Hello to all
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The XXII° Gruppo Autonomo Caccia, July 25, 1941 - May 7, 1942.
Chronology and marching diary.
September 1941:
September 2, 1941: around 9 Macchis belonging, among others, to the 362nd and 371st Squadriglia, machine-gun Soviet troops on the Novomoskowsk - Dniepropetrovsk road. Very quickly, two Macchis C 200 are shot down by the AA defense of the column, that of Ten. Loris Nannini (*) of the 371st Squadriglia who is captured, and that of Sottotenente Carlo Marchetto of the 362nd Squadriglia who is killed. Shortly after, over the same area, the remaining Macchis were attacked by two Zveno of Soviet fighters, that is, 8 aircraft. (I do not know the results of this fight).
(*) September 2, epilogue of Carlo Marchetto's short career. The action in which Marchetto lost his life is recounted by Lieutenant Loris Nannini, who participated in the fatal operation, was also shot down by anti-aircraft fire but escaped death and was taken prisoner: "Coffee, milk and a slice of bread were breakfast on that morning of September 2, 1941, when the alarm sounded. Suddenly a non-commissioned officer ran in to warn us of the presence of a large formation of Soviet bombers, escorted by fighter planes, heading towards Dnepropetrovsk. With the other 8 pilots on duty in the alarm group, we ran out of the cabin towards the planes arranged in a row at one side of the field. The air was already resonating with the roar of the engines; in fact, by order of the commander of the Squadriglia, Captain Enrico Meille, the mechanics had rushed towards the machines and had begun to put them into operation... The squadron leader, Captain Meille, stood at the starting line on the track, immediately followed by the two numerals: me on the right and 2nd Lieutenant Carlo Marchetto on the left. At the same time as Marchetto, I bring the wing of my plane close to Meille's, which immediately accelerates the engine for takeoff...
The three units, each consisting of three planes arranged in a wedge, assume squadron formation on the right wing. There are not clouds; The morning air is calm, with the mist typical of that latitude. The altimeter reads 5,000 meters; The thin air muffles the engine noise. The orange rays of the morning sun rotate in the cabin and reflect at intervals on the instruments. We are in the Dnepropetrovsk vertical. Below us, the Dnieper River stretches majestically across a black land, moved in a succession of modest heights with rare trees and combed crops. Then the city, a large inhabited center of half a million inhabitants, all on the right bank of the river, with its shipyards, sawmills and metallurgical industries fed by the Donez coalfield. We have been patrolling for more than five minutes, without detecting any enemy aircraft..... The squadron leader interrupts the observation; We turn northeast towards Kharkov, descending to 3,000 meters above sea level. We cross the river leaving Dnepropetrovsk behind. We follow the road that goes from Dnepropetrovsk to Novomoskovsk.... We are still at 3,000 meters; The anemometer indicates a speed of 420 km/h. We flew in a squadron over the city of Novomoskovsk. Suddenly we see a column of armored vehicles on the main road. Meille flaps his wings to attract the attention of the other two patrols; These advance to receive the orders of the squad leader.
Through the plexiglass of his ceiling, Meille dictates orders using the usual conventional mimicry. ...Meille, signals with his hand to the other sections to remain high for our protection; Following it, Marchetto and I, in single file, dived into the wake. At that moment, Soviet anti-aircraft shells began to explode around us. Marchetto is behind me, a little distanced. I see the Macchi de Meille "parading" in front of me. .... In a moment we are at the tail of the armored column; We immediately fired the machine gun at a very low altitude, along the entire length of that military convoy. Only at that moment do I see at the front of the column a series of anti-aircraft positions that raise a dense barrier of fire. Meille manages to pass unharmed.
Instinctively, to avoid the barrier, I tried to turn, flat, to the right to decrease the target area. Suddenly the plane no longer responds to orders: I am 200 meters from the ground, launched at high speed.... I have to jump..... I had started the first movement with the parachute when I realized that the Russians were coming from the ground and they shot me. I looked up, as if seeking impossible help. Dazed, I saw a plane coming towards me with its engine on fire, it was Marchetto's Macchi; He had just bailed out himself: our eyes crossed: Marchetto barely had time to raise his arm in a brotherly salute when a machine gun burst hit him in the abdomen. He immediately doubled over, now lifeless, still dangling for a moment from his white parachute. He was awarded the Silver Medal for Military Valor.
Sources:
http://www.italie1935-45.com/RA/histoir ... csir1.html (offline)
https://italianaircraftwwii.blogspot.co ... front.html
http://www.quellidel72.it/storie/aviatori/marchetto.htm
Cheers. Raúl M
.
Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
