Image from Ala Tricolore.

11 October 1918 – 2 October 2002

Furio Lauri was born in Zara on 11 October 1918.

He was drafted into the Regia Aeronautica in 1939 and in September that year he flew the Fiat CR.42 for the first time.

In June 1940, Sottotenente Lauri served in the 368^a Squadriglia of the 151^o Gruppo. This unit was based at Casabianca, Italy, and equipped with Fiat CR.42s.

During the night between 25 and 26 August Tenente Giuseppe Zuffi took off from Bresso and intercepted a British bomber that escaped in the dark after receiving 100 rounds of 12,7 mm. Sottotenente Lauri of the same Squadriglia took off from Cameri (in Piedmont) and attacked another enemy bomber. After the first burst of fire (46 rounds of 12,7 mm and 106 rounds 7,7 mm) he saw under him a big fire on the ground and thought he had shot down the intruder, claiming it when back at base.
Subsequently was discovered that the fire seen by Lauri was caused by the incendiary bombs that the British raider jettisoned when attacked while Zuffi had caused some damage to his opponent’s bomb bay. In fact, on the ground at Taliedo airport (attacked by the night raiders) many British bomb were discovered with the fins pierced with 12,7 mm holes; one of them still with a 12,7 mm SAFAT round trapped on it.
Sottotenente Lauri was decorated with the Croce di guerra al valor militare for this action.

On the last day of August 1940, the 151^o Gruppo C.T. (366^a, 367^a and 368^a Squadriglie) was ordered to move in Libya with 30 CR.42s as a reinforcement for the attack against Sidi Barrani.
The unit under the command of Maggiore Carlo Calosso was one of the first equipped with CR.42s in 1939 and was based in Caselle Torinese near Turin, with sections and Squadriglie detached in different airbases of North Italy for local defence duties.
They departed Caselle Torinese in the morning of 6 September and at 18:20 on 8 September, the whole Gruppo landed in Tripoli Castel Benito.
The 366^a Squadriglia formation was composed of ten aircraft: Capitano Bernardino Serafini (CO), Tenente Mario Ferrero (the Gruppo Adjutant), Sottotenente Amedeo Guidi, Maresciallo Giulio Cesare, Sergente Maggiore Fiorenzo Milella, Sergente Maggiore Dino Carta, Sergente Maggiore Roberto Marchi, Sergente Maggiore Cesare Chiarmetta, Sergente Antonio Camerini, Sergente Eugenio Cicognani. Tenente Piero Veneziani and Maresciallo Giovanni Accorsi followed in the unit’s hack Caproni Ca.133 together with five ground personnel.
The formation of 367^a Squadriglia comprised the Gruppo Commander Maggiore Carlo Calosso, the 368^a Squadriglia’s pilot Sergente Piero Hosquet and nine other pilots for a total of eleven. Among them were Capitano Simeone Marsan (the CO), Tenente Irzio Bozzolan, Tenente Aldo Bonuti, Sergente Maggiore Gino Bogoni and Sergente Tolmino Zanarini. The Squadriglia’s other six pilots were Tenente Giuseppe Costantini, Maresciallo Bruno Castellani, Sergente Maggiore Rodolfo Benco, Sergente Maggiore Bruno Celotto, Sergente Renato Mingozzi and Sergente Maggiorino Soldati.
The 368^a Squadriglia formation was composed of nine aircraft: Capitano Bruno Locatelli (CO), Tenente Giuseppe Zuffi, Sottotenente Lauri, Sergente Maggiore Davide Colauzzi, Sergente Maggiore Annibale Ricotti, Sergente Maggiore Alvise Andrich, Sergente Stefano Fiore, Sergente Ottorino Ambrosi, Sergente Mario Turchi. Tenente Orfeo Paroli and Maresciallo Guido Paparatti followed in the Ca.133 of the Squadriglia (Paroli and Fiore were just transferred from 367^a Squadriglia).
On 25 September the 151^o Gruppo transferred from Benghazi to El Adem where it replaced the 9^o Gruppo C.T.

While coming back from a patrol over Sidi El Barrani on 8 October, Sottotenente Lauri hit the searchlight at the end of the landing strip of El Adem; the aircraft was classified RS.

In the afternoon on 9 December, SM 79s were out to bomb British troops at the Sidi Barrani - Bir Enba area. They were to be escorted by 19 CR.42s of the 9^o Gruppo led by Maggiore Ernesto Botto, which had taken off from El Adem at 14:55. The fighters included seven from the 73^a Squadriglia (Tenente Valerio De Campo (CO), Tenente Giulio Reiner, Sottotenente Alvaro Querci, Sergente Maggiore Guglielmo Biffani, Sergente Maggiore Enrico Dallari, Sergente Maggiore Antonio Valle and Sergente Santo Gino) seven from the 97^a Squadriglia (Capitano Antonio Larsimont Pergameni (CO), Tenente Ezio Viglione Borghese, Sottotenente Riccardo Vaccari, Sergente Maggiore Otello Perotti, Sergente Maggiore Massimo Salvatore, Sergente Angelo Golino and Sergente Alcide Leoni) and four from the 96^a Squadriglia (Tenente Aldo Gon and Sergente Giuseppe Tomasi together with two unknown pilots).
More Italian fighters were up to escort the bombers and at 15:10, Sergente Maggiore Fiorenzo Milella of the 366^a, 151^o Gruppo, attached to a formation of nine CR.42s of the 368^a Squadriglia (Capitano Bruno Locatelli, Sergente Maggiore Davide Colauzzi, Sergente Ernesto De Bellis, Sottotenente Lauri, Sergente Maggiore Annibale Ricotti, Tenente Orfeo Paroli, Sergente Piero Hosquet, Sergente Stefano Fiore, Sergente Ottorino Ambrosi) were out to escorted Italian bombers in the Bir Enba area.
The rendezvous with the bombers over A3 failed and after 20 minutes, the fighters of the 9^o Gruppo arrived and together they proceeded towards the front on a free sweep. Three SM 79s were discovered and escorted for a while. Over Buq-Buq, a Hurricane strafing along the coastal road was discovered and the SM 79s were left to the 9^o Gruppo while the CR.42s of the 151^o Gruppo attacked the British fighter. The Hurricane was claimed shot down in flames and credited to the formation (but in fact only Locatelli, Lauri, Paroli and De Bellis fired their guns).
The 151^a Gruppo fighters returned to base at 16:50.
Meanwhile the fighters from the 9^o Gruppo continued and 30 km south of Bir Enba they spotted some Gladiators at a lower level and dived on them, but suddenly the CR.42s were jumped by a reported two Squadrons of Hurricanes or Spitfires, attacking respectively the 73^a Squadriglia and the 96^a Squadriglia with the 97^a Squadriglia. A large dogfight started and after 20 minutes of combat many claims were submitted by the Italian pilots
Tenente Vaccari fought alone against four Hurricanes, claiming one destroyed (as a Spitfire) and damaging the others before his Fiat was hit in the fuel tank and in the engine. He crash-landed near Sollum, the aircraft turning over and caught fire; he was burned in the face and hands. Sergente Maggiore Salvatore claimed a Spitfire and several damaged before being wounded in his left arm. He managed however to return to base. Sergente Golino was hit in his back, but managed to claim his attacker before being compelled to evade and land at Amseat A3. Sergente Maggiore Biffani (Fiat CR.42 MM5599/73-9) claimed a Hurricane but was at the same shot down by his victim and was captured. He recalled:

"In the afternoon of 9 December we were flying between Mersa Matruh and Buq-Buq, when my wingman, Sottotenente Alvaro Querci, warned me that we had enemies behind us. I alerted Botto by shooting a burst [Note that the CR.42 had no radio during this period], then I realized they were near my tail, so I made a 180-degree turn and I saw them pass: they were three Hurricanes. I climbed almost vertically and saw the 73^a Squadriglia in front, the three Hurricanes behind it and 96^a and 97^a Squadriglia behind them, all in a vertical line that went down to the ground. Then I discovered a Hurricane that was breaking off from the combat, clearly he had seen the other Italian fighters on its tail. I continued to climb, now I was the highest fighter of them all, then I dived down at full throttle [towards the escaping Hurricane]. I arrived near it and then I reduced speed and put the revolutions between 1850 and 2250 because otherwise I would had cut my propeller as happened to Gon and others, because the airscrew went out of gear and the round was fired when it passed in front of the gun (…) . When I closed to it, I opened fire. I aimed and saw the explosive bullets that exploded on the wing. Why didn’t anything happen? Was there no fuel at all? I fired at the other wing but it was the same, the bullets exploded but nothing happened. I fired into the engine, nothing happened. I saw the tracers very well, and after all, it wasn’t the first time I was shooting. At Gorizia I used to hit the target balloon with ten rounds only. In the meantime, I was losing speed and falling behind, O.K. Goodbye! It passed and turned towards me again -so I hadn’t caused any damage to it- , and I did the same. We found ourselves face to face at a distance of around 500-600 metres. I started firing and saw my tracers hitting it, then its wings lit up and in the same moment my plane caught fire, it was just an instant. My plane was severely damaged and while I was trying to land I saw the Hurricane that dived into the ground and exploded. I saw no parachute. I force-landed among British MTs and was immediately taken prisoner. I went back home after 63 months of POW!"

“The enemy engaged in dogfight. Claim one E a/c for certain (saw it hit the ground). Attacked two in tight vic and was at 200 yards point blank range and fell certain must have killed pilots. Got another good and point blank deflection shot at another. Closed from optimum to point blank range at first. Must (?) have shot down the first two but could not spare time to confirm. 3rd point blank deflection shot likely and fourth adversary saw it hit the ground (claim 1 confirmed and 2 others which I feel certain about but must go down as unconfirmed).”

“The enemy fired back. 1 CR 42 shot down and seen to hit the ground without burning. Several other machines were shot at individually. They can out manoeuvre a Hurricane but one can get away and then come back.”

“The enemy tried to turn inside me. 1 CR 42 shot at short range from above into cockpit. Aircraft turned (unreadable) with sparks from it. Followed it down until attacked by others CR 42s. Using 15^o flap climb (unreadable) but not quite equal to 42. Speed on level far superior. Possible when attacked from above to turn and deliver short head on burst.”

“The enemy dog fought, during dogfight damaged two enemy and sent one down out of control but could not see it crash as another was in my tail. The enemy fairly aggressive.”

“The enemy started a general dogfight. 1 CR 42 shot down and seen to burn out on the ground”.

At 14:55 on 11 December, the 151^o Gruppo was out again to escort Ba.65s bound to attack British troops south of Buq-Buq.
One formation from the 366^a Squadriglia included nine CR.42s (Capitano Bernardino Serafini, Tenente Guglielmo Chiarini, Sottotenente Amedeo Guidi, Sergente Maggiore Dino Carta, Sergente Maggiore Fiorenzo Milella, Sergente Maggiore Roberto Marchi, Sergente Rosario Di Carlo, Sergente Antonio Camerini and Segente Eugenio Cicognani). Twenty-five minutes before this formation, the 367^a Squadriglia (Capitano Simeone Marsan, Capitano Giuseppe Costantini, Sergente Maggiore Rodolfo Benco, Sergente Maggiore Bruno Celotto and Sergente Tolmino Zanarini) had taken off from A3 together with the 368^a Squadriglia (Capitano Bruno Locatelli, Sergente Maggiore Davide Colauzzi, Sergente Stefano Fiore, Sottotenente Lauri and Sergente Ernesto De Bellis), for the same type of mission. It seems that one of the formations escorted Ba.65/A80s from the 159^a Squadriglia, 12^o Gruppo, while the other escorted Ba.65/K14s from the 168^a Squadriglia, 16^o Gruppo.
The Bredas from the 159^a Squadriglia (Tenente Adriano Visconti, Maresciallo Enio Sagliaschi, Sergente Maggiore Paolo Perno and Sergente Maggiore Pietro Scaramucci) were surprised by a bombing attack by reportedly twelve British aircraft while taxiing before take off at A3. The four pilots after a brief consultation decided to remain inside their aircraft and wait for the end of the bombardment and then took off, avoiding the holes in the runway. For this reason they received a written commendation from Colonnello Moresco together with their colleagues from the 16^o Gruppo for their activity on 9-11 December. The attacking aircraft were eight Blenheims Mk.IVs from 55 Squadron led by Squadron Leader Dudgeon (T1995) that arrived over their intended target “a landing ground on the Capuzzo-Bardia road” (obviously Amseat) at 15:00. Weather was very poor and bombs were dropped from 10,000 feet through cloud (6/10 at 7000 feet). Results were difficult to appreciate due to the bad visibility but a fire was seen burning on ground with a long flame of black smoke. While the Blenheims were making out to sea, a reportedly twelve CR.42s were seen climbing below clouds and following the Blenheim formation although they didn’t catch up with it.
Visconti’s four Ba.65s finished the mission attacking the enemy near Buq-Buq and then returned directly to T2 since A3 had to be evacuated. They were all damaged by AA fire.
While the 366^a Squadriglia was climbing over A3, a lone British monoplane came out of the clouds and attacked the last CR.42 in the formation, flown by Sergente Cicognani. The young Sergente was wounded in the leg, in the right arm and in the head and had to bale out. He was immediately taken to Bardia hospital but his arm couldn’t be saved and it was amputated. Later in the campaign, the 151^o Gruppo put a rhomboidal badge on the fin of its CR.42s representing an iron arm drawing a bow made of a naked girl stretching her back, to commemorate Cicognani.
In the meantime, over Bardia, the other CR.42s of the formation were reacting with Sottotenente Guidi and Sergente Maggiore Carta starting in pursuit of the now fleeing Hurricane. After a brief period, Carta abandoned the chase because he was being distanced by the Hurricane but Guidi stubbornly continued. Bernardino Serafini and his men completed the escort and strafed enemy troops after the Breda’s attack.
Some miles away the Bredas escorted by the 367^a and 368^a Squadriglie had finished their attack. While the 367^a Squadriglia returned directly to T2, two CR.42s from the 368^a Squadriglia (Locatelli and Colauzzi) went down to finished the work and destroyed three trucks. While still at low altitude, they were attacked by a lone Hurricane but in a matter of minutes, they were able to turn the tables against their opponent with the help from Sottotenente Guidi, who was already following it and finally shot it down in flames. In the meantime, another Hurricane appeared and Sottotenente Lauri after being heavily damaged by it, succeeded in shooting it down (using 180 rounds of 12,7mm and 300 rounds of 7,7mm ammunition).
It seems that Locatelli, Colauzzi and Guidi had shot down Flying Officer Charles ‘Deadstick’ Dyson DFC (Hurricane P3726) from 33 Squadron. Dyson returned safely six days later with an amazing story. He later retold the ”Egyptian Mail” that while returning from a lone patrol to base at Mersa Matruh, in Egypt:

“I was alone, 12,000 feet up, between Bardia and Sollum, when I saw a flight of six Bread 65s.
I was going to attack the last three when, coming through the clouds, I saw two CR 42s in front of me and three more lower down. They were stepped up, escorting the Bredas. I at once attacked the two CR42s, giving each a burst, and both pilots, turning their aircraft on their backs, “baled out”.
I had dived to the attack and I carried on to the next three. With two bursts I got the leader and the starboard aircraft and each pilot “baled out”. Three of the four aircraft had long trails of smoke coming from them when their pilots jumped. For a moment I lost sight of the last of the three CRs but when I rolled off the top of a loop, I saw him a considerable distance bellow me, and travelling in the same direction as myself.
I dived at him and gave him a long burst. He too “baled out” – the fifth off the reel.”

“I put everything forward and touched 400 miles an hour, and I got away. My dive brought me down to 3,000 feet and I was over Sollum Bay. There I saw two more CRs making their way homeward. The leader saw me manoeuvring and the parted. Both the leader and I stall-turned and we faced each other head on. I don’t think he had much ammunition left as I saw only small bursts of incendiaries pass me. I held my burst to a very short distance and just managed to clear him. Turning back I saw him going down vertically. I then managed to get a quick burst at the other enemy aircraft and I believe my bullets went into him.”

“I opened the hood and hung my head outside. I carried on, still pursued, hoping that my aircraft would not catch fire. I did not know whether I was over enemy or friendly territory. Suddenly we were fired upon from the ground and I believe this saved me, for my pursuers broke off. Owing to the smoke and fumes I had been flying blind for three or four minutes, but I managed to put my aircraft down in a cross wind.”

“The enemy turned over and dived down and then pulled up into cloud. Followed and fired a/c [unreadable] and then flamed. Aircraft seen going down by P/O Godden who was behind me. No damage to own aircraft. Pilot of C.R. 42 showed little or no air nerve (verve) in that he allowed me to approach unobserved on a long chase.”

“…late in the afternoon three of us were on patrol when I saw a speck on the horizon going towards Libya. I chased after it, the other two following, and eventually saw it was a lone CR 42 making for home (probably after ground strafing our own troops). I chased behind him without him noticing me and waited until I was right behind him at point blank range and put a burst into him. The other two saw him going down burning”.

On 20 December, the 366^a Squadriglia discovered that most of its fighters needed a thoroughly engine revision at a S.R.A.M and were not repairable in the Squadriglia. The 367^a Squadriglia detached its only three combat ready CR.42s to Z1, to fly with the 4^o Stormo; five pilots accompanied the fighters with Capitani Simeone Marsan and Giuseppe Costantini leading them. Two fighters of the 368^a Squadriglia (one flown by Tenente Lauri) were also detached to Z1.

On 4 February, four Blenheims (Flight Lieutenant Paine, Flight Sergeant Overell, Pilot Officer Collins and Pilot Officer Allen) from 45 Squadron took off at 09:20 to bomb the railway station at Barce. Pilot Officer Collins and Pilot Officer Allen found no activity at all over the target and instead bombed motor transports between Barce and Tocra. Flight Lieutenant Paine and Flight Sergeant Overell were intercepted by Italian fighters and Paine’s Blenheim Mk.I L8538 was shot down. A few weeks later Paine returned to base stating that his crew (Sergeant Harry Cecil Thomas Holmans (RAF no. 581388) and 19-year-old Sergeant Colin Pryce Edwards (RAF no. 552544)) had both been shot and that after baling out, he had been helped by a friendly Senussi to escape through the Italian lines.
The Italian fighters were five CR.42s from the 368^a Squadriglia (Tenente Giuseppe Zuffi, Sergente Mario Turchi, Sottotenente Lauri, Sergente Maggiore Ezio Masenti and Sergente Maggiore Davide Colauzzi) and one from the 366^a Squadriglia (Sergente Audibert). They had taken off at 07:25 to make an offensive reconnaissance over the front area. Near El Hamana, Tenente Zuffi and Sergente Turchi had strafed two armoured cars claiming one stopped, in fact 1Tp, “A” Sqn. of 11th Hussars was strafed at 08:15 by two CR 42s that holed the tank of the Rolls Royce armoured car. While coming back to base, Sottotenente Lauri discovered a British bomber and started in pursuit and claimed it shot down, reporting that one of the crew had been able to jump and had landed a few kilometres north-east of El Abiar (apparently Flight Lieutenant Paine). Some Hurricanes were in the meantime discovered higher and attacked by Tenente Zuffi, Sergente Turchi, Sergente Maggiore Colauzzi and Sergente Audibert, but the British monoplanes reportedly escaped on seeing the Italian fighters.
The CR.42 flown by Sergente Ezio Masenti, suffered big loss of oil from the engine and landed at Barce. British troops were in the area and, as soon as returning pilots reported on Masenti's plight, a Ca.133 being used as a hack by the 151^o Gruppo CT took off from Agedabia in the hands of Maresciallo Giovanni Accorsi of the 366^a Squadriglia, who was accompanied by an engineer, 1^oAv Mot. Callerani. Three CR.42s of the 366^a Squadriglia led by Tenente Guglielmo Chiarini and including Maresciallo Giulio Cesare and Sergente Antonio Camerini, volunteered to provide escort. Over Barce, the Ca.133 was intercepted at low-level by a section of 73 Squadron Hurricanes.
This was ‘B’ Flight’s second patrol and consisted of the leader Pilot Officer George Goodman (V7716/TP-U), Pilot Officer J. B. 'Chips' McColl (V7372/TP-W) and Pilot Officer Ken M. Millist (V7941). The Ca.133 was shot down by Pilot Officer McColl at about 500 feet above the ground. Maresciallo Accorsi notwithstanding the desperate situation caused by the heavy damage suffered by his Caproni, reportedly didn’t parachute but instead tried to crash-land the aircraft, with the aim of saving the life of Callerani. His gallant effort failed and they both died in the subsequent crash.
As the CR.42s dived down in a vain attempt to assist the doomed transport, the Hurricanes turned to engage. In the ensuing combat Chiarini was shot down in flames and killed by Pilot Officer George Goodman (victory number 7 of 10 totally), who claimed a CR.42 that was attacking McColl.
Meanwhile, Sergente Antonio Camerini succeeded in damaging a Hurricane that he last saw escaping trailing black smoke. The Hurricanes disappeared after the short combat while the Italians started to mourn two of their most valued pilots. Unknown to them, the Hurricane flown by Pilot Officer Millist had been shot down in a head-on attack.
Millist was posted missing at the end of the action, believed shot down because his mates had seen about five unidentified aircraft above him (!). His aircraft was hit in the engine and he made a forced-landing ten miles north-east of Benina, running far away from his aircraft to avoid capture. For two days, without food or water, Millist – known as ‘Tiny’ due to his height, in excess of six feet – walked and hid, being chased on one occasion by an Italian motorcyclist whom he successfully evaded. On the third day, he met an Australian army sergeant who gave him food and water before helping him to obtain a lift to Derna. He finally arrived at Gazala on 6 February. Of Millist’s plight, his colleague Pilot Officer Bill Eiby recalled:

“Tiny Millist was a short service Australian and when he was shot down by the vintage biplane everyone laughed their bloody heads off. He went in head-on. We were told not to tackle them head-on, but Tiny did and got hit in the radiator for his pains. He got back from that one.”

By late 1941, Lauri had claimed 11 victories.
Also during this year he flew the Fiat CR.42 for the last time before converting to Fiat G.50bis.

In early January 1943, the 368^a Squadriglia, led by Capitano Mario Ferrero, was posted to Sfax, in Tunisia, and tasked with flying ground attack missions and convoy escort patrols. During the unit's operational tour in Tunisia, its G.50bis carried out numerous bombing and strafing sorties in cooperation with German aircraft, despite poor coordination between the Axis partners.

On 22 January, five Fiat G.50bis fighter-bombers of the 368^a Squadriglia, escorted by five MC.202s, set off from Sfax at 12:10 to attack American vehicles south of Sidi bou Zid. There, they dropped 18 bombs, but heavy anti-aircraft fire brought down G.50bis MM6148 flown by Tenente Lauri. Wounded, he baled out amongst Italian troops at Chen and later returned to his unit.

By the beginning of March, the 368^a Squadriglia was down to seven serviceable G.50s. Removed from the Tunisian front, it left Sfax for Pantelleria.

He continued to fly in the defence of Italy until the Italian surrender in September 1943.

After the Italian surrender he continued to fly in the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force.

During the winter and spring of 1945 Lauri flew several liaison flights with partisan units behind the Gothic Line, on behalf of Captain Charles McIntosh of No. 1 Special Force. The aircraft used in these sorties was Fieseler Fi156C-3 Storch (MM12822).
Lauri was decorated with the Medaglia d'oro al valor militare for these missions.

MM12822 preserved at Vigna di Valle.
© Håkan Gustavsson

Lauri ended the war with 1 biplane victory and a total of 11.
During the war he flew the CR.42, G.50bis, MC202, MC.205, Bf 109, FW 190, Spitfire and Mustang. He also flew Fieseler Storch in special operations for the Allied 5th Army in Italy.
He was shot down twice during the war.

He served in the Air Force until 1947 when he retired as a Tenente Colonello.

In 1947 he founded the METEOR S.p.A company, which became a worldwide leading industry in the production of unmanned aircraft.
The company sold its military production to the Italian Government and is presently devoted only to manufacturing civilian aircraft (Sky Arrow). The company is today called INIZIATIVE INDUSTRIALI ITALIANE (METEOR) S.p.A and is based in Rome.

Furio Lauri passed away in Rome on 2 October 2002.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1940
	09/12/40	15:10-16:50	1/10	Hurricane (a)	Shared destroyed	Fiat CR.42		Buq-Buq	368a Squadriglia
1	11/12/40	14:55-	1	Hurricane (b)	Destroyed	Fiat CR.42		Bardia area	368a Squadriglia
	1941
2	04/02/41	07:25-	1	Blenheim (c)	Destroyed	Fiat CR.42		NE El Abiar	368a Squadriglia

Biplane victories: 2 and 1 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 11 destroyed.
(a) Probably claimed in combat between 9^o and 151^o Gruppi and 33 and 274 Squadrons. 9^o Gruppo claimed eight shot down, three probables and several damaged while losing two CR.42s and four force-landed. The 151^o Gruppo claimed one Hurricane without losses. 33 and 274 Squadrons claimed seven or eight CR.42s and three probables while one Hurricane (33 Squadron) had to force-land and a second (274 Squadron) was damaged.
(b) Probably claimed in combat with Pilot Officer Ernest Mason of 274 Squadron, who returned safely claiming one CR.42.
(c) Blenheim L8538 of 45 Squadron shot down. The pilot Flight Lieutenant Paine baled out but rest of the crew was KIA.

Sources:
Personal letter from Furio Lauri
53^o Stormo - Marco Mattioli, 2010 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-84603-977-5
Aces High - Christopher Shores and Clive Williams, 1994 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-898697-00-0
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
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 366^a Squadriglia kindly provided by Ludovico Slongo.
Elenco Nominativo dei Militari dell’ A. M. Decorati al V. M. Durante it Periodo 1929 - 1945 1 Volume A - L
Fighters over Tunisia - Christopher F. Shores kindly provided by Con O'Neill
Hurricanes over Tobruk - Brian Cull with Don Minterne, 1999 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-902304-11-X
Regia Aeronautica vol. 2 1943-45 - Ferdinando D’Amico and Gabriele Valentini, 1986 Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton kindly provided by Jean Michel Cala
Storia Aeronautica Italiana
Stormi d'Italia – Giulio Lazzati, 1975 Mursia, Milan, ISBN 88-425-1946-4, kindly provided by Stefano Lazzaro. Additional information kindly provided by Jean Schadskaje, Ludovico Slongo and Gianmaria Spagnoletti.