Dec2 2004

HR Macchi Mc202 Folgore. Sgt.magiore Ennio tarantola 151sqn 51 'Stormo'
Wireframe : Col Gibbon
Skin : DeanH


Ennio tarantola was born on 19 January, 1915, in Como. For a while in his native city young Ennio would help support his family by selling Bananas. But a future as the owner of vegetable stand did not exactly thrill him, and during September 1936 he joined the  Regia Aeronautica. 

 Tarantola  volunteered to go to Spain and fought in THE XVI "Kukaracha" (cockroach) group flying the Fiat Cr32. On 20 January, 1938, he shot down an I15 'Chato' fighter. 
On his return to Italy Tarantola was sent to the 155th squadron to fly CR 32 fighters at the outbreak of World War II. 
In his first combat missions he was by no means successful as a fighter pilot. Several days after the entrance of Italy into the war he was selected for retraining as a dive bomber pilot (Ju87's). 
 He served in 102 Gruppo Bombardamento for 8 months under the command of Spanish Civil War  veteran, Captano Giuseppe Chenni.

On 24 June, 1941, off the coast of North Africa, and crippled by luftwaffe bombs, was the British destroyer "Waterhen" - the next day the Italian Stuka's were sent to finish it off. Tarantola was shot down during the attack and spent the next 18 hours in the sea, bobbing around in his life vest until he was rescued. His prolonged period in the sea caused him to request a transfer from the dive bomber squadron, and In the autumn he  returned to fighters.

On 4 November, 1941, He was sent to the 151st squadron equipped with Fiat G.50's, under the command of Captaino Furio Nikolo Doglio. Operating from the airfield at Tripoli, on 5 December, 1941, Tarantola gained his first victory in World War II, shooting down a Curtis P40. 

At the start of 1942 151 squadron together with the rest of 20 group, were transformed into the newly formed "51 Stormo" based on the airfield at Campino. After refitting with the Mc.202 'Folgore' the group moved to Gelu in Sicily. From June the pilots started flights over Malta and Tarantola became constant wingman of the squadron commander Captaino Doglio. 
Between the 1st and the 23rd of July, over Malta this pair brought down 11 Spitfires, with six being credited to the commander, three to Tarantola, and two recorded as probables. In September Cpt.Doglio was killed in front of him, but he continued to battle in the skies over Malta and during October shot down two more Spitfires.

 On 14 December his AC was severely damaged but Tarantola, remembering his prolonged dunking in the Mediterranean, refused to bail out and he nursed his stricken AC back to Sicily. 

During December,  the 20th group was recalled to Italy, the fighters returning to Ciampino until May 1943. 
Over Sardinia on 20 June, Tarantella brought down another P40, and on 30 July he shot down a p38 Lightning.
Three days later the ace participated in the epic air battle above CapoPula, on 2 August flying five combat missions in a day. After battling with a group Of P40's of 325FG (The Checkertail Clan) he intercepted p38 Lightnings of 141FG. He brought down two of the twin-engined American fighters. During this day Tarantelo lost another of his comrades, Pietro Bianchi, who was posthumously awarded the  Medaglia D'Oro. 

After the  truce in September 1943 he joined the ANR where, On 25 April, 1944, he met again with the old familiar 325FG, the Americans now flying the P47D, unfortunately for Tarantola he was flying a Fiat G.55 'Centauro' and he was shot down and seriously wounded in the legs and hi AC set on fire, He managed to bail out and he was unconsious when he hit the ground. He was not to recover before the end of the war. 

 Tarantola was awarded four Silver and two Bronze medals. After retiring for the italian AF he lived a quiet life, where all of the locals simply knew him once again as  the "Banana".

Based on the model made by Col.Gibbon

Hope you like  8?)

DeanH - JG2_Wolff

