Italian Forces

Ace downed

September 9, 1942. Comiso coast, Sicily. Leutnant Damiani, in a summer week-end "uniform", observing his victim over the Comiso sky. The Spit was piloted by the American ace of RCAF Claude Weaver III, probably the youngest ace of Allies (5 victories at age of 18). September 9 1942, when his spit was hidden at the engine by the Damiani C202, Weaver was 19 with 10 and 1/2 victories. Waver's skills are showed too by this perfect emergency landing we can see in the picture. Weaver passed one year as war prisoner, managing to come back to RCAF after Italian armistice. He collected two more kills, but was shooted and killed over France in january 1944. The Spit carried the IFF instrument, considered top secret at the time. The pilot that had to land in enemy territory should destroy it. For top security there was a self-destruction machinery to save IFF from wrong hands, if pilot could not. But that time somewhat didn't work and IFF was captured and examinated by Regia Aeronautica experts. DVX