George Beurling, the legendary Canadian ace, renown Wing Commander George Burges, and others had High Respect for the Courage of the Italian Pilots compared to the Luftwaffe, who they regarded with disdain, to set straight a common misconception, born of ignorance and fostered by war propaganda.

George Beurling, the legendary Canadian ace based on Malta, who was to become one of the greatest flying myths of the Second World War, did not mince his words about the Eyeties (Italians) and the Jerries (Germans) whom the Allied pilots had to fight:

"The Eyeties are comparatively easy to shoot down. Oh, they're brave enough. In fact, I think the Eyeties have more courage than the Germans. They will stick it even if things are going against them, whereas the Jerries will run."

On another occasion, Beurling worded his thoughts differently: "The Jerries are probably better overall pilots than the Italians, but they certainly let the Eyeties do their fighting for them when the going got tough".

It was the Italians "inferior equipment and weaponry that crippled their air force, not the valour of its pilots." The Italians were let down badly in the matter of their equipment. Badly made, undersized bombs blunted their attacks and poor guns their defensive powers.

"Their armament was very bad altogether. I'd blame the armaments, not the individuals," Beurling commented.

Wing Commander George Burges, resplendent in his Faith, Hope and Charity renown, expressed exactly the same judgment as Beurling:

"The average Italian pilot had more courage in the face of opposition than many of his Luftwaffe counterparts. I found the Germans were far more willing to break formation and leg it back home.

"Most German fighter pilots had far less stomach for individual combat, man to man, than the pilots of the Macchis and CR 42".

Burges boasted of "many exciting personal combats with Italian fighter pilots, as did most of the pilots of the Fighter Flight".

The Germans, Burges added, "preferred to stay in large packs at a great height, with occasional sorties to attack defenceless men, women and children on the inland roads of Malta, or to pick up a wounded straggler in a damaged Hurricane or Spitfire".

And another source confirms this in full: "The RAF pilots had a higher regard for the Italian pilots who would "stay and mix it" even if the odds were against them, unlike the gallant Luftwaffe who had a tendency to turn tail and run if they did not have all the cards stacked in their favour".

Peter Rothwell's recent death passed virtually unnoticed, as of one of the few surviving heroes of the defence of Malta in World War II. he deserved better.  Rothwell had volunteered to join the Special Duties Flights of Wellington aircraft in Malta, reaching the island early in 1942, when the Axis forces were putting on all they had to vanquish the battered rock by air and by sea. Those were dire days: Malta, a last strategic hub in the Mediterranean,just could not afford to fail. Its survival was vital for the success of the Allies, its fall equally vital for the victory of the Nazi-Fascists in North Africa.

Rothwell had volunteered to join the Special Duties Flights of Wellington aircraft in Malta, reaching the island early in 1942, when the Axis forces were putting on all they had to vanquish the battered rock by air and by sea......
[Living in caves, and flying harrowing sorties,]   Rothwell flew Wellington bombers, warhorses of the RAF had versatile uses, from reconnaissance to long-range bombing, and sometimes also doubled as torpedo planes....

Rothwell's adversaries in the air were the German and Italian fighter pilots. and it would be fair to set straight a common misconception, born of ignorance and fostered by war propaganda - the cowardice and incompetence of Italian wartime pilots.

The truth was exactly the opposite: that British airmen feared and respected Italian pilots far more than they did German ones.

All serious military scholars who have tackled the issue dispassionately agree that Italian pilots generally showed astounding valour against all odds.

George Beurling, the legendary Canadian ace based on Malta, who was to become one of the greatest flying myths of the Second World War, did not mince his words about the Eyeties (Italians) and the Jerries (Germans) whom the Allied pilots had to fight:

"The Eyeties are comparatively easy to shoot down. Oh, they're brave enough. In fact, I think the Eyeties have more courage than the Germans. They will stick it even if things are going against them, whereas the Jerries will run."

On another occasion, Beurling worded his thoughts differently: "The Jerries are probably better overall pilots than the Italians, but they certainly let the Eyeties do their fighting for them when the going got tough".

It was the Italians "inferior equipment and weaponry that crippled their air force, not the valour of its pilots." The Italians were let down badly in the matter of their equipment. Only about half of their bombs went off, and those that did went "pop" instead of "bang". Badly made, undersized bombs blunted their attacks and poor guns their defensive powers.

"Their armament was very bad altogether. I'd blame the armaments, not the individuals," Beurling commented.

Wing Commander George Burges, resplendent in his Faith, Hope and Charity renown, expressed exactly the same judgment as Beurling:

?The average Italian pilot had more courage in the face of opposition than many of his Luftwaffe counterparts. I found the Germans were far more willing to break formation and leg it back home.

?Most German fighter pilots had far less stomach for individual combat, man to man, than the pilots of the Macchis and CR 42?.

Burges boasted of ?many exciting personal combats with Italian fighter pilots, as did most of the pilots of the Fighter Flight?.

The Germans, Burges added, ?preferred to stay in large packs at a great height, with occasional sorties to attack defenceless men, women and children on the inland roads of Malta, or to pick up a wounded straggler in a damaged Hurricane or Spitfire?.

And another source confirms this in full: ?The RAF pilots had a higher regard for the Italian pilots who would ?stay and mix it? even if the odds were against them, unlike the gallant Luftwaffe who had a tendency to turn tail and run if they did not have all the cards stacked in their favour?.

In Malta, Rothwell took part in 38 sorties, all hazardous and nerve-wracking. On one occasion his command ordered his unit, the Special Duties Flight, to attack an Italian merchant vessel. ?Flying through intense flak Peter and his crew bombed and sank the ship?.

Immediately after he joined the forces that attacked the Italian fleet at Taranto, a strategic assault which inflicted crippling damage to Italy's sea presence from which it never really recovered.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/life/view/20110320/
features/peter-rothwell-unsung-hero-of-world-war-ii
 
 

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