Some Balkan Air Force’s Spitfires Vc Trop just handed over to Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force on Autumn 1944 waiting for receive the Italian colors. The aircraft of the photo, still with the original British and Yugoslav insignias, were of No 249 Squadron RAF and of No 352 (Yugoslav) Squadron. The Spitfires was assigned to 20th Gruppo of 51st Stormo (“Black Cat”) at this tame based at Canne della Battaglia and Lecce-Galatina, Apulia. The first war mission of Italian Spitfires date to 23 October 1944. Victor Sierra

Waiting for receive the Italian colors

An RAF Intelligence Officer (right) interrogates an Italian fighter pilot POW. The Italian is a pilot of the 51st Stormo “Black Cat”, one of most famous Regia Aeronautica’s fighter units (as seen by the patch on his Marus flight jacket). According the Australian War Memorial (AWM MED0176) the Italian pilot, rank unknown, was taken prisoner of war after he had crash-landed following a mid-air collision with a British Tomahawk aircraft, North Africa c.1942. Today the 51st Stormo, always the Black Cat capturing three green mouses over the tails, is a fighter-bomber-recce unit of Italian Air Force, based at Istrana, North-East Italy, and equipped with AMX employed also in Afghanistan (Task Group Black Cats) on Herat Air Base. Victor Sierra

“Black Cat” POW

The Bristol Beaufighter Mk IC X7887 of No 252 Squadron RAF landed by mistake during a flight from Malta on Augusta airfield, Sicily, 6 January 1942, and immediately captured by Italians. The aircraft, in the photo already with the Regia Aeronautica’s insignias, was tested by the Guidonia’s Flight Test Center and afterwards assigned to 253rd Squadriglia deployed on Northern Italy. The Italian Beaufighter was destroyed on take-off from Venegono airfield on 23 January 1943 because a pilot’s mistake with the hand throttle (at this time over the Italian aircraft the hand throttle’s position were inverted respect the German and Allies planes). Victor Sierra