Gioacchino Bissoli was from Buttapietra (Verona).

He served as a volunteer during the Spanish Civil War and was decorated for this.

The 8^o Gruppo, 2^o Stormo C.T., was transferred to Libya in September 1935 and in 1940, it was the oldest colonial fighter unit of the Regia Aeronautica and was equipped with Fiat CR.32quater (a tropical version of the classic Fiat design with enlarged oil cooler and other slight improvements that enhanced its low altitude performances).
The 8^o Gruppo (92^a, 93^a and 94^a Squadriglie) was commanded by Maggiore Vincenzo La Carruba and started the war based at Tobruk T2 airfield with a full complement of 25 Fiat CR.32quaters.
Pilots in the 93^a Squadriglia on 11 June were: Capitano Mario Bacich (CO), Tenente Alberto Argenton, Tenente Bissoli, Sergente Maggiore Italo Bertinelli, Sergente Luigi Di Lorenzo, Sergente Edoardo Azzarone, Sergente Roberto Lendaro and Sergente Duilio Bernardi. These pilots had eight CR.32Qs available on 11 June. On strength there were also Tenente Vincenzo Sansone, Sottotenente Alberto Radice, Sergente Orazio Antonicelli and Sergente Ottorino Lancia but they hadn’t left Tripoli. Sergente Armando Angelini was assigned from the 53^o Stormo on 9 June but he also remained in Tripoli.

On 11 June, the Regia Aeronautica was in alarm readiness from 00:00 and a standing patrol of three Fiat CR.32s of the 8^o Gruppo was maintained over the Tobruk T2 airfield and Tobruk harbour. This was not possible over El Adem T3 because there were no fighter units based here.
At 05:00, seven Fiats of the 93^a Squadriglia, 8^o Gruppo, scrambled to meet a formation of seven British bombers signalled by the observation post at Bardia, flying in eastward direction. The fighters climbed to 2000 metres and the British formation was seen as if it was coming back from an incursion over T3. The CR.32s started in pursuit but were unable to reach them and the bombers disappeared in the dawn mist.
Two hours later, at around 07:00, seven more CR.32s scrambled to meet another attack directed on El Adem. Six of the aircraft were from the 94^a Squadriglia (Capitano Franco Lavelli, Tenente Giovanni Tadini, Sergente Maggiore Alessandro Ruzzene, Sergente Maggiore Danilo Billi, Sergente Maggiore Arturo Cardano and Sergente Maggiore Trento Cecchi while the seventh was from the 92^a Squadriglia (CO Martino Zannier). The Italian pilots had a slight height advantage over the seven Blenheims and this made it possible to intercept. The Fiat pilots claimed two bombers shot down (one into the sea and one from which the crew was seen to bale out) and four damaged, all shared among the seven pilots. Zannier returned at 07:40 with the engine on his fighter damaged and having expended 500 rounds of ammunition. The pilots of the 94^a Squadriglia landed five minutes later, having spent 3770 rounds of ammunition.
At 11:20, Tenente Alberto Argenton of the 93^a Squadriglia together with Tenente Riccardo Marcovich of the 92^a Squadriglia, carried out a visual reconnaissance over the British airstrip of Tishididda. They landed at 12:50 reporting the absence of enemy planes.
At 15:00, a patrol of five CR.32s of the 93^a Squadriglia, led by Tenente Bissoli and including Tenente Alberto Argenton, Sergente Maggiore Italo Bertinelli, Sergente Maggiore Duilio Bernardi and Sergente Maggiore Luigi Di Lorenzo intercepted another formation of six bombers. With a swift attack Bissoli shot down a Blenheim that fell down close to T3 (nobody was seen to jump from the aircraft) while his wingmen claimed damage to two others before the bombers were able to escape. The Squadriglia diary reported that all the surviving enemy bombers were damaged with the use of 1050 rounds.
Totally the 25 Fiat CR.32s of the 8^o Gruppo made 96 sorties during the day.
The Italian fighters had clashed with Blenheims from 202 Group (45, 55, 113, and 211 Squadrons). A few minutes after midnight six Bristol Blenheim Mk.I crews of 211 Squadron were briefed to carry out an armed reconnaissance at dawn of targets in Libya. Their target was El Adem, photographing from Derna to Giarabub as they went. During a reconnaissance flight over the Giarabub-Capuzzo areas a Blenheim Mk.I of 211 Squadron piloted by Pilot Officer Eric Bevington-Smith was obliged to force-land with engine trouble. It is possible that the Blenheims from 211 Squadron were the ones the 8^o Gruppo in vain tried to intercept at 05:40.
These were followed by eight Bristol Blenheim Mk.Is of 45 Squadron that took off from Fuka at 04:15 and attacked the airfield of El Adem T3. Initially the raid was to be against Tobruk’s harbour, but the reconnaissance of 211 Squadron showed it deprived of any significant target. The British formation was composed of Squadron Leader Dallamore (Blenheim Mk.I L8478), Flying Officer Williams (L8469), Sergeant Thurlow (L8519), Flight Lieutenant Troughton Smith (L8481), Pilot Officer Gibbs (L4923), Sergeant Bower (L8476), Flying Officer Rixson (L8524) and Flying Officer Finch (L8466). The British pilots returned from T3 claiming that they had attacked at 05:40 with 40lb, 20lb and 4lb incendiary bombs and also had strafed in subsequent passes with front and rear guns. Although no enemy aircraft were encountered, the ground defences had been in action immediately. These were described as “not heavy” and in fact it is known that at the beginning of the conflict for the defence of all the 35 air strips of Cirenaica, the Italians had only 17 ex-Austrian Schwarzlose 8mm gun of WW I vintage armed with standard ammunition and with a maximum range of 600 meters. Later more details enriched the description of this first attack, reporting that the returning crews had claimed that the entire manpower of the Italian base had been assembled on parade, as if the commanding officer had been reading a signal from Marshal Italo Balbo (Italian Commander-in-Chief) announcing the declaration of war. The Blenheims had hit two hangars burning them, then had strafed and bombed the Italian aircraft that were parked in rows as in peacetime and not dispersed destroying several of them. Three Blenheims failed to return and two more were damaged. Blenheim Mk.I L8476 was reportedly hit by light flak shortly after the last attack, caught fire and crashed into the sea killing the crew; Sergeant Peter Bower (RAF no. 524415), Sergeant Stanley George Fox (RAF no. 747815) and Aircraftman 1st Class John William Allison (RAF no. 543233). Blenheim Mk.I L8519 was damaged during the raid and crash-landed at Sidi Barrani where it burst into flames killing its crew; Sergeant Maurice Cresswell Thurlow (RAF no. 565808), Sergeant Bernard Alfred Feldman (RAF no. 747967) and Aircraftman 1st Class Henry Robinson (RAF no. 548048). Blenheim Mk.I L8466 suffered an engine failure over the target (possibly hit by Italian fire), the other engine failed after 100 miles during the return journey eastwards and the aircraft made a wheels-up forced landing near Buq-Buq. The crew (Flying Officer A. Finch, Sergeant R. Dodsworth and Leading Aircraftman Fisher) was rescued by the British Army while the aircraft was later recovered and repaired. It seems possible that these Blenheims were in fact claimed by the pilots of the 92^a and 94^a Squadriglie.
The first raid of the war brought also one of the first “mysteries” of the campaign, as it is not sure, from the comparison of the Italian and British documents, which were the opponents of the 8^o Gruppo during this early morning raid. It seems here right to explain that the time in Italy (and assumingly also in Libya) at the beginning of the war was Greenwich Mean Time (G.M.T.) +1h. On the other hand from available documents it transpires that in Egypt was still in use the solar time that was G.M.T. + 2h, (it seems that only after 15 July did also Egypt adopted daylight saving time, which is G.M.T +3h). Thus, even if exceptions to this rule has been noted in the documents consulted, it seems that on 11 June 1940 the time recorded British was one hour in advance of that recorded by the Italians. This is the strongest clue to assume that 45 Squadron was in fact the unit that the 8^o Gruppo failed to intercept during its first morning pursuit, because the RAF recorded this raid at 05:40, which was 04:40 in “Italian” time, quite close to the 05:00 of the first inconclusive scramble of the 93^a Squadriglia.
If we accept this, however, the opponents of the 8^o Gruppo, against which 4270 round of ammunition were expanded and which damaged Zannier’s Fiat, remained undisclosed because no other British raids was reportedly performed in the morning. Additionally it is known that Balbo himself, commenting the day’s actions credited all the three victories claimed by the Italians to the fighters and none to AA that was explicitly termed as “non existent”. As a point of interested, it is also worth noting that Italy adopted daylight saving time (G.M.T. +2h) on 15 June 1940 and kept it for the rest of the war. Thus from 15 June until 15 July, Italians and British recorded the same time (G.M.T + 2h), then after that date the British time returned one hour in advance of the Italian one.
In the afternoon, 55 and 113 Squadrons were transferred from Ismailia to Fuka and nine planes from each Squadron were bombed up and attacked El Adem T3 once again starting from 14:15. ‘A’ Flight from 55 Squadron included Blenheim Mk.Is L8530 (Flight Lieutenant Cox (acting Squadron Leader), Sergeant Wagstaff and Corporal Bennett), L8391 (Pilot Officer Walker, Sergeant Kavanagh and Leading Aircraftman Noble) and L8667 (Sergeant Day, Sergeant Browning and Leading Aircraftman McGarry). ‘B’ Flight included Blenheim Mk.Is L1538 (Flight Lieutenant H. R. Goodman, Sergeant Wiles and Leading Aircraftman Jone), L4818 (Pilot Officer M. S. Ferguson, Pilot Officer H. A. W. How and Leading Aircraftman Cherry) and L8398 (Pilot Officer R. H. Nicolson, Leading Aircraftman Bartram and Leading Aircraftman Davison). ‘C’ Flight included Blenheim Mk.Is L4820 (Flying Officer F. H. Fox, Sergeant Nicholas and Leading Aircraftman Klines), L6672 (Pilot Officer Godrich, Pilot Officer Redfern and Leading Aircraftman Thompson) and L8390 (Pilot Officer Smith, Sergeant Clarke and Leading Aircraftman Dews).
The returning pilots reported that the aircraft of the base were still not dispersed and claimed the damaging or destruction on ground of eighteen of them, together with additional damage on the hangars of the base. This time enemy aircraft were encountered and one Blenheim Mk.IV of 113 Squadron was admitted lost to them when L4823 was shot down (most probably by Tenente Bissoli) in flames 7 km east of El Adem. The crew of Flight Lieutenant D. Beauclair, Warrant Officer H. J. Owen and Sergeant J. Dobson were all badly burned, but walked for eight hours before being captured by an Italian Marine post east of Tobruk. Two Blenheims from 55 Squadron were badly damaged but were able to regain British territory. They had encountered some accurate AA fire and reported that although CR.32 fighters were seen they didn’t engage. L1538 received five hits on the starboard engine cowling, the engine stopped through lack of petrol and the aircraft made an emergency landing at Mersa Matruh, while L8398 received a bullet in the undercarriage that collapsed on landing at Mersa Matruh. The two aircraft were left there. The starboard engine of L4820, which had been followed by two Fiat fighters that reportedly scored no hits on it, seized when over Mersa Matruh. The bomber was however able to successfully land at Fuka. In all 26 bombers attacked T3 during the day hitting it with 416 forty pounds bombs, 524 twenty pounds bombs and 2080 four pounds incendiary bombs.
The Italians reported three different raids against El Adem (made by a reported six-nine-six enemy bombers). The 44^o Gruppo lost one completely burnt out SM 79, two more lightly damaged (RS) and two more seriously damaged (they had to be repaired in the local S.R.A.M.). The Gruppo also suffered three dead and twenty-four wounded.
Three Ro.37s and two Ca.309s were also heavily damaged and two Ro.37s and six S.81s were lightly damaged. Ten more soldiers were wounded.

On 3 July, three CR.42s from the 94^a Squadriglia (Tenente Giovanni Tadini, Sergente Maggiore Trento Cecchi and Sergente Maggiore Danilo Billi) and three from the 93^a Squadriglia (Tenente Bissoli, Sottotenente Orlando Mandolini and Sergente Roberto Lendaro) scrambled from T2. They intercepted a Short Sunderland, which was heading for Tobruk. The three 93^a Squadriglia pilots returned, claiming to have damaged the aircraft with the use of 650 rounds of ammo and that the same aircraft was immediately after attacked by one of the three planes of the other Squadriglia and shot down off Bardia. Tenente Tadini on the other hand claimed the destruction of this aircraft in collaboration with the 93^a Squadriglia pilots.
It seems that they had intercepted Sunderland L5807/R from 228 Squadron piloted by Flight Lieutenant D. C. McKinley DFC and Pilot Officer J. C. J Lylian, which had taken off at 14:15 for an anti-submarine sortie around Tobruk. The flying-boat returned at 20:15, reporting being attacked by Italian aircraft, one of which was believed hit by return fire. The Sunderland reported no damage at all but the day after, back at Alexandria, it was taken up the slip for maintenance operations.

A small convoy of merchant ships was seen making for Tobruk on 25 October 1942, seven Beaufighter Ics of 252 Squadron taking off to attack (07:15-11:50). Two Ju 88s and a Do 24 flyingboat were identified escorting the ships and these were all claimed shot down by four of the fighters, the Do 24 catching fire and blowing up. Wing Commander P. H. Bragg (with navigator/wireless operator Flying Officer E. G. Nichols in Beaufighter Ic T5137) and Flight Lieutenant A. D. Frecker (with navigator/wireless operator Sergeant T. Armstrong in T5110) claimed one Ju 88 each while the Do 24 was claimed as a shared between Flight Lieutenant Frecker, Pilot Officer F. T. Derick (with navigator/wireless operator Pilot Officer M. J. McCann in T4940) and Sergeant G. M. Nettleship (with navigator/wireless operator Flight Sergeant S. G. Deacon in T4932). The other three Beaufighters strafed the vessels.
It seems that the Ju 88s were from LG 1, which reported one destroyed and one damaged. The destroyed was Ju 88 A-4/Trop. WNr. 140284 L1+GL from 3./LG 1, which had taken off from Iraklion and crashed into the see of Tobruk after being shot down by Beaufighters with the complete loss of the crew (pilot Unteroffizier Wolfganf Kramer, observer Gefreiter Hans Jankowski, wireless operator Obergefreiter Fritz Egger and air gunner Unteroffizier Rudolf Lutz) while the damaged was a Ju 88 A-4 from 12./LG 1 which had taken off from Saloniki-Sedes that belly landed in Cyrenaika after being damaged by fighters with the crew safe (including pilot Unteroffizier Horst Nieswandt and observer Obergefreiter Helmuth Hoffmann).
Later in the day three more Beaufighter Ics from this unit escorted Beauforts and Bisleys to make a further attack between 12:12 and 17:45, on this occasion encountering two CR.42s, both of which were claimed shot down. Claiming pilots were Flying Officer D. M. Garbutt (with navigator/wireless operator Sergeant M. A. Lea in T5046), Flying Officer C. R. McMills (with navigator/wireless operator Sergeant H. G. Bicknell in T4990) and Pilot Officer R. S. Watson (with navigator/wireless operator Sergeant G. D. Hudson in T4872). The Beauforts missed with their torpedoes, but a Bisley hit one merchant ship with its bombs, this vessel reportedly blowing up.
It seems that these attacks were both intercepted by Italian fighters, the pilots of three MC.200s of the 8^o Gruppo CT attacking four Beaufighters, two of which were claimed to have been damaged by Tenente Bissoli (07:40-09:20). Shortly after these claims were made, Sergente Sergio Vanello of the 82^a Squadriglia, 13^o Gruppo (09:10-09:50) in an MC.202 reported encountering another Beaufighter 80km north of Sidi Abeida which he claimed to have shot down.
No Allied losses can be verified on this occasion.

During a convoy escort on 26 October, the 93^a Squadriglia MC.200s intercepted bombers, identified as Halifaxes, at 11:05. One was claimed destroyed by Sottotenente Alessandro Beretta while Tenente Bissoli and Sergente Maggiore Ottorino Lancia claimed one probable each.
No Allied losses can be verified on this occasion.

As of 8 November 1942 (on the launch of Operation Torch in North Africa), Tenente Bissoli served as CO of the 93^a Squadriglia, 8^o Gruppo CT. The unit was based at Benghazi K.3, Libya, and equipped with MC.200s.

On 6 December, eight Beaufighters of 252 Squadron undertook a reconnaissance and strafe in the Sollum - Sirte area, some vehicles being shot-up. Two aircraft strafed Tmimi airfield soon after midday, but both failed to return. Wing Commander P. H. Bragg (with navigator/wireless operator Flying Officer E. G. Nichols) was seen to ditch Beaufighter Ic T5137 in the sea 5km off the coast from the Agheila - Sirte road; both being reported as MiA. Beaufighter Ic T5045 flown by Squadron Leader A. D. Frecker (with navigator/wireless operator Pilot Officer T. Armstrong) appears to have been shot down by an Italian fighter and crash-landed. Frecker and Armstrong started to walk back to Allied lines and on the seventh day, they encountered Senussi Arabs who provided them with food and shelter for eight days until they were picked up by a patrol of the 1st King's Own Dragoon Guards and transported back to base.
At 12:05 three MC.200s of the 93^a Squadriglia, operating from Tauorga, had bounced Beaufighters which were seen strafing an Italian armoured column, and Tenente Bissoli claimed one shot down in flames, which was later inspected by ground personnel. A claim for a second as a probable was made by Sergente Plodari, but Bissoli's aircraft was hit in the oil radiator by return fire, and he landed at Sirte.

After the Italian surrender it seems that he continued to fly in the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force and was subsequently decorated for this.

Bissoli ended the war with 1 biplane victory and a total of 2.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1940
1	11/06/40	15:00	1	Blenheim (a)	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32		El Adem area	93a Squadriglia
	03/07/40	14:15-20:15	1/4	Sunderland (b)	Shared damaged	Fiat CR.42		Tobruk area	93a Squadriglia
	1942
	25/10/42	07:40-09:20	1	Beaufighter (c)	Damaged	MC.200		off coast, North Africa	93a Squadriglia
	25/10/42	07:40-09:20	1	Beaufighter (c)	Damaged	MC.200		off coast, North Africa	93a Squadriglia
	26/10/42	11:05	1	Halifax (d)	Probably destroyed	MC.200		over sea	93a Squadriglia
2	06/12/42	12:05	1	Beaufighter (e)	Damaged	MC.200		over Via Balbia	93a Squadriglia

Biplane victories: 1 destroyed, 1 shared damaged.
TOTAL: 1 destroyed, 1 probably destroyed, 2 and 1 shared damaged.
(a) Blenheim Mk IV L4283 of 113 Squadron shot down. The crew of Flight Lieutenant D. Beauclair, Warrant Officer H. Owen and Sergeant J. Dobson were all injured and suffered burns and became PoWs.
(b) Possibly claimed in combat with Sunderland L5807/R from 228 Squadron, which returned safely to base.
(c) Can't be verified with any Allied losses.
(d) Can't be verified with any corresponding Allied losses.
(e) Claimed in combat with Beaufighters Ics from 252 Squadron, which lost 2 aircraft (1 crew MiA). 93^a Squadriglia claimed 1 and 1 probable Beaufighter while getting 1 MC.200 damaged.

Sources:
2^o Stormo - Note storiche dal 1925 al 1975 - Gino Strada, 1975 USSMA, Rome, kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo
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
Desert Prelude: Early clashes June-November 1940 - Håkan Gustavsson and Ludovico Slongo, 2010 MMP books, ISBN 978-83-89450-52-4
Deutsche Luftwaffe Losses & Claims -series - Michael Balss
Diario Storico 93^a Squadriglia C.T. kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo
Elenco Nominativo dei Militari dell’ A. M. Decorati al V. M. Durante it Periodo 1929 - 1945 1 Volume A - L
Fiat CR.42 Aces of World War 2 - Håkan Gustavsson and Ludovico Slongo, 2009 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-84603-427-5
Fighters over the Desert - Christopher Shores and Hans Ring, 1969 Neville Spearman Limited, London
Il Fiat CR 32 poesia del volo - Nicola Malizia, 1981 Edizioni dell Ateneo, Roma, kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo
L’8^oGruppo caccia in due conflitti mondiali - Giuseppe Pesce, 1974 S.T.E.M. Mucchi, Modena, kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo
L’aeronautica Italiana nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale I volume - Giuseppe Santoro, 1966 Second Edition, Editore Esse, Milano-Roma, kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo
The Bristol Blenheim: A complete history - Graham Warner, 2002 Cr cy Publishing Limited, Manchester, ISBN 0-947554-92-0
The Desert Air Force - Roderick Owen, 1948 Hutchinson, London, kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo
The Desert Air War 1939 - 1945 - Richard Townshend Bickers, 1991 Leo Cooper, London, ISBN 0-85052-216-1, kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo
Additional information kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo