Italian troops invade British Somaliland


Italian soldiers in British somaliland

"Quia sum leo": motto of Italian Air Force’s 14th Squadriglia, emblem a lion’s head, during the war against the Ethiopia. On the photo its Caproni Ca.101D-2s bombers on Asmara Airfield, Eritrea, during the supplies loading for Italian troops advancing on Ethiopian territory. The supply of Italian columns advancing was frequently assured by air drops. Today "Quia sum leo" is the 20th Gruppo’s motto acting like Eurofighter Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit based at Grosseto of Italian Aeronautica Militare. Victor Sierra

"Quia sum leo"

This plane is one of the three S.79s bombers of Aviación Legionaria’s 30th Gruppo that on 26th April 1937 was involved in the bombing of the Basque city of Guernica. The Italian bombers took off from Soria in the afternoon with orders to "bomb the road and bridge to the east of Guernica, in order to block the enemy retreat". During a single sixty second pass over the town, from north to south, the SM.79's dropped thirty-six 50 kg bombs over the railway station. Also a lot of CR.32s fighters of Aviación Legionaria was involved on the Guernica’s raid escorting 18 German bombers Ju.52s. The fate of the aircraft 28-11 was tragic: on July 15, 1938 was lost for impact with a mountain according to a sources or shot down by the flak according another. Victor Sierra