Early Life and the Spanish Civil War
Ugo Corsi was born in Pirano d’Istria in 1911. During his military career, he flew with the 4th Stormo. He actively participated in the Spanish Civil War, where he piloted a CR.32 in the VIth Gruppo. During this conflict, Corsi shot down two Republican aircraft, but was himself shot down and taken prisoner in October 1938.
Service in World War II
At the beginning of World War II, Corsi was serving in the 84th Squadriglia, 10th Gruppo, of the 4th Stormo C.T. His unit was based in North Africa and equipped with Fiat CR.42 aircraft. On June 19, 1940, at 07:45, a formation of four “Gladiators,” one “Hurricane,” and two “Blenheims” from the 33rd AE took off from Mersa Matruh airfield for a patrol in the Sollum area.
At 09:40, they encountered nine Fiat CR.42s, at least five of which belonged to the 10th Gruppo. The British had a superior position and attacked immediately. The “Hurricane” pilot managed to shoot down the Italian leader, while the “Gladiators” attacked a pair of Fiats unsuccessfully, resulting in the death of Sergeant Green.
Fatal Combat and Legacy
Faced with the enemy’s numerical superiority, the enthusiasm of the “Gladiator” pilots waned, and they began to turn towards the Libyan border. Meanwhile, the British disengaged from combat due to a lack of fuel and ammunition. The Italians lost two pilots in this engagement: Sergeant Corsi, who was killed, and Armando Piragino, who was taken prisoner.
The returning Italian airmen claimed three “Gladiators” shot down. In post-war works, Italian historians credited Corsi with three victories for this engagement, which is unlikely, as the British only lost one aircraft, and the Italians themselves claimed a total of only three victories. Despite the controversy, Corsi was posthumously awarded the Medaglia d’argento al valore militare, accumulating a total of three such decorations throughout his military career.