Franco Lucchini

Franco Lucchini (born December 24, 1917 in Rome ; † July 5, 1943 near Catania ) was together with Adriano Visconti the most successful Italian fighter pilot of the Second World War .

Following the practice of the Italian Air Force , he was awarded 26 "confirmed personal kills" and 52 more were "collectivized" (i.e. awarded to his unit).

Military career

Lucchini joined the Regia Aeronautica in 1935 , completed pilot training and then joined a fighter squadron ( 4º Stormo ). From July 1937 he volunteered in the Spanish Civil War, where he flew Fiat CR.32 biplanes and shot down five enemy aircraft, among other things. Four of these kills occurred in collaboration with other pilots. On July 25, 1938, he was shot down by a Republican Polikarpov I-16 fighter plane after destroying a Tupolev SB-2 bomber . On this day he went into captivity, from which he was able to free himself in February 1939 in the chaos of the fall of the Spanish Republic .

In 1940 his squadron fought with Fiat CR.42 aircraft in North Africa. Lucchini achieved five victories with these double-deckers. In early 1941 his unit converted to the Macchi MC.200 , with which he was deployed from Sicily via Malta . Towards the end of the year, the switch to the better Macchi MC.202 took place . In May 1942, his 4th Fighter Squadron moved back to North Africa, where it supported the Axis Powers' offensive against the British 8th Army. On October 24, 1942, Lucchini was wounded and sent to Italy to recover . For his work in North Africa he received several Italian and German awards.

Between January and June 1943, Lucchini's association partially converted to the new Macchi MC.205 . After the Battle of Tunisia, he and his association fought against Allied bomber formations from Sicily. On July 5, 1943, Lucchini intercepted a US B-17 bomber squadron with his MC.202 , which was accompanied by about 50 British Spitfires . After shooting down a Spitfire (26th aerial victory), he first attacked the American B-17s, damaging several of them. Shortly afterwards he was shot down near Catania , on the east coast of Sicily .

See also

• List of Italian flying aces in World War II