Franco Lucchini | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | ”Francesco Baracca della seconda Guerra mondiale” |
| Born | 24 December 1914 Rome, Italy |
| Died | 5 July 1943 (aged 28) Catania, Sicily, Fascist Italy |
| Buried | Sacrario dell'Aeronautica Militare Italiana, Cimitero Monumentale del Verano |
| Allegiance | Italy |
| Service | Aviazione Legionaria Regia Aeronautica |
| Years of service | 1936 – 1943 |
| Rank | tenente / capitano |
| Unit | 19a Squadriglia, 23° Gruppo Caccia Aviazione Legionaria - 90a Squadriglia, 84a Squadriglia (4° Stormo), Regia Aeronautica |
| Commands | 10° Gruppo |
| Battles / wars | Spanish Civil War - Second World War |
| Awards | Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare "alla memoria" Medaglia d’Argento al valor Militare Medaglia di Bronzo al Valor Militare Croce al Merito di Guerra German Iron Cross second class |
Franco Lucchini, MOVM, (24 December 1914 – 5 July 1943) was an Italian World War II fighter pilot in the Aviazione Legionaria and in the Regia Aeronautica. During World War II he achieved 21 (22, according to other sources) individual air victories, plus 52 shared, to add to the five kills in Spain, during the Civil War.[1]
He was born in Rome, the son of a railway official. When he was sixteen, he got a glider pilot's license. In 1935, he enrolled in Regia Aeronautica as a Reserve Officer, with the rank of Sottotenente Pilota di Complemento. In July 1936 he gained his military flight license at Foggia flying school. He was then commissioned (in Servizio Permanente Effettivo) on 13 August 1936 and in the same month was assigned to the 91a Squadriglia, 10° Gruppo, 4° Stormo C.T. in Gorizia.[2]