Italy
Tenente Raimondo Di Pauli
Italy
Tenente Raimondo Di Pauli
| Year Gazetted | Decoration | Note |
| 1941 | Medaglia d’argento al valor militare | 1940-43 |
| 1940 | Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare (1st) | O.M.S. |
| 1941 | Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare (2nd) | 1940-43 |
Raimondo Di Pauli was born in Vienna on 23 May 1919.
Raimondo enlisted as a volunteer in the Regia Aeronautica on 17 July 1935 and he began his career as a pilot at Elmas airport (CA), obtaining his first-class licence on 12 September 1935.
He then moved on to the Central School of Piloting in Grottaglie (TA) where, on 21 March 1936, he obtained his military licence
He was pro-moted to the rank of Sergente on 15 June 1936, when he was transferred to the 6o Stormo at Campoformido (UD) where he served in the 151a Squadriglia, 3o Gruppo CT, with Fiat CR.32s.
On 20 December 1936 he embarked in Syracuse, reaching Benghazi two days later to be taken on in force with the 77a Squadriglia, XIII Gruppo, 2o Stormo.
On 6 April 1937, he was transferred to the Saharan Air Force, first to the Avio section in Hon and then, in September, to the section in Cufra, where he obtained his qualification to fly the Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli.
On 26 July 1938 he returned to fighters, with the 93a Squadriglia, VIII Gruppo, 2o Stormo at Benghazi.
He was placed on leave on 12 October after his request to be released but was recalled to service and promoted Sottotenente with 88a Squadriglia, VI Gruppo, 1o Stormo at Campoformido from 23 November 1938.
As a volunteer in the OMS, he was transferred there on the ship Franca Fassio, arriving in Seville on
10 January 1939, where he was assigned to the 20a Squadriglia of the XXIII Gruppo Asso di Bastoni, with the nom de guerre "Raimondo Di Polo".
On 29 May 1939 he was repatriated in a civilian aircraft and due to his actions in Spain, he was promoted to SPE for war merits.
Sottotenente Di Pauli was decorated with his first Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare (gazetted 1940) for his actions in Spain:
"Bold fighter pilot, already distinguished in previous war actions, carried out intense combat activity, engaged in an aerial battle, and participated in a daring strafing of an enemy airbase, contributing to the downing of two enemy aircraft in flight and the destruction of many others on the ground."
Skies over Spain, February-March 1939-XVII.
On 10 June 1939 he joined the 21o Stormo OA in the 32a Squadriglia, XV Gruppo, based in Bolzano.
The unit became part of the 22o Stormo OA Wing in September of the same year.
On 6 December 1939 he was again assigned to the Fighter Wing and transferred to the 77a Squadriglia, XVII Gruppo, 1o Stormo.
Shortly afterwards, he asked to be assigned to East Africa (AOI), possibly in a fighter squadron; his request was granted and on 1 February 1940 he was assigned to the 84a Squadriglia, 10o Gruppo, 4o Stormo, in Gorizia, which at the time was destined to join the unit that would be sent overseas.
With the 412a Squadriglia, he was promoted to Tenente on 4 July 1940.
On 4 August , five Wellesleys of 14 Squadron and the same number of 47 Squadron took off to attack the submarine fleet moored at Abd el-Cadér. The aircraft from 14 Squadron included Flight Lieutenant Stapleton (K7722), Pilot Officer Willitts (L2657), Sergeant Taylor (K7767), Sergeant Patey (L2676/D) and Pilot Officer Illesley (L2645). while the aircraft from 47 Squadron included Wing Commander Elton (K8521), Flight Lieutenant Dally (K7779), Pilot Officer Harrison (K7756), Sergeant Wragg and Pilot Officer Joyce (K7728).
The approach route included an overflight of the Eritrean hinterland. At 10:30, the 47 Squadron attacked the ammunition depot on the island of Scec Sáid, but all bombs missed the target. In the meantime, three CR.42s (Tenente Mario Visintini, Sergente Lugi Baron and possibly Tenente Di Pauli) scrambled and attacked the bombers. Five minutes later, the 14 Squadron also arrived on target and dive-bombed the fuel depots at Archìco. Sergeant Patey's Wellesley L2676/D was hit by an anti-aircraft shell that knocked out the hydraulics. As a result, the undercarriage dropped and the plane slowed down. Immediately, two of the fighters pounced on it and attacked it repeatedly until their ammunition run out, while the third FIAT continued to duel with the 47 Squadron for another 10-15 minutes, but without result. Sergeant Patey remembered:
“[...] About 20 miles [32km] north of Massawa two aircraft were seen approaching from behind and they turned out to be CR.42 fighters. They decided to attack almost simultaneously from the rear quadrants, one on each side, which made it hard for my gunner who could only deal with one at a time. Since my speed was very low, I did not even try to outdistance them, so I decided to prevent them from attacking from below by lowering myself a few feet overboard and staying there. [...] During their last attacks, I could see the water splashing where the bullets entered the sea in front of me. Things were looking bad, as my plane had received quite a few hits near the tanks, when suddenly the fighters stopped their attacks and flew away. […]”The operation against the installations was not yet over, as the task assigned to the Wellesleys was to attract the attention of the anti-aircraft and fighters to the south, to allow three Blenheims of 45 Squadron to take the defences by surprise, arriving from the north after having flown over the sea. Within 2-3 minutes of each other, the twin-engines dived in single file and bombed the docks of the naval base. Pilot Officer Gibbs believed that he had hit a support ship, identified as a destroyer, and that he had seen one of his bombs explode between two submarines. Anti-aircraft fire proves to be very intense.
At 07:00 hours on 1 September, Wellesley L2689 of 14 Squadron, with pilot Sergeant Norris, navigator Sergeant D'Arcy and the gunner Leading Aircraftman Charles D. Lampard on board, took off for a photographic reconnaissance of Harmìl, the northernmost island of the Dáhalac archipelago. The purpose was to photograph the Regia Marina's Giulietti battery, consisting of four 120/45 pieces. The aircraft was sighted and the alarm was immediately raised. Three fighters, Tenente Mario Visintini, Sergente Lugi Baron and probably Tenente Di Pauli, immediately took off and flew to a height north of Massawa to intercept the enemy reconnaissance aircraft. They spotted it while it was making its third overflight of the island, attacked it in a dive and, after seriously wounding the gunner, forced it to make an emergency landing on Harmìl, on the field located on the south-eastern offshoot of the island and next to the battery itself.
Antonio Raffi recalled the episode after the war:
“On a small island one hundred and fifty kilometres north of Massaua, [...] Visintini and two wingmen, one I think was Di Pauli and the other I don't remember, intercepted a Wellesley on reconnaissance and hit the tanks without setting it on fire; Considering the condition of the enemy aircraft, Visintini and the wingmen stopped firing to give the crew a chance to save themselves; in fact, the British, after firing a few rockets as a sign of surrender, landed on the small island where there was a Navy observation post and were captured.”Sergeant. Norris wrote:
“In the middle of the third lap we were attacked by three CR.42s. The first 20 mm [sic] burst hit Lampard in the leg and damaged the engine controls and hydraulics... I had no engine and nowhere to go but down. Ahead was a fairly small, rocky, irregular island. I made a classic emergency landing approach, but there was a danger of going over the island and into the water. Without flaps, we almost stalled on the shoreline, I hit my left wing and the bomb rack on the rocky ground and quickly stopped. Before I could unfasten my belts and parachute, the plane was surrounded by a disorderly crowd of Italians... I left the plane and tried to reach the rear gunner, but was prevented from doing so. D'Arcy was not allowed out until Lampard was lifted up and taken away. His leg was almost off and bleeding profusely.”Visintini wrote a letter home the next day:
“Dear friends, yesterday I had a particularly good day [...]. In his tour of the centres of the Empire, yesterday the Viceroy was in Massaua. We were to await him in the air, he was flying a Green Sorcio. But a sudden air alarm changed things and we had to leave in search of the enemy.The wounded gunner, Leading Aircraftman Lampard (RAF 615948), died two hours later and was buried in the National Cemetery in Asmara. Norris and D'Arcy became PoWs.
With the fortunate intuition that has always helped me so far, I took up position, high up, hidden by a cloud, far away from the base. After 10 minutes of cruising, I gasped: here he comes, without any suspicion, to carry out his mission. He is several hundred metres lower than me; I would not have imagined that he would also be at such a high altitude!
I pounce on him like a hawk on an innocent sparrow. He only notices me when he is already, lightning fast, liquidated.
Engine fire; he has to surrender and give thanks that be-neath him, amidst so much Red Sea, there is the island, the very one he had intended to attack. […]
Before leaving the sky of the island I make sure that the enemy aircraft lands well in our territory. Later, a dispatch from the island gave the following detail: enemy aircraft recoverable; crew of three, captured gunner seriously wounded (poor fellow was the first to take my volley).
[...] As soon as he got off, he had to report the incident to the authorities waiting for the Duke. And they, in turn, reported it to the Duke as soon as he got off the train. He appreciated the good news very much. He recognised me immediately and entertained me very cordially, congratulating me with precious expressions of sympathy.
My fifth victory has therefore been sanctioned by the Viceroy!
On 10 September, three Wellesleys flown by Flight Lieutenant Robinson (K7731), Pilot Officer Willitts (K7767) and Pilot Officer Ferguson (K7763) of 14 Squadron bombed a grove of palm trees east of Càssala at 14:30.
Twenty minutes later and on the way back, the patrol was intercepted by two CR.42s which the crews believed had probably taken off from Sabderàt (actually most likely from Barentu). In the ensuing combat, Pilot Officer Ferguson's aircraft No. 3 (left wingman) crashed in flames. Ferguson, managed to parachute and was captured, while Pilot Officer James Lynch (RAF no. 43642) and Sergeant Thomas Conway (RAF no. 535666) were killed and were be buried in the Chéren War Cemetery.
Most probably the Wellesley was victim of the attack of Tenente Pauli, who was flying with Sottotenente Fiorindo Rosmino. They seems to have taken off from Barentu, which is about a 100 kilometres from Sabderàt and about 130 kilometres from Càssala. It is difficult to assume that the two fighters took off for an interception on alarm and it is more credible that the Italian pilots were engaged in a patrol and came across, more or less by chance, the enemy bombers. Sottotenente Rosmino later reconstructed the sequence of his missions after the conflict and noted (albeit on 21 September):
"Combat on the Cassala front with three Wellesleys in collaboration with Tenente Di Pauli who shot down an aircraft.”The bombing caused neither damage nor casualties, while the Italians claimed to have hit a second Wellesley.
At 14:50 18 September, three Gladiators of 1 SAAF Squadron took off from ‘Azaza, to patrol in the Càssala area. Two CR.42s climbed up to challenge them around 16:00. The South Africans got in first, Major Schalk van Schalkwyk claiming one and 2nd Lieutenants John Coetzer and John Hewitson (N5852) claiming a second shared; one CR.42 was seen to spin and crash while the other was chased to its airfield at Tessenei, where it was reported to have crash-landed.
2nd Lieutenant Hewitson reported in his logbook a dogfight with two CR.42s over Kassala. One retired while the other apparently fell out of control. He fired 1000 rounds of ammunition during the combat. The South African Gladiators landed at Khasm-el-Gírba at 17:15 without having sustained any damage.
The manner of combat described by Hewitson suggests that this episode coincides with one described in the notes of Lieutenant Andrew Duncan’s notes on 1 September, and reported as such by other sources, but without confirmation from the Italian side. This should therefore be the first combat between CR.42 and South African Gladiators on the Eritrean-Sudanese front.
Italian Bulletin No. 101 seems to confirm the battle, noting that "Blenheim and Wellesley escorted by Gloster-type fighters" had been intercepted over Càssala. The same document claims one ”Blenheim shot down in flames and another probable” and admits that only one Fiat ”hit [its] engine in combat [and] landed regularly [at] the field [of] Càssal””. The use of Gladiators as bomber escorts was probably a simple inaccuracy in the Bulletin, which nonetheless attests to their presence. There is no explicit mention of fighter combat in the document, nor is there any indication of the names of the Italian pilots involved in the action, although it is known that a section of the 412a Squadriglia was stationed in Barentu in September, including at least Tenente Di Pauli and Sottotenente Fiorindo Rosmino.
Tenente Di Pauli, when he returned from captivity, reported that he had been shot down in combat on 16 September 1940, that he had parachuted and suffered minor shrapnel wounds to his lower limbs. However, apart from this precise testimony of the pilot, there is no other evidence to confirm this shooting. In fact, there is no trace of it in the afore-mentioned bulletin, which reported the regular landing of one of the fighters on the field of Càssala, even if its engine was hit, nor has the corresponding form for recording flight accidents been found so far. Such a shooting would also contradict the testimony of Tenente Leone Concato who, on the following 4 October, explicitly identified SergenteMaggiore Ottavio Bracci as the first pilot of the Squadriglia shot down by the enemy and his fighter as the first aircraft lost in combat. The above, and the precise testimony of 2nd Lieutenant Hewitson, who merely reported an enemy aircraft "apparently" out of control and another that had escaped - without noticing any of the enemy pilots parachuting - suggest that the engine-damaged CR.42 was piloted by Tenente Di Pauli, who nevertheless managed to disengage and land regularly at Càssala despite the damage. On this occasion, he pilot may have suffered minor leg injuries.
Having known since 13 October, by aerial reconnaissance, that a Flight of 47 Squadron had been detached to Al Qadarif (Gadáref), pilots of Regia Aeronautica planed a strafing attack on that field. Thus, on the evening of 15 October, the Italian Northern Sector Command transferred three S.79s and several CR.42s to Barentù, in addition to those already present at the base, bringing the total number of available fighters to nine.
At dawn on 9 February, Capitano Mario Visintini led an attack on Akordat airfields and its satellite airfield with Tenente Carlo Canella, Tenente Di Pauli, Sergente Aroldo Soffritti and Sergente Pietro Morlotti (all from the 412a Squadriglia).
Tenente Di Pauli was decorated with the Medaglia d’argento al valor militare (gazetted 1941) for his action in the beginning of 1941:
Di Pauli joined the 4th Light Blue Battalion after the 412a Squadriglia was disbanded and was captured by the British at Manda Dabù on 10 July 1941.
He was imprisoned in Aden, then in Bairagarh, India, and finally in Yol from 20 February 1942, where he was first placed in Camp 28 and, after the events of 25 July and 8 September 1943, in Camp 25, for those who did not collaborate with the Allies. During the harsh years of imprisonment, he contracted malaria and suffered both digestive disorders and nervous exhaustion, without these illnesses being adequately treated, not least because of his situation as a punitive prisoner.
Di Pauli ended the war with 1 biplane victory.
On his return to Italy on 29 November 1946, he presented himself at the Centro Affluenza Reduci di Nisida (Reduci Attendance Centre in Nisida) and, when questioned by the special commission of the Regia Aeronautica, was judged "censurable" for his lack of cooperation and punished with 15 days' fortress arrest.
Despite everything, Di Pauli remained in the Armed Forces and on 10 January 1948 he resumed flying at the Comando Scuole Volo in Lecce, flying the Macchi C.202, the Macchi C.205V, the Supermarine Spitfire Mk V and the Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX.
On 4 December 1951, he died in Monza hospital from a collapse caused by complications of tertian malaria contracted during his imprisonment; the illness was recognised as being due to causes of service.
In 1955, an appeal commission re-examined the judgement of censurability that had been issued by the Central Commission for Prisoners of War and Di Pauli was definitively declared "incensurable".
Claims:
Biplane victories: 1 destroyed, 22 shared destroyed on the ground, 5 shared damaged on the ground.
Sources:
Also during the night, infiltrators cut the tele-phone link between the secondary camp and the city of Gedáref, from where the alarm could be transmitted by radio to the 'Azaza camp, Gladiator base of the 1 SAAF Squadron detachment.
At 06:00 on 16 October, a S.79 of the 19a Squadriglia, piloted by Tenente Edmondo Carlucci and Tenente Colonnello Luigi Klinger (CO of the 28
The formation headed for Càssala and from there followed the railway line to Gedáref. What happened is vividly described by Vittorio Beonio-Brocchieri, correspondent of the Corriere della Sera:
“Imagine that you see in front of you, from an aerial perspective, a quadrangular polygon surrounded by a clearing of small woods and bushes. British equipment appears scattered partly in the centre and partly on the edges of the range.”
Approaching the target, the fighters descended and split into two sections heading along opposite sides of the field. At 06:55, the S.79 dropped twelve 31-kg bombs from 2000 metres (relative altitude 1331 m), with a single pass from north-east to south-west. This attack also had the purpose of activating the reaction of the anti-aircraft right at the moment in which the CR.42s arrived in a grazing flight, which at this point had a good chance of immediately attacking the individual positions of the anti-aircraft guns and spreading panic among the operators. Beonio-Brocchieri continued:
“At this moment, our pilots were able to observe a very curious scene on the field: the mad flight of the British soldiers and officers who were at the defensive positions of the airfield. Rarely does one witness such a funny spectacle: seeing the entire airfield staff abandon their machine gun emplacements and anti-aircraft guns during an attack in order to save their legs and jump into the armoured "fifaus"!”
Between 07:00-07:20 and with no further opposition, the fighters then systematic searched and destroyed everything on the field. The attack was carried out in single file, with the leading fighter, which, having completed its passage over the field, repositioned itself at the rear to guarantee the continuity of the action. Capitano Raffi almost immediately noticed two biplanes at the edge of the runway with their engines already running. Believing them to be two Gladiators about to take off, he machine-gunned them, setting them both on fire. These were actually two Vickers Vincent (K4657 and K4731) of 430 Flight that were about to move to 'Azaza.
Beonio-Brocchieri continued his description:
“As the first columns of smoke rose from the stricken machines on the northwest side of the airfield, two large explosions detonated at the other end, showing that three of the British aircraft were not refuelled but were already loaded with bombs. About three minutes into the action, columns of smoke began to rise, stretched obliquely by a south-westerly wind. In the fourth minute, while the chain of assailants in pursuit repeated the attack without giving the enemy the material time to attempt a sufficient reaction, a larger explosion erupted at the ammunition depot, which was blown up at three consecutive times, at intervals of a few seconds. Even a lorry loaded with petrol at one end of the field caught fire and gave off a smear of smoke which, in the photograph, looks like a torrent in flood. Before our aircraft had moved away, the smoke from the fires had invaded all the vicinity of the range and was spreading far and wide. The pilot of one of the aircraft responsible for photo-graphically documenting the feat, having descended to within a few metres of the ground, was able to recognise and ascertain that the destruction of the enemy's war material had been completely, utterly and exhaustively successful.”
In all, the action lasted less than nine minutes. In addition to the two Glosters, nine Wellesleys, a total of eleven aircraft, as well as the ammunition depot, some trucks and a searchlight, were officially declared destroyed. Tenente Canella stated that, at the end of the attack, the Italian fighters even allowed themselves the luxury of performing aerobatic manoeuvres amidst the smoke of the fires. Canella himself also reported that, when returning, he noticed a Packard car on the edge of the field, turned back and set fire to it in two passes.
In a later interview, Raffi described his experience:
“[...] I wish I knew how to express to you the impression of the fires caused at Ghedaref: you know, between night and dawn, when the blackness of the night has not completely gone and the first light has not succeeded in overcoming the darkness, tongues of fire of a colour between carmine and violet burst from the ground, emanating from a dense envelope of smoke, and in between you see the great wings of the aircraft crucifying themselves on the ground, now useless, lost. And the carousel of fighter planes spiralling in that air of tragedy and triumph. And the descents at very low altitude, amidst the stupefaction of the adversary who can no longer even decide to retaliate against the offence: and the pale dawn, which little by little widens and overcomes the darkness, and then a triumph of dazzling sunlight which eats up the fires of the earth and only in the still air are scarves of smoke left to reach the clouds.”
At the end of the action, the Italian fighters returned to Barentù, while the S.79 continued to Asmara, where it landed at 08:45.
During the attack, the Italians encountered no aerial opposition and the interruption of the telephone line, in fact, prevented the Gladiators of 'Azaza from being alerted. Captain Voss wrote:
“The first warning the 1st Squadron detachment had of the attack was the billowing clouds of black smoke visible in the distance from the burning bombers. By this time, the Regia Aeronautica was on its way home after a successful day.”
Later on, two S.79s of the 19a Squadriglia, led by Tenente Minniti, took off from Góndar at 09:30. and, after bombing the railway line to Sennàr, 15 kilometres south-west of Gedáref, carried out another photographic reconnaissance of the airport, which confirmed the extent of the damage claimed by the Italian fighters. Bulletin 129 summarised the action:
“At dawn bombing and fighter formation attacked at low altitude the new Gedaref airfield by surprise, where previous day and night reconnaissance had discovered and ascertained an important concentration of enemy aircraft, probably a base for offensive action against our north-western array: in repeated passages all the aircraft (11 Wellesley and Gloster types) present and decentralised on the field were set on fire with fragmentation and machine-gun fire; an ammunition depot was blown up and several trucks set on fire; troops were observed fleeing hastily amidst fires and columns of smoke; all our air-craft returned unharmed to base. […]”
The ORB of 47 Squadron differs in some details from the Italian documents:
04.05 [GMT]. The airfield is attacked by an S.79, 4 CR.32s and 3 CR.42s. The S.79 releases a salvo of bombs, apparently to no effect. Then the CR.32s break away from the formation and machine-gun the 8 Wellesleys and 2 Vincents on the ground while the S.79 and CR.42s circle above. All our aircraft are burnt out and completely destroyed. There were a considerable number of personnel on the airfield at the time, but all were miraculously unharmed.
As can be seen from this report, it seems that some of the Italian fighters remained at altitude for protection. Finally, the bitter final remarks of the OC of 47 Squadron, Squadron Leader Pelly-Fry:
08.00 [GMT]. Two S.79s flew over the field, apparently on reconnaissance. There was an exchange of machine gun fire, but no casualties.
It was decided to evacuate the area, the camp was disman-tled and all personnel left by train for Khartoum at 1200 [GMT].”
“In October 1940, a detachment of 47 Squadron moved from Khartoum to an airfield near Gedaref, some 230 miles south-east of the capital and which - appropriately enough - was located near the railway system from Port Sudanto Khartoum itself. The unit was skeleton staffed, meaning that everyone had two jobs - which can work well if you have the right people - and consisted of eight Wellesleys and four Vincents. The idea was to be able to operate closer to our targets, taking a calculated risk, thus saving a lot of flight time for both machines and crews.
In conclusion, the British documentation almost entirely confirms the results estimated by the Regia Aeronautica. At Gedáref, against eleven claims, a total of ten RAF aircraft were completely destroyed: two Vincents (K4657 and K4731) of 430 Flight and eight Wellesleys (K7742/KU-T, K7762, K7779/KU-C, K7781/KU-L, L2650, L2675, L2677 and L2688) of 47 Squadron. The personnel of the latter unit subsequently returned to Carthago, while the remaining Vincents of 430 Flight, based in Khartoum, continued to use 'Azaza as an advanced camp for their actions.
Within a few days our hideout was discovered by a Savoia Marchetti SM.79, which was indeed a bird of ill omen. At dawn the next day, it returned, carrying six Fiat CR.42s. It was the moment of despair, the one that "Digger" Magill and I had feared, but thought would not happen. We had underestimated the Italian commander, General Piacentini; we were later told that he had accompanied the attack in person, exercising command from the front line. A smart guy!
With no ground defence against air attacks - albeit with an Indian Brigade quartered nearby - and no communications with a Gladiator squadron whose job it was to give us adequate cover, the Italians had a field day. In no time at all, CR.42s set fire to all our planes, and the General no doubt smacked his lips in satisfaction from his vantage point 3,000 feet [910m] above us. Within minutes it was all over, and for the first time in living memory the sun was eclipsed on that side of the world by dense columns of black smoke rising thousands of feet above us. It was an absolutely depressing sight: burning planes scattered all around the field. I felt like crying.
The only distraction came with Black Mac's telegram, which simply said, "Do you want your horse?" I didn't feel like answering. So, back to Khartoum by train - what else could we do? We had learnt our lesson the hard way; this I must repeat to myself, as the idea had been all mine. In other words: if you're going to get close to the enemy, you've got to be damn sure you can defend yourself adequately against air attacks.”
For this mission, Capitano Raffi was decorated with a Medaglia d’argento al valor militare; the other participants in the attack: Tenente Visintini, Tenente Canella, Tenente Di Pauli, Sottotenente Rosmino, Sottotenente Levi, Sergente Maggiore Baron, and Sergente Morlotti, were awarded the Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare.
The attack was repeated in the same evening on Akordat and Bisha airfields.
A total of 16 aircraft were claimed by Italians in these two missions: 11 burned and 5 damaged including 5 Hurricanes, 5 Hawker biplanes, 2 Gladiators, 2 Wellesleys, 1 Valentia and 1 ‘Martin’ Lysander.
The 203 Group diary admitted 6 destroyed and 4 badly damaged in the morning, 1 burned and 4 damaged in the evening, for a total of 15 out-of-use aircraft. Destroyed aircraft included two Wellesleys (K7713 and L2665) of 47 Squadron, two Hardys (K5921 and K4319) and two Lysanders L1026 and R2044) of 237 Squadron.
At this point, Visintini was granted with a Medaglia d’oro al valor militare for his outstanding combat record, while the other four pilots each gained a Medaglia d’argento al valor militare for the daring missions.
"After twenty-two days of continuous intense aerial combat, exhausted but undaunted in his physical strength and unwavering faith in victory, he volunteered to face significant enemy forces stationed in heavily defended bases. With moving, indomitable heroism, he attacked the enemy, destroying sixteen enemy aircraft while overcoming violent and desperate anti-aircraft defence and fighter attacks. A superb expression of Italian heroism."
Skies over Agordat, 9 February 1941-XIX.
He swore allegiance to the Republic on 4 March and was then transferred to Treviso to the 378a Squadriglia 155o Gruppo, 51o Stormo, on 8 August 1948.
He was promoted to Capitano on 5 April 1949 with seniority from 18 March 1943.
Unfortunately, illnesses contracted during his imprisonment - which have never been cured - reappear periodically, making him unable to fly for long periods. During these last years, he held a number of ground assignments at the II ZAT Command, the Desenzano Garrison and, finally, the Ghedi Airport Presidiary Unit.
Kill no.
Date
Time
Number
Type
Result
Plane type
Serial no.
Locality
Unit
1940
10/09/40
14:50
1
Wellesley (a)
Destroyed
Fiat CR.42
Cassala Front
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Wellesley (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Wellesley (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Wellesley (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Wellesley (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Wellesley (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Wellesley (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Wellesley (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Wellesley (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Wellesley (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Gladiator (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
16/10/40
07:00-07:20
1/8
Gladiator (b)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Al Qadarif
412a Squadriglia
1941
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Hurricane (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Hurricane (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Valentia (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Hardy (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Hardy (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Hardy (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Hardy (c)
Shared damaged on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Gladiator (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Wellesley (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Wellesley (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Dawn
1/5
Lysander (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Evening
1/5
Hurricane (c)
Shared damaged on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Evening
1/5
Hurricane (c)
Shared damaged on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Evening
1/5
Hurricane (c)
Shared damaged on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Akordat
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Evening
1/5
Gladiator (c)
Shared destroyed on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Bisha
412a Squadriglia
09/02/41
Evening
1/5
Hardy (c)
Shared damaged on the ground
Fiat CR.42
Bisha
412a Squadriglia
TOTAL: 1 destroyed, 22 shared destroyed on the ground, 5 shared damaged on the ground.
(a) Wellesley K7763 of 14 Squadron shot down (1 PoW and 2 KiA).
(b) According to British sources eight Wellesleys of 47 Squadron (L2650, L2675, L2677, L2688, K7742, K7762, K7779 and K7781) and two Vincents of 430 Flight (K4657 and K4731) were burned on the ground, against claims for nine Wellesley destroyed on the ground and two Gladiators shot down during take-off. The latter were unofficially credited to Capitano Raffi.
(c) 412a Squadriglia claimed 11 aircraft destroyed and 5 damaged on the ground (i.e. 2 Hurricanes, a Valentia, 3 Hardys, 2 Gladiators, 2 Wellesleys and a Lysander burned, 3 Hurricanes and 2 Hardys damaged). Actual losses were: in the morning, two Wellesleys (K7713 and L2665) of 47 Squadron, two Hardys (K5921 and K4319) and two Lysanders (L1026 and R2044) of 237 Squadron all burned, and four not specified aircrafts damaged at Akordat; in the evening, a Hurricane burned and two more damaged at Akordat, and a Vincent and a Gladiator damaged at Bisha, for a grand total of 15 destroyed or damaged aircrafts.
Dust Clouds in the Middle East - Christopher Shores, 1996 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-898697-37-X
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
I Cavalieri Erranti - Ludovico Slongo, Stefan Lazzaro, Eugenio Eusebi, Michele Palermo and Danilo Ventura, 2023, ISBN 978-88-87952-37-7
Istituto del Nastro Azzurro
