Italian Forces

Italian Air Legion: a rebellion’s story

The attempt from long time got by the Luftflotte 2’s commander, Feldmarschall Wolfram von Richthofen, of encompass the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana-ANR, the Repubblica Sociale Italiana’s Air Force in the German Air Force, with the implied assent of the Luftwaffe’s upper echelons at Berlin, led into an authentic Blitz on 25 August 1944 when began the Operation Phoenix. With the connivance of few ANR’s officer, as the General Tessari which had ousted Botto “resigned” to ANR’s high command, and virtually without Mussolini’s knowledge, vaguely informed only of the lack of aircraft and fuel, German armed units surrounded the ANR’s Milan Command, at Piazza Novelli, and all the ANR’s bases and airports, cutting the telephone, stopping and threating with death officers, NCO and aircraftmen. In the same time the German liaison officers read a von Richtofen’s proclamation, in the form of an ultimatum, ordering the forced dissolution of the RSI’s air units and the transfer of the all personnel or to Flak or to a new Legione Aerea Italiana (Italian Air Legion) assigned to Luftwaffe under the outward command of Tessari, but under strict German control carried out by a Luftwaffe’s air staff. De facto a Luftawaffe’s Italian section replacing the German fighter units returning in Germany for the III Reich’s skies defence. The result was the all contrary of the von Richtofen’s expectation because the Italian reaction was extremely violent. While the attempt caused the stamped of many conscripts, the RSI’s paratroopers, embedded on the Air Force, completely armed, marched from Tradate on Milan to free the ANR’s command. In same time the Squadron leaders, as Visconti, 1st Gruppo’s commander, received the Germans hard-nosed and one of them, Alessandrini, leader of 2nd Gruppo Caccia, on Valeggio, and his men drew the weapons, ready to open fire, against the Luftwaffe platoon leaded by the Colonel Steinhoff. And in any case to prevent the seizing of the aircraft by the Germans, many fighter planes was intentionally damaged and burned. Three ANR’s officers, Colonel Foschini, chief of the Fighter Inspectorate, Colonel Morino, chief of the Air Transport, and the Squadron Leader Visconti, rushed on Gargnano to Mussolini. The Duce put some proposals to top German commanders in Italy, for make up a situation being degenerating into armed clashes, but without answer. Five days later, on 30 August, Mussolini wired directly to Hitler, most probably in the dark of the Richtofen’s clumsy attempt, relating the facts with «a serious crisis in the Italian Aviation leading to material and moral disbandment with ripple on the other Armed Forces», denouncing «this painful event» and «the serious and incomprehensible humiliation inflicted to officers and soldiers» a part the he himself. The Hitler’s answer was immediate. The von Richtofen’s action was rejected and the same von Richtofen was called back in Germany and replaced by Maximillian Ritter von Pohl as General der Flieger u.Kommandierender General der Deutsche Luftwaffe in Italien (General Commander of the German Air Force in Italy). But the damage was serious and the ANR will return to combat, and with German built fighters, only late Autumn 1944. (In the photo pilots of the ANR’s 1st Gruppo Caccia). Victor Sierra