14. Aces served in the Italian Air Force as well
The Italian Air Force, the Regia Aeronautica, fought mainly in North Africa and the Mediterranean region. Its leading ace, Teresio Vittorio Martinoli, started the war flying an obsolete Fiat biplane, graduating to a Macchi C. 202, and later a C. 205, the latter two being more advanced fighters. The Regia Aeronautica was the air force of Fascist Italy; it disbanded after the Italian surrender, with many of its pilots joining a new organization, the Aeronautica Co-Belligerent. Martinoli joined the new air force following the Armistice in 1943, effectively changing sides to support the Allies.
At first, he continued to fly Italian-built aircraft, gaining his 22nd and final air-to-air victory over Yugoslavia in November. In 1944 the Allies decided to equip the Aeronautica Co-Belligerante with American P-39 Airacobras, considered a superior ground attack aircraft. Martinoli went to Camp Vesuvio for training in the new (to the Italians) aircraft. During training, several aircraft were lost in accidents, due to the unsuitability of the terrain around the site, and poor maintenance procedures. Martinoli was killed in a training accident, one of three pilots to suffer similar fates during the program. Italy’s ace of aces at the time, his total later was surpassed by another Italian ace, Franco Lucchini.