Italian Forces

«Tribute to the pilot of the Fiat…»

Stato Maggiore Aeronautica

An Italian Air Force’s Fiat CR.42 at Gondar, Ethiopia, October 1941, last stronghold of the Italian defence in East Africa after the Addis Ababa’s surrender on May 1941. Note the large black X inside a white rectangle adopted by some Italian aircraft in the East African theater as optical mark to avoid mistake with the British planes (and not as surrender’s mark how wrote many times). According some sources the plane of this photo is one of two last Italian fighter of the East African Campaign precisely the Fiat CR.42 MM7117 of the Lt. Ildebrando Malavolti. On 24 October Malavolti offered yourself voluntary for a visual reconnaissance over a small bridge at Kulkaber despite the adverse opinion of his commander because the presence in the zone of a greater number of enemies forces in particular the No 3 Squadron South African Air Force. Malavolti took off for the mission but his comrades wait for his return in vain. The Malavolti’s fate was knew the day after when a No 3 SAAF Squadron’s Gladiator piloted by the Lieutenant Lancelot Charles Henry “Paddy” Hope dropped a message on the Italian positions at Ambazzo: «Tribute to the pilot of the Fiat. He was a brave man. South African Air Force». Indeed Malavolti, intercepted by two South Africans Gladiator was shoot down in flames at 17,35 of 24 October by the same Hope after a brief, but fierce fight. Next day the CR.42’s wreckage was found, the dead pilot still in the cockpit, and later the knightly and brave South African pilot wrote and dropped his message. This was the last air-to-air victory in the East African Campaign and Malavolti received a posthumous Gold War Medal (in Italian Medaglia d’Oro al Valor Militare). The end of the last CR.42 arrived the month after. On 22 November 1941 the plane piloted by the Warrant Officer strafed British batteries at Kulkaber killing the Colonel commander and on 26 November, the day before the Italian final surrender, the aircraft was destroyed by the same Italians. And Hope? On 31 October, strafing motorboats on Lake Tana and a convoy on the way to the lake, his Gladiator was hit by the anti-aircraft artillery and crash-landed on fire at 200 mph hitting a tree and crashing in flames. Hope, wounded and burned, was rescued by Italian and taken in Italian captivity for a month before the final surrender of the Italian forces in the area. After the East African Campaign, Hope was transferred to Mediterranean Theater serving from 2 July 1942 in No 2 SAAF Squadron and, flying with Kittyhawks, claimed a Bf 109 down on 11 July, a damaged Bf 109 and a damaged MC.202 of the Regia Aeronautica’s 23rd Gruppo on 29 August, a Bf 109 down into the sea on 30 October and a shared Ju 88 on 20 April 1943. The operational tour of this gallantry South African Air Force Officer ended on 27 April 1943 as Flight Commander. Victor Sierra