Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Chianti Raiders The Extraordinary Story of the in the by Pet . Luigi Gorrini , MOVM, (born 12 ) is a former Italian World War II fighter pilot in the and in the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana. During the conflict he flew with the (CAI, Italian Air Corps) during the Battle of Britain, fought over and Tunisia, and was involved in the defence of the Italian mainland. Gorrini was credited with 19 (24 according to some sources) enemy planes shot down plus 9 damaged, of several types: Curtiss P-40, Spitfire, P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt, B-17 "Flying Fortress" and B-24 Liberator. He claimed his air victories flying the Fiat C.R.42 and monoplanes Macchi C.202 and C.205 Veltro . Gorrini was the top scoring C.205 pilot. With the Veltro he shot down 14 enemy planes and damaged six more. [1] He is the highest ranking Italian ace still alive today, and the only surviving fighter pilot awarded the Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare (Gold Medal of Military Valor). [2] Contents. North Africa and Greece [ edit | edit source ] Mk 1, North Africa - The first aircraft shot down by Gorrini was one of the first Bristol Beaufighters arrived in North Africa. Gorrini came to North Africa as a member of 85 a Squadriglia of 18° Gruppo C.T. . He shot down his first aircraft on 16 April 1941, over Derna, in Cyrenaica, Libya. [3] A Fiat CR.42 in Regia Aeronautica service. Flying this nimble biplane, Gorrini scored his first victory on on 16 April 1941, over Derna, in Cyrenaica, Libya, shooting down a Bristol Beaufighter and damaging another. Flying a Fiat C.R.42, he attacked two of the first Bristol Beaufighters, just arrived in the Mediterranean Theater. He shot down one and damaged the other, shooting 1,100 rounds. On 29 May, Gorrini intercepted two Blenheim over . He shot down one that fell just outside the city, and shot all the remaining rounds at the other Blenheims that managed to escape. [4] Repatriated with his unit, he was trained to fly the new monoplane fighters, the Fiat G.50 and Macchi C.200. During winter 1941-42 he escorted convoys between and Greece. Then during the winter retreat, 1942–43, flying a Macchi C. 202 he shot down a Curtiss P-40 west of , on 3 January 1943. Nine days later, escorting with other pilots from 3° Stormo C. 200 fighter-bombers in action on British airfields in Uadi Tamet area, Gorrini shot down a 92 RAF Squadron Spitfire and he damaged another from the squadron of the British ace Flying Officer Neville Duke. [4] [5] "At last, with the Macchi 202 we had a competitive plane. But when they threw over us, during Allied offensive, a whole host of P-40 and Spitfire, even this machine could not do that much. The Spit was a "very hard bone". It carried a lot of machine guns, plus two 20 mm cannons and it was faster. The 202 was inferior in speed and armament". [6] He returned to Italy in late March 1943. Initially grounded due to an irritating eye injury, Gorrini quickly made up for lost time. [7] Defence of [ edit | edit source ] Later Gorrini served as a ferry pilot to transfer captured French Dewoitine D.520 fighters from to Italy, for Italian home defence. "I have collected several dozens Dewoitine from various French airfields and the Toulouse factory", he recalled later. "At the time, when we were still flying the Macchi C.200, it was a good, if not very good, machine. Compared to the Macchi 200, it was superior only in one point - its armament of the Hispano-Suiza HS 404 20mm cannon." [8] Gorrini, who had, by February 1943 achieved four confirmed victories and one unconfirmed, was given, at the beginning of summer 1943, [9] one of the three Macchi C.205 "Veltro" assigned to the 3° Stormo as a special favour (the other two were allotted to the ace Tenente Bisleri and to Maresciallo Guido Fibbia). During Summer 1943, in defence of Italy, he claimed 11 enemy aircraft. [10] Regia Aeronautica C.205V - Luigi Gorrini was the "Veltro" top scoring ace. Flying this outstanding dog-fighter, he destroyed 14 Allied aircraft and damaged six more - Here a C.205 with a North Africa dust filter. On 19 July, during a single sortie west of Rome, Gorrini destroyed a four-engined Consolidated B-24 Liberator and a Lockheed P-38 Lightning (another P-38 was damaged). Next day, he claimed another P-38 destroyed and a P-38 damaged. On 25 July, Benito Mussolini had been overthrown, but this had no decisive effect on the morale of the Regia Aeronautica. Gorrini recalled: "After 25 July, despite the arrest of Mussolini, the morale of my unit, 85 a Squadriglia and my personal readiness for action remained high. Despite all the reverses that Italy had suffered by the time, our 3° Stormo was the only one still fully ready for combat: my section was detailed to defend Rome. The larger part of the Regia Aeronautica was uninterested in politic or parties, they were men infatuated with flying and determined to defend the land of their birth and to give their lives if necessary in the attempt to stop the bombing of Italian towns." [11] On 13 August, Gorrini claimed a B-24 off the coast at Ostia, in the Lazio region, but he was also shot down by defensive fire from the bomber, bailing out safely. He claimed a Spitfire on 26 August. The next day, the whole Stormo scrambled to intercept four-engine bombers, which were attacking , on Latium coast, in central Italy. Gorrini, still flying a Veltro , shot down two Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and a Lockheed P-38 Lightning, in a single engagement [12] (according to other sources, Gorrini claimed two B-24s). One wing of his C.205 was damaged after an overheating cannon muzzle exploded. After running out of gasoline, he glided back to his base for a powerless landing. On 29 August, he claimed two P-38s destroyed and two more damaged. P-38s flying in formation - Gorrini scored several kills against this two-engined fighter, during the Defence of Rome, in summer 1943. On 30 August, Gorrini claimed another B-17 "Flying Fortress" over Frascati and the same day he was mentioned on Bollettino di Guerra : "Sergente Maggiore Luigi Gorrini da Alseno () of 3o Stormo Caccia has distinguished himself during the aerial battles of the 27th and 29th, during which he has shot down two four-engined bombers and a twin-engined fighter." On 31 August, 85a Squadriglia with Gorrini in a C.205V, took off from Palidoro airfield (Rome) at 12.00, flying in the direction of to engage enemy bombers. At 8,500 meters the Squadriglia clashed with escorting Spitfires with 85 a claiming three Spitfires destroyed and five damaged during this combat. Gorrini shot down one Spitfire (his 15th air victory) and damaged a P-38, but his aircraft was badly hit by machine gun fire and he made a forced landing away from his airfield at 12.50. Gorrini was seriously wounded and hospitalised. He was out of the fighting when Italy surrendered to the Allies on 8 September 1943. During three years of combat service, Luigi Gorrini had been involved in 132 air battles, was credited with 15 confirmed air victories, had been wounded twice, crash-landed and baled out once, had been mentioned on dispatches several times, awarded two times. [4] [13] Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana [ edit | edit source ] Republic P-47 in formation: under ANR insignia, Gorrini claimed several P-47s before being shot down and wounded in a with Republic fighters. On 12 October 1943, the legendary Lt Col Ernesto Botto (who had lost a leg while serving as a fighter pilot in Spain, but had continued to fly operationally during 1940-43), the newly appointed Undersecretary of the New Republican Air Force, appealed over the radio for airmen to enlist, and Gorrini, together with 6,996 others, did not hesitate to rejoin in combat against the Anglo-American forces: "After flying for three years side by side with the German pilots, on the English Channel, in North Africa, Greece, Egypt, Tunisia and finally over my own homeland, I had made friends with some of them, particularly from JG27… I did not want to hang my coat in the wind, so to speak, and perhaps fire on my German friends. Also, I wanted to protect the northern Italian towns from indiscriminate bombing as much as possible." [14] On 23 December 1943, Gorrini joined the Italiana Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR) where he was assigned to 1a Squadriglia, 1o Gruppo and continued to fly MC.205 fighters. At this time this unit was under the command of "ace" Capitano and based at Lagnasco airfield (Cuneo). On this day Gorrini flew in a C.205V at 10.15 and was declared fit for combat. He claimed a P-47 on 30 January 1944, followed by a P-38 the next day. A Fiat G.55 with ANR livery exhibited at the Museo storico dell'Aeronautica Militare di Vigna di Valle . Gorrini flew this outstanding dogfighter under ANR insigna. A B-17 was claimed on 11 March and another P-47 on 6 April thus reaching 19 victories. On 25 May he claimed a B-17 damaged. But on 15 June 1944 he was again shot down during a dogfight with P-47 Thunderbolts and seriously wounded. During his time with the A.N.R. he flew in combat with the Macchi C.205V and Fiat G.55. [15] He did not fly again during World War II. Gorrini was shot down four times and wounded twice during the war. Postwar [ edit | edit source ] After the war, Gorrini enlisted in the newly formed Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana), but he was kept in the rank of warrant-officer. He was promoted Tenente only when he retired. [4] [13] Corpo Aereo Italiano. The " Italian Air Corps " ( Corpo Aereo Italiano , or CAI ) was an expeditionary force of the Italian Royal Air Force ( Regia Aeronautica ) that participated in the Battle of Britain during the final months of 1940 during World War II. The CAI supported the German Air Force ( Luftwaffe ) and flew against the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The CAI achieved limited success during its brief existence. In general, the corps was hampered by the inadequacy of its equipment. Contents. Formation [ edit | edit source ] Italian dictator Benito Mussolini insisted on providing an element of the Italian Royal Air Force ( Regia Aeronautica ) to assist his German ally during the Battle of Britain. On 10 September 1940, the CAI was formed, under the formal aegis of the 1a Squadra Aerea di Milano ("First '' Air Command"). Air Marshal ( Generale sa ) Rino Corso-Fougier was appointed Air Officer Commanding. Aircraft [ edit | edit source ] of 18° Gruppo, 56° Stormo. The Italian CR.42 was a manoeuvrable and fast biplane fighter. Despite its good manoeuvrability and speed (440+ km/h) it was technically outclassed by the faster Hurricane and Spitfire of the British Royal Air Force. of 20° Gruppo, 56° Stormo. The Italian G.50 monoplane fighter was restricted by its range of 400 miles (640 km) (roughly the same as that of Bf 109E models used by the Luftwaffe ) and the lack of a radio unit in most participating aircraft. bombers of 13° and 43° Stormo. The Italian BR.20 was a twin engined bomber capable of carrying 1600 kg (3,528 lb) of bombs. Supporting aircraft included five CANT Z.1007 used for reconnaissance and Caproni Ca.133 transport planes. On 25 September, the bombers arrived at their airfield in Melsbroek, Belgium after an eventful journey which saw several planes force land or even crash due to malfunctions and poor weather. The fighter element arrived later at Ursel, also in Belgium. Operations [ edit | edit source ] Fiat BR.20M MM.22267 of 242 a squadriglia on the airfield. This particular plane was shot down on 11 November 1940. On the night of 24 October 1940, the CAI conducted its first raid, when eighteen BR.20s took off to attack Harwich and Felixstowe. Not all aircraft found their targets and three were lost in accidents or after becoming lost. The next major operation of the CAI was on 29 October. This date is regarded by some historians as the last day of the Battle of Britain. In response to a raid on several northern Italian cities, fifteen BR.20s with a strong fighter escort bombed Ramsgate by day. The Italian bombers were sighted crossing Kent at a relatively low level. The bombers flew in formation, wing tip to wing tip. The open-cockpit, fixed-undercarriage fighter escorts accompanied them in a similar immaculate order. The Italian aircraft were painted pale green and bright blue. This was camouflage more suitable for a more exotic climate than that found in Britain in late October. [1] Five Italian aircraft suffered damage due to flak. At least one of the bombers was seen at 16:40 hours in Deal, Kent that afternoon, some fourteen miles from Ramsgate and dropped three HE bombs, one just outside the Officers' Mess at the Royal Marines Depot, killing Second Lieutenant Nelson, four Marines, and one Private from the King's Shropshire Light Infantry. All but one were buried together in the Hamilton Road Cemetery, Deal, Kent. The next few days saw several small raids. On 11 November 1940, the day before the battle fleet of the Italian Royal Navy ( Regia Marina Italia ) was attacked at Taranto, the CAI saw its first major combat against the RAF. Ten bombers were escorted by forty-two CR.42s, the G.50s, and some German Messerschmitt Bf 109s assigned to them. The mission was aborted due to bad weather. However, Hurricanes from 257, 46, and 17 Squadrons intercepted the aircraft and destroyed three bombers and three fighters. In addition, four bombers eventually force landed, two fighters were destroyed on landing, and another eight fighters landed with damage. British losses were two fighters damaged. One of the Fiats was repaired by the British and subsequently evaluated. Of the Italian fighter aircraft, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill later wrote, "They might have found better employment defending the fleet at Taranto." [2] Fighter to fighter combat was no more successful for the CAI. On 23 November, the Italian were "bounced" by Spitfire Mk.IIs and two were shot down by Archibald Winskill [3] with several others damaged, in return for one Spitfire damaged. Further bombing raids were carried out by the CAI, mainly on the Ipswich and Harwich areas. Redeployment [ edit | edit source ] Near the beginning of January 1941, all of the bombers and biplanes were redeployed. This left the CAI with only the Fiat G.50s, which remained until mid-April 1941, when they too were redeployed. Impact [ edit | edit source ] The first operation by the CAI was on 28 October. As late as 4 November, a Time magazine article only indicated that there was a possibility that an Italian air force unit might be sent to participate in the Battle of Britain. [4] Biplane versus monoplane [ edit | edit source ] Although the main fighter used by the Corpo Aereo Italiano was a biplane, which, in purely technical terms, would be outclassed by more modern monoplanes, this was not the case all the time. On 11 and 23 November 1940, CR.42s flew two raids against Great Britain as part of the Corpo Aereo Italiano . Although the German Luftwaffe aircraft had difficulty flying in formation with the slower biplanes, the Falcos , though slower, and with an open cockpit, no radio, and armed with only two machine guns (a 12.7 mm/.5 in and a 7.7 mm/.303 in Breda-SAFAT), could easily out- turn Hurricanes and Spitfires, making them difficult to hit. "The CR 42 turned to fight using all the aeroplane's manoeuvrability. The pilot could get on my tail in a single turn, so tightly was he able to pull round." [5] As the RAF intelligence report stated, the Falcos were hard targets. "As I fired he half rolled very tightly and I was completely unable to hold him, so rapid were his manoeuvres. I attacked two or three more and fired short bursts, in each case the enemy aircraft half-rolled very tightly and easily and completely out-turned me. In two cases as they came out of their rolls, they were able to turn in almost on my tail and opened fire on me." [6] Against British monoplanes, the CR.42s were not always outclassed. "I engaged one of the British fighters from a range of between 40 to 50 metres (130–165 ft). Then I saw a Spitfire, which was chasing another CR.42, and I got in a shot at a range of 150 metres (500 ft). I realised that in a manoeuvered flight, the CR.42 could win or survive against Hurricanes and Spitfires, though we had to be careful of a sweep from behind. In my opinion, the English .303 bullet was not very effective. Italian aircraft received many hits which did no material damage and one pilot even found that his parachute pack had stopped a bullet." [7] The Chianti Raiders: The Extraordinary Story of the Italian Air Force in the Battle of Britain by Peter Haining. At the Front (WWII Reproduction Vendor) Hiki Shop (WWII Reproduction Vendor) The History Bunker (WWII Reproduction Vendor) Man the Line (WWII Reproduction Vendor) Para Bellum Shop (WWII Reproduction & Original Vendor) Sartoria Equipe (WWII Reproduction Vendor) Copyright 2019 to 2021; The American Italian Military Society (AIMS) ; All rights reserved. No material is to be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the Webmaster . Britain in the Air: Books. Britain, the Royal Air Force and Relief Flights to Biafra, 1968-1969. Onianwa Oluchukwu Ignatus (author) Published by Academica Press 2020-05-30, 2020. New - Hardcover Condition: New. Hardcover. Condition: New. MENACE, A Novel of the Near Future ( A future war novel of an aerial invasion of Britain by Russia ) with a forward by Air Vice-Marshall Sir Vyell Vyvyan. Leslie Pollard. Published by T Werner Laurie Ltd, London, 1935. Used - Hardcover Condition: Good. Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. Published in London in 1935, this is the First Edition of this future war novel of an aerial invasion of Britain by Russia, figured in Locke Spectrum of fantasy, this example retaining its scarce dust jacket, the jacket has some loss to top edges and spine, noticeable red staining to lower part of rear panel, now housed in a protective removable sleeve, slight staining to books cover, browning to endpapers else contents in good general condition. Air Defence of Britain, 1914-1918. Cole, Christopher; Cheesman, E.F. Published by The Bodley Head Ltd, London, 1984. Used - Hardcover Condition: Fine. Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. 8 vo, total of 496 pp. Royal blue cloth. Square and solid, corners sharp. Clean, no names, notes. Dust Jacket has two small self healing tears on rear panel where it meets the spine. Not price clipped. Britain, the Royal Air Force and Relief Flights to Biafra, 1968-1969 (Hardback) Onianwa Oluchukwu Ignatus. Published by Academica Press, United States, 2020. New - Hardcover Condition: New. Hardback. Condition: New. Language: English. Brand new Book. In this intriguing new book, Onianwa Oluchukwu Ignatus investigates Britain's decision to engage the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the relief operations during the Nigerian Civil War. The main area badly ravaged by the conflict being the Republic of Biafra was declared "a frontier of need." Humanitarian concerns and mounting public pressures, both in Britain and other Western countries, prompted the relief condition in Biafra to be declared an emergency. International voluntary relief workers found themselves for the first time at the center stage of a relief crisis that involved numerous governments and public opinion across the globe. Despite the existing research on humanitarianism of the Nigerian Civil War, until now no scholar has explored the British move to deploy the RAF for relief flights to Biafra. The need to overcome the difficulties of the Nigerian Civil War, and the heavy pressure of British parliamentarians, the press, and the public served as major factors leading to engaging the RAF to supply relief materials. The RAF episode indicated that external actors in any conflict can produce good initiatives geared toward resolving conflicts. Prisoners of War Naval and Air Forces of Great Britain and The Empire 1939-1945. N/A. Published by J.B. Hayward and Son, Polstead Suffolk, 1990. Used - Hardcover Condition: Fine. Hard Cover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. N/A (illustrator). 1990. J.B.Hayward, Polstead, 1990. Hard Cover. Book Condition : Fine, appears little read. Jacket has shelf wear , tears. Alphabetical Nominal registers of over 21,000 Australian, British, Canadian, New Zealand, South African and other Naval and Air Force prisoners of war of all ranks held in Germany and German occupied territories. Scarce book.Heavy book will incur extra postage. Book will be sent by UK postal service. Bookseller Inventory #004172. Size: Folio - over 12" - 15" tall Size: 4to - over 9�" - 12" tall. N/A. Hardback. The Next War in the Air: Britain's Fear of the Bomber, 1908-1941 (Hardback) Brett Holman. Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd, United Kingdom, 2014. New - Hardcover Condition: New. Hardback. Condition: New. New ed. Language: English. Brand new Book. In the early twentieth century, the new technology of flight changed warfare irrevocably, not only on the battlefield, but also on the home front. As prophesied before 1914, Britain in the First World War was effectively no longer an island, with its cities attacked by Zeppelin airships and Gotha bombers in one of the first strategic bombing campaigns. Drawing on prewar ideas about the fragility of modern industrial civilization, some writers now began to argue that the main strategic risk to Britain was not invasion or blockade, but the possibility of a sudden and intense aerial bombardment of London and other cities, which would cause tremendous destruction and massive casualties. The nation would be shattered in a matter of days or weeks, before it could fully mobilize for war. Defeat, decline, and perhaps even extinction, would follow. This theory of the knock-out blow from the air solidified into a consensus during the 1920s and by the 1930s had largely become an orthodoxy, accepted by pacifists and militarists alike. But the devastation feared in 1938 during the Munich Crisis, when gas masks were distributed and hundreds of thousands fled London, was far in excess of the damage wrought by the Luftwaffe during the Blitz in 1940 and 1941, as terrible as that was. The knock-out blow, then, was a myth. But it was a myth with consequences. For the first time, The Next War in the Air reconstructs the concept of the knock-out blow as it was articulated in the public sphere, the reasons why it came to be so widely accepted by both experts and non-experts, and the way it shaped the responses of the British public to some of the great issues facing them in the 1930s, from pacifism to fascism. Drawing on both archival documents and fictional and non-fictional publications from the period between 1908, when aviation was first perceived as a threat to British security, and 1941, when the Blitz ended, and it became clear that no knock-out blow was coming, The Next War in the Air provides a fascinating insight into the origins and evolution of this important cultural and intellectual phenomenon, Britain's fear of the bomber. Britain, the Royal Air Force and Relief Flights to Biafra, 19681969. Ignatus, Onianwa Oluchukwu. Published by Academica Press, 2020. New - Hardcover Condition: New. HRD. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. The German Air Raids on Great Britain 1914-1918. Captain Joseph Morris. Published by Sampson Low, Marston and Co, London. Seller: Roger Wood, Kings lynn, NORFO, United Kingdom Contact seller. Used - Hardcover Condition: Very Good. Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. A Very Good/ Near Fine copy in original maroon and gilt lettered cloth now in glassine protective cover. Pages untrimmed with some liberal spotting. Numerous illustrations and all 6 folding maps complete. Britain, the Royal Air Force and Relief Flights to Biafra, 1968-1969 (Hardback) Onianwa Oluchukwu Ignatus. Published by Academica Press, United States, 2020. New - Hardcover Condition: New. Hardback. Condition: New. Language: English. Brand new Book. In this intriguing new book, Onianwa Oluchukwu Ignatus investigates Britain's decision to engage the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the relief operations during the Nigerian Civil War. The main area badly ravaged by the conflict being the Republic of Biafra was declared "a frontier of need." Humanitarian concerns and mounting public pressures, both in Britain and other Western countries, prompted the relief condition in Biafra to be declared an emergency. International voluntary relief workers found themselves for the first time at the center stage of a relief crisis that involved numerous governments and public opinion across the globe. Despite the existing research on humanitarianism of the Nigerian Civil War, until now no scholar has explored the British move to deploy the RAF for relief flights to Biafra. The need to overcome the difficulties of the Nigerian Civil War, and the heavy pressure of British parliamentarians, the press, and the public served as major factors leading to engaging the RAF to supply relief materials. The RAF episode indicated that external actors in any conflict can produce good initiatives geared toward resolving conflicts. The Chianti Raiders: The Extraordinary Story of the Italian Air Force in the Battle of Britain by Peter Haining. Hooray! You've discovered a title that's missing from our library. Can you help donate a copy? If you own this book, you can mail it to our address below. 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