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Re: Turin Raids 1943
Dear Stig,
I can only confirm what I told to Steve, but I'm adding some explanations to better corroborate my data.
3° Gruppo C.T. (Caccia Terrestre - day fighters) was originally (I mean on June the 10th 1940) part of 6° Stormo togheter with 19° Gruppo Combattimento -which wasn't a fighter unit but was a ground attack unit flying Breda BA 88 temporarily attached to it. 19° Gruppo was disbanded on December the 1st 1940 while 6° Stormo was "suspended" on July the 19th 1941 and never reformed. Since that moment 3° Gruppo became an autonomuos unit and fought over the Mediterranean in North Africa and in Sicily until the moment it was retired to Turin -still as an autonomous unit.
2° Gruppo C.T. on the other hand, was part of 6° Stormo in the thirties but became an autonomous unit on June the 3rd 1940 so before the beginning of the war. Sice that moment the unit remained an autonomous one fighting over Greece, North Africa and Malta. 2° Gruppo was "suspended in November 1942 and reformed, this time in fact as an Intercettori (interceptors) unit in May 1943, retaining the two Squadriglie structure of the Intercettori units.
I didn't mention 151° Gruppo, (you are right) but only because I considered it part of the already mentioned 53° Stormo.
This unit at the beginning of the war was formed by 150° and 151° Gruppo C.T. then on September the 9th 1940 it lost 151° Gruppo -that went to North Africa where it fought as one of the most successful CR 42s units in theatre- and took on charge 157° Gruppo. Then on October the 23rd 53° Stormo lost also 150° Gruppo that went to Greece -where it fought with distinction suffering and inflicting quite heavy losses. Since that moment 150° Gruppo remained an autonomous unit also fighting in North Africa and over Sicily. 53° Stormo instead lost 157° Gruppo and was "suspended" on February the 25th 1941 only to be rebuilt on January the 1st 1942 on two Gruppi: 151° and 153°. This was its composition also on August 1943 in Turin, this I specify also for Steve's benefit.
In fact I didn't took the time to check my copy of "Courage Alone" but from what you said it seems to me that it contains some inaccuracies regarding the composition of the above mentioned units, -more that comprehensible, in my opinion, in such an encyclopedic work.
Regarding the Stormi/Gruppi listing you asked about, it exists (even if only in Italian language) was prepeared by Tullio Marcon in 2000 and published by the Italian Magazine "Storia Militare". If you give me an appropriate mail address I'll detail better this aspect.
To Steve,
thank you, any information on RAF raids on Northern Italy you'll be so kind to share will be more than appreciated, but again I'm not being able to help you before next spring at least.
To Gianluca,
your site is simply WONDERFUL in particular the combat history of 150° Gruppo (based on primary sources) that it contains -but you have to speed up the job of compilation... I can't wait to see it finished! And maybe add also some data coming from French, Greek and British sources (at last those already available on the 1940-41 combats). I discovered the site only last week and I should confess that every day since then I was tempted to join it .
Ciao to all
Ludovico.
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