The Duce Benito Mussolini awarding for bravery an Italian Regia Aeronautica’s officer, exactly a captain. The plain service uniform of the officers clashing with the Italian dictator’s unlikely dress. Location and date unknown. Victir Sierra

A medal by the Duce

This aircraft is one of two British Fairey Albacore captured by Italians on North Africa. The X9154 of 821 Squadron failed to return from a bombing raid on a landing ground, force landed at Fuka and captured by the Italians, 5 August 1942, and his crew was taken POW. The Albacore was repaired and flown by 9th Gruppo of the 4th Stormo. The photo depict the aircraft already with the white band on the fuselage, like the other planes of Italian Air Force, and, over the band, the 9th Gruppo’s emblem (black "Prancing Horse). During the retreat from the Lybia on Autumn 1942, the aircraft was eventually abandoned in Tripoli unusable. Previously, on the night from 23 to 24 January 1942, the Italians captured the X8941 of 828 Squadron based at Hal Far, Malta, which failed to return from a night operation. The wreck was present at Guidonia Flight Test Center, June 1942. Victor Sierra

An “Italian” Albacore

An Italian fighter Fiat CR.42 disassembled and boarded in the fuselage of a transport aircraft Savoia-Marchetti S.82 “Marsupiale” (Marsupial) for the long and difficult ferry flight from Italy to Ethiopia. The goal of this missions was the delivery of CR.42s and spare engines to Italian fighter units fighting in AOI, Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian East Africa). The large three engine plane, equipped for the long range missions with a 1,300 L (340 US gal) auxiliary tank, was able to transport a CR.42 complete plus a spare engine. The first delivery flight of a CR.42 was made on 23 August 1940 with takeoff from Guidonia (Rome) to Gura, via Benghazi. By April 1941, 51 CR.42s and 51 spare engines had been delivered without losses. Victor Sierra