Buried at Parma Name Giuseppe Cenni Service/branch Regia Aeronautica Commands held Stormo Place of burial Parma, Italy | Rank Major (pilot) Died 1943, Aspromonte, Italy Years of service 1935–1943 Role Aviator Allegiance Kingdom of Italy | |
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Born February 27, 1915
Casola Valsenio (Ravenna) ( 1915-02-27 ) Unit 5º Stormo Tuffatori,
102º Gruppo,
239ª Squadriglia Battles/wars Spanish Civil War
Second World War Battles and wars Spanish Civil War, World War II | ||
Giuseppe Cenni (Casola Valsenio, 27 February 1915 – Aspromonte, 4 September 1943) was an Italian officer and aviator. A Major in the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force), he was a war hero of the Second World War and was awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor posthumously.
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Biography
Giuseppe Cenni developed a passion for aeronautics as a young man, building gliders while attending the Regio Istituto d'Arte (Institute of Fine Arts) in Parma. On 19 June 1935 he enlisted in the Regia Aeronautica as an auxiliary officer cadet. He obtained his wings on 20 November, flying a Fiat CR.20. In 1936 he volunteered for the Spanish Civil War under the nom de guerre of "Vittorio Stella". He bailed out of his aircraft after a series of collisions in fog and was taken prisoner, but was released in an exchange of prisoners.
Returning to Italy from Spain, Cenni was decorated, returned to the Air Force as a regular officer, and was first assigned to the 6th Stormo, then to the 51st Stormo. At the same time, he qualified as an aerobatic instructor. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Cenni asked to be brought back from Romania, where he was taking courses for fighter pilots, and was sent to attend courses to qualify to fly the dive bombing plane Junkers Ju 87, or Stuka. Cenni was also promoted to captain and given command of the 239th Squadriglia of autonomous dive-bombers on 24 November 1940. Based at Lecce Galatina Airport, he participated in dive bombing attacks in Greece and Yugoslavia. Cenni may have sank the Greek transport SS Ioanna of 1,192 GRT on 21 April 1941 in Patras harbour.
In the months between May and October 1941 the Stukas, called "Picchiatelli" by the Italians, were redeployed to North Africa, where they continued missions against land and naval targets in the Mediterranean Sea. Cenni was once again confirmed to be a pilot with excellent flying skills, so much so that he developed a technique of dive bombing called "skip bombing", ending with a short dive in level flight. The bomb dropped and bounced on the water, hitting the side of the ship under attack and maximizing the damage. For his actions he was awarded two Silver Medals of Military Valor.
The growing technique disparity of Ju 87 aircraft against Allied fighters led Cenni to develop techniques for dive bombing at night. In the course of these actions, the Stuka operated by then-Captain Cenni inflicted much damage on British ships. Cenni was decorated with his sixth Silver Medal of Military Valor and promoted to major on the merits of war.
Shooting activities with the 5º Stormo at Crotone Airport replaced the Stuka with the Reggiane Re.2002. The squadron was made operational in July 1943 and Cenni was faced with the contemporary Allied invasion of Sicily. On 11, 12 and 13 July, dive bombing missions were made in the bay of Augusta, which led to the decimation of the crews. On 13 July, Allied bombers attacked Crotone Airport, destroying almost the entire Stormo and killing six other pilots. Cenni retreated with planes and crew survivors to the airport in Manduria in Apulia.
On 3 and 4 September, a few days before the announcement of the armistice, which had already been signed in secret, Cenni was ordered to fight the Allied landing at Reggio Calabria. He did not return to base. Major Giuseppe Cenni was seen by witnesses on Aspromonte alone while being pursued by many Spitfires. He was shot down, died and was decorated with the Gold Medal of Military Valor.
Personal life
Cenni was married with a daughter.