Italy
Maresciallo Vincenzo Joseph Patriarca
Italy
Maresciallo Vincenzo Joseph Patriarca
Photo kindly provided by GORIZIA ed il QUARTO STORMO.
Vincent Joseph Patriarca was born in 1914 in New York from Italian parents and was a neutralised American citizen.
He went to Italy to learn the business of flying and enlisted in the Regia Aeronautica.
He took part in the war in Ethiopia and in the Spanish Civil War.
In Spain he used the Nom de Guerre 'Vincenzo Bocolare'.
At dawn on 11 September 1936, 1a Squadriglia took off from Caceres with the orders to intercept Republican aircraft in the Talavera area.
Here three CR.32 led by Captain Vincenzo Dequal and with Giuseppe Avvico and Patriarca intercepted Breguet XIXs escorted by some Nieuport NiD.52s. Dequal and Avvico each claim one Breguet while Patriarca claimed one of the Nieuports. Francisco Portillo Ortega flew the Breuget claimed by Dequal while Carlos Colom Moliner, who was killed, flew the Nieuport claimed by Patriarca.
On 13 September, a Nationalist patrol, including Sergente GianLino Baschirotto, Sergente Patriarca and the Spanish Captain Joaquín García-Morato, intercepted a formation of Republican Breuget XIXs escorted by Nieuport Delage Ni.52s and Dewoitine D.371s over Madrid.
Baschirotto quickly shot one of the Ni.52s down. The pilot of this aircraft, a Carlos Colomb, managed to parachute to safety unseen by Baschirotto (Colomb was killed in a collision with another CR.32 on 17 September 1936).
Patriarca, meanwhile, got involved in combat with a second Ni.52 with which he collided. The Republican pilot, Felix Urtubi Ercilla (a former Nationalist pilot) of the 2 Escuadrilla Lafayette, was killed but Patriarca managed to parachute. As soon as he landed he was captured by Republican troops and was only saved from a summary execution by showing his American passport.
He was later trailed and sentenced to death. Because of the uproar occasioned by the capture of an American citizen, the US State Department successfully applied pressure to the Republican government and Patriarca was released and sent back to the U.S. in November 1936.
He later returned to Italy and reportedly re-entered Spain late in 1937.
After the Spanish Civil War he returned to Italy and joined the Regia Aeronautica.
In November 1940 a night-fighter flight was formed under 356o Squadriglia based at Capodichino, Naples, and equipped with Fiat CR.42s.
During the night between 5th and 6th December 1941 twenty Wellingtons from 40 and 104 Squadrons attacked the Royal Arsenal at Naples. Maresciallo Patriarca from 356a Squadriglia, 21o Gruppo took off from Capodichino airfield to intercept the incoming bombers. At 21:35 he spotted Wellington R1066 of 40 Squadron, flown by Pilot Officer D. F. Hutt, and engaged it in a long fight, firing 408 rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition before he finally shot it down. Two members of the Wellington crew baled out near the port, Hutt included, but four others were killed.
Patriarca landed at Capua almost out of fuel, and with the tail of his fighter damaged by return fire.
Later in the war he flew Macchi MC.200s.
Patriarca ended the war with 3 biplane victories.
He continued to serve in the Italian Air Force after the war during which he flew P-51s and Vampires during the 1950’s.
He passed away in Naples during the Christmas of 1995.
Claims:
| Kill no. | Date | Number | Type | Result | Plane type | Serial no. | Locality | Unit |
| 1936 | ||||||||
| 1 | 11/09/36 | 1 | Nieuport Delage 52 (a) | Destroyed | Fiat CR.32 | Talavera area | 1a Squadriglia | |
| 2 | 13/09/36 | 1 | Nieuport Delage 52 (b) | Destroyed | Fiat CR.32 | Madrid area | 1a Squadriglia | |
| 1940 | ||||||||
| 3 | 05/12/41 | 1 | Wellington (c) | Destroyed | Fiat CR.42 | Naples area | 356a Squadriglia |
Biplane victories: 3 destroyed.
TOTAL: 3 destroyed.
(a) The pilot, Carlos Colom Moliner, was killed.
(b) Claimed in a collision with Felix Urtubi Ercilla of the 2 Escuadrilla Lafayette.
(c) Wellington R1066 of 40 Squadron shot down. The pilot Pilot Officer D. F. Hutt and one other of the crew parachuted safely but four other were killed.
Sources:
Courage Alone - Chris Dunning, 1998 Hikoki Publications, Aldershot, ISBN 1-902109-02-3
Due Volte Asso - Giovanni Massimello, 1997 Storia Militare Nr. 49 Ottobre 1997 kindly provided by Massimo Cappone
GORIZIA ed il QUARTO STORMO
La caccia notturna Italiana 1940-1942 - Giancarlo Garello, 1996 Aerofan nr. 57 apr-giu 1996 kindly provided by Jean Michel Cala
Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940-41 - Christopher Shores and Brian Cull with Nicola Malizia, 1987 Grub Street, London, ISBN 0-89747-207-1
The Legion Condor - Karl Ries and Hans Ring, 1992 Schiffer Publishing, ISBN 0-88740-339-5
