ^ Squadriglia of the 6th Gruppo CT.

On December 12, 1941, the 6th Gruppo saw the first action in North Africa. Ten MC.202 (six of the 79 ^ Squadriglia and four of the 81 ^ Squadriglia), led by Tenente Colonnello Vezio Mezzetti, took off at 13:10 for a free sweep in the Gazala-Tobruk-El Adem area. The Macchis were divided into two formations echeloned to the right and in V, the sky was cloudy. At 13:30 hours, at an altitude of 3,000 m., They found a formation of about 50 enemy fighters (Curtiss P-40s and Hurricanes), flying to the west. The Macchis attacked even if they were outnumbered.

Back at the base at 14:00 hours, Capitano Beggiato claimed a P-40 and Maresciallo Natalino Stabile claimed a Hurricane. Another 20 enemy fighters were damaged (twelve P-40 and eight Hurricanes), many of which fled emitting traces of smoke (1,603 shells were used). The Sergent Renato Saiani (MM7880) was forced to land injured in friendly territory, but was forced to burn his plane to avoid capture and Capitano Domenico Camarda (MM7767) returned with his fighter so damaged that it had to be declared as total lost.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 10 octubre 1941.
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_beggiato.htm

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Tenente pilota Gino Battagion.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Lecco on July 31, 1914. Officer pilot of great value, legionary of Spain where he won two Silver Medals for Military Valour. When Italy entered in the WWII he served as a fighter pilot, showing audacity.

On July 12, 1940 the newcomer arrived 9º Gruppo C.T. was ordered to fly to Libya, to operate in the desert. To replace this unit in the missions over Malta, two new Fighting groups entered into service, the 23rd autonomous group and the 17th of the 1st Stormo C.T. Both units made their first flights to Malta on the same day, reporting a clash with four British fighters. Tenente Gino Battagion of the 70 ^ Squadriglia of the 23rd Gruppo claimed a shotdown, identifying his victim as a Spitfire.

On December 16, 1940, the 23rd Gruppo with 20 Fiat CR.42s (70 ^, 74 ^ ​​and 75 ^ Squadriglie) arrived in Tripoli to help curb the offensive of Operation Compass. On December 26, 1940 while escorting two flights of 5 SM.79 the pilots of the 70 ^ Squadriglia claimed the downing of a shared Spitfire (Tenente Claudio Solaro, Sergente Pardino Pardini y Tenente Battagion). For these actions he won two other Silver Medals for Military Valour.

On January 4, 1941, during a confrontation with Hurricanes of the 33rd and 274 Squadrons, Tenente Battagion of the 70^ Squadriglia was wounded and had to make a forced landing in Ain el-Gazala. Battagion had been escorting an S.79 bombers that were bombing armored vehicles in the Bardia area. Battagion recalled: "At 18,000 feet I saw two Hurricanes in front of me. I started shooting. They also shot me. Suddenly, I felt a blow. An explosive bullet broke the windshield in many pieces and I was slightly wounded in the head. The explosion broke my glasses and hurt me in the eye. With blood pouring down my face, I lost consciousness for a few seconds, maybe ten or twenty. I regained consciousness due to the air entering into the cockpit and discovered that the plane was spinning. I managed to recover from the spin and when I was close to the ground I fired a burst on some trucks. My wingman indicated to me that one of the wheels of my plane was damaged, but I managed to land in Ain el-Gazala, near an ambulance. I landed at the slowest possible speed, loading the weight of the aircraft on the only useful wheel, and I managed to stop without turning over. The personnel near the ambulance recovered me and for about three months I could not fly because the eye caused me many problems. Some splinters had been removed from my head, some of them are still there. "
Battaggion ended the war with 1 victory in biplane.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 10 octubre 1941.
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_battaggion.htm
Fighters Over Malta: Gladiators and Hurricanes 1940-1942. Brian Cull, Frederick Galea

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Colonnello pilota Riccardo Hellmuth Seidl.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Naples on April 19, 1904 and entered as a student at the Naval Academy of Livorno, graduating with the rank of midshipman in 1925, being promoted to sottotenente di vascello in 1927. He obtained a license of seaplane pilot and embarked on different cruisers. In January 1933 he went to the Regia Aeronautica and, with the rank of Capitano, commanded the 166^ and 201^ Squadriglie, and then went on to the 88th Gruppo Autonomo C.M. In 1938 he volunteered for the war in Spain and commanded a group of fast bombers, obtaining two Silver Medals for Military Valour. Back in Italy, he was promoted to the rank of Tenente Colonnello and in March 1941 to Colonello.

The 36th Stormo was established on February 1, 1938 based at the "Fausto Pesci" airport. With the entry into the Second World War of Italy together with Germany, on June 10, 1940, the Regia Aeronautica had to face the threat of the British fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. From August 1940, the specialty of torpedo (aerosiluranti) was tested and then developed. Several groups of flights were created and deployed in North Africa, in the Aegean Sea, in Sicily and Sardinia. In the summer of 1941, the 36th Stormo was converted into the torpedo-bombers specialty deployed at the Decimomannu airport in Sardinia.

During one of these missions in which Hellmut Seidl, as Commander 36th Stormo, took off from Decimomannu, in Sardinia, in front of a formation of torpedo planes, he was shot down on September 27, 1941 after having hit an English warship on the island of La Galite (Tunisia).

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 10 octubre 1941.
http://www.avia-it.com/act/reparti/Repa ... stormo.pdf

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Maggiore pilota Arduino Buri.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Trieste on June 26, 1905. Infantry officer of complement, entered the Regia Aeronautica in October 1927, obtaining the pilot brevet in June 1928. Promoted to Tenente spe for extraordinary merit in September of 1936, after having taken part in the campaign in Abyssinia and other colonial operations, for which he obtained a Bronze Medal for Military Valour. Promoted to the rank of Capitano in March 1937. He fought in the Spanish war where he won a Silver Medal for Military Valour.

With the entry of Italy into the WWII he participated with his unit in numerous actions of bombardment to ground and naval targets in the Mediterranean. In front of the 108th Gruppo, 36º Stormo and flying a SM.84 took part in the Battle of Galite (September 27, 1941) where his torpedo missed the British battleship HMS Rodney by very little. Buri survived this action and the following November 15 with his plane SM.84 sank the British steamship Empire Defender, which, sailing isolated from Malta to Gibraltar, was attacked near Galite Island.

After the armistice of September 8, 1943 the now Tenente Colonnello Buri was appointed inspector of the torpedo branch in the Aeronautica Nazionale Reppublicana.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 10 octubre 1941.
Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Bomber Units. Marco Mattioli

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Capitano pilota Marino Marini.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Castel Goffredo on February 22, 1911. In 1933 he obtained his pilot license and was commissioned as Sottotenente. In 1937 after serving in the AOI was recognized as spe for merit of war and promoted to Tenente. He took part in the Spanish Civil War. In August of 1940 he was promoted to Capitano. On June 28, 1941, he took command of the newly established 282ª Squadriglia with the Savoia-Marchetti SM.84 in the torpedo-bomber version of the 41º Gruppo Bombardamento Terrestre. Marino Marini distinguished himself during the Second World War for having impacted on September 27, 1941 in the context of Operation Halberd, with a torpedo on a cruiser of 10 thousand tons of the English Navy.

After the signing of the armistice he went to the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, where he commanded the Gruppo Aerosiluranti Buscaglia. On June 1, 1944, a squadron of 10 Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 aircraft, led by Marini, departed for a mission against the British bastion of Gibraltar. On June 3, the unit was transferred to Istres in France and on June 5 the squadron, consisting of ten torpedo planes, reached the target, where it carried out an attack against ships anchored in the port of Gibraltar. The action had considerable success and made a huge impression on the British. He survived the war.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 10 octubre 1941.
Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Bomber Units. Marco Mattioli
http://www.ereticamente.net/2015/03/gli ... roi-2.html

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Capitano pilota Franco Melley.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in La Spezia on January 26, 1915. Coming from the Orione Course of the Regia Accademia Aeronautica was promoted to Sottotenente pilota spe in August 1937. Later with the rank of Tenente took part in the Spanish civil war where obtained a Silver Medal for Military Valour. In July 1940 he was assigned to a torpedo bomber formation (aerosiluranti) and distinguished himself in several actions against British naval units in the central Mediterranean, obtaining another Silver Medal for Military Valour in the field. On August 5, 1940, he participated in the first incursion of a formation of torpedo planes against the naval base of Alexandria.

At 08:18 hours on September 27, 1941, a reconnaissance aircraft spotted an aircraft carrier and seven unidentified ships west of La Galite. At 11:50 hours, eleven S.79 torpedo bombers from the 280th Squadriglia, 130º Gruppo, under Capitano Franco Melley, took off with other formations to attack the enemy naval units. The S.79s of the 130th Gruppo, spotted the enemy at 13:20 hours. The formation was split to carry out an attack from several directions. It is believed that Melley and Setti of the 280th Squadriglia shared an impact on a light cruiser (probably HMS Lightning, which narrowly escaped).

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 10 octubre 1941.
Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Bomber Units. Marco Mattioli
https://docplayer.net/21742833-Biplane- ... ntoro.html

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Tenente pilota di complemento Mario Paccarie.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Savona on December 4, 1909 ?. Officer of complement in the engineer branch, was named Sottotenente in the year of 1931. After having served overseas entered the Regia Aeronautica as Tenente in January 1940, getting the pilot license in September of that year. He was then assigned to a wing (Stormo) of torpedo-bombers operating in the Mediterranean. He took part in the attack on a British naval formation on September 27, 1941.

He had won two Silver Medals, the first in the action of September 27, 41, during which the Italians suffered very serious losses, and the second in an action in the sky of Malta, during which the SM.84 of his Group leader Gold Medal Magg.Gastaldi was shot down while his own plane SM.84 259-7 was seriously hit by enemy fighters. On February 10, 1942, the SM.79 m.m.21748 under Magg. Giuseppe Meacci, second pilot Mar. Giovannio Secchi, serg RT Ciro Vittori, serg.mot. Enrico Merlo, and as passengers Tenente pilota Pier Carlo Amante and Tenente Pilota Mario Paccarié on board, preparing to land at the base of Decimomannu, due to poor visibility conditions, crashed into a mountain of Campidano, near the village of S. Andrea Frius. None of the occupants survived the accident. Tenente Amante and Tenente Paccariè returned to the 36th Stormo A.S. after an alarm for the sighting of the English fleet, which later turned out to be unfounded. Both "Musketeers of the Duce", were in Rome for the founding party of that Corps that took place on February 12.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 10 octubre 1941.
Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Bomber Units. Marco Mattioli
http://www.milistory.net/forum/un-ricor ... vt745.html

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Tenente pilota di complemento Pier Carlo Amante.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Alessandria on May 14, 1913. Sottotenente di complemento in the infantry in February 1936. He was assigned to a unit deployed in the AOI. He entered the Regia Aeronautica in August 1940 with the rank of Tenente after having passed the pilot course. In May of 1941 he was assigned to a formation of torpedo bombers (aerosiluranti) deployed in the western Mediterranean. He obtained a Silver Medal for Military Valour.

He took part in the action of September 27, 1941 with the 108th Gruppo, 36º Stormo, during which the Italians suffered very serious losses. On February 10, 1942, the SM.79 m.m.21748 under Magg. Giuseppe Meacci, second pilot Mar. Giovannio Secchi, serg RT Ciro Vittori, serg.mot. Enrico Merlo, and as passengers Tenente pilota Pier Carlo Amante and Tenente Pilota Mario Paccarié on board, preparing to land at the base of Decimomannu, due to poor visibility conditions, crashed into a mountain of Campidano, near the village of S. Andrea Frius. None of the occupants survived the accident. Tenente Amante and Tenente Paccariè returned to the 36th Stormo A.S. after an alarm for the sighting of the English fleet, which later turned out to be unfounded. Both "Musketeers of the Duce", were in Rome for the celebration of the foundation anniversary of that Corps that took place on February 12.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 10 octubre 1941.
Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Bomber Units. Marco Mattioli
http://www.milistory.net/forum/un-ricor ... vt745.html

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Tenente pilota Francesco Belloni.

In this regard I found the following: He was born in Voghera (Pavia) on November 12, 1913. Candidate to pilot officer of complement, he obtained his pilot's license in January 1936. He was called to active duty in June 1939 and assigned to a unit of ground bombing (18th Squadriglia, 27th Gruppo, 8th Stormo BT) which at the beginning of the operations was deployed to the theater of operations of North Africa. During the transfer due to an incident at the Alghero airport, the 18th Squadriglia had to fly over the field waiting for the 52nd Squadriglia. As a result the squadron ran out of fuel arriving in Tripoli and SM.79 18-1 under Sottotenente Belloni crashed while landing and the crew was injured (the 18th Squadriglia lost 5 of its 8 planes in this transfer).

In July 1941 he was assigned to a formation of torpedo planes (283rd Squadriglia) and was promoted to Tenente in August of that year.

Sources: Ali di Guerra Nº 10 octubre 1941.
Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Bomber Units. Marco Mattioli
L'AEROPORTO DI ALGHERO 1939-1941.

Cheers. Raúl M .