Vincenzo Graffeo was born on 21 June 1918 and was from Genova.

In July 1941, Sergente Maggiore Graffeo served in the 367^a Squadriglia, 151^o Gruppo. This unit was equipped with Fiat CR.42s and operated in North Africa.

In the afternoon on 21 July 1941, Sergente Maggiore Vincenzo Graffeo of the 367^a Squadriglia chased a lone Blenheim IV reconnaissance aircraft from 110 Squadron over Tripoli harbour and damaged it. The aircraft made it back to Malta despite the wounds suffered by its pilot, Sergeant L. Ware. Fellow crewman 27-year-old Sergeant William Henry Sargent (RAF no. 745120) died of his wounds the next day, but Sergeant R. Lofthouse was unhurt.

On 31 July, the 151^o Gruppo's first operational tour in North Africa ended.

Once back in Italy, the 151^o Gruppo was deployed to Treviso airfield, where it flew CR.42s and MC.200s.

Two G.50bis from the 151^o Gruppo took off from Sfax at 14:45 on 5 March 1943 on a transfer flight to El Aouina. At 16:50 and just before landing, Sottotenente Graffeo engaged a formation of B-24s which were raiding the airfield, claiming damage to one of the bombers.
The bomber unit has not been possible to verify but at least Savioa S.82 “618-9” from the 618^a Squadriglia, 144^o Gruppo was destroyed by bombs at El Aouina during the day. Capitano Giovanni Lazzarini and his crew was however safe.

From Sciacca, Sicily, at 09:05 on 31 March 1943, two MC.202s from the 366^a Squadriglia took off on a convoy escort mission, but neither returned, believed to have become lost in bad weather during their return flight. 366^a Squadriglia CO Capitano Enrico Londei (MC.202 MM9652) and Sergente Maggiore Antonio Camerini (MM7424) both became MIA.
Five more MC.202s from the 153^o Gruppo took off on a similar sortie, but three of these also did not return. Tenente Colonnello Andrea Favini (CO 153^o Gruppo in MM9083) and Sottotenente Mario Canepa force-landed and belly-landed respectively safely near Korba but Sergente Maggiore Manrico Mincuzzi (373^a Squadriglia in MM9088) ditched 18km south-west of this island and was never found.
Later in the day, Sottotenente Graffeo (367^a Squadriglia) took off from Pantelleria to search for survivors, but he suffered engine failure and had to force-land on the Tunisian coast 10km north of Korba.
The weather was no better the next day when Tenente Colonnello Bruno Cudugnello, who had been 53^o Stormo CO since 22 February, was lost while searching for the three missing pilots.
Cudugnello was temporarily replaced as CO by Tenente Colonnello Andrea Favini, who in turn made way for Tenente Colonello Giro Aiello on 16 April.

22 P-38s from the 82nd FG escorted B-25s on an anti-shipping sortie at 06:25 on 28 April 1943. A convoy was spotted escorted by a Ju 88, which turned and run for Sicily. About a dozen Bf 109s, FW 190s and MC.202s appeared from the direction of Sicily, attacking the 310th BG’s B-25s after that they had bombed a steamer, which was thought to have been sunk. The 95th FS’s pilots intercepted the defending fighters 24 km west-south-west of Egadi Island at 08:30. 2nd Lieutenant James R. Gant claimed a 2-seat radial Italian fighter, 2nd Lieutenant Richard F. Kenney claimed a Bf 109 as did Captain T. H. McArthur, 1st Lieutenant C. D. Powell and 2nd Lieutenant Charles W. Price while 2nd Lieutenant Robert W. Muir claimed a MC.202. The loss of two P-38Fs was later acknowledged by the 82nd FG, which reported that 2nd Lieutenants Howell B. Coates of the 96th FS and Ben C. Pyle of the 97th FS had been killed north of Cap Bon and in the Marettimo Island area respectively. One of the lost P-38s was 42-12912.
One Me 210 was claimed as a shared destroyed at 0820 by two B-25Cs from 428th BS, 310th BG. The claiming gunners being gunner Staff Sergeant Horace C. Mears in 41-13087 and radio operator Technical Sergeant J. H. Lockhart in 41-13077.
Two 53^o Stormo MC.202s from Sicily were involved in convoy escort patrolling and took part in the attack on the US formation, incorrectly identifying the B-25s as Bostons. They were bounced by P-38s and Sottotenente Vincenzo Graffeo of the 367^a Squadriglia, 151^o Gruppo, shot down one of the P-38, but was in turn shot down and killed by two other P-38s.
One claim for a P-38 was submitted by the radio operator/gunner Unteroffizier Werener Röder from 8./ZG 26 (Bf 110) north-west of Marettimo at 09:23.

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

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1941
	21/07/41	afternoon	1	Blenheim (a)	Damaged	Fiat CR.42		Tripoli harbour	367a Squadriglia
	1943
	05/03/43	16:50	1	B-24 (b)	Damaged	G.50		El Aouina	367a Squadriglia
1	28/04/43	08:30	1	P-38 (c)	Destroyed	MC.202		24km WSW Egadi Island	367a Squadriglia

Biplane victories: 1 damaged.
TOTAL: 1 destroyed, 2 damaged.
(a) Blenheim from 110 Squadron damaged.
(b) Can’t be verified with any Allied units.
(c) Claimed in combat with P-38s from 82nd FG and B-25C from 310th BG. 82nd FG claimed 6 fighters while losing 2 P-38 (both pilots KiA). 310th BG claimed 1 Me 210 without losses. 151^o Gruppo claimed 1 P-38 while losing 1 MC.202 (pilot KiA) while ZG 26 claimed 1 P-38 without losses.

Sources:
53^o Stormo - Marco Mattioli, 2010 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-84603-977-5
A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940-1945: Volume One - Christopher Shores and Giovanni Massimello with Russell Guest, 2012 Grub Street, London, ISBN 978-1908117076
A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940-1945: Volume Three - Christopher Shores and Giovanni Massimello with Russell Guest, Frank Olynyk & Winfried Bock, 2016 Grub Street, London, ISBN-13: 9781910690000
Elenco Nominativo dei Militari dell' A. M. Decorati al V. M. Durante it Periodo 1929 - 1945 1 Volume A - L
Royal Air Force Bomber Losses in the Middle East and Mediterranean, Volume 1: 1939-1942 - David Gunby and Pelham Temple, 2006 Midland Publishing, ISBN 1-85780-234-9
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
USAAF (Mediterranean Theater) Credits For The Destruction Of Enemy Aircraft In Air-To-Air Combat World War 2 - Frank Olynyk, 1987 Victory List No.6