An Italian Regia Aeronautica’s pilot officer, a Capitano (note the ranks over the flight dress sleeve), perhaps the commanding officer of one of the Squadriglie deployed on the Eastern Front, talking with Romanian soldiers. At the time of his deployment on Eastern Front, late July 1941, the Aviation Command of the Expeditionary Italian Corps on Russia had a force of nearly 1,900 men: 140 officers, 180 NCOs and 1,500 aircraftmen plus 90 qualified workers. Victor Sierra

Italian pilot officer and Romanian soldier

An Italian Air Force’s Macchi MC.200 “Saetta” with a Romanian fighter IAR 80 concealed behind the green stuff on an Eastern Front’s airfield, perhaps Tudora along at the time border between Romania and Soviet Union, Summer 1941. The Italian plane is an aircraft of the 22nd Gruppo Caccia aircraft, the fighter unit of the Comando Aviazione del CSIR/Aviation Command of Expeditionary Italian Corps in Russia, commanding officer Colonel Carlo Drago, which was established at Tudora on 29 July 1941 for air support (with fighter, reconnaissance and transport units, total 85 aircraft) to Italian Army’s forces (62.000 men) dispatched on Eastern Front on Mussolini’s order. The 22nd Gruppo Caccia, commanding officer Maggiore Giovanni Borzoni, with four Squadriglie (359th Capitano Vittorio Minguzzi, 362nd Capitano Germano La Ferla, 369th Capitano Giorgio Iannicelli KIA 29 December 1941, Gold Metal, 371st Capitano Enrico Meille) and 51 MC.200, was deployed at Tudora on 12 August 1941. The first combat of the 22nd Gruppo date to 27 August 1941 against some Soviet planes, Polikarpov I-16 fighters and Tupolev SB-2 bombers. The Italian pilots claimed six bombers and two fighters without losses. Victor Sierra

Italian and Romanian fighters

Russia, Winter 1941: with the help of one heater the aircraft airmen warm the engines, the right engine is still covert by canvas, of an Italian transport aircraft Savoia-Marchetti S.81. Already downgraded from bomber to transport role, the S.81s carried out a hard, but precious work supporting the Italian troops on the very difficult weather and environmental conditions of Russian Front. The air component of Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia, afterwards Italian Army in Russia, had a Sezione Trasporti (Transport Section) at the beginning with two Squadriglie: 245th Squadriglia (Capt Ernesto Caprioglio) and 246th Squadriglia (Capt Nicola Fattibene), both with about twenty S.81, based at Krivoi Rog. Victor Sierra