Black Shirt portrait. The 2 bars on the sleeve indicate 2 wounds in combat. DVX

Black Shirt

An Italian recce plane Caproni Ca.311M (M for Modified) of the Regia Aeronautica’s 71st Gruppo Osservazione Aerea (Air Reconnaissance Group, Squadriglie 38th and 116th) warming up the engines on an Eastern Front airfield, likely Stalino, today Donec'k, Ukraina, Summer 1942. Notice the aircraft’s upper turret Caproni Lanciani Delta E armed with an Isotta-Fraschini Lanciani 7.7mm MG (traversed to rear, the large front tube is a balance mass for the machine-gun). In background a biplane Caproni Ca.164 employed as liaison aircraft. Victor Sierra

Italian planes in the Eastern Front

Alpini running fastly to take position with a battery of 47/32 guns. DVX