Biplane fighter aces

Italy

Sottotenente Pasquale Faltoni

In January 1941 Pasquale Faltoni served in 150o Gruppo Autonomo C.T. in the Greek campaign. This unit was at the time equipped with Fiat CR.42 and operated from Albania.

At 09.40 on 6 January 1941 nine Blenheims from 211 Squadron appeared over Valona, bombing the foreshore from 4000 feet. CR.42s of 150o Gruppo and G.50bis from 154o Gruppo were scrambled, intercepting as the bombers left the target.
154o Gruppo claimed two of the Blenheims shot down, one of them apparently being Flying Officer R. D. Cambell’s L1487. All three of the Blenheim crew were captured.
Meanwhile the CR.42 pilots had kept up the pursuit, returning to claim four more Blenheims shot down, three of them by Sergente Osvaldo Bertolaccini and one by Sottotenente Faltoni.
Sergeant J. R. Marshall's L1542 had been slightly damaged in the tail by AA when a CR.42 attacked, but the gunner, Sergeant Bill Baird, drove this off, reporting that smoke poured from its engine as it broke away. L8536, flown by Flying Officer L. S. Delaney, was badly hit, although Sergeant T. A. McCord in the turret claimed that he believed he had shot down a 'Macchi' in flames. As the bomber headed away, the port engine stopped, but it headed on, accompanied by the formation leader, Flight Lieutenant Doudney, whose Blenheim had also been heavily damaged. Near the frontier Delaney indicated that he was going down to land. As he attempted to bring the aircraft down on its belly, it struck some boulders and cartwheeled. The crew were killed outright. Doudney almost reached Menidi, but he too was obliged to crash-land short of this base. Two more Blenheims also received damage, Flying Officer L. B. Buchanan reaching Menidi, while Pilot Officer J. C. Cox put down at Eleusis for temporary repairs.
Losses were thus one Blenheim over the target and two crash-landed, one of them totally destroyed as a result, plus two more damaged against Italian claims for six destroyed and one damaged.

Faltoni ended the war with 1 biplane victory.

Claims:
Kill no. Date Number Type Result Plane type Serial no. Locality Unit
  1941              
1 06/01/41 1 Blenheim (a) Destroyed Fiat CR.42   Valona 150o Gruppo

Biplane victories: 1 destroyed.
TOTAL: 1 destroyed.
(a) Claimed in combat with Blenheims from 211 Squadron, which lost one Blenheim over the target and two crash-landed, one of them totally destroyed as a result, plus two more damaged against Italian claims for six destroyed and one damaged.

Sources:
Air war for Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete - Christopher Shores, Brian Cull and Nicola Malizia, 1987 Grub Street, London, ISBN 0-948817-07-0
Additional information kindly provided by Giovanni Massimello.




Last modified 21 April 2010