No Spitfires were lost, however, Plt. Off. A. S. Yates’ fighter had to crash-land due to damage, while Sgt. George Beurling’s aircraft had a large hole in it when he returned to base
When engaging their Allied equivalents, Italian aircraft like the Fiat G.50 and Macchi C.200 had always had difficulty due to their slow straight-line speed and constrained armament. German engines were used in the C.202 Folgore, which Macchi built to address these issues. This resulted in a quicker aircraft with a better rate of climb and achievable height.
According to Marco Mattioli’s account in his book Macchi C.202/C.205V Units in Combat, on July 6, 1942, C.202s from 20° Gruppo took off from Sicily to provide indirect escort for three CANT Z.1007bis of 9° Stormo (which were being closely escorted by 14 Re.2001s from 2° Gruppo), which were en route to Luqa/Mqabba airfield on Malta.
Eight C.202s from the 151a Squadriglia, led by Capitano Furio Niclot Doglio with Maresciallo Ennio Tarantola as one of his wingmen, were among the fighters involved. Niclot Doglio’s Macchis assaulted the 11 Spitfire VCs from No 249 Sqn, headed by Flt Lt Norman Lee, as they scrambled to intercept the advancing formation.
Sgt. George Beurling, a future-ranking Malta Spitfire ace, swiftly claimed a “Macchi” shot down. His true victim was a Re.2001, whose pilot managed to bail out. The C.202, piloted by five-victory ace Sergente Maggiore Francesco Pecchiari of the 352a Squadriglia, was then pursued by Beurling from 20,000 feet down to 5000 feet, where the Folgore ‘blew up,’ killing the pilot.
The remaining C.202 pilots subsequently launched a counterattack, with Niclot Doglio reporting the downing of a Spitfire. Tarantola saw the “British” fighter crash north of Valetta and watched its demise. He had truly witnessed the Re.2001’s destruction, as Beurling had reported. Tenente Michele Gallo claimed another Spitfire close to St Paul’s Bay.
No Spitfires had really been lost, but Plt. Off. A. S. Yates’ fighter had been so seriously damaged that he had to crash land, and Sgt. Beurling’s aircraft had a large hole in it when he returned to base.
Macchi C.202/C.205V Units in Combat is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Artwork by Gareth Hector via Osprey Publishing
