11 November 1940
One of the least known episodes of the Battle of Britain concerns the participation of the ‘Corpo Aereo Italiano’, or ‘CAI’ for shorts.
The Battle was entering its final stages when Mussolini decided to give the Luftwaffe a hand and thus, against Goering’s wishes, the CAI was formed on 10 September 1940. The force consisted of about 200 aircraft: 2 ‘wings’ of Fiat BR.20M medium bombers (13º and 43º Stormo), 1 wing of fighters divided in 2 Gruppos (18º Gruppo equipped with G.50bis and 20º Gruppo equipped with Fiat CR.42s biplanes), and a ‘Squadriglia’ of Cant Z.1007bis for tactical reconnaissance.
During September and October, the Italian units arrived from Italy to their assigned airfields in Belgium, a move that led the Belgian government in exile to declare war on Italy. Operations started on the 24 of November with a night bombing raid on Felixstowe and Harwich, followed by an attack on Ramsgate on the 27, and another on the 29 (considered to be the last ‘official’ day of the Battle of Britain). Other attacks followed during November with the largest one taking place on November 11, curiously the same day in which half the Italian battle fleet was put out of action by the British at Taranto. On that day, 10 BR.20Ms carrying three 250 Kg bombs each, and escorted by 42 CR.42s, 46 G.50s and supporting Bf 109s were to attack Harwich. Due to bad weather the G.50s and Bf 109s were forced to return to base, leaving only the CR.42s to act as escort for the bombers.
Hurricanes of 17 and 257 squadrons were scrambled to meet the Italians, being later joined by elements of 46 and 249 squadrons. The final tally of the ensuing air battles was 3 BR.20s and 3 CR.42s shot down against 2 Hurricanes damaged. To give an idea of how exacerbated claims usually were during these chaotic clashes, RAF pilots claimed a total of 9 BR.20s destroyed, 1 damaged, and 5 CR.42s destroyed, 4 probable and 3 damaged. In return, the Italians claimed 9 enemy fighters.
One of the 3 Fiat BR.20s actually shot down, and the only Italian bomber (in addition to a few fighters) to ever have crash land on British soil, was the one in this photo, (243-2/MM22621) flown by Sottotenente Pietro Appiani. Pursued by a 46 Squadron’s trio (Leggett, Hedley and Walker), it was damaged and forced to crash land in Tangham Forest, Bromeswell, near Woodbridge, Suffolk.
The radio-operator, 1o Avieri Armando Paolini, had been killed in the air. The co-pilot Sergente Pilota Giuliano Rigolone and the flight engineer, 1o Avieri Motorista Emmanuelle De Gasperi, were wounded (Rigolone later died of his wounds). The pilot Sottotenente Pietro Appiani, De Gasperi, the unit’s photographer Avieri Sc. Mario Pensa, and a sixth crewmember, 1o Avieri Elvino Cerrosi (front air gunner and bombardier), all survived the crash and became POWs.
MM22621 was later removed to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough for evaluation, but not before being visited by some British soldiers (judging by the waist size, probably Home Guard), who were more than delighted to find in the wreckage a case containing Italian delicacies and a couple of bottles of wine. No doubt a more then welcome change to their war-time British diet!
(Source - IWM)
(Colorisation by Rui Manuel Candeias
