U.S. Cadets in Italy

Published April 08, 2015

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Maj. Fiorello H. La Guardia, standing between two Italian officers, was in command of U.S. Air Service personnel in Italy. La Guardia later gained fame as the mayor of New York City from 1933-1945. (U.S. Air Force photo)

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Meanwhile, in Italy, 406 U.S. cadets had been graduated as pilots from the Italian primary flying course at Foggia. Of these 406 new pilots, 121 had received advance training as bombardment pilots at Italian schools. Most of these Americans were immediately transferred to France, but 65 of them remained in Italy, assigned to various Italian squadrons, where they flew combat missions across the Italian Front as members of Italian aircrews in Italian airplanes.

These 65 Americans represented between 20 to 30 percent of the entire Italian combat pilot force then serving on the Front in Italy.

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U.S. Cadets in Italy

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