Italian Forces

Celebrating the aviators Celestial Patron

Inside a large hangar the personnel of an Italian bombardment unit attend high Mass officiate by the military chaplain (on the right, the altar fitted in front to side opposite to the hangar’s entry) surely for the festivity of the Loreto Virgin (Virgo Lauretana), proclaimed Celeste Patrona (Celestial Patron) of the aviators by Pope Benedict XV on 24 March 1920. This festivity fall on 10 December. That be the Loreto Virgin’s festivity is indicated by the white color of the celebrant’s vestments (for the Catholic liturgy the white is the liturgical color of the high religious festivity), by the presence of the unit’s marching band (in the right), by the honor guard and by the personnel’s array dressed in the regular winter uniform. The aircraft framing the rite are twin-engine medium bombers Fiat BR.20 of the first version on duty from 1937. Date of the photo? The airplane’s camouflage finish suggest a time just over the entry in the war of the Italy (10 June 1940) and the replacement of the BR.20 first version with the BR.20M (M for Modificato/Modified) characterized by a new glazed nose: in my opinion 10 December 1938 or 10 December 1939. Location? On the eve of the Italy’s entry in the war, except an Independent Land Bombardment Group (116th Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento Terrestre) based in Southern Italy, at Grottaglie, Apulia, all the BR.20’s squadrons were deployed in Northern Italy against two potential enemy countries, France and Yugoslavia: 7th Stormo Bombardamento Terrestre at Lonate Pozzolo, 13th Stormo Bombardamento Terrestre at Piacenza, 43rd Stormo Bombardamento Terrestre at Cameri, all in the North/North-West Italy (deployment against the France) and 18th Stormo Bombardamento Terrestre at Aviano, North-East Italy, deployment against the Yugoslavia. So the location of this photo is surely one of this airfield (maybe Cameri?). Victor Sierra