Elio Broganelli was born in Jesi (Ancona) on 15 October 1914.

On 1 October 1938, he was commissioned (in Servizio Permanente Effettivo).

In May 1941, Tenente Broganelli served in the 154^a Squadriglia, 3^o Gruppo Autonomo C.T., which was equipped with Fiat CR.42s.

In the beginning of May 1941, a convoy of five fast freighters steamed for Alexandria (Operation Tiger) together with Force H from Gibraltar. To meet this convoy the Mediterranean Fleet left Alexandria on 6 May to rendezvous with it south of Malta. The Tiger convoy escaped discovery until 8 May due to bad weather and poor visibility but was then on to became the focus for the air battles for the next four days.
HMS Ark Royal of Force H had embarked a second squadron of Fulmars to replace the low-performance Skuas of 800 Squadron. This was 807 Squadron under Lieutenant Commander J. Sholto Douglas who was to assist the resident Fulmars of 808 Squadron under Lieutenant Commander Rupert Tillard. However, only twelve aircraft were serviceable this morning.
The early morning patrol had been vectored towards an Italian shadower and although this was spotted it could not be intercepted, so all now knew that the assault would soon commence.
The first incoming raid was reported at about 13:45, still 32 miles from the ships. This first raid comprised of five torpedo bombers (SM 79s) of the 280^o Squadriglia, which had taken off from Elmas airfield near Calgari, Sardinia. These were flown by Capitano Dante Magagnoli, Capitano Amedeo Moioli, Capitano Ugo Rivoli, Tenente Marino Marini and Sottotenente Francesco Cappa. They were escorted by 15 CR.42s of 3^o Gruppo C.T., eight from 153^a Squadriglia and seven from 154^a Squadriglia, all led by the gruppo commander Tenente Colonnello Innocenzo Monti; these fighters departed Monserrato (also near Cagliari) at 12:05, nine providing close escort with the other six as top cover. Weather conditions were very poor, with a low cloud ceiling and limited visibility. Nonetheless, the British ships were sighted at 13:40, some 120 miles south of Sardinia.
Two sections (four aircraft) of 807 Squadron were scrambled to join the four Fulmars of 808 Squadron on patrol, these latter aircraft intercepting the incoming SM 79s, but as Lieutenant Commander Tillard led the attack they were themselves bounced by a dozen of the escorting CR.42s. Almost immediately Tillard’s Fulmar was shoot down after having ignored the advice he had been given to not get involved in a turning dogfight with the CR.42s. He and his observer, Lieutenant Mark Somerville, were killed. 34-year-old Lieutenant Commander Tillard was credited with 6 and 1 shared destroyed enemy aircraft at the time of his death. The three other Fulmars were also hit, the aircraft of both Lieutenant G. C. McE. Guthrie and Petty Officer (A) R. E. Dubber sustaining damage to their tail units, while in Lieutenant Taylour’s aircraft the TAG, Petty Officer (A) L. G. T. Howard received a severe leg wound, an explosive bullet shattering both tibia and fibula. One CR.42 overshot their aircraft and Taylour managed to score hits on it, forcing it into a spin from which he considered it would not be able to recover. Having evaded the other CR.42s, Taylour headed for the carrier with his wounded TAG, where only prompt and skilful action by HMS Ark Royal’s surgeon prevented the loss of Howard’s leg.
The 280^o Squadriglia reported that all pilots managed to release torpedoes, Moioli and Magagnoli claiming to have hit a cruiser. However, all five SM 79s had been badly damaged, and although three got back to Elmas, Sottotenente Marini’s aircraft was hit and crashed near La Galite (they got ashore on the island in their dinghy and a French flying boat took the crew to Tunisia, from where they later was repatriated) and Sottotenente Cappa (SM 79 MM23872), hit by cannon fire, launched a torpedo against a large ship from close range, and then disappeared into the water with the loss of all the crew. Cappa was awarded a posthumous Medaglia d’oro al valor militare.
All but three of the CR.42s would return to base 14:30 and 14:40 but Tenente Massimino Mancini’s (153^a Squadriglia) had been damaged and he had to crash-land, as did Sergente Maggiore Guerrino Cavalca, who had run out of fuel. Sergente Giuseppe Zani of the 153^a Squadriglia was MiA in MM7203.
Meanwhile, a further formation of five SM 79s from the 32^o Stormo had taken off from Decimomannu some time after the initial raiding force, covered by ten more 3^o Gruppo CR.42s led by Capitano Giorgio Tugnoli (five from each squadriglie). It would seem to be with this formation that the four 807 Squadron Fulmars made contact, Lieutenant N. G. Hallett and his No. 2 Petty Officer (A) A. G. Johnson hitting one bomber; however, the gunner returned fire, hitting Hallett’s engine forcing him to ditch. Both he and his Australian observer, Lieutenant V. A. Smith, managed to scramble out and were soon picked up by the destroyer HMS Foresight. Meanwhile the two Blue Section aircraft flown by Lieutenant R. E. Jimmie Gardner and South African Lieutenant K. Firth attacked the same SM 79, which was probably that flown by Capitano Armando Boetto, commanding officer of the 49^a Squadriglia; Blue 1 got in the final burst before it disinter grated and fell into the sea. A second SM 79 flown by Sottotenente Michele Fonseca of 228^a Squadriglia was also lost. Eight of the bombers broke through the defences to launch torpedoes at the HMS Ark Royal and the battlecruiser HMS Renown, but without obtaining hits.
Totally, the Italian pilots from the 3^o Gruppo claimed five Fulmars shot down (two more were claimed by the SM 79 gunners). Claimants were Capitano Tugnoli, Tenente Mancini (153^a Squadriglia), Tenente Broganelli (154^a Squadriglia) and Sottotenente Cesare Ciapetti (154^a Squadriglia). The fifth was claimed as a shared between Sottotenente Ciapetti, Sergente Angelo Zanaria and an unknown pilot. Five further Fulmars were credited to the fighter units as probables.
These were the only combat with biplane fighters over the convoy during the day but the battle continued all day. The protecting Fulmars nevertheless managed to protect the fleet and no ships were sunk.

On 5 November 1941, the 3^o Gruppo C.T. still had 33 efficient CR.42s on charge.
From 21:50 to 02:30 the 154^a Squadriglia of this Gruppo carried out five scrambles above Tripoli, each one involving a CR.42 and the sky was cloudy at the altitude of the clash, 1,500 m.
Six Wellingtons were machine-gunned and three were thought to have probably been shot down. During the battle, Sergente Maggiore Italo Petrelli was badly wounded in the right hand and had to land under bombardment at Castel Benito. Petrelli was credited with one of the probable bombers and the other two were credited to Tenente Broganelli and Sottotenente Cesare Ciapetti.
The three CR.42s returned from these actions having been hit by return fire from the enemy. 1068 rounds from 7.7 mm machine guns and 867 from 12.7 mm ones were expended.
On the night of 5/6th November, 18 Wellingtons (eight from 40 Squadron and ten from 104 Squadron) attacked Castel Benito dropping 22 tons of H.E. and over 3 tons of incendiaries.

“Heavy AA was fairly accurate, the shells forming black puffs. The Tripoli defences were firing a green tracer changing to red, the last round in the clip appearing white. The smoke screen was ineffective.
B saw 4 fighters and was attacked by one of them without any effect. G was attacked from astern and starboard by a CR.42, fire was returned and the enemy broke off the engagement. S was attacked by 4 fighters on separate occasions. J claims hits on a CR.42 which passed by without attacking.
Weather good over target. 10/10 clouds over Tripoli at 10.000 feet. All aircraft returned safely.”

At 10:15 on 1 December, four CR.42s of the 154^a Squadriglia scrambled from Uadi Tamet. A Bristol Beaufighter that was attacking vehicles on the road was sighted. This plane was repeatedly attacked but given its greater speed it was able to get away. It must have been a spectacular action because Tenente Broganelli in hedge-hopping to follow the Beaufighter touched the ground; fortunately damage was limited to the loss of the right leg of the undercarriage. Obviously when it landed, the other wheel also was lost, the fighter was damaged but Broganelli was unhurt. 763 rounds were fired from 12.7 mm machine guns and 1320 rounds from 7.7 mm ones. The Italian pilots underlined the difficulty of lining up the enemy plane hedge-hopping because the gun pointed up slightly too much.
The enemy plane was a Beaufighter from Malta that was above the target between 09:41 and 10:45. It reported being attacked by two CR.42s but managed to get away.

On 18 March 1943, he was promoted to Capitano.
At the time, he was still serving with the 3^o Gruppo.

An Axis convoy departed Trapani in the early hours of 20 March 1943, heading for Bizerta. With daylight, 17 MC.202s from the 17^o Gruppo and 13 MC.200s from the 3^o Gruppo landed at Gammart, near Tunis, from where escorts were to be flown over the ships.
Mid-morning 29 P-38s of the 82nd FG provided cover for about 21 B-25Cs of the newly arrived 321st BG on a long sea search hunting for the convoy. Around 11:35 and 48km east-north-east of Pantelleria, a large swarm of Axis fighters appeared, mainly from the direction of Sicily, and these attacked the P-38s as the bombers were circling the convoy. The P-38 pilots attacked in pairs through a layer of cloud, claims being made for eleven Axis aircraft destroyed plus two probables and one damaged. All fighter claims were made by the 96th FS and claiming pilots were:
1st Lieutenant Samuel A. Hawes (P-38 ‘13013’), who claimed one destroyed Ju 88 at 11:45
1st Lieutenant Joseph W. Jorda (P-38 ‘3042’), who claimed one destroyed Bf 109 at 11:50
2nd Lieutenant Philip D. Rodgers (P-38 ‘2318’), who claimed one destroyed Bf 109 at 11:50
2nd Lieutenant Douglas E. Crichton (P-38G 42-12830), who claimed one probably destroyed Bf 109 at 12:00
1st Lieutenant Samuel A. Hawes (P-38 ‘13013’), who claimed one destroyed Bf 109 at 12:00
Major Harley Camden Vaughn (P-38G-5 42-12827), who claimed one destroyed Ju 88 at 12:00
2nd Lieutenant Charles Joseph Zubarik (P-38G-10 42-13054), who claimed one destroyed Bf 109 at 12:15 and a second destroyed Bf 109 at 12:20
Lieutenant Halverson (P-38 ‘2089’), who claimed one damaged Bf 109 at 12:20
2nd Lieutenant Ward Albert Kuentzel (P-38F-15 43-2153), who claimed one destroyed Bf 109 at 12:20
2nd Lieutenant William B. Rawson (P-38 ‘016’), who claimed one destroyed Bf 109 G at 12:20 and a probably destroyed Bf 109 F at 12:25
2nd Lieutenant Lee H. Lawrence (P-38G 42-12816), who claimed one destroyed Bf 109 at 12:25
2nd Lieutenant Claude Ross Kinsey Jr. (P-38G 42-12871), who claimed one destroyed ”single-engined, two-seated Italian fighter” at 12:30
At 12:05 and over the convoy, the gunners in the B-25C from 447th BS made claims for three enemy fighters when gunner Staff Sergeant Robert C. Drogosh and gunner Staff Sergeant Francis F. Noble in B-25C 41-131171 ‘Trigger’ claimed one destroyed FW 190 each and gunner Staff Sergeant James A. Woody in 41-131176 ‘Ally Cat’ claimed one destroyed Bf 110.
One P-38F from the 96th FS crash-landed due to battle damaged, but 2nd Lieutenant Frank Duncan was safe. B-25C 41-131171 ‘Trigger’ was shot down by fighters near the convoy off Cap Serrat at 12:00-12:20 and ditched 2nd Lieutenant Albert Duke and four crew (including Staff Sergeants Drogosh and Noble) safe. They rowed ashore and evaded after three days behind enemy lines but the gunner Staff Sergeant Harald F. Govoni was KiA. B-25C 41-13176 ‘Ally Cat’ was shot up by fighters off Cap Serrat at 12:00-12:20 and crash-landed near Bône. 2nd Lieutenant John P. Burns and four of the crew was safe but gunner Staff Sergeant Woody was KiA.
The Bf 109 Gs from JG 53 claimed three P-38s and two B-25s. South-west of Marsala, Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Ehrenberg from 6./JG 53 claimed two P-38s at 200m altitude at 11:56 and 12:04 while Feldwebel Hans Feverlein from 6./JG 53 claimed one P-38 at 600m altitude at 11:59. The two B-25s were claimed north-west of Cap Serrat, one by Unteroffizier Arno Fischer from 3./JG 53 at 12:56 and the second by Oberleutnant Willi Klein from 1./JG 53 at 13:00 (at altitude of 150 meters). Bf 109 G-4 trop WNr 16230 Yellow 1 + of 6./JG 53 was shot down over sea 100km west of Marsala and Oberleutnant Günter Hess was KiA and Me 210 A-1 WNr. 8153 2n+HS of 8./ZG 1 was damaged by B-25 gunners west of Marsala – the aircraft managed to reach base with pilot being safe but gunner Unteroffizier Walter Brehm was WiA.
MC.200 pilots from the 154^a Squadriglia, 3^o Gruppo, made two claims at 12:00 56 km north of Cap Bon when Capitano Broganelli claimed a twin-engined aircraft destroyed and Sergente Plinio Santini claimed an unidentified type probably destroyed. One MC.200 from the 154^a Squadriglia crashed near Chinisia as it returned to land, it was believed due to being hit in this fight. The pilot, Sergente Walter Mascellani was KiA.
Gunners on the Italian torpedo-boat Antares claimed to have shot down two of the attackers.
In the event all bombs missed the ships, which sailed safely into Bizerta harbour during the evening.
During the day, Cant Z.501 MM35628 of the 197^a Squadriglia RM was lost near Alicudi Island with the pilot Tenente Eugenio Marinello, co-pilot Sergente Odo Giordo and crew being KiA.

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

Broganelli was killed on 3 March 1944.

At the time of his death, Broganelli was credited with 1 biplane victory and a total of 2.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1941
1	08/05/41	13:45-14:40	1	Fulmar (a)	Destroyed	Fiat CR.42		off Sardinia	154a Squadriglia
	05/11/41	21:50-02:30	1	Wellington (b)	Probably destroyed	Fiat CR.42		Tripoli area	154a Squadriglia
	1943
2	20/03/44	12:00	1	Twin-engined aircraft (c)	Destroyed	MC.202		56km N Cap Bon	154a Squadriglia

Biplane victories: 1 destroyed, 1 probably destroyed.
TOTAL: 2 destroyed, 1 probably destroyed.
(a) Claimed in combat with Fulmars from 807 and 808 FAA Squadrons, which claimed one probable CR.42 while losing two Fulmars and getting three damaged. 3^o Gruppo claimed five Fulmars and five more probable while losing three CR.42s.
(b) Claimed in combat with Wellingtons from 40 and 104 Squadrons, which didn’t suffer any losses.
(c) Claimed in combat with P-38s from the 96th FS and B-25Cs from the 447th BS, which totally claimed 14 enemy aircraft, 2 probables and 1 damaged while losing 1 P-38 and 2 B-25Cs. JG 53 and 154^a Squadriglia claimed 3 P-38s destroyed, 2 B-25C destroyed, 1 twin-engined aircraft destroyed and 1 unidentified enemy aircraft probably destroyed while losing 1 MC.200 (pilot KiA), 1 Bf 109 G (pilot MiA and 1 Me 210.

Sources:
A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940-1945: Volume One Christopher Shores and Giovanni Massimello with Russell Guest, 2012 Grub Street, London, ISBN 978-1908117076
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
Annuario Ufficiale Delle Forze Armate Del Regno D Italia Anno 1943. Part III Regia Aeronautica 1943 Istituto Poligrafico Dello Stato, Roma
Deutsche Luftwaffe Losses & Claims -series - Michael Balss
Elenco Nominativo dei Militari dell’ A. M. Decorati al V. M. Durante it Periodo 1929 - 1945 1 Volume A - L
La Battaglie Aeree In Africa Settentrionale: Novembre-Dicembre 1941 Michele Palermo, IBN, ISBN 88-7565-102-7
Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940-41 - Christopher Shores and Brian Cull with Nicola Malizia, 1987 Grub Street, London, ISBN 0-89747-207-1
Ministero della Difesa
Additional information kindly provided by Bruce Buchanan, Antonio Maraziti and Ludovico Slongo.