Italy
Sergente Maggiore Enzo Omiccioli Medaglia d’oro al valor militare
Italy
Sergente Maggiore Enzo Omiccioli Medaglia d’oro al valor militare
| Year Gazetted | Decoration | Note |
| 03/02/41 | Medaglia d'oro al valor militare (Posthumous) | 1940-43 |
| 1941 | Medaglia d’argento al valor militare (Posthumous) | 1940-43 |
Enzo Omiccioli was born in Fano (PU) on 1 June 1915.
In the beginning of the East African campaign of 1940-41 he served with the 410a Squadriglia, equipped with Fiat CR.32s.
When the war started in East Africa on 10 June 1940, the 410a Squadriglia was equipped with nine Fiat CR.32s and based at Diredawa. Pilots in the unit were Colonnello Mario Pezzi, Capitano Corrado Ricci, Tennete Elio Pesce, Sottotenente Vincenzo Forcheri, Sottotenente Alberto Veronese, Sottotenente Osvaldo Bartolozzi, Sergente Maggiore Antonio Giardinà, Sergente Maggiore Enzo Omiccioli, Sergente Maggiore Alberto Puliti, Sergente Maggiore Athos Tieghi, Sergente Giovanni Tellurio and Sergente Ugo Zoino.
On 15 June, he intercepted a Blenheim from 39 Squadron over Diredawa, but no result was claimed. One of the gunners, Lance Corporal Ford, in one of the three attacking Blenheims claimed to have shot down a CR.42. But since no such aircraft were at Diredawa at this time it was probably claimed against Omiccioli, who’s aircraft didn’t sustain any damage.
In July he was on a brief attachment to the 411a Squadriglia.
On 11 July, four Hawker Hartbeestes of 40 SAAF Squadron made an attack around Moyale. There they encountered three Ca.133s, these being from the 66a Squadriglia at Yavello, escorted by three CR.32s of the 411a Squadriglia, all intent upon attacking British troops in the area (the South Africans reported that they met five Capronis and six Fiats). The fighters attacked the South African aircraft, and 23-year-old Lieutenant Neville Keith Rankin (SAAF No. 102766) was last seen in a tight spin with one Fiat on the tail of his aircraft; he and his gunner, Air Sergeant Dennis Haig Hughes (SAAF No. 47935), were both killed. Lieutenant L. H. G. Shuttelworth’s aircraft was also hit, and he jettisoned his bombs, making good his escape. Lieutenant Jubber’s aircraft was damaged to a lesser extent, and after evading his attacker, he carried out his attack, but then ran out of fuel and had to make a force-landing. Fuel was flown up to him next day.
The Italians reported meeting five aircraft and claimed to have probably shot down two of them, both being claimed by Sergente Maggiore Omiciolli. Both claims were later upgraded to destroyed.
He then returned to the 410a Squadriglia.
On 10 August, Sottotenente Alberto Veronese and Sergente Maggiore Omiccioli was credited with one Blenheim destroyed each.
These was possibly claimed in combat with three Blenheims (L8504, L6648 and L8435) from 8 Squadron, which dive-bombed Italian troops in the Tug Argan area in the morning during a mission between 07:55-11:10. They reported that a CR.42 made a frontal attack and damaged one Blenheim.
He was then loaned to the 412a Squadriglia, equipped with CR.42s.
With this unit, he claimed two enemy aircraft over the Northern Front and took part in many ground strafing missions.
On 27 December, a formation of six CR.42s, led by Tenente Niso Provinciali and composed, among others, of Sottotenente Fiorindo Rosmino, Sottotenente Filippo Sola and Sergente Maggiore Omiccioli (the last two detached from the 413a Squadriglia), took off at dawn from Góndar to carry out a raid on Gedáref. The Italian fighters were spotted promptly, and at 06:20 Gladiators scrambled from 'Azaza with Captain Gerald Le Mesurier, Lieutenants Leonard le Clues Theron, Thomas Condon, E. A. Jarvis and H. P. Smith.
North of Gedáref, at an altitude of 2400 meters, the South African pilots sighted and attacked the two covering CR.42s flown by Sottotenente Sola and Sergente Maggiore Omiccioli. After a few manoeuvres, one of the CR.42s crossed in front of Captain Le Mesurier, whose guns jammed. The two CR.42s split up with Lieutenants Condon and Jarvis chasing after Sola, firing at his fighter (MM6987 in charge of the 413a Squadriglia) repeatedly until they saw the aircraft crash 8 kilometres east of Gedáref. Omiccioli was instead pursued by Lieutenant Theron, who, however, came too close to his wake, so much so that the Gladiator became unstable. Omiccioli immediately took advantage of this and managed to escape his pursuer by diving.
The other CR.42s, meanwhile, machine-gunned a train stopped at the Gedáref station, some cavalry units and, on the way back, set fire to four trucks on their way from Gedáref to Showàk.
Antonio Raffi account differs in some details from the official reports, but in any case it is an interesting account of what happened:
“I had moved back to Gura, in squadron command, and the Gondar section remained under the command of Tenente Provinciali, who in those days with 6 CR.42 made an offensive reconnaissance in Upper Sudan. Towards noon, having reached the Gedaref vertical at 6000 metres, with reduced engines, they spotted some activity on the field of Gedaref and its surroundings. As they descended, they machine-gunned a Wellesley on the field and found an Indian cavalry regiment exercising nearby, causing considerable damage (by the way, this episode was confirmed to me by some Indian soldiers when I was captured prisoner in the hospital at Dessiè where I had been admitted for purulent dysentery). Then, continuing the action, they machine-gunned an ammunition train stopped at the Gedaref station, which blew up, then they spotted in the bush opposite a row of tankers, to be precise three with two trailers each, which they set on fire. At that moment, the low-altitude machine guns were attacked by Glosters. In the ensuing fight, we lost one aircraft, but my pilots reported three Glosters shot down, which were given as probable.”Bulletin No. 201 claimed the shooting down of two Gladiators, while two others are reported to have crashed without being able to ascertain their fate and the fifth was seen to escape. Tenente Rosmino, on the other hand, referring to this combat, noted in his post-war reconstructed flight logbook of four aircraft shot down in collaboration. The Bulletin gives a very different version of the event from the British one, claiming that the entire Italian formation attacked the Glosters, then machine-gunned them on the ground after having eliminated or put them to flight. The two alleged victories would have been achieved by Omiccioli, who would write to his fiancée:
“I am proud to announce a new air victory, on 27 December we raided an enemy airfield in the Anglo-Swiss Sudan, in com-bat we shot down four Gloster Gladiator type aircraft, two of which were charged to me, one on fire, the other forced to land. This brought the number up to seven.”As for Sottotenente Sola, the Italians didn’t immediately declared his loss: the other pilots claimed to have last seen his ”aircraft in flight difficulty due to decreased speed after action” and were unable to specify whether he ”made use of his parachute or landed”. The pilot was only declared missing after his failure to return and Filippo “Pippo” Sola was not officially declared dead until 28 April 1953. 24-years-old Sola, from Bologna, had arrived in the AOI with the 409a Squadriglia, and had then probably been transferred to the 414a Squadriglia and after the dissolution of the latter unit to the 413a Squadriglia.
On 3 February six Gladiators from 1 SAAF Squadron flew forward to a new landing strip called ‘Pretoria’ early in the morning where they refuelled. Five of them (Captain Brian Boyle (N5824), Lieutenant Andrew Duncan, Lieutenant Robin Pare, Lieutenant Servaas de K. Viljoen and Lieutenant H. P. Smith) took off again at 11:45 to strafe airfields in the Gondar area, to the south. A landing site was spotted to the south of Azozo on which five Ca.133s were bombed up. The Gladiators attacked and claimed all five in flames. The Italians reported only one as actually destroyed in this attack.
Seeing CR.42s scrambling from Azozo, they flew over to investigate and Boyle, Pare, Viljoen and Smith claimed a shared damaged S.81 on the ground there when they reported that they had shot the wing off it while Lieutenant Duncan chased after a CR.42. The Gladiators were then attacked by Fiats and a big dogfight began. In the combat Captain Boyle claimed a Fiat shot down. Boyle reported that his claim was made towards the end of the dogfight and he was so close to the Fiat that he saw the enemy pilot clearly as he tried to bale out before crashing into the mountains.
Sergente Maggiore Enzo Omiccioli was shot down and killed in this combat. Reportedly he had scrambled alone.
The Gladiators then carried out a reconnaissance in the area, looking for reported Italian movements. On return, Lieutenant Smith crashed on landing at Azaza when starboard tyre burst and the aircraft slewed onto its side while Boyle suffered a flat tyre from the fight.
Enzo Omiccioli in the cockpit of a Fiat CR.32.
A calm, brave man, Omiccioli was greatly liked and respected by all, and his CO had been about to recommend him for commission when he was killed.
He was posthumously awarded Italy’s highest decoration for valour, the Medaglia d’oro al valor militare (Gold Medal).
At the time of his death, Omiccioli had a total of 5 victories, all of the claimed while flying biplanes.
Fiat CR.32 at Dire Daua, Ethiopia, October 1940. A very rare image of a CR.32 Quater of 411a Squadriglia. This unit was one of the only five Squadriglie of fighters (for a total of 42 aircraft) based in the Italian territories of Eastern Africa (Africa Orientale Italiana). The picture was taken during that short conflict (ended by November 1941), as the plane does not show the white square with black cross marking was carried by Italian planes after surrender, as per British request.
© Archive D'Amico-Valentini
Picture kindly provided by Ferdinando D'Amico.
Click on the image to see it in full size.
Claims:
| Kill no. | Date | Time | Number | Type | Result | Plane type | Serial no. | Locality | Unit |
| 1940 | |||||||||
| 1 | 11/07/40 | 1 | Hartbeeste (a) | Destroyed | Fiat CR.32 | Moyale area | 411a Squadriglia | ||
| 2 | 11/07/40 | 1 | Hartbeeste (a) | Destroyed | Fiat CR.32 | Moyale area | 411a Squadriglia | ||
| 3 | 10/08/40 | 07:55-11:10 | 1 | Blenheim (b) | Destroyed | Fiat CR.32 | Tug Argan area | 410a Squadriglia | |
| 4 | 27/12/40 | 06:20- | 1 | Gladiator (c) | Destroyed | Fiat CR.42 | Gedáref area | 413a Squadriglia | |
| 5 | 27/12/40 | 06:20- | 1 | Gladiator (c) | Destroyed | Fiat CR.42 | Gedáref area | 413a Squadriglia |
Sources:
Dust Clouds in the Middle East - Christopher Shores, 1996 Grub Street, London, ISBN 1-898697-37-X
Elenco Nominativo dei Militari dell’ A. M. Decorati al V. M. Durante it Periodo 1929 - 1945 2 Volume M - Z
Gli Assi Italiani Della Regia Aeronautica - Givanni Massimello, 2023 Difesa Servizi SpA Edizioni Rivista
Gloster Gladiator Home Page - Alexander Crawford.
I Cavalieri Erranti - Ludovico Slongo, Stefan Lazzaro, Eugenio Eusebi, Michele Palermo and Danilo Ventura, 2023, ISBN 978-88-87952-37-7
Springbok Fighter Victory: East Africa Volume 1 1940 – 1941 – Michael Shoeman, 2002 African Aviation Series No. 11, Freeworld Publications CC, ISBN 0-958-4388-5-4
Storia Aeronautica Italiana
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Additional information kindly provided by Alberto Casirati, Stefano Lazzaro and Mirek Wawrzynski.
