Two Z.501 losses in November 1940

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello,

On 6 November 1940 two convoys sailed for Malta, one from Gibraltar and one from Alexandria, the later with codename MB.8. To provide cover for MB.8 directly and for the other vessels indirectly, four Mediterranean Fleet battleships, two cruisers, HMS Illustrious and thirteen destroyers put to sea. Because considerable aerial action was expected, the carrier also embarked two or three of HMS Eagle’s Sea Gladiators as reinforcements (at least N5513 and N5523) for 806 Squadron’s Fulmars on this occasion.

First action came on 8 November, and it was two of the Sea Gladiators that made the first “kill”. At 12:30, Lieutenant O. J. Roger Nicolls and Sub Lieutenant Jack Sewell caught and shot down a Cant Z.501 of the 186a Squadriglia RM. The Italian aircraft was flown by Tenente Paolo Primatesta (observer Sottotenente di Vascello Paolo Bacchione) and had left its base at Augusta at 09:00. Three of the crew were rescued by a Sunderland while Primatesta and the engineer Salvatore Calafiore died.

At 12:20 on 10 November, a Z.501 from the 144a Squadriglia RM at Stagnone (pilot Sottotenente Alfio Ferri and observer Sottotenente di Vascello Umberto Gabrielli) was shot down by Lieutenant Barnes and Sub Lieutenant Sewell, after chasing it down from 4,000 feet to sea level. It was then strafed.

I will be interested by the full crew lists for these two aircraft, and the fate of the second crew.

Thanks in advance