Luigi Gorrini (Paperback)

Luigi Gorrini, MOVM, (born 12 July 1917) is a former Italian World War II fighter pilot in the Regia Aeronautica and in the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana. During the conflict he flew with the Corpo Aereo Italiano (CAI, Italian Air Corps) during the Battle of Britain, fought over Libya and Tunisia, and was involved in the defence of the Italian mainland. Gorrini was credited with 19 (24 according to some sources) enemy planes shot down plus 9 damaged, of several types: Spitfire, P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt, B-17 "Flying Fortress" and B-24 Liberator. He claimed his air victories flying the biplane Fiat C.R.42 and monoplanes Macchi C.202 and C.205. Gorrini was the top scoring "Veltro" pilot. With the C.205 he shot down 14 enemy planes and damaged six more. He is the highest ranking Italian ace still alive today, and the only surviving fighter pilot awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valour.