Tarantola, now reassigned to a fighter unit, the 151a sq. of the 51° stormo, in front of his Macchi 202 "dai banana!" (come on banana!). He was was nicknamed "banana" by his comrades because in his first youth he worked as a seller of fruits and vegetables. DVX



Back to hunting

Allied cargo sunk by Tarantola's squadron, the 239a squadriglia bombardamento a tuffo. On july 29th 1941 Tarantola hit with a perfect shot the Australian destroyer Waterhen, later finished by his squadron and other German bombers. The next day Tarantola was downed and he and his gunner remained 18 hours at the mercy of sea before being rescued by a seaplane. After this experience Tarantola asked to be reassigned to fighters. DVX

A target

Sardinia, summer 1943, Tarantola and his Macchi 205 Veltro. On this aircraft Tarantola downed two USAF P 38s.
DVX