Adriano Visconti

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Adriano Visconti

Adriano Visconti (November 11, 1915 - April 29, 1945) was an Italian airforce major.

Visconti was Italy's top flying ace of the Second World War, shooting down a total of twenty-six enemy aircraft.

Born in Tripoli, the son of Galeazzo and Cecilia Dall'Aglio-Visconti, Visconti joined the Regia Aeronautica in October 1936, and completed his pilot training at the Royal Academy in Caserta. Upon graduation, he learned to fly the Breda BA25, and later flew the RO41s. He was relegated to the 50 Stormo, 159a ground attack squadron in 1939. From June 1940 until the end of that year, he flew the Breda 65 ground attack aircraft, and was awarded one bronze medal and two silver medals.

At the beginning of 1941, Visconti was detached to the 54 Stormo, 7 Gruppo, 76a Squadron, and learned to fly the Macchi 200. He then flew the superior Macchi 202 from the end of 1941 until the Italian Armistice of September 8, 1943.

After the armistice, Visconti continued to fly with the newly formed Aviazione della Repubblica Sociale Italiana (ARSI) of the deposed Benito Mussolini, and shortly thereafter, he was promoted to captain, commanding 1st Squadron, 1st Gruppo Caccia. In May 1944, he was promoted to major.

Until the disbanding of the ARSI in 1945, Visconti flew the Macchi MC205 and the Messerschmitt Me109 G10. By the time of his death, he had shot down twenty-six enemy aircraft. Fifteen of these were managed whilst flying in his already obsolete Macchi 200; the last eleven in an Me109 G10, designated "White Six". He was wounded on several occasions, but never seriously.

On April 29, 1945, Visconti was arrested by communist partisans near Malpensa airfield, Milan. His safety was assured by the mayor of Milan when he was taken for interrogation. However, as the major was led away, he was shot in the back by one of the partisans.