It used to be a standing joke among British schoolboys: “What does the Italian battle flag look like? A white cross on a white background.” Or “How do they advertise Italian rifles for sale?” “Never shot, only dropped once.”
Italy doesn’t exactly come at the top of any military valour rankings. Two about-faces (in the first and second World Wars) and a 19th century and early 20th century history of ill equipment—the Alpine corps fighting in Russia in 1942-43 had to face the freezing winter cold with no decent shoes—gave the country a reputation for cowardice. The Italian air force in particular was much reviled as craven and useless during the Second World War.
Now however a new book by Chris Dunning puts paid to this myth. Courage Alone, a revised edition of Dunning’s 1999 book, which had long since sold out, portrays a far braver picture of the Italian airforce between 1940 and 1943.
Examining first hand accounts, combat diaries and documents, the author says the airmen of the Regia Aeronautica were as heroic and determined as the fearsome Luftwaffe on one side and the Allied forces on the other. What they lacked was good logistics, supplies and a strong government to back them up.
The book gives a detailed history of airforce units and ace pilots, looking at operation areas, aircraft types and even camouflage and markings. Plenty of rare photographs, drawings, maps and unit badges provide the visual backup to twelve years’ worth of research. For the real aficionado, there also are excerpts from original technical manual. A must-read for Second World War buffs.
Courage Alone is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk through the links below.
