Italian Forces

Landing in Russia

Stato Maggiore Aeronautica

An Italian Regia Aeronautica’s S.81 landing on the runway just cleaned from the snow of a Russian airport. Between end 1941 and beginning 1942 six S.81s was lost in action, during the supply missions of the Italian frontline, three shot down by Soviet AA fire. During a difficult mission for supply of an Italo-German unit, 7,000 Italians and 4,000 Germans, encircled at Tscerkow, by Soviet troops, on 29 December 1941, was MIA the same leader of the Italian Air Corps in Russia, General Enrico Pezzi, took off from Woroscilovgrad with the plane loaded of food and drugs. The General Pezzi landed at Tscerkow where took off for Woroscilovgrad with some wounded on board but never arrived. With the General Pezzi, awarded of Gold Metal, was missed the entire S.81’s seven crewmen. The last S.81s still in flight conditions was retired by the Russian front at beginning of 1943. Victor Sierra