AERONAUTICA NAZIONALE REPUBBLICANA
Contrary to the behaviour of the Navy, the Air Force went almost entirely North, except for a few training and bomber units. This is not surprising, considering that the former Italian Regia Aeronautica was the most Fascist of the Italian armed forces (Much like the Luftwaffe in the German Wehrmacht). The core of the Republican Air Force were its fighter units that operated against Allied heavy bombers. At first Italian aircraft were used, such as the MC205 and the outstanding G55 and Re2005, but these were later largely replaced with German- made Bf109s. At the end of the war a small group of Italian pilots was located in Germany ready to begin training on the Me163 and Me262, but the war ended before they started the actual training. The Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana was organized as follows:
Air Force Headquarters
Torpedo-Bombers Command
Fighter Command
Transport Command
Anti-Air Artillery Command
Air Force Academy (courses "Zodiaco" and "Aquila 2nd")
Fighter Training Flight
5 x recruits Bns
9 x anti-parachutists Bns
Reggimento Arditi Paracadutisti "Folgore"
1st Parachutist Bn "Folgore" (lightning)
2nd Parachutist Bn "Nembo" (storm-cloud)
3rd Parachutist Bn "Azzurro" (Bright Blue)
1st Fighter Squadron
1st Flight "Larismont" (an Airforce hero, as per the other flights names)
2nd Flight "Guido Bobba"
3rd Flight "Dante Ocarso"
2nd Fighter Squadron
1st Flight "Gigi Caneppelle"
2nd Flight "Nicola Magaldi"
3rd Flight "Gianni Graffer"
3rd Fighter Squadron
101st Indipendent Fighter Squadron
Independent Fighter Flight "Montefusco"
Training Flight "Francesco Baracca"
Torpedo-bomber Squadron "Faggioni & Buscaglia"
Air Transport Squadron "Terracciano"
Air Transport Squadron "Trabucchi"
Air Liason Flight
1st Bomber Flight "Ettore Muti"
Gliders Flight
Even if officially entitled with the names of Airforce heroes, each fighter flight was usually called by its nickname, based on the flight's insigna, as follows. The 1st Squadron's flights had the following: 1/1 "Asso di Bastoni" (cludgel ace - from the traditonal Italian paying cards, that have different symbols from the "international" ones), 2/1 "Vespa Incacchiata" (pissed-off wasp), 3/1 "Incocca, tende, scaglia" ("Notch, Pull, Loose", the three actions to launch an arrow from a bow). The 2nd Squadron's flights had the following: 1/2 "Gigi tre Osei" (Gigi with three birds. The ace Gigi Caneppelle was a pre-war Top Grade glider pilot - entitled to wear a blue badge with three white birds. But "bird" is also the Italian slang for penis...), 2/2 "Diavoli Rossi" (red devils), 3/2 "Gamba di Ferro" (iron leg, the nickname of Cpt.Botto, one of the most charismatic WWII Italian fighter pilots).
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