Biplane fighter aces

Italy

Tenente Gilberto Caselli Medaglia d’oro al valor militare

29 September 1909 – 26 August 1937

Gilberto Caselli was born on 29 September 1909 and was from Sassuolo (Modena).

He served in the campaign in the Italian East Africa (A.O.I.).

Sottotenente Caselli was decorated with the Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare (gazetted 1937) for his actions over East Africa between February and March 1936:

"As a pilot of a fast assault aircraft, he participated in the Battle of Scirè with daring bombing and low-altitude strafing actions, repeatedly returning to base with his aircraft damaged. Through determined strafing, he caused the destruction of an enemy aircraft, staying on site and repeating low-flying attacks despite the intense enemy response."
Skies of Scirè, February-March 1936 - XIV.

Sottotenente Caselli was decorated with his first Medaglia d’argento al valor militare (gazetted 1937) for his actions over East Africa between March and November 1936:

"As a pilot of a fast reconnaissance aircraft, he participated in numerous combat operations, often flying at low altitude, conducting bombings and strafing the enemy. He frequently undertook long offensive reconnaissance missions, always carrying out his tasks brilliantly. After recovering from a wound sustained during a flight, he declined a convalescence leave to return to his combat post, once again demonstrating his exemplary military virtues in new actions. He had already distinguished himself in a previous operational cycle."
Skies of East Africa, March-November 1936 - XIV-XV.

Caselli served in the 53^o Stormo before volunteering for service in the Spanish Civil War.
In Spain, he served in the 20^a Squadriglia, XXIII Gruppo.

Sottotenente Caselli was decorated with a posthumous and second Medaglia d’argento al valor militare (gazetted 1938) for his actions over Spain between May and July 1937:

"Volunteering for a war mission to uphold the Fascist ideal, he participated as a fighter pilot in all operations carried out from May to July XV on various fronts, always demonstrating his magnificent spirit of sacrifice. On June 2nd XV, in the skies of La Granja, as part of a formation of 18 of our fighters, he took part with enthusiasm and boldness in a battle against 35 enemies, 15 of whom were shot down."
Skies of Madrid - Guadarrama - Brunete, May-July 1937 - XV.

In the morning on 26 August 1937, the CR.32s escorted 19 bombers to Villamajor. Close to the bombers was the 20^a Squadriglia, while the 18^a and 19^a Squadriglie stayed above them. The weather was far from ideal and soon a layer of cloud separated the two higher flying Squadriglie from the rest. The minutes slowly ticked away as the formation moved toward the target area. Suddenly the clouds broke and Capitano Enrico Degli Incerti noticed a swarm of enemy aircraft below. Followed by his wingmen, he dived through the tattered clouds and found himself in perfect position behind an I-15. Five short bursts and the fighter began to fall. Degli Incerti followed his victim and saw it crashing into the Ebro River.
In order to gain altitude, he pulled the stick back – only to discover five I-15s at 3,000 feet, coming straight for him. His wingmen were nowhere in sight. The Republican leader, as he soon found out, was a very able pilot. He attacked the Italian at once, and while he engaged his adversary, the four other I-15s flew around them and sent bursts toward the CR.32 at close range. Bullets smashed the windscreen, tore into the parachute pack and holed the fuselage, but Degli Incerti's luck held. He threw the Fiat into a steep dive, but his foe clung to him. Bullets broke instruments on the panel and one bullet tore the belt off his waist without wounding him. Degli Incerti didn’t even try to aim anymore. He just shot wildly in the direction where a winged shadow appeared. Only three minutes went by, yet they seemed an eternity. Using all the tricks he had ever learned or heard of, he somehow managed to evade the fire of his adversaries. Then suddenly, the Republican leader’s tail came into sight. His fighter instinct made him aim and fire, but at the same second, another I-15 sent a burst into the Fiat. There was no pain, but the warmth of blood rolling down his leg made him realize that he was wounded. In desperation, he opened the throttle full, but the crippled machine didn’t respond. Glancing back, he saw a thin streak of smoke trailing him. The engine’s revolutions dropped from 2900 to 1000 and it seemed a miracle that the CR.32 was still airborne. The I-15s attacked with renewed fury and the Fiat descended more rapidly while the Republican leader closed in for the coup de grace. A hail of bullets hit the aircraft but it continued to fly. Degli Incerti noted with some relief that he had just crossed into Nationalist territory. But the attacks of his pursuers became more determined as they tried to finish him off. The I-15s opened up again and he put the Fiat’s nose down. Somehow, he managed to pull the machine out and found himself alone. He smelled smoke then felt the rapidly increasing heat of the burning fuselage. To add to his troubles, the engine suddenly stopped. Luckily, however, the ground was only a few meters below, so he switched the fuel off and landed the fighter. The burning Fiat’s tail rose into the air and then luckily fell back to the ground. Paralyzing pain knifed into his wounded leg as he tried to get out of the cockpit. However, the will for survival made his muscles move and set his body into motion out of the burning aircraft.
The 20^a Squadriglia lost two pilots when Tenente Caselli and Sottotenente Enrico Schievano were shot down over Villamajor and killed (Caselli was shot down wounded and captured but died of his wounds in hospital). Both pilots later received a posthumous Medaglia d’oro al valor militare.
It seems that at least some of the bombers escorted by the 20^a Squadriglia were He 46s from 3-G-11 led by the unit’s CO commandante José Pérez Pardo, who was shot down and killed together with his observer Salvador Blanco. They had possibly been intercepted by I-15s from 1^a/26 led by Kapitan Anatoly Serov and it seems that they claimed three destroyed He 46s, one of them claimed by Kapitan Yevgeniy Antonov.
It also seems that 2^a/26 (I-15) took part in this combat and while flying from Alcañiz during the Belchite offensive, sargento Vicente Castillo Monzó claimed one CR.32 over Fuentes de Ebro and a Ro.37 over Caspe.
The CO of the unit, teniente Chindasvinto González García claimed two CR.32s shot down.
Sargento José Redondo Martín was mentioned in dispatches as follows:

“A major air battle over the Aragon front near Saragossa this morning ended in complete success for the Republican air force, which managed to shoot down five enemy aeroplanes - four Fiats and a Romeo - without loss to our escuadrillas. Worthy of mention in this combat is the conduct of a recently graduated sargento, José Redondo, son of the former mayor of Madrid, Cayetano Redondo. In combat with a Fiat, Redondo shot it down, despite numerous machine gun hits to his own aircraft, several of which damaged its port wing. After shooting down the Fiat Redondo flew his aircraft the considerable distance back to his airfield. The groundcrew found it hard to understand how Redondo had managed to make it to their airfield with such damage to his fighter aircraft and a serious leg wound.
The Minister of National Defence congratulated the heroic pilot, and in the presence of all the personnel of the fighter escuadrillas at the airfield, promoted him to teniente. Several captured enemy airmen stated that our offensive in Aragon had occupied a great deal of the aviation forces operating on the Santander fronts. One of the captured airmen, comandante Pérez Pardo, has a serious stomach wound and is in hospital.”

At the time of his death, Caselli was credited with 5 biplane victories.

On 11 August 1939, Tenente Caselli was decorated with a posthumous Medaglia d’oro al valor militare (gazetted 1939) for the combat on 26 August 1937:

“A volunteer in the war for the conquest of the empire and in the anti-Bolshevik campaign in Spain, an exceptionally skilled and daring fighter pilot who had already earned high rewards for his recognized extraordinary valour, gaining the prestige of a hero. During a mission protecting national bombing formations, he displayed renewed courage and intelligence by fending off an attack from an overwhelming enemy fighter force, allowing our bombers to return safely to our lines after completing their mission. In the fierce and desperate battle, driven by the selflessness that distinguished him in every difficult and risky endeavour, he crowned his noble life as a legionnaire with a glorious death.”

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	193?
1	??/??/3?		1	Enemy aircraft	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32		Spain	20a Squadriglia
2	??/??/3?		1	Enemy aircraft	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32		Spain	20a Squadriglia
3	??/??/3?		1	Enemy aircraft	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32		Spain	20a Squadriglia
4	??/??/3?		1	Enemy aircraft	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32		Spain	20a Squadriglia
5	??/??/3?		1	Enemy aircraft	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32		Spain	20a Squadriglia

Biplane victories: 5 destroyed.
TOTAL: 5 destroyed.

Sources:
Air War over Spain - Jesus Salas Larrazabal, 1974 Ian Allan Ltd, Shepperton, Surrey, ISBN 0-7110-0521-4
Assi Italiani Della Caccia 1936-1945 - Giovanni Massimello, 1999 Aerofan no. 69 apr.-giu. 1999, Giorgio Apostolo Editore, Milan
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
Istituto del Nastro Azzurro
Russian Fighter Aces of 1914-1953 years
Soviet airmen in the Spanish civil war 1936-1939 - Paul Whelan, 2014 Schiffer Publishing Ltd, ISBN 978-0-7643-0
Spanish Republican Aces – Rafael A. Permuy López, 2012 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-84908-668-4