On 30 April 1943, returning from a raid on the ferry slips at Messina, Sicily, the B-24 bomber on which American airmen John Gaffney and Albert Romero were crew members was shot down over the Mediterranean.

Seven crew members who died included 1st Lieutenant W. C. Swarner and Technical Sergeant Andrew Huska; both initially survived the crash but became panic-stricken, swallowed sea water, and drowned.

Survivors Staff Sergeant Gaffney and Sergeant Romero were picked up at sea by an Italian Air Force rescue plane.

Luigi Fedele recently wrote to me from Italy:

“My uncle—my mother’s brother—was the Pilot Crew Chief of the Italian CANT Z.506 seaplane who saved the two American ‘enemy’ airmen.

“He brought the body of Sergeant Huska on board the aircraft, even though the sergeant was already dead and the air rescue operational procedures did not allow it. In the report, to justify himself, my uncle wrote that Sergeant Huska had died during the return flight. He wanted him to be given a dignified burial as a Christian and a soldier.

When he saw Sergeant Romero crying for the death of his friend, my uncle approached him and kissed him on the cheeks, the way of offering condolences in southern Italy, to share in the pain of a ‘man’ who had lost his own ‘Brother.’

Of course, the rescue at sea by the Italian Air Force also meant capture.

As prisoners of war, Staff Sergeant Gaffney and Sergeant Romero eventually were interned in P.G. 59. For their full story, read “John Gaffney and Albert Romero Survive Crash to be Interned in P.G. 59.”

“Mario Mancino was born in Melito di Napoli on 14 December 1913, Luigi told me. “During the war he was the Commander of the Air Rescue Section, 612th Squadron, Syracuse.

“On 9 July 1943 the Anglo-American troops began to land in Sicily between Licata and Syracuse, where the seaplane base is located. (The Italians were still allies of the Germans, as the Armistice, was yet to be signed in Cassibile in September 1943.)

“With very few seaplanes left, the Italian crews were forced to move to seaplane bases in northern Italy, leaving or burning their war diaries, so as not to leave them in the hands of the Americans. Therefore, the information on operations can only be deduced from the flight logs, and flight activity since July 1943 was not reported.

“I am sending you an extract of two rescue missions carried out by my uncle. One on 15 June 1942 was for the benefit of 10 British enemy sailors, who had jumped into the sea from a ship being sunk by bombs. The other relates to the mission of 30 April 1943 in favor of the American airmen.

Mission logs include: the number of rescue missions carried out by the pilot until that day (in the January–June semester); the date the mission was carried out; the flight performed, in altitude and duration (altitude in meters and duration of the mission in minutes); other crew members, rank, position and surname—although generally only the co-pilot is mentioned); and the purpose of the flight.

The flight, carried out on 30 April 1943, is the sixteenth rescue mission carried out by 1st Lieutenant Mancino in 1943,” Luigi explained. “My uncle’s co-pilot was Marshal Manetti Luciano, born in Roma.”

The entry in the logbook for the mission reads:

Quota di volo 200 metri e durata della missione 110 minuti; Velivolo utilizzato Cant Z.506 S; Altri componenti dell’equipaggio: Copilota Maresciallo Manetti Luciano, da Roma; Scopo del volo: Ricerca quadrimotore americano, coordinate: Latitudine 37° 22′ Nord e Longitudine 15° 40′ Est. Recuperati 3 naufraghi nemici, di cui uno morto nel volo di ritorno.

Flight altitude 200 meters and mission duration 110 minutes; Aircraft used: CANT Z.506 S; Other crew members: Co-pilot Marshal Manetti Luciano, from Rome; Purpose of the flight: Search for an American four-engine aircraft, coordinates: Latitude 37° 22′ North and Longitude 15° 40′ East. 3 enemy castaways survivors recovered, one of whom died on the return flight.

I asked Luigi what happened to his uncle after the Armistice. He replied:

“I know that my uncle continued to be a rescue pilot, and that he did not suffer any sanctions—a sign that he did not operate with the Germans. In fact, all the Italian pilots were interrogated immediately after the end of the war, and those who had operated with the Germans were punished and many were removed from the Air Force. My uncle, after the interrogation, returned to service in the Air Force, again as a rescue pilot, serving at the Augusta seaplane base, which is located near Siracusa. He was promoted to Captain.

“He was then transferred to the Non-Commissioned Officer Specialist School, where for many years he held the position of Course Commander for all specialists of the Italian Air Force. He finished his career as a Colonel and was then promoted to the rank of General, Honorary Role.

All members of Mario Mancino’s immediate family have passed away. However, six nephews are living today; three are his sister’s children and three are his brother’s—one of whom is was also named Mario Mancino.