Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia

Who was Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia?

Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia was an Italian aviator, and one of the most famous Italian pilots of World War II.

Buscaglia was born in Novara, Piedmont, in 1915 and entered the Italian Accademia Aeronautica in October 1934. In 1937 he was made Sottotenente.

On July 1, 1937 Buscaglia was assigned to the 50th Squadron, then equipped with the obsolete Savoia-Marchetti S.M.81, but later replaced with the more efficient SM.79. In 1939 he was promoted to full Lieutenant. The following February he was transferred to the 252nd Squadron, and with this unit he took part to his first military mission, on June 21, 1940.

On 25 July he volunteered to join the Reparto Speciale Aerosiluranti of the Regia Aeronautica, later renamed the 240th Torpedo-Bomber Squadron, based in Libya. In the night of 17 September 1940, Buscaglia obtained his first success with a torpedo-armed SM.79, heavily damaging the cruiser HMS Kent. In early December he also successfully attacked the cruiser HMS Glasgow.

In January 1941 Buscaglia's unit was transferred to Catania, from where he took part in the action with some German Ju 87s in which the carrier HMS Illustrious was badly damaged.