[veltro]

Dear Chief Wahoo (or Oscar Duck?), the data reported are interesting, but seemingly doesn't correspond to similar Germain claims, neither on 28 or on 30 April.

As already indicated in another reply you received in a different forum, by that date units of JG 53, JG 77 and JG 4 were based in Italy, as well as the C.205s of the 1° Gruppo Caccia, the G.55s of 2° Gruppo and of Squadriglia Montefusco (all Italian ANR units).

So far no evidence of the encounter near Piombino have surfaced. This is no surprise, because even if an encounter there was, as the bomber wasn't apparently claimed as damaged/probable or destroyed, it is very difficult to track down the unit involved.

As far as the shooting down of the B-17 in/around Milan area (what's "Vanette"? No place like that do exist, maybe "Varese"?), on April 30 the Breda Factory and the airfield of Milano-Bresso were bombed, with the Fiat G.55s of 2° Gruppo Caccia scrambled to avoid being destroyed on that airfield. Although 1 B-24 was claimed as "probable", it is much more probable that the bomber you're interested in was shot down by the heavy flak of the area.

Sorry to have been vague, but not much more informations are available to me about these two dates.

HTH