Marco Marinone was from Vercelli and was born on 31 August 1914.

On 2 June 1941, five Blenheims from Malta were out at midday after a convoy of six ships that had been sighted by a Sunderland. Two CR.42s and a Z.501 were seen over the convoy, but the Blenheims kept their distance until the Italian aircraft appeared to leave the area. Probably they ships’ crews assumed that the Blenheims were friendly since daylight attack by RAF had not yet become common.
At 14:45 the Blenheims attacked, but one went into the sea during the run-in. It seems this may have fallen to a pair of CR.42 pilots of the 70^a Squadriglia, 23^o Gruppo CT. Tenente Marco Marinone and Tenente Antonio Bizio reported seeing a lone Blenheim to the north-west of Lampedusa while they were escorting a convoy off the Italian coast, and they claimed this shot down between them. The attack by the other four Blenheims was successful. The steamer Montello, which was carrying ammunition, blew up and sank, whilst the Beatrice Costa, carrying a cargo of petrol in drums, caught fire. Her crew abandoned her, and her escort sent her to the bottom.

At 10:05 on 29 August 1942, eleven Kittyhawks from 2 SAAF Squadron and eleven Tomahawks from 5 SAAF Squadron patrolled the forward areas, meeting a reported ten plus Bf 109s and MC.202s.
The 2 SAAF Squadron claimed one fighter shot down and five damaged at 10:45 10-25 miles south-south-west of El Alamein when Lieutenant B. R. Bennetts (AL181/DB-W) claimed a MC.202, Lieutenant Lancelot Charles Henry Hope (EV351/DB-U) claimed a damaged Bf 109 and a damaged MC.202 (both 10 miles south-south-west of El Alamein), while Captain J. E. Parsonson (ET1019/DB-Q) and Lieutenant R. C. Hojem (ET9699/DB-I) each claimed a damaged MC.202. Lieutenant A. Morrison (EV366/DB-L) claimed a damaged Bf 109. Lieutenant Joseph Kourie (SAAF no. 104000) of the unit was shot down and killed in AK760/DB-K while Captain Parsonson returned with his Kittyhawk damaged with a bullet in the coolant system.
5 SAAF Squadron claimed two fighters and two probables at 11:00 south of El Alamein when Second Lieutenant H. Smith (AN238/GL-O) claimed a MC.202 (12 miles south of El Alamein), Lieutenant J. V: Lindebergh (AN446/GL-V) a Bf 109 and Captain E. N. Colman (AN366/GL-N) and Major L. B. Pearce (AN231/GL-X) claimed a probable Bf 109 each. Pearce aircraft was damaged in this combat.
No Luftwaffe aircraft seems to have been in the air at this occasion, but they had clashed with eleven MC.202s from the 23^o Gruppo, which scrambled at 09:15 to intercept and identify eleven P-40s. During the following combat at 09:50, the Italian pilots claimed five SAAF aircraft and one probable. One was claimed by Maggiore Luigi Filippi (CO 23^o Gruppo), one by Capitano Claudio Solaro (CO 70^a Squadriglia), two by Sottentente Pietro Farinetti (75^a Squadriglia) and one by Sergente Luigi Bandini (70^a Squadriglia). One P-40 was claimed as a shared probable by Capitano Solaro, Sergente Bandini and Tenente Marinone (70^a Squadriglia). Sottotenente Farinetti (MM8385) was shot down and killed and a second MC.202 was written-off when Sottotenente Giuseppe Spinelli-Barrile (70^a Squadriglia) force-landed wounded with MM9048 within Axis lines. Sergente Aldo Bianchini (75^a Squadriglia) crash-landed wounded with his damaged fighter (MM8371) at Abu Haggag while Sottotenente Giuseppe Melandri (70^a Squadriglia) damaged MM8117 when landing at Tamet (pilot safe).

At 06:10 on 1 September, two formations of the 23^o Gruppo Macchis, the first of eight led by Maggiore Luigi Filippi, and the second of ten led by Capitano Claudio Solaro, took off to provide cover for the ground troops south-east of El Adem.
At 07:15, Maggiore Filippi and his pilots spotted 24 Bostons south-east of El Alamein and attacked their escorts, claiming two P-40s shot down. These being claimed by Filippi and Capitano Mario Pinna (CO 75^a Squadriglia).
Almost at the same time Capitano Solaro’s pilots joined the attack, claiming two fighters; Maresciallo Balilla Albani (70^a Squadriglia) claiming a P-40 and Sergente Maggiore Celso Zemella (70^a Squadriglia) claiming a Spitfire. Tenente Marinone (70^a Squadriglia) claimed a probable P-40 but was then hit and he force-landed near El Alamein, within Axis line, badly damaging MC.202 MM9060/70-11 but escaping unhurt himself. The Italian fighters landed again at 07:40.

23^o Gruppo flew a mission between 09:05-10:00 on 23 October meeting P-40s north of El Daba. Tenente Marinone (70^a Squadriglia) claimed one damaged, Capitano Claudio Solaro (70^a Squadriglia) claimed two damaged, Sergente Maggiore Celso Zemella (70^a Squadriglia) claimed one damaged, Tenente Giorgio Solaroli (74^a Squadriglia) claimed one probable and Maresciallo Gino Giannelli (75^a Squadriglia) claimed one destroyed.

Six 66th Squadron P-40Fs strafed LG.68 soon after midday (12:20-13:55) on 27 October, diving on the airfield from 550 meters. One Italian fighter was claimed destroyed on the ground in flames by Captain Raymond Llewellyn (P-40F #71), while Lieutenant Albert Zipser claimed a second and 2nd Lieutenant Thomas Williams a third. As they returned to base, the American pilots encountered MC.202s, Captain Llewellyn claiming one of these probably destroyed 20km south of LG.68, but two Warhawks suffered slight damage.
Seven MC.202s of the 23^o Gruppo, led by Capitano Giorgio Tugnoli (74^a Squadriglia), were scrambled from Abu Haggag at 11:45 to intercept an enemy formation; near E1 Alamein they engaged a number of P-40s claiming one shot down and three probables. One P-40 was claimed as a shared between Tenente Ezio Monti (75^a Squadriglia) and Sergente Maggiore Felice Papini (74^a Squadriglia). The probables were claimed by Tenente Marinone (70^a Squadriglia), Sottotenente Giuseppe Melandri (70^a Squadriglia) and Sergente Vannetto Cavicchioli (75^a Squadriglia). The fighters from the 23^o Gruppo landed again at 12:45.

Marione was killed on 30 January 1944.

At the time of his death, Marinone was credited with 1 shared biplane victory.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Time	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1941
	02/06/41	14:45	1/2	Blenheim (a)	Shared destroyed	Fiat CR.42		NW Lampedusa	70a Squadriglia
	1942
	29/08/42	09:50	1/3	P-40 (b)	Shared probably destroyed	MC.202		SE Bir el Mukheisin	70a Squadriglia
	01/09/42	06:10-07:40	1	P-40	Probably destroyed	MC.202	MM9060/70-11	SE El Alamein	70a Squadriglia
	23/10/42	09:05-10:00	1	P-40	Damaged	MC.202		N El Daba	70a Squadriglia
	27/10/42	11:45-12:45	1	P-40 (c)	Damaged	MC.202		near El Alamein	70a Squadriglia

Biplane victories: 1 shared destroyed.
TOTAL: 1 shared destroyed, 2 and 1 shared probably destroyed, 1 damaged.
(a) This claim can’t be verified with RAF records.
(b) Claimed in combat with Kittyhawks from 2 SAAF Squadron and Tomahawks from 5 SAAF Squadron, which totally claimed 3 fighters, 2 probables and 5 damaged while losing 1 fighter and getting 2 damaged. 23^o Gruppo claimed 5 P-40s and 1 probable while losing 3 MC.202 (1 pilot KIA) and 1 damaged.
(c) Possibly claimed in combat with P-40Fs from 66th FS, which claimed 1 MC.202 as a probable while getting 2 P-40Fs slightly damaged. The 23^o Gruppo claimed 1 destroyed P-40 and 3 probables without losses.

Sources:
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
Elenco Nominativo dei Militari dell’ A. M. Decorati al V. M. Durante it Periodo 1929 - 1945 2 Volume M - Z
Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940-41 - Christopher Shores, Brian Cull and Nicola Malizia, 1987 Grub Street, London
Additional information kindly provided by Stefano Lazzaro.