Italian ace Leonardo Ferrulli

[Ludovico Slongo]

I’m looking for information regarding the victory claims of Sergente Maggiore Leonardo Ferrulli during the first North African campaign (June 1940-January 1941).

This 4° Stormo’s pilot, that ended the war as the third ranking Italian ace of W.W.II, was credited of twenty individual victories before his demise over Sicily on July 1943.

According with Giovanni Massimello and Giorgio Apostolo seven of these victories were claimed flying Fiat CR 42s over Libya during the first African tour of his unit (namely six Hurricanes and a Blenheim), making him the top Italian ace of the 1940’s North African Campaign.

Up to now, looking inside the books and official documents in my possess, I was able to find only the following Ferrulli’s claims:



One Bristol Blenheim (shared with at least other five pilots) on 11 September 1940.

One Bristol Blenheim (shared with at least other five pilots) on 14 September 1940.

Two Gladiators (shared with at least other five pilots) on 12 December 1940.

One Hurricane plus one Hurricane damaged on 19 December 1940.

One Hurricane on 4 January 1941.



So a total of two individual Hurricanes and four shared victories, four Hurricanes and a Blenheim less than the grand total quoted by Massimello and Apostolo.

I’m wondering if someone could help me supplying the date (and maybe some details) of the lacking claims. At least those made over Hurricanes should be connected with the air combats of the “Compass” offensive period, because in the two only occasions during which the Fiat biplanes and the Hawkers clashed before the starting of Compass (19 June 1940, and 31 October 1940) Ferrulli was not present.

TIA



Ludovico