Re: Turin Raids 1943
Waiting for the Ludovico Slongo's answer, I can try to make a little explanation: Gruppo Caccia Terrestre is the Regia Aeronautica way to indicate a Fighter Group, usually made up of three Squadriglie (with a nominal strenght of twelve AC each).
Two Gruppi Caccia terrestri used to be attached to a Stormo. If a Gruppo was Autonomo (Aut), that meant that it wasn't depending from any Stormo. In other words, it was on his own, with its three (or sometimes four) Squadriglie.
Regarding the 150 GCT, it was depending from the 53 Stormo only until October 1940, when it was transferred from Northern Italy (where it had partecipated to the war against France) to Albania, to support the impending Italian attack to Greece, and it was made Autonomo.
From oct 40 on, 150 GCT operated as Gruppo Autonomo until the Italian Armistice on 8 Sept. 43, when, as Slongo said, it was in Tourin Caselle, without AC, badly depleted after the bitter fighting in Sicily during earlier July and August.
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Gianluca Mantellini
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