Italy
Tenente Antonio Bizio
Italy
Tenente Antonio Bizio
| Year Gazetted | Decoration | Note |
| 1943 | Medaglia d’argento al valor militare | 1940-43 |
| 1941 | Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare (1st) | 1940-43 |
| 1942 | Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare (2nd) | 1940-43 |
Antonio Bizio was born in 1918 and was from Firenze.
On 2 June 1941, five Blenheims from Malta were out at midday after a convoy of six ships that had been sighted by a Sunderland. Two CR.42s and a Z.501 were seen over the convoy, but the Blenheims kept their distance until the Italian aircraft appeared to leave the area. Probably they ships’ crews assumed that the Blenheims were friendly since daylight attack by RAF had not yet become common.
Sottotenente Bizio was decorated with his second Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare (gazetted 1942) for his actions over the Mediterranean between June and December 1941:
Sottotenente Bizio was decorated with the Medaglia d’argento al valor militare (gazetted 1943) after a combat on 12 August 1942:
Bizio was captured during the war to become a PoW.
Bizio ended the war with 1 shared biplane victory.
Claims:
At 14:45 the Blenheims attacked, but one went into the sea during the run-in. It seems this may have fallen to a pair of CR.42 pilots of the 70a Squadriglia, 23o Gruppo CT. Tenente Marco Marinone and Tenente Bizio reported seeing a lone Blenheim to the north-west of Lampedusa while they were escorting a convoy off the Italian coast, and they claimed this shot down between them. The attack by the other four Blenheims was successful. The steamer Montello, which was carrying ammunition, blew up and sank, whilst the Beatrice Costa, carrying a cargo of petrol in drums, caught fire. Her crew abandoned her, and her escort sent her to the bottom.
"A fighter pilot, he repeatedly demonstrated boldness in numerous combat missions, facing by day and often by night the challenges of long and difficult navigation under prohibitive weather conditions with a single-engine land aircraft. He contributed effectively to the safety of convoys by protecting them from enemy aerial threats."
Skies over the Mediterranean, June-December 1941-XVIII-XIX.
"A fighter pilot, volunteering for the most perilous missions, he requested and was granted assignment to a unit engaged in the hardest sector of the front. He participated in the 12 August 1942 action against a heavily escorted enemy convoy navigating the Western Mediterranean, distinguishing himself for boldness and a high fighting spirit. That same day, while protecting torpedo bombers under attack by enemy fighters, he engaged in combat with overwhelming force, contributing to the downing of numerous enemy aircraft. He ceased fighting only when, overpowered, he crashed into the sea with his plane."
Skies over the Mediterranean, 12 August 1942-XX.
| Kill no. | Date | Time | Number | Type | Result | Plane type | Serial no. | Locality | Unit |
| 1941 | |||||||||
| 02/06/41 | 14:45 | 1/2 | Blenheim (a) | Shared destroyed | Fiat CR.42 | NW Lampedusa | 70a Squadriglia |
Biplane victories: 1 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 1 shared destroyed.
(a) This claim can’t be verified with RAF records.
Sources:
Elenco Nominativo dei Militari dell’ A. M. Decorati al V. M. Durante it Periodo 1929 - 1945 1 Volume A - L
Istituto del Nastro Azzurro
Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940-41 - Christopher Shores, Brian Cull and Nicola Malizia, 1987 Grub Street, London
