Turin Raids 1943

[Ludovico Slongo]

Dear Steve,

identification of the Italian units operating in the area is not such a tall order don't worry, in August 1943 there were not so many Italian unit left... Regarding details of -eventual- missions carried out on the nights of 12/13 and 16/17 I have no idea, it is quite possible that they still exist in the archives of the Historical Office of the Italian Air Force, you can try to ask if someone of the Italian enthusiast participating in this forum could kindly check these data for you during a visit there; I don't foresee another visit within the year but once there -possibly next spring- I'll for sure check this and other infos.
Back to the Italian units that could had scrambled, I'm giving you the list of Italian fighter units in the area on September the 8th, they were -almost for sure- the same also twenty days earlier even if their combat strenght was for sure slightly different.

Based in Turin/Caselle there was the complete 53° Stormo CT but it had no planes left at all, in the same conditions were 3° Gruppo Aut. CT and 150° Gruppo Aut. CT. The three units had recently came back from Sicily.
8° Gruppo Aut CT was based in Sarzana (Liguria near the naval base of La Spezia) with around seventeen Macchi MC 200 combat ready, these machines sometimes scrambled against RAF bombers during the return leg of their missions -from the Turin/Milan area to Tunisia- but they were not night fighters so their involvement in these night missions is higly unlikely. 13° Gruppo Aut CT was based in Metato (Toscana near Pisa) with six MC 202 for this unit is worth what already said for 8° Gruppo. Finally the unit specifically tasked of intercepting the Allied bombers remains:
2° Gruppo Aut (only two Squadriglie strong) based in Liguria with three RE 2001s and eleven CR 42s, 59° Gruppo Aut based at Venegono (near Varese so generally in the Milan area) equipped with four RE 2001s, two CR 42s and some Do 217J1-2 -the German interceptors were not combat ready on September but maybe in August they were- and finally 60° Gruppo AUT divided between Venegono where two BF 110 C3 and seven RE 2001s were based and Lonate Pozzolo -again close to Milan- where two DO 217J1-2 and two CR 42s were based -. These units were the only able to try with some chance of success night interceptions and if any Italian fighter was up that night it is probable it became from these units. Additionally it is still possible that small nightfighter sections were based in the major airfields -as Turin/Caselle- for point defence but this I don't know for sure.
P.S.
I looked better into my sources and found that the Lancaster shot down on July the 17th was the machine of Pilot Officer Stubbs, his codes were EM-W and its serial number is reported also as ED 692 in alternative to DV 183.
Ciao.

Ludovico