Jacopo Frigerio, in front of a Fiat CR.32, pre-war.

Jacopo Frigerio was born on 29 October 1913 in Milan.

He joined the Regia Aeronautica on 29 April 1936 as "Allievo Ufficiale Pilota di Complemento" and started in the flight school on 1 September 1936.
He gained the pilot license on 10 January 1937 on the Ca.100, he then passed to the fighter school of Castiglione del Lago and then Foligno, gaining his military wings on 26 August 1937.

Promoted to Sottotenente pilota on 2 December (with retroactive effect from 26 August), he joined the 4^o Stormo at the end of 1937.
Although not a permanent officer he remained on active service until June 1938 when on 25 June 1938 he was sent in a "Missione Speciale Oltremare" (i.e. the Aviazione Legionaria in Spain).
During his service in Spain, he gained one Medaglia di bronzo al valor militare and the croce di guerra al valor militare, for his overall activity, together with a Spanish war cross.

Back in Italy in April 1939, again in the 4^o Stormo, he received six additional months of commission, but in January 1940 he was hold on active service (the war was impending).

On 12 July 1940, the 9^o Gruppo C.T. arrived at Tripoli from Comiso with thirty-three Fiat CR.42s under the command of Maggiore Ernesto Botto. The Gruppo consisted of 73^a, 96^a and 97^a Squadriglie.
The 97^a Squadriglia included Capitano Antonio Larsimont Pergameni (CO), Capitano Giuseppe Mauriello, Tenente Ezio Viglione Borghese, Sottotenente Frigerio, Sottotenente Riccardo Vaccari, Sottotenente Giovanni Barcaro, Maresciallo Vanni Zuliani, Sergente Maggiore Raffaele Novelli, Sergente Maggiore Otello Perotti, Sergente Maggiore Massimo Salvatore, Sergente Francesco Putzu, Sergente Franco Sarasino, Sergente Alcide Leoni and Sergente Angelo Golino (assigned on 22 July).
Together with the 10^o Gruppo they formed the 4^o Stormo C.T.
The Gruppo’s Fiat CR.42s was wisely retrofitted with tropical kits for guns and engines, to avoid the problems suffered by the other Gruppi.

Jacopo Frigerio, in front of a Fiat CR.42 while serving in the 4^o Stormo.

On 20 November, 208 Squadron despatched two Lysanders to reconnoitre an area bounded by Sollum, Sofali and Buq-Buq. They were L4724 piloted by Flight Lieutenant Burnard and L4728 piloted by Pilot Officer Waymark that took off from Qasaba at 14:20 and 14:15 landing back at 16:35 and 16:20 respectively (another Lysander, possibly L6874, an attached 6 Squadron aircraft piloted by Flying Officer T. H. Davison, was out in the same area). 33 Squadron provided nine Hurricanes (including Flying Officer Vernon Woodward (N2498), Flight Lieutenant Ernest Dean (P 3818), Flying Officer John Mackie (P3724), Squadron Leader Charles Ryley (P3970), Flight Sergeant Harry Goodchild (N2640), Flying Officer Frank Holman (P3724) and Pilot Officer Charles Dyson (N2640)) as escort. It is possible that the unaccounted pilots were one or two pilots from 274 Squadron since a quartet of Hurricanes from this Squadron, piloted by Flight Lieutenant R. V. Evers-Swindell, Pilot Officer Ernest Mason, Pilot Officer Thomas Patterson and Second Lieutenant Frederick Johannes Joubert, together with Pilot Officer Strange and Second Lieutenant Bester (who followed with the ground party) were detached on attachment to 33 Squadron on 14 November. On 21 November, Evers-Swindell, flew back from Fuka to have repairs on his fighter, reportedly damaged in a running fight with CR.42s. It seems almost sure that the “running fight” was the below described action, so it is possible that R. V. Evers-Swindell was present.
The escort took off from Fuka Satellite airfield at 14:15, with one section of three protecting each Lysander while a third section provided top cover. At the same time, a formation of six Gladiators from 112 Squadron would sweep the same general area.
East of Sidi Barrani, 18 CR.42s intercepted them and one Fiat half-rolled and dived away after being fired on by a Hurricane. It is possible that this aircraft later was credited as a destroyed to Flying Officer Mackie, who in a letter sent home to Canada on 4 December recalled:

“Just before I went on leave we had one of two bits of fun up here. On one occasion, you may have heard about it on the radio, fifteen of us got mixed up with sixty wop fighters. We lost none, and got at least eight of them. I got one of these, although not in a very convincing way from my point of view, as I didn’t see it go in. Another pilot saw the start and the finish of it. Anyhow, it sure was a mix-up. I have never seen so many machines milling around in such a small amount of sky.”

“The Lysanders were to be ‘covered’ against enemy air attacks by six Gladiators from my squadron… three flying at 12,000 feet, and three, led by myself, at 15,000 feet. ‘Top cover’ was to be provided by six Hurricanes, flying at 20,000 feet. The Hurricanes had strict orders to beat a hasty retreat if they met with enemy aircraft in large numbers, as it was thought at that time that they would be ‘easy meat’ for the move manoeuvrable C.R. 42’s, the single-seater Italian opposite number of the Gladiator.
We had been patrolling for about 10 minutes, when I reported forty CR 42s, in eight sections of five, flying from the direction of Libya, at approximately 25,000 feet, 5,000 feet higher that the Hurricane ‘top-cover’. To my dismay, the Hurricanes were soon speeding home, with a CR 42 sitting neatly on each tail. Our six Gladiators were left to finish the fight, for the Lysanders, their task completed, were heading for home, too.
There was not a friendly cloud in the sky, and the powerful desert sun made the enemy aircraft very difficult to see. Forthwith, they carried out the German tactics of remaining aloft, and sending down their more experienced men to finish us off one by one….but it was not to be!
With the first attacks, we broke formation, and it was every man for himself. I soon found myself very much alone, until unfriendly tracer bullets from behind, passed through the space between my right wings. I immediately steep-turned to the left, and caught sight of my attacker as he completed his dive and prepared to re-join his pals up higher, by means of a roll off the top of a loop.
Seizing my chance, I opened full throttle and followed him to the top of his loop, half rolled in formation with him, and was just about to open fire, when my aircraft stalled and flicked into a spin….not enough speed! I decided my best means of survival was to continue the spin, in the hope that he would think I had been badly hit. This was a fighter tactic from World War I, and it worked! Whilst I was spinning, I looked upwards and caught a glimpse of my adversary circling at his original height, waiting for me to crash into the desert. I came out of the spin at about 8,000 feet, no doubt much to his surprise, and didn’t have to wait long for him to dive down to finish me off.
So started a long tail-chasing session. At first, my mouth became rather dry, but after a second or two, my mind became crystal clear, and I was determined to turn the tables on him. Slowly I began to gain ground, and soon part of his tail was in my sights, but I realized it would not have been great enough. When his engine came into my sights, I pressed the firing button, and was immediately cheered to see pieces of fabric or metal ripping off his fuselage, just behind the cockpit.
The Italian pilot turned so quickly in his mad effort to escape, that he pulled his aircraft into a spin, following a ‘high-speed stall’. I followed him down, and fired at him as he tried to recover, and he promptly went into another one. On recovering from his second spin, he must have pulled an emergency boost control to give him extra speed, for he left my Gladiator ‘standing’.
However, my opponent was not easily scared, and turned about a mile away to come back at me like a bull at a gate. We both opened fire, and when it seemed that a head-on collision was inevitable, he pulled out to my left in a climbing turn. For a second, I was able to fire at his exposed fuselage, and then, with throttle fully open, I climbed into the sun, into an advantageous position. To my horror, my engine stalled near the top of the climb, and I had to carry out the usual drill of closing the throttle and opening it again, slowly. Full power came back, and looking down, I could see my opponent looking for me. This time, I had the advantage of height, and I was nicely lining him up in my sights when he saw me, and tried to turn in underneath me.
Slowly twisting, and with the right deflection, I raked him with bullets from nose to tail, at almost point-blank range. I pulled out of my dive, to regain height, and saw him commence another spin from which he did not recover. I felt immensely relieved, somewhat shaken, and eventually joined up with two stray Gladiators, and returned to Mersa Matruh. I was pleased to learn later that seven aircraft had been shot down in the engagement, and that all the Gladiator pilots had survived the fight, although two had made forced landings.
I shall never forget that day. It was my first one-against-one air battle, and the longest time I had engaged a single enemy aircraft...”

“This day [strangely enough he recorded it as on 1 November but this is for certain an error] I lost the dearest of all my wingmen [Carlo Agnelli]. We were up with all the Gruppo and the three Squadriglie were stepped at different heights. The lowest escorting a reconnaissance plane, mine (96^a Squadriglia) at 3000 metres while the third stay higher. The highest group had already engaged the enemy when I saw one of our planes diving almost vertically followed by a Gloster. I made a violent overturning that my wingmen were unable to follow [again without radio equipment the Italian formation was broken at the beginning of the combat and whatever numerical advantage was impossible to put into full use] when I reach a distance suitable to open fire I had to wait because there was the risk of hitting my comrade [with the same burst aimed at the fighter that was following him] I had to concentrate only on the aim [the wingmen were far away] so I couldn’t look around and was attacked by two Glosters. With the first burst of fire they shot away my propeller, so without propulsion I could only manoeuvre to avoid further damage. All the height lost I force-landed and the English pilots that had already stopped firing while I was gliding down for my final approach flew past me waving their hands.
[Gon, tried to burn his plane without success and succeeded to reach an Italian outpost the day after]
Back at base, I discovered that information about the missing pilots (we were three) were lacking.
A sergeant [Sergente Francesco Putzu] was seen to jump with parachute and another of our planes was seen to crash after a hard fight, all believed it was mine because the other missing pilot (my dear wingman) was too “green” to be able to fight against three enemies as the pilot of the crashed plane did.
The encounter with Botto was tragicomically. I went to his room and he was waiting for me near the door and as just as he saw me he threw himself right into my arms through the three steps that divided us. But I was too weak and was unable to sustain him so we fell embraced on the ground.”

At 11:25 on 11 December, Capitano Antonio Larsimont Pergameni together with Sottotenente Frigerio and Sergente Maggiore Raffaele Novelli (all from the 97^a Squadriglia) took off from El Adem as part of a Gruppo formation, which possibly also included fighters from the 10^o Gruppo. They attacked British armoured cars claiming two destroyed in flames and four damaged. They returned at 13:45.
It is also known that Capitano Roberto Fassi of the 96^a Squadriglia, with eight CR.42s made a successful strafing attack on armoured vehicles in the Der el Hamra area (along the escaping route of the Cirene Division).
The efforts of the 9^o Gruppo were successful. According to the British Historian, Barrie Pitt:

“Cirene soldiers were harried during the early part of their flight by a Squadron of 11th Hussars, but the Hussars themselves were caught about noon by two excellently led and conducted flights of 5th Squadra fighters. The second flight was using armour-piercing explosive bullets which effectively put the Hussars out of action for the time being and allowed Sofafi garrison the rest of the day to continue a virtually uninterrupted retreat”.

At 09:45 on 13 December, Sottotenente Frigerio and Sergente Maggiore Raffaele Novelli of the 97^a Squadriglia took off for a patrol over the Sollum-Sidi Azeiz area together with eight aircraft from the 96^a Squadriglia. The fighters from the 9^o Gruppo were attacked from astern by a Hurricane, which succeeded in disengaging before being counter-attacked.
Later, during the same patrol another Hurricane was met in the Capuzzo-Halfaya area and claimed hit by Novelli. The fighters returned at 11:45.

The 9^o Gruppo returned from the desert and was re-equipped with Macchi MC.200s.

On 11 April 1941, he was promoted to Tenente with retroactive effect since 31 December 1940.

On 20 September 1941, he received a permanent commission (in Servizion Permanente Effettivo) because of his performance in war (per meriti di guerra) but for this reason, the mature Tenente Frigerio returned back to the rank of Sottotenente (with retroactive effect from 20 December 1940).

Serie I and II MC.202s were delivered to the 9^o Gruppo at Gorizia from 30 June 1941 through to early August 1941, with pilots quickly transitioning to the aircraft.
On 30 June, Sottotenente Frigerio flew Macchi MC.202 MM7712/97-2 for the first time when he ferried the fighter from Lonate Pozzolo to Gorizia.

On 24 September, 31 C.202s of the 9^o Gruppo departed Gorizia for Comiso, near Ragusa on Sicily. During the unit’s long journey south, its MC.202s made a brief stopover at Rome-Ciampino Sud airport so that they could be reviewed by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini on 29 September. Later that same day, the 9^o Gruppo, led by the 4^o Stormo CO, Colonnello Eugenio Leotta, reached Comiso. Within 24 hours of their arrival, the MC.202 pilots would enter combat against the fighter force on Malta.

On 30 September, shortly after 11:00, 11 Hurricane IIs from Malta-based 185 Squadron targeted Comiso airfield. Three MC.202s of the 9^o Gruppo’s 97^a Squadriglia were scrambled to intercept them, the MC.202s being flown by Tenente Luigi Tessari, Sottotenente Frigerio (MC.202 MM7712/97-2) and Sergente Maggiore Massimo Salvatore. Five of the attackers were “Hurribombers”, each armed with six 40-lb bombs and two 25-lb incendiaries, and they made a single pass over the airfield at low level while the six remaining fighters provided top cover. Having expended their bombs the enemy aircraft headed for home, although they were toon chased down by the appreciably faster C.202s. Sottotenente Frigerio shot down 27-year-old Pilot Officer Donald William Lintern (RAF no. 60079), who was seen baling out of Z5265/GL-B just north of Gozo. This was the first claim by the Macchi MC.202.
After returning home and hastily refuelling five of the Hurricanes got airborne once again to escort a Royal Navy Fulmar (flown by Lieutenant (A) Eyres) of the Kalafrana Rescue Flight that was tasked with locating the downed pilot for possible retrieval by one of the flight’s Swordfish floatplanes. This rescue force then encountered more MC.202s from the 97^a Squadriglia as they patrolled the area. Although not a single Hurricane was damaged in the brief engagement, the Fulmar was effectively targeted by Tenente Luigi Tessari and Maresciallo Raffaele Novelli, who claimed it shot down (they claimed it as a fighter). The doomed aircraft ditched and its crew managed to clamber into their dinghy, and they were subsequently rescued by a Swordfish floatplane. No trace of Pilot Officer Linter was ever found.
During the clash with the Fulmar, Tenente Tessari’s MC.202 had been bounced by Flight Lieutenant Charles ‘Porky’ Jeffries (BD702), and he holed it so severely that he claimed the aircraft as a probable kill. Trailing smoke, the Italian fighter managed to land back at Comiso. Jeffries claimed this probable 8 kilometres off Scalambria and reported:

“I, Red 1, was leading a formation escorting one Fulmar to try to locate P/O Lintern. We approached the Sicilian coast at 2,000 feet. When about ten miles off the coast I sighted one floatplane. Black 1, Sgt Jolly, went to investigate. We were engaged by five enemy fighters. I fired several bursts at close range. I then concentrated on one aircraft. He tried every evasive action but my machine was more manoeuvrable and had better performance. I broke off the engagement over the Sicilian coast and returned with the Fulmar. I last saw the enemy aircraft going down at 800 feet with smoke and bits trailing behind.”

In the morning of 12 November 1941, four Hurricanes from 249 Squadron strafed Gela airfield on Sicily. This raid was soon followed by eleven bomb-carrying Hurricanes out for the same airfield. Six of the Hurricanes were drawn from 249 Squadron, the other five from 126 Squadron, while an additional four and six respectively provided escort. As the twenty-one Hurricanes approached they were met by three MC.202s of the 9^o Gruppo, which had been scrambled from Comiso during the previous raid. Tenente Frigerio attacked one Hurricane without result, but this was then attacked by Sottotenente Giovanni Deanna and Sergente Massimo Salvatore who shot it down into the sea near the coast. This was one of the Hurribombers (Z3158/HA-K), flown by Australian Sergeant Peter Simpson of 126 Squadron.
Sottotenente Virgilio Vanzan of the 90^a Squadriglia, 10^o Gruppo took off in a CR.42 to search for the downed pilot, who he spotted, and who was then picked up by a launch and taken prisoner.
During the raid, one MC.202 was claimed shot down by Flight Lieutenant J. M. V. Carpenter, but no Italian loss was recorded.

At 07:15 on 21 November 1941, five MC.200s of 54^o Stormo and ten 9^o Gruppo MC.202s strafed Hal Far, presumably attracted by the presence of 242 and 605 Squadron’s Hurricanes based there. Seven Hurricanes from 185 Squadron led by Squadron Leader Pike were scrambled to intercept. They attacked five Macchis initially (probably the MC.200s), five more then jumping the British fighters (probably some of the MC.202s). No firm claims were made by the Hurricane pilots, but it was believed that three of the Italian fighters had been damaged. Sergeant Bill Nurse’s Hurricane was badly hit in return.
Flying Officer Peter Thompson recorded in 185 Squadron’s diary:

“The raid came in at dawn. Some Macchis shot up Hal Far and Takali, doing hardly any damage. A Flight jumped part of the high cover at about 12,000 feet [3,700 meters] and a general dogfight ensued. During the fight five more Macchis joined in, making the odds 10-7 in their favour. Although A Flight did not claim any definitely destroyed, it is a safe bet to say that some little Macchi pilots did not have any breakfast this morning. The fight was watched from the ground with great interest. The Italians were seen to do some amazing evasive manoeuvres, including rolls off the top and bunting. The Italians on this particular occasion showed considerable initiative. They split up into two formations, one formation acting as stooges and the other as jumpers – they might have met with more success but for the skill of our pilots and the handling qualities of the old Hurricane. Sgt Nurse was attacked by an enemy ‘Hurricane’ (fitted with .5s) and received considerable damage to his ailerons and port petrol tank. Nurse landed OK.”

“One Macchi pulled up in front of me and I gave him a long burst from 200-150 yards [180-140 meters] and I saw my bullets appear to enter the fuselage. He rolled over and went down, presumably evasive tactics. I was later attacked by another machine which I thought was a Hurricane and sustained hits in the tail and wings.”

“We arose to the sound of much noise. The Italians were indulging in a low-flying attack on this aerodrome at 7:15 a.m. We went out to view the fun and were much pleased by the magnificent spectacle of the ‘flaming onions’ fired by the Bofors guns. Saw one stream of ‘onions’ pass through a vie of three Macchis. When the ack-ack had died down we witnessed a dogfight between seven of 185 Squadron and some Macchis. Apparently, the 185 boys had jumped some of the enemy and had then been jumped in turn by more of the Italians. The Macchis powered by Daimler-Benz engines are superior to our Hurricanes in performance.”

In the afternoon on the same day, 18 MC.202 from the 9^o Gruppo were out to strafe Hal Far. On their way, they met four Hurricanes from 185 Squadron, which were engaged in a convoy patrol. The Italians reported meeting twelve Hurricanes and claimed five of these shot down into the sea, one each by Maggiore Antonio Larsimont (97^a Squadriglia), Sergente Raffaele Novelli (97^a Squadriglia), Maresciallo Rinaldo Damiani (97^a Squadriglia), Sottotenente Alvaro Querci (73^a Squadriglia) and Sergente Maggiore Pasquale Rossi (73^a Squadriglia), plus two probables by Tenente Pietro Bonfatti (73^a Squadriglia) and Tenente Frigerio (97^a Squadriglia).
One Hurricane was in fact lost; 20-year-old Flight Sergeant Richard Cousens (RAF no. 970365) being killed in Hurricane Z2813/GL-L.
The Italian fighters then carried on completing their strafe on Luqa, returning without loss.
At Luqa Corporal John Alton recalled:

“Four Hurricanes were scrambled and, as was customary, the fitters and riggers sat around on the starter trollies awaiting the return of the aircraft. Four aircraft were seen approaching, which at a glance looked like our Hurricanes. This was a gross mistake, because they were Macchi 202s and, before anyone could move, explosive bullets were churning up the ground. Then, just as quickly, they were gone. Not a soul was so much as scratched.”

On 23 November 1941, Sottotenente Frigerio took command of the 97^a Squadriglia after Capitano Antonio Larsimont Pergameni.

The British offensive Operation Crusader was launched in North Africa on 18 November 1941. Italian reinforcements were rushed to Libya including the 9^o Gruppo (minus the 73^a Squadriglia), which arrived at Martuba on 25 November with their MC.202s and Tenente Frigerio as CO of the 97^a Squadriglia.

On 26 November, the MC.202s of the 9^o Gruppo made their combat debut in the Gruppo’s second African tour. At 11:00, a formation of 10 MC.202s took off, led by Capitano Antonio Larsimont Pergameni, for a free sweep over the Sidi Rezegh-Gambut area. They were split into two patrols of five aircraft each (one patrol from the 96^a Squadriglia and one from the 97^a Squadriglia).
After about 25 minutes of flight and at an altitude of about 5,000m, two enemy formations were seen; one composed of 12 Hurricanes at altitude of 3,500m and a second of P-40s (in fact Hurricanes also) at an altitude higher than 5,000m, which escorted the former. Both Macchi patrols attacked the lower formation, breaking it up. The higher formation intervened in the battle, which lasted about 10 minutes.
Capitano Larsimont got on the tail of an enemy aircraft and attacked it (firing 94 rounds) but was immediately set upon by another enemy fighter which hit him from behind. He managed to get away and bring home his damaged fighter. Maresciallo Raffaele Novelli (97^a Squadriglia) fired on some enemy fighters in successive actions and claimed one shot down using a total of 675 rounds. Sottotenente Giovanni Barcaro (97^a Squadriglia) fired on eight enemy aircraft in successive action. He got on the tail of a P-40 and hit it with a long burst. The aircraft came down and crashed into the ground. His MC.202 was shot on fuel so he landed at Tmimi to refuel before returning to base. He had used 275 rounds in the combat. Sottotenente Frigerio fired on three enemy fighters over several clashes without being able to notice any visible effects, using 102 rounds. Sergente Maggiore Massimo Salvatore (97^a Squadriglia) got on the tail on an enemy aircraft and shot it down after hitting it with a long burst. Then he fired on a second one, shooting this down as well. Totally he used 575 rounds before returning to base with the windshield of his fighter smeared with oil from the oil tank of one of the Hurricanes, he had shot down.
In the end of the combat, the Italian pilots claimed eight enemy fighters destroyed and an additional as probably destroyed using 3000 rounds of ammunition with two MC.202s damaged (Capitano Larsimont and Capitano Ezio Viglione Borghese). Four P-40s and a probable Hurricane were credited to the 96^a Squadriglia; Capitano Viglione, Tenente Emanuele Annoni, Tenente Fernando Malvezzi, Maresciallo Manlio Olivetti and Maresciallo Dante Labanti (1 probable Hurricane).
Four enemy fighters were credited to the 97^a Squadriglia; Sottotenente Barcaro (1 P-40), Maresciallo Novelli and Sergente Maggiore Salvatore (2 enemy fighters).
They had been in combat with Hurricanes from 229 and 238 Squadrons. The higher formation seems to have been 229 Squadron, which was carrying out a defensive patrol for the ground forces with 12 Hurricanes over Sidi Rezegh. They had taken off at 11:45 (landing 13:30). They encountered a reportedly 12 enemy fighters, thought to be Bf 109s, without losing any Hurricanes but claiming to have shot down two of the enemies; Pilot Officer J. H. Penny (Hurricane Z5302) and Sergeant Warminger (Z3146). Presumably they thought that they had shot down Capitano Larsimont and Capitano Viglione.
The lower formation seem to have been 238 Squadron (take off 11:45 and landing 13:15), which reported being attacked by 6-7 enemy fighters and suffering losses when 21-years-old Australian Sergeant Robert Arthur Knappett (RAAF no. 400146) (Hurricane Z2355/L) was KIA at 13:15, Flying Officer Kings (G) crash-landed (King removed the overcoat from a dead Italian soldier and then drove an abandoned tank all through the night to reach Tobruk!) while Sergeant Kay (BV170/N) was shot down (Kay returned on foot). Pilot Officer H. G. Currie’s Hurricane (Z5222/Y) was wrecked on landing at Tobruk while Sergeant Fairbairn landed at Tobruk wounded and with his Hurricane (E) badly damaged.
It is possible that the RAF units also claimed two additional aircraft damaged in this combat.

On 1 December, 21 German Ju 87s and 8 Italian (from the 239^a Squadriglia), were in action 20 km north-east of Gobi at 11:30. They were being escorted by ten Bf 109s and Italian fighters. Seven MC.200s of the 153^o Gruppo provided the close cover (take off 11:30 and landing 13:30). This group’s diary notes the attack south-east of Bir El Gobi. The top cover of twelve MC.202s from the 9^o Gruppo – six from the 96^a Squadriglia and six from the 97^a Squadriglia – took off at 11:35 under the command of Capitano Antonio Larsimont Pergameni. One of the 96^a Squadriglia aircraft returned early because of engine trouble.
The German operational report mentions the clash of Bf 109s with three Hurricane IIs being claimed shot down; Unteroffizier Hans Niederhöfer of 5./JG 27 claimed one at 12:30 south-west of Sidi Rezegh, Oberleutnant Gustav Rödel of 4./JG 27 claimed one 12:40 south-west of El Adem and Hauptmann Wolfgang Redlich of 1./JG 27 claimed one at 12:55 over Bir El Gobi, at 12.55. No German fighters were lost and it seems that none suffered any damage.
According to the diaries of the 9^o Gruppo the formation was getting ready to return when it sighted about 20 enemy fighters, divided between Hurricanes and Tomahawks, which were escorting bombers south of Bir El Gobi at 4,000m at 11:40. The commander manoeuvred to gain altitude and launched into the attack.
All in all the pilots of the 97^a Squadriglia thought that they had definitely shot down four aircraft, probably another five and machine gunned ten. Capitano Larsimont machine gunned some enemy aircraft (using 155 rounds of ammunition). It was thought that one of them was hit by a long burst on the tail and was claimed as probably shot down. Maresciallo Rinaldo Damiani fired a burst at the tail of an enemy monoplane which then lost height leaving a long trail of smoke and crashed into the ground and was burnt up. He returned after having used 105 rounds of ammunition claiming two Hurricanes destroyed. Sottotenente Frigerio fired a long burst at a Hurricane, saw it start to catch fire and claimed it as a destroyed. Subsequently he machine gunned another two without managing to notice any visible results (totally he used 249 rounds). Sergente Alfredo Bombardini machine gunned two enemy aircraft hitting them with effective bursts but without noticing any visible results and returned claiming both as probably destroyed with the use of 303 rounds. Sottotenente Giovanni Barcaro machine gunned three enemy aircraft in successive episodes but wasn’t able to see any results. Subsequently he got on the tail of an enemy aircraft and hit it with long bursts until he saw it leaving a long trail of black smoke losing altitude in a spin. He then got on the tail of another Hurricane and machine gunned it with long bursts from close in. The enemy aircraft left a long trail of whitish smoke coming from the water radiator. He couldn't spend much time looking at the results of his bursts since he had to get clear of an enemy aircraft that was firing at him from behind. He noticed he had been hit on the water radiator and prepared to return to base, but was forced to make a crash landing with the undercarriage retracted because his plane’s engine had seized up. This happened 12 km from Ain El Gazala at 13:05. He returned to base by car at night claiming one Hurricane and another as probable with the use of 630 rounds of ammunition. Finally, Maresciallo Otello Perotti machine gunned some enemy aircraft, hitting them with long bursts; one of them was believed to have probably been shot down with the use of 188 rounds.
The pilots of the 96^a Squadriglia also claimed to have shot down four fighters (and a fifth damaged). Capitano Ezio Viglione Borghese (1 Hurricane), Tenente Fernando Malvezzi (1 Tomahawk), Maresciallo Dante Labanti (1 Hurricane), Tenente Emanuele Annoni (1 Tomahawk) and Sergente Maggiore Bruno Spitzl (1 damaged Tomahawk). Tenente Annoni’s MC.202 was damaged during the combat. The battle lasted 10 minutes, during which 2250 rounds were fired altogether. The Macchis returned between 13:15 and 13:20.
The enemies were the escort of 23 Blenheims of the 14, 45, 84 and "Lorraine" Squadrons, which were heading west of El Adem. They were escorted by the Hurricanes of 1 SAAF Squadron (take off 11:45 - the second mission of the day) and 274 Squadron (take off 11:50). Subsequently the escort would carry out a free sweep above El Duda. 1 SAAF Squadron with twelve Hurricanes provided the close cover, while 274 Squadron with twelve Hurricanes provided top cover. When they were above the target they encountered a reportedly twenty fighters divided between Bf 109s and G.50s and a battle ensued with them.
274 Squadron declared three Bf 109s shot down, one probable and two damaged; Pilot Officer ‘Wally’ Conrad (one and one probable Bf 109 in Hurricane IIb Z5064), Sergeant James Dodds (1 Bf 109 in Z5117), Sergeant Harrington (1 and 1 damaged Bf 109 in Z5347) and Pilot Officer R. N. Weeks (1 damaged Bf 109 in Z4008)). However they suffered three shot down Hurricanes and a fourth force-landing. Pilot Officer Weeks was shot down but was picked up by ground force and returned, Sergeant G. W. F. Pearse (Z2817) was shot down 25m south-west of El Adem at 13:00 and WIA (he was picked up by armoured cars and returned on 3 December) and Sergeant Alman (Z2510) was shot down and became MIA. Lieutenant W. H. Hoffe (Z5310) made a force-landing after that his Hurricane had been hit in the glycol tank, causing the engine to blow up. Flight Lieutenant Owen Tracey (BD821), one of the 274 Squadron flight commanders, landed and picked him up, flying him back to base.
1 SAAF Squadron pilots identified six G.50s, presumably the seven MC.200s of the 153^o Gruppo, during the escort but didn’t attack them because they were engaged in escorting the bombers; they noticed that not even the G.50s attacked, probably for the same reason. 1 SAAF Squadron returned at 13:10.
Considering 274 Squadron’s difficult situation, it seems surprising that the close cover for the bombers didn’t intervene, as had happened on several other occasions. The escort had probably been given very precise orders; these were, in fact, pilots who didn't hold back when called upon to take on the enemy.
274 Squadron would have spotted the Stuka escort: 20 divided between Bf 109s and Italian monoplanes with radial engines. However the latter divided between the close cover of Bf 109s and MC.202s were about 30 altogether. Therefore it would seem that 274 Squadron had clashed with only one formation of planes with in-line engines; either Bf 109s or MC.202s. At the same time the 9^o Gruppo estimated that about 20 enemy planes had been encountered. It has been ascertained that the Macchis of the 9^o Gruppo were engaged in a big battle; on the other hand it seems likely that the Bf 109s also were involved. There could have been the participation of a third Commonwealth unit, although documentation in this regard is missing. To back up this, during the day also AIR 22.401 reported the loss of 3 Tomahawks and of a fifth damaged Hurricane as well as a Beaufort.
When the details of the battles were reported the Macchis always tried to put themselves on the tails of enemy planes, not an easy tactic but one that was thought to be essential to have any chance of shooting down an enemy fighter.

At 10:40 on 8 December, eight MC.202s from the 9^o Gruppo led by Capitano Ezio Viglione Borghese (96^a Squadriglia) commenced a patrol of the Ain el Gazala-Trigh Capuzzo-Tobruk area. They were followed by eleven MC.202s from the 17^o Gruppo (six from the 71^a Squadriglia, two from the 72^a Squadriglia and three from the 80^a Squadriglia), which took off at 11:30 to protect the coastal road between Ain el Gazala and Tobruk. These Macchis flew in vics disposed in echelon right at the height of 4000 metres.
It seems that both formations encountered the same Allied formation, which comprised 18 Blenheims drawn from two squadrons, escorted by Hurricanes from 274 and 1 SAAF Squadrons.
The situation at this time was very confusing. However, at 10:30, 84 Squadron Blenheims took off, targeting a very important concentration of vehicles in the area of El Adem. Cover was granted by eleven Hurricane IIB from 274 Squadron (take-off at 11:30), together while others from 1 SAAF Squadron (take-off at 11:30) were up to escort 18 Blenheims targeting the area of El Adem. The mission was considered very successful because 53 vehicles (of some 250 reported) were thought to be destroyed.
5-10 miles south-west of El Adem, 274 Squadron pilots saw a reported 30 Axis fighters; Bf 109s, MC.200s and MC.202s, coming from south-east while 1 SAAF Squadron continued to fly towards base with the bombers without seeing the enemy fighters. 274 Squadron, even if they thought to be heavily outnumbered, engaged the enemies. The Commonwealth pilots reported that the Macchis preferred to dogfight with the Hurricanes while the Bf 109s dove continuously.
The 9^o Gruppo attacked first and back at base, they reported they had met a dozen Hurricanes that were strafing Italian vehicles. The head of the Italian formation led the attack and Sottotenente Frigerio (97^a Squadriglia) attacked four enemy fighters at several times; he then had to land at Z because his Macchi had run out of fuel. On spotting the enemy aircraft, Sottotenente Giovanni Barcaro (97^a Squadriglia) closed in to Capitano Viglione to warn him and together they attacked and shot down one enemy aircraft in flames. He subsequently fired on four more aircraft (totally using 184 rounds) before landing at Z.2 for refuelling. Maresciallo Otello Perotti (97^a Squadriglia) fired on two enemy aircraft (using 263 rounds) but couldn’t observe the effects. He landed at Z for refuelling and claimed a probable Hurricane. Another two enemy aircraft were claimed by Sergente Maggiore Bruno Spitzl (96^a Squadriglia) and Vittorio Pozzati (96^a Squadriglia). Tenente Fernando Malvezzi (96^a Squadriglia) hit a P-40 with a long burst but couldn’t assess the result because he was attacked from behind by another P-40.
Altogether, the 9^o Gruppo, which returned to base at 12:00, claimed four destroyed (Spitzl, Pozzati, Sergente Alfredo Bombardini (97^a Squadriglia) and the shared between Capitano Viglione and Sottotenente Barcaro). Ten more Hurricanes were claimed as damaged (three by Sottotenente Barcaro, two by Maresciallo Perotti, four by Sottotenente Frigerio and one by Malvezzi). Sergente Bombardini’s fighter (MM7739) was damaged and had to land at Ain el Gazala but the airfield had to be evacuated and the Macchi had to be destroyed there.
As 274 Squadron sought to return to base, they were hit by the 17^o Gruppo, which had taken off at 11:30 with eleven MC.202 (six from the 71^a Squadriglia, two from the 72^a Squadriglia and three from the 80^a Squadriglia) for a protective patrol of Axis troops retreating along the coastal strip between Ain el Gazala and Tobruk. The Macchis, keeping a wedge patrol formation on the right wing at an altitude of 4,000m, reported that they at 12:00 met a formation of fighters, claiming six of them shot down (Tenente Renato Talamini (80^a Squadriglia) (Hurricane), Sottotenete Renato Bagnoli (80^a Squadriglia) (Tomahawk), Tenente Mario Carini (72^a Squadriglia) (Hurricane), Sottotenete Vittorio Bacchi Andreoli (71^a Squadriglia) (Tomahawk), Maresciallo Achille Martina (71^a Squadriglia) (Tomahawk) and Sottotenete Guido Modiano (72^a Squadriglia) (Hurricane). Sottotenente Ottorino Capellini (71^a Squadriglia) and Sergente Maggiore Mario Host (80^a Squadriglia) claimed a probable Tomahawk each. Totally the 71^a Squadriglia used 1270 rounds of ammunition while the 80^a Squadriglia used 1870. Tenente Carini (MM7758), hit in the cooling system, crash-landed near Bir le Fa while Tenente Talamini’s MC.202 was damaged in the left wing. The Italian fighters were back between 12:50 and 12:55.
The hard-pressed 274 Squadron claimed one Bf 109, one MC.202 (both by Sergeant James Dodds (Hurricane Z2835)) and two probables (Sergeant Robert Henderson (Z5367) and Sergeant R. H. N. Walsh (Z5435) and five damaged (between Squadron Leader Sidney Linnard (Z5064) (two MC.200s), Pilot Officer Patrick Moriarty (Z4015) (two MC.202s) and Pilot Officer George Keefer (BD880) (one Bf 109)).
Three Hurricanes were lost with one being seen going down vertically and one in flames. 26-year-old Flight Lieutenant Owen Vincent Tracey (RAF no. 42774) (Hurricane IIb BD885) and Sergeant Haines (Hurricane IIb Z5066) were missing while Sergeant John Paterson McDonnell was hit during the combat and crash-landed at Tobruk writing off his Hurricane IIb BE347. A fourth Hurricane IIb (Z5130) flown by Pilot Officer Thompson was also forced to land in Tobruk. 84 Squadron recorded that the escort lost four aircraft of the twelve present.
It is necessary to point out that the combat area reported in the documents of 274 Squadron and the 17^o Gruppo are different, however errors and misidentifications of locations were always possible and there were no matching German claims. For this reasons it seems likely that 274 Squadron fought against the 17^o Gruppo. The identification of Italian fighters as the opponents of 274 Squadron during this combat seems to be corroborated also by the account of Squadron Leader Linnard who while engaged by a Bf 109, saw a MC.200 attacking a Hurricane, both aircraft making steep turns and losing height. Linnard shook free from his own combat and tried to shot the Macchi off the other Hurricane’s tail, but was too late, bullets from the Italian fighter, which was turning inside the Hurricane, striking the area of the cockpit. The stricken aircraft then turned over at low level and dived into the ground several miles south of El Adem, bursting into flames. A little later squadron personnel met South African soldiers who reported that they had found a grave beside a wrecked Hurricane, and that on this was a flying helmet and the identity disc of Flight Lieutenant Tracey; it therefore seems probable that he had been the victim of the Macchi. The 20^o and 153^o Gruppi, which flew radial engined fighters, didn’t meet any Commonwealth fighter during the day even if they escorted Stukas three times and the MC.202 was a new machine in North Africa skies, easy to be confused with other types. It is interesting that 1 SAAF Squadron wasn’t aware of the combat. The number of enemy fighters estimated by 274 Squadron leads to think that probably other Axis fighters were up together with the MC.202s, in fact they could had been 15 Bf 109s that at taken off at 11:45 to escort Ju 87 even if they didn’t record encounters with enemy fighters.
It is also possibly that 80 Squadron was involved in this combat since Hurricane IIs of 80 Squadron had taken off at 10:55 from LG 133 to attack axis vehicles in the Acroma area. 40 of them, going west, were discovered and bombed by all Hurricanes. Afterwards six of these dived for strafing while the rest of the formation remained high to give cover. This high section attacked a formation of twelve enemy fighters (Bf 109s and MC.202s) protecting fighter-bombers that could go on with their action. Back at base the returning pilots were very pleased by the outcome of the action where they had claimed two Bf 109Fs confirmed (Flying Officer R. Reynolds (Z4801) and Sergeant Frank Mason (Z4786)) and a MC.202 probable and two damaged (Sergeant G. H. Whyte (Z4714)) without suffering any loss. It is possible that these were in combat with the 9^o Gruppo, which reported ground-strafing Hurricanes.

In the winter of 1941-42 the 9^o Gruppo enjoyed a brief rest from fighting, before returning to operations over Malta in the spring and early summer of 1942.

On 19 January 1942, Capitano Roberto Dagasso took command of the 97^a Squadriglia after Sottotenente Frigerio.

On 23 April 1942 the 9^o Gruppo was back on Sicily and based at Sciacca, for a third tour against Malta.

On 10 May 1942, Sottotenente Frigerio again took command of the 97^a Squadriglia after Capitano Roberto Dagasso.
Frigerio was relieved as CO of the 97^a Squadriglia by Tenente Fernando Malvezzi on 1 June.

At 09:15 on 15 May 1942, three S.84bis of 4^o Gruppo BT, escorted by 30 MC.202s of 4^o Stormo CT, were out to attack barracks at St Paul’s Bay, Malta (probably Fort Cambell). A dozen Spitfires from 249 and 603 Squadron were scrambled and engaged the formation shortly after it had bombed. Flight Lieutenant N. W. Lee and Flying Officer R. A. ‘Mitch’ Mitchell from 249 Squadron each claimed damaged to one of the Savoias. The Italians reported that five Spitfires attacked over the target and Capitano Franco Lucchini (84^a Squadriglia) claimed one shot down and one damaged. Other Spitfires then came in over Gozo, and three of these were claimed by Tenente Frigerio (97^a Squadriglia), Tenente Ferruccio Zarini (73^a Squadriglia) and Sergente Maggiore Mario Guerci (73^a Squadriglia); the latter and Sottotenente Alvaro Querci (73^a Squadriglia) also each claimed one probably destroyed. The two pilots from the 73^a Squadriglia reported that they fired on two Spitfires, which dived towards the sea, leaving smoke trails. The two pilots were engaged in the battle, and they couldn’t follow the Spitfires until the end, so these were considered probably destroyed. None of the Spitfires were however seriously hit. Pilot Officer Lawrence ‘Lawrie’ Verrall of 249 Squadron shot down one MC.202, killing the 91^a Squadriglia commander Capitano Alberto Argento (MM7813).

On 20 May, the 9^o Gruppo, with twenty-eight MC.202s, took off for a third tour of duty in North Africa. After a call in Pantelleria, they reached Castel Benito.
The following day, after intermediate landings at Tamet and Benghasi K3, they reached their new base at Martuba 4.

On 24 May 1942, the 54 MC.202s of the 4^o Stormo C, which had been operating over Malta, arrived at Martuba, led by Tenente Colonnello Armando François.
They joined 1^o Stormo (CO Colonnello Alfredo Reglieri), forming a force of more than 100 MC.202s, the largest concentration of these fighters ever to be achieved in Libya.
Next day a Comando Caccia (Fighter Command) was established at Martuba under the 1^o Stormo commander, to co-ordinate the activities of the four MC.202-equipped units:
6^o Gruppo (1^o Stormo); CO Maggiore Mario Larcher
17^o Gruppo (1^o Stormo); CO Maggiore Domenico Sciaudone
9^o Gruppo (4^o Stormo); CO Maggiore Antonio Larsimont Pergameni
10^o Gruppo (4^o Stormo); CO Maggiore Paolo Maddalena
The three squadriglie of the newly arrived 9^o Gruppo were led by Sottotenente Alvaro Querci (73^a Squadriglia), Capitano Ezio Viglione Borghese (96^a Squadriglia) and Sottotenente Frigerio (97^a Squadriglia), who would be replaced by Tenente Fernando Malvezzi on 1 June. The commanders of the three squadriglie of 10^o Gruppo were Capitano Franco Lucchini (84^a Squadriglia), Capitano Ranieri Piccolomini (90^a Squadriglia) and Tenente Orlando Mandolini (91^a Squadriglia).

Following the Axis advance, the 9^o Gruppo transferred to El Adem on 23 June, then to Sidi el Barrani two days later and finally to Fuka on 1 July 1942.

Between 12:10-13:20 on 26 June, Tenente Fernando Malvezzi led eight MC.202s from the 97^a Squadriglia on a free sweep over the Bir el Astas area. As usual, the Macchis were in two sections; one at 6,000m. and the other at 4,000m. A formation of six Marylands was spotted and immediately attacked at an altitude of 4,500m. One was declared to have been shot down as a shared between Tenente Malvezzi, Tenente Frigerio and Sergente Maggiore Massimo Salvatore while five others were machine-gunned (2507 rounds fired).
At 13:15, six Baltimores of 223 Squadron had taken off to attack Mtat. At 13:45, the formation was at 16700ft, 8 miles north-west of Bir el Gallas when it was attacked by fighters shortly before reaching the target. The bombers jettisoned their bombs and headed home. The fighters attacked in the usual way, sweeping under the rear of the formation from the quarter halfway up and coming up on the other quarter. After ten minutes, the fighters broke away. At 14:02, the fighters were again reported well out of range. Sergeant H. Hewitt’s Baltimore II (No.6, AG748) was badly damaged with the port propeller coming off. He therefore had to force-land it 25 miles west of base (crew safe). AG774 (Pilot Officer D. G. W. Leake) crash-landed at the base (LG 116); the crew was safe. Both bombers were struck off charge.

He gained back the rank of Tenente (in S. P. E.) on 27 June 1942 while he was in North Africa.

Jacopo Frigerio in North Africa.
Picture kindly provided by Gustavo Frigerio.

Between 16:40-18:35 on 1 September, Maggiore Roberto Fassi led eleven MC.202s of 9^o Gruppo over the area south of El Alamein. Three formations were encountered over Deir El Agram, flying at different altitudes, from 3,700 to 7,300 meters. An intense fight followed during which two Spitfires and one P-40 were claimed by the Italian pilots. The Spitfires were claimed by Capitano Fassi and Tenente Fernando Malvezzi (97^a Squadriglia) while the P-40 was claimed by Tenente Frigerio (97^a Squadriglia). Three more fighters were claimed as probables by unknown pilots (again two Spitfires and a P-40).

The high number of aircraft flying in the area during these days caused such confusion that the German Freya radar personnel had troubles to identify friend or foe aircraft. So, many times the alarm was delayed, and Axis fighters scrambled late.
This happened on 20 October when at 10:55, 14 MC.202s of the 4^o Stormo hurriedly scrambled to intercept 24 Bostons and Hudsons above Fuka, escorted by 30 P-40s and 20 Spitfires. The bombers were still releasing their cargo over the airfield when the 73^a Squadriglia (Tenente Giuseppe Oblach, Tenente Vittorio Squarcia, Sergente Armando Angelini and Sergente Leonardo Rinaldi), 84^a Squadriglia (Capitano Franco Lucchini, Tenente Alessandro Mettimano and Sergente Maggiore Piero Buttazzi), 91^a Squadriglia (Capitano Carlo Maurizio Ruspoli di Poggio Suasa, Sergente Maggiore Leonardo Ferrulli and Sergente Maggiore Alessandro Bladelli), and 97^a Squadriglia (Tenente Frigerio, Tenente Giovanni Barcaro, Sottotenente Leo Boselli and Maresciallo Giovanni Bianchelli), attacked them. The escort intercepted the Italian fighters, and a number of claims were made. Ruspoli, Oblach and Ferrulli claimed two P-40s each, Bladelli, Frigerio, Barcaro and Boselli claimed one P-40 each while Bianchelli claimed one Spitfire. Another Spitfire was claimed as a probable by Bladelli. Mettimano, in his first combat mission, damaged four Hudsons and a P-40 while Angelini, Rinaldi and Squarcia jointly claimed four damaged P-40s. Buttazzi claimed three damaged P-40s and Lucchini claimed a Hudson as a damaged. Lucchini’s MC.202 (MM7905/84-4) was hit when a 20mm shell tore off the aircraft’s spinner and he was forced to make an emergency landing at 11:30.
Totally the 4^o Stormo claimed 25 enemy aircraft shot down during the day, but of the 57 fighters (43 of which were combat-ready) on charge in the morning, only eleven were serviceable in the evening. The 9^o Gruppo reported the mission as between 10:55 and 12:20 while the 10^o Gruppo reported it as between 11:00 and 12:30
The 23^o Gruppo also scrambled (11:00-12:30) and they also made a number of claims. From 70^a Squadriglia, Sottotenente Luigi Bandini and Sergente Maggiore Celso Zemella each claimed a P-40 over El Daba while Tenente Antonio Maccanti claimed a probable P-40 in the same area. 74^a Squadriglia was in combat south of El Alamein, and Sergente Maggiore Felice Papini claimed a Boston and Sergente Maggiore Emilio Stafano claimed a Spitfire while Tenente Giorgio Solaroli claimed a shared Spitfire together with Sergente Maurizio Mandolesi (75^a Squadriglia). Tenente Carlo Moruzzi claimed a probable P-40.

The 9^o Gruppo claimed three P-46s over Ain el Gazala on 13 November. These were claimed by Tenente Emanuele Annoni (96^a Squadriglia), Tenente Giovanni Barcaro (97^a Squadriglia) and Tenente Frigerio (97^a Squadriglia).
These claims can’t be verified with any Allied losses.

In 1943, he still served in the 4^o Stormo.

In June 1943 he apparently left active service (perhaps for some sort of illness).

During the September 1943-April 1945 period, he was apparently in Northern Italy but didn't join the A. N. R.

Frigerio ended the war with 3 shared biplane victories and a total of 5.

In July 1945 he returned to the Italian Air Force and was promoted Capitano in May 1946.

From June 1946 to January 1949, he commanded the 90^a Squadriglia C.T.

In October 1955, he was in the United States, Nellis airbase in Nevada, to train on the North American F-86D.
During a shooting training session on 3 October (alternatively on 30 October), at high height and very far from the base, the engine of his fighter stopped, and he tried to bring it back to base without jumping with parachute. During the last stages of the force-landing the commands of the plane apparently ceased to work and the plane crashed, killing him.
For this act of valor he was decorated with a posthumous Medaglia d’oro al valor aeronautico.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1940
	20/11/40	14:40-16:30	1/12	Gladiator (a)	Shared destroyed	Fiat CR.42		Sidi Barrani area	97a Squadriglia
	20/11/40	14:40-16:30	1/12	Hurricane (a)	Shared destroyed	Fiat CR.42		Sidi Barrani area	97a Squadriglia
	20/11/40	14:40-16:30	1/12	Hurricane (a)	Shared destroyed	Fiat CR.42		Sidi Barrani area	97a Squadriglia
	20/11/40	14:40-16:30	1/12	Enemy fighter (a)	Shared damaged	Fiat CR.42		Sidi Barrani area	97a Squadriglia
	20/11/40	14:40-16:30	1/12	Enemy fighter (a)	Shared damaged	Fiat CR.42		Sidi Barrani area	97a Squadriglia
	20/11/40	14:40-16:30	1/12	Enemy fighter (a)	Shared damaged	Fiat CR.42		Sidi Barrani area	97a Squadriglia
	20/11/40	14:40-16:30	1/12	Enemy fighter (a)	Shared damaged	Fiat CR.42		Sidi Barrani area	97a Squadriglia
	1941
1	30/09/41	11:00-	1	Hurricane (b)	Destroyed	MC.202	MM7712/97-2	N Gozo	97a Squadriglia
	21/11/41	07:15	1/3	Spitfire (c)	Shared destroyed	MC.202		Hal Far area	97a Squadriglia
	21/11/41	p.m.	1	Hurricane (d)	Probably destroyed	MC.202		off Malta	97a Squadriglia
2	01/12/41	11:35-13:20	1	Hurricane (e)	Destroyed	MC.202		Bir el Gobi area	97a Squadriglia
	08/12/41	11:00-12:00	1	Hurricane (f)	Damaged	MC.202		Ain el Gazala-Tobruk	97a Squadriglia
	08/12/41	11:00-12:00	1	Hurricane (f)	Damaged	MC.202		Ain el Gazala-Tobruk	97a Squadriglia
	08/12/41	11:00-12:00	1	Hurricane (f)	Damaged	MC.202		Ain el Gazala-Tobruk	97a Squadriglia
	08/12/41	11:00-12:00	1	Hurricane (f)	Damaged	MC.202		Ain el Gazala-Tobruk	97a Squadriglia
	1942
3	15/05/42	09:15-	1	Spitfire (g)	Destroyed	MC.202		Gozo area	97a Squadriglia
	26/06/42	12:10-	1/3	Maryland (h)	Shared destroyed	MC.202		Bir el Astas	97a Squadriglia
4	01/09/42	16:40-18:35	1	P-40	Destroyed	MC.202		Deir El Agram	97a Squadriglia
5	20/10/42	10:55-12:20	1	P-40	Destroyed	MC.202		Fuka	97a Squadriglia
6	13/11/42		1	P-46 (i)	Destroyed	MC.202		Ain el Gazala	97a Squadriglia

Biplane victories: 3 shared destroyed, 4 shared damaged.
TOTAL: 6 and 5 shared destroyed, 1 probably destroyed, 4 and 4 shared damaged.
(a) Claimed in combat with Hurricanes from 33 and 274 Squadrons and Gladiators from 112 Squadron. 9^o Gruppo claimed seven victories and two probables while losing three CR.42s, getting four more damaged and losing two pilots KIA. 112 Squadron claimed eight victories for no losses, 274 Squadron possibly suffered one damaged Hurricane while 33 Squadron possibly claimed a CR.42 without losses.
(b) Pilot Officer Donald William Lintern (Hurricane Z5265/GL-B) of 185 Squadron KIA.
(c) Claimed in combat with Hurricanes from 185 Squadron, which claimed 3 damaged Macchis while suffering 1 Hurricane damaged. 9^o Gruppo claimed 2 ‘Spitfires’ and 2 probables while getting 2 MC.202 damaged.
(d) Claimed in combat with 4 Hurricanes from 185 Squadron, which didn’t claim anything while losing 1 Hurricane (pilot KiA). 9^o Gruppo claimed 5 Hurricanes destroyed and 2 probably without losses.
(e) 274 Squadron claimed 3 destroyed, 1 probable and 2 damaged for the loss of four Hurricanes (1 pilot MIA). Axis fighters claimed 11 destroyed, 5 probables and 1 damaged in this combat while getting 2 MC.202s damaged.
(f) Possibly claimed in combat with Hurricanes from 80 and or 274 Squadron, which claimed 4 enemy fighters, 3 probables and 7 damaged while losing 4 aircraft. The 9 and 17^o Gruppi claimed 10 fighters, 2 probables and 10 damaged while losing 1 MC.202 and getting two damaged.
(g) Claimed in combat with Spitfire Vs from249 and 603 Squadrons, which claimed 1 destroyed MC.202 and 2 damaged S.84s without losses. The 4^o Stormo claimed 4 Spitfires, 2 probables and 1 damaged while losing 1 MC.202 (pilot KiA).
(h) Claimed in combat with Baltimores from 223 Squadrons, which lost 2 bombers. The 97^o Squadriglia claimed 1 bombers without losses.
(i) Can’t be verified with any Allied losses.

Sources:
33 Squadron Operations Record Book
Ace of Aces: M T StJ Pattle - E C R Baker, 1992 Crécy Books, Somerton, ISBN 0-947554-36-X
Aces High - Christopher Shores and Clive Williams, 1994 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-898697-00-0
Aces High Volume 2 - Christopher Shores, 1999 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-902304-03-9
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 Two – Christopher Shores and Giovanni Massimello with Russell Guest, Frank Olynyk & Winfried Bock, 2012 Grub Street, London, ISBN-13: 9781909166127
Ali d'Africa - Michele Palermo and Ludovico Slongo, 2009 IBN Editore, ISBN 88-7565-060-8
Annuario Ufficiale Delle Forze Armate Del Regno D’Italia Anno 1943. Part III Regia Aeronautica – 1943 Istituto Poligrafico Dello Stato, Roma
Desert Prelude: Early clashes June-November 1940 - Håkan Gustavsson and Ludovico Slongo, 2010 MMP books, ISBN 978-83-89450-52-4
Desert Prelude: Operation Compass - Håkan Gustavsson and Ludovico Slongo, 2011 MMP books, ISBN 978-83-61421-18-4
Diario Storico 73^a Squadriglia kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo
Diario Storico 97^a Squadriglia kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo
Eagles over Gazala: Air Battles in North Africa May-June 1942 – Michele Palermo, IBN Editore, ISBN (10) 88-7565-168-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
Fighters over Malta – Brian Cull and Frederick Galea, 2018 Fonthill Media, ISBN 978-1-78155-663-4
Fighters over the Desert - Christopher Shores and Hans Ring, 1969 Neville Spearman Limited, London
Gloster Gladiator - Alex Crawford, 2002 Mushroom Model Publications, ISBN 83-916327-0-9
GORIZIA ed il QUARTO STORMO
Hurricanes over Malta - Brian Cull and Frederick Galea, 2001 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-902304-91-8
Hurricanes over the sands: Part One - Michel Lavigne and James F. Edwards, 2003 Lavigne Aviation Publications, Victoriaville, ISBN 2-9806879-2-8
Hurricanes over Tobruk - Brian Cull with Don Minterne, 1999 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-902304-11-X
Italian Aces of World War 2 - Giovanni Massimello and Giorgio Apostolo, 2000 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 1-84176-078-1
La Battaglie Aeree In Africa Settentrionale: Novembre-Dicembre 1941 – Michele Palermo, IBN, ISBN 88-7565-102-7
La Regia Aeronautica - volume I: Dalla non belligeranza all'intervento – Nino Arena, 1981 USSMA, Rome kindly provided by Stefano Lazzaro
Macchi C.202/C.205V Units In Combat – Marco Mattioli, 2022 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-4728-5068-3
Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940-41 - Christopher Shores and Brian Cull with Nicola Malizia, 1987 Grub Street, London, ISBN 0-89747-207-1
Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942 - Christopher Shores and Brian Cull with Nicola Malizia, 1991 Grub Street, London, ISBN 0-948817-16-X
Quelli del Cavallino Rampante - Antonio Duma, 1981 Editore Dell'Ateneo, Roma, kindly provided by Stefano Lazzaro
Spitfires over Malta – Brian Cull with Frederick Galea, 2005 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-904943-30-6
Stormi d'Italia - Giulio Lazzati, 1975 Mursia, Milan kindly provided by Stefano Lazzaro
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Desert Air War 1939 – 1945 – Richard Townshend Bickers, 1991 Leo Cooper, London, kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo
Woody - A Fighter Pilot's Album - Hugh A. Halliday, 1987 Canav Books, Toronto, ISBN 0-9690703-8-1
Additional information kindly provided by Ian Acworth, Stefano Lazzaro and Ludovico Slongo