30 July 1910 – 13 April 1938

Image kindly provided by Fulvio Chianese at GORIZIA ed il QUARTO STORMO.

Brunetto di Montegnacco was born on 30 July 1910 in Tricesimo (UD).

He took part in the Spanish Civil War where he served in the 1^a and 3^a Squadriglie of the I Gruppo C.T.

During his time in Spain he used the nom de guerre ”Antonio Romualdi”

During the air battles on 25-27 September 1936 he claimed his second victory.
Corrado Ricci credits him with a Loire 46C on 25 or 26 September.

On 21 October he claimed a ‘Blériot SPAD 510’ over Getafe.
Since no such aircraft served in the Spanish Civil War it was most probably claimed in combat wit a SPAD 51 or SPAD 91.

In spring 1937 XVI Gruppo ”Cucaracha” was formed and included 24^a (formerly 1^a), 25^a (formerly 2^a) and 26^a (formerly 3^a) Squadriglie.

26^a Squadriglia took part in the battles around Madrid, including the Battle of Jarama in February 1937, and the Battle of Guadaljara in March.

On 20 March 1937, he shot down an I-15 flown by the Guatemalan pilot Miguel Garcia Granados (“Manuel Gómez Garcia”) of the La Calle Escuadrilla.
During the day, La Calle’s squadron took part in the last aerial combat during the battle of Guadaljara. They took off in four patrols, led by Andrés García La Calle, Harold Dahl, Frank Tinker and Granados, and were soon involved with three bombers and twenty Fiats. Granados patrol was jumped by the Fiats, which had been patrolling in a higher altitude, and in the first hail of bullets Granados was shot down. Tinker gained his second victory, and from the two squadrons of fighters taking part five Fiats were destroyed.
Granados survived the crash but was wounded and captured.
Granados (1896-1968) was a former Colonel in the Guatemalan Air Force who had done a famous goodwill flight in 1929 from Washington DC to Guatemala. He had also served with the Paraguayan Air Force in the Gran Chaco War.

When the Nationalist attack on the Basque Country began in the end of March, XVI Gruppo was moved north and 26^a Squadriglia was stationed at Vitoria.
The 26^a Squadriglia was commanded by Capitano Mario Viola (”Viotti”) who led the 1st Flight of five aircraft (with reserve pilots) usually including Tenente Luigi Mariotti, Ottorinio Cappellini, Giannoti (”Vitullo”), Curilli, Sartori and Romagnoli.
The 2nd Flight was led by Tenente Corrado Ricci and usually included (with reserve pilots) Tenente Giuseppe Mollo, Sergente Maggiore Guido Presel (”Sanmartano”)(totally 13 victories during the Spanish Civil War), Brunetto di Montegnacco, Eugenio Salvi, Galadini, Bernardino Serafini and Virgilio Pongiluppi.

On 6 April, he claimed an I-15 flown by an eighteen-year-old Spanish pilot near Ochandiano, Vizcaya.

During the attack on the Basque town of Guernica on 26 April at least the 2nd Flight and possibly also the first provided escort to the German bombers when they left the target area in the afternoon and evening.

Di Montegnacco was the most successful Italian pilot during the Spanish Civil War with 14 victories.

During his career he was decorated with the Medaglia d’argento al Valore Militare and the Operazioni Militari Spagna.

When he returned from Spain he served in the 1^o Stormo.

He was killed on 13 April 1938 when he collided with another aircraft while practicing aerobatics over Ronchi dei Legionari.

At the time of his death di Montegnacco was credited with 14 victories, all of them claimed while flying Fiat CR.32s.

Claims:

Kill no.	Date	Number	Type	Result	Plane type	Serial no.	Locality	Unit
	1936
2	25-27/09/36	1	Enemy aircraft	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32			1a Squadriglia
?	21/10/36	1	Blériot SPAD 510 (a)	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32		Getafe	1a Squadriglia
	1937
?	20/03/37	1	I-15 (b)	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32		Guadalajara area	26a Squadriglia
?	06/04/37	1	I-15	Destroyed	Fiat CR.32		Ochandiano	26a Squadriglia

Biplane victories: 14 destroyed.
TOTAL: 14 destroyed.
(a) No such aircraft served in the Spanish Civil War it was most probably claimed in combat wit a SPAD 51 or SPAD 91.
(b) The Guatemalan pilot Miguel Garcia Granados (1896-1968) of the La Calle Escuadrilla.

Sources:
Aircraft of the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 – Gerald Howson, 1990 Putnam Aeronautical Books, London, ISBN 0-85177842-9
Air War over Spain - Jesus Salas Larrazabal, 1974 Ian Allan Ltd, Shepperton, Surrey, ISBN 0-7110-0521-4
Assi Italiani Della Caccia 1936-1945 - 1999 Aerofan no. 69 apr.-giu. 1999
Fiat CR.32 Aces of the Spanish Civil War - Alfredo Logoluso, 2010 Osprey Publishing, Oxford, ISBN 978-1-84603-983-6
GORIZIA ed il QUARTO STORMO
Mussolini’s Eagles Over Guernica, April 26,1937 - Paul Whelan and Tom Sarbaugh, 1989 Skyways Vol.12, October 1989
The Legion Condor - Karl Ries and Hans Ring, 1992 Schiffer Publishing
Additional info kindly provided by Alfredo Logoluso and Giovanni Massimello.