Italians in Tunisia - Skalski's comments

[Franek Grabowski]

I have just received a 1943 interview with Stanisław Skalski. A very interesting bit of information.
Concerning Italian airmen he said more-less that Italians were usually worser than Germans but their Macchis were excellent. However once they met an Italian pilot who lonely attacked six Spitfires and fought up until the end. As noted, he outclassed every German Poles met there.
Anybody knows if there was any famous Italian fighter pilot missing between 15 and 20 April 1943?
Franek

[Gielle]

I can't answer with certainty to your question, but, since I'm very interested in the Regia Aeronautica, I hope someone else more competent could partecipate to this topic. I went through my books, and it seems that no Italian fighter ace was reported MIA or KIA in Tunisia during those days. Maybe he was just a brave pilot, not an ace, or maybe he bale out or crash landed.
During the last stages of the Tunisian campaign very few serviciable Mc 202s were left, owing to attrition and war weary. The last Mc 202 equipped units leaving Tunisia in May were, AFAIK, 7° and 153° Gruppi. Maybe if it were possible to look at their lost list ..
Regards.

[Gianandrea Bussi]

The only serious book that covers (only in part) Regia Aeronautica's activities
in Tunisia during february-may 1943 is "Adriano Visconti Asso di Guerra", by Giuseppe pesce and Giovanni Massimello.
The last combat units operating from bases in Tunisia were 7° and 16° Gruppo
(both from 54° Stormo) with C.202 and 162° Gruppo Assalto with C.200.
From this book - that is a biography, and not the history of the 54° Stormo in Tunisia so it may be not complete - I don't see any loss in the period 15-20 april aver Tunisia.
On 20 aprile there was a hard combat between 1° Stormo fighters(from Pantelleria) and many Spitfires 35 km. west of Pantelleria: Regia Aeronautica lost three fighter (and two pilots) plus at least one damaged. But none of these pilots was a famous fighter pilot.
153° Gruppo CT (Asso di Bastoni) wasn't based in Tunisia during this period.

Gianandrea Bussi

[Franek Grabowski]

Thanks for replies. I have got the book but it is not the combat I am looking for. Poles fought on 20 April near Pantelleria, so any more details are much appreciated but the combat I am looking for likely occured on 18 April.

[SteveB]

Franek

Shores etc in "Fighters over Tunisia" record:

During the day 145 Squadron flew several missions at unrecorded times. On the first of these five Polish pilots gave top cover to 417 Squadron; over Grombalia at 14,000 feet two Bf109s were seen 2,000 feet above. The Poles made a climbing turn as the 109s dived, but FO Wszowski's aircraft was hit and went down in a spin trailing black smoke. Later six Polish Spitfires covered 417 Squadron and some Kittyhawks over Soliman, this time seeing ten Bf109s which had a height advantage of 6,000 feet, but no combat took place. On a third mission, again over Grombalia, FO Arct attacked an MC 202 at 16,000 feet, and saw it going down vertically trailing smoke and debris. He then blacked out and was unable to confirm its destruction so was awarded only a probable.

Not much help?

Steve

[Franek Grabowski]

Steve
Unfortunatelly Fighters over Tunisia are not very accurate and often in conflict with the ORB, not to mention other records and memories of Polish pilots. This is a general remark.
The pilot downed in the morning, F/O Mieczysław Wyszkowski, described this combat in his memoirs in great detail. No corresponding German claim for his loss.
F/O Bohdan Arct described his evening combat as well and his memoirs were published in English already during the war. As he almost crashed into the rocks himself, he believed the Italian had no chance of escape.
This does not change the fact RA operations in Tunisia need a good researcher.