Tunisia. The plane of Italian airman Fulvio Setti (born in Modena) takes off from Finocchiara airfield, carrying a unit of Bersaglieri from the 8th Regiment, along with four other aircraft. Escorted by 16 Aermacchi C.202 Folgore fighters, the Italian formation begins its sea crossing when, about halfway through, it is intercepted by USAF Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters. Although heavily countered by the C.202s, the P-38s immediately downed two SM.82s, which crashed in flames, while two others, badly damaged, were forced to ditch. Left alone, his plane was targeted by American aircraft, sustaining serious damage that forced him to make an emergency landing on the sandy shore between Cape Bon and Carthage. On the ground, the crew immediately began repairs, while Setti proceeded to the Tunisian Air Force Headquarters to deliver his mission report. Two days later, having reached the Italian command headquarters, the three aviators spotted a severely damaged Savoia-Marchetti SM81 bomber, hidden behind a hangar, intended to supply spare parts. With the help of an on-site engineer, they started the engines, and he, sitting on an empty gasoline drum in place of the missing seat, took off, reaching Soliman airfield in a few minutes. From there, he went to his aircraft, which had been further damaged by American fighters, now masters of the skies over Tunisia. He immediately took off for a makeshift airfield on the dry lake of Sidi Kedoni. At 4:00 a.m., he took off again for Sicily, flying very low over the sea. He even managed to shoot down an enemy aircraft. He received the Gold Medal for Military Valor. Several years later, during a BBC television broadcast in England, he recounted his exploits and how he was narrowly missed by a British bullet, which lodged in the box of chocolates behind him, which he had bought for his son. The pilot he shot down was also there listening, calling into the broadcast and then having a new box of chocolates delivered to him, apologizing for the mix-up. A bronze bust of Fulvio Setti stands at the entrance to the Italian Air Force in Modena.
