Major ADRIANO VISCONTI: ace of Italian fighter pilots with 26 victories of wich 15 shot down with the obsolete MACCHI 200 until 1st January 1944! and 11 after this date flying the more modern MACCHI 205 and from 1st January 1945 with the Me 109 G-10 (white 6) to the end of war defending the northern Italy against bombers.
Wounded a lot of times with a lot of incredible adventures he was the example of the classic romantic fighter pilot, great commander, loved by his pilots.
To tell you the kind of man: diving during an attack to B-24, Mustangs and Thunderbolts over Lombardia (northern Italy) his guns suddenly jammed, so, to not embarrass his wing man, Major Visconti, unarmed, went on with the attack heading the chosen bomber and then crossing the big formation in a storm of enemy fire!
In the last months of war some pilots of his squadron went to Germany at Rangsdorf, Brandenburg and Brandis (JG 400) for passing to Me 163. They made the complete training on the gliders HABICHT-8 but when at Brandis were going to begin the flights on the KOMET, the sovietic tanks interrupt any program.
The last mission of first squadron was on April 19, 1945, when four 109s shot down the B-24 of the Captain Walter Sutton. He and his crew survived and was taken to the fighters airfield. Sutton admiring the courage of the fighter pilots, wanted to participate to the funeral of Leutnant Morandi shot down with his 109 by the 12.7 of the bomber.
At 2 p.m. of April 29 Major Visconti and his pilots were imprisoned by communist partisans near Malpensa airfield (Milan). Major Visconti was taken away to be interrogated: walking along the way, the red partisans shot him on the back. They had not even the courage to look him in the eyes. I like to think that Major Visconti should be happy to fly finally on a modern plane like the 207!
