Furio Niclot Doglio,MOVM (24 April 1908 – 27 July 1942) was an Italiantest pilot andWorld War II fighter pilot in theRegia Aeronautica. Doglio set nine world aviation records^[1] in the 1930s during his time as a test pilot. During the war, he claimed seven kills (six of themSpitfires), flyingFIAT G. 50s andMacchi C. 202s, establishing himself as one of Italy'saces. Doglio was killed in combat on 27 July 1942 during theSiege of Malta byGeorge Beurling, who became Canada's top ace of the war. He was awarded aMedaglia d'oro al Valor Militare alla memoria (Memorial Golden medal for military valour).

Furio Niclot Doglio
Born	(1908-04-24)April 24, 1908
Died	July 27, 1942(1942-07-27) (aged 34)
Allegiance	Italy
Service/ branch	Corpo Aereo Italiano
Rank	Capitano
Battles / wars	Malta

Furio Niclot Doglio was born inTurin,Piedmont. He qualified as a civil pilot in 1930, having previously been an aeronautical engineer. During the early to mid-1930s, he worked as a test pilot for Italian aircraft manufacturersCompagnia Nazionale Aeronautica (CNA) andBreda and was also a flying instructor atLittorio airport, Rome.^[2]

Doglio set nine official aviation world records (as recognized by theFédération Aéronautique Internationale or FAI, the aviation world record adjudicating body).^[1]

When Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940, Doglio enlisted in theRegia Aeronautica. His first posting was the 355ªSquadriglia of 21°Gruppo. On 17 June, Niclot flew his first mission: a patrol over Rome, flying theFiat G.50.

In autumn 1940, Doglio was in Belgium with theCorpo Aereo Italiano, the Italian air expedition against England. Niclot carried out his first mission on 27 October, by escorting aFiat BR.20, on a mission to attack Ramsgate. During the whole campaign, Niclot, like the other Italian G.50 pilots, did not encounter enemy fighters, nor fire his guns.

Doglio's first "kill" was aHawker Hurricane, in North Africa, while he was flying a Fiat G.50. On 30 June 1941,Captain Furio Niclot Doglio, while escortingJu 87 Stukas that were bombing an English convoy off Ras Azzas, attacked three Hurricanes that were bouncing the dive-bombers and shot down one, damaging the others. For this action, Niclot received aMedaglia di bronzo al Valore Militare (Bronze Medal for Military Valour).^[3]

Doglio's other air victories were all claimed at Malta in July 1942, while flying the Macchi C.202, asCapitano of 151ªSquadriglia.

His first Spitfire was shot down on 2 July 1942. That day, while escorting threeSavoia-Marchetti SM.84, leading 10 MC.202s of 151ªSquadriglia, Doglio fought with Spitfires from249 and 185 Squadron. During a head-on attack, he hit the Spitfire BR377 ofFlight Sergeant C.S.G. De Nancrede fromSquadron 249, which had to crash-land on Ta 'Qali airfield, nearMdina.^[4]

On the 6th, Doglio encountered again the Spitfires of 249 Squadron, while escorting three Cant.Z.1007 bis, and he claimed another Supermarine fighter, confirmed by his wingman Tarantola to crash north of Valletta, but the 249 that day had no losses, even if the Squadron had two aircraft shot up, one of them was flown by Sgt. Beurling, who three weeks later would kill Doglio in combat overGozo.^[4] The following day, Niclot and seven other Macchi pilots were escorting for the first time theJu 88A-4 ofKampfgeschwader 77. In the sky over Luqa, they clashed with seven Spitfires. Niclot and his wingman shot down the Spitfire of Flt. Sgt. D. Ferraby from Squadron 249 (AB500). Niclot's last air victory was a double "kill": two Spitfires downed on 13 July 1942.

On 27 July 1942, Doglio was leading three others Macchi, on the coast of Gozo. Six Spitfires of126 Squadron attacked them head-on, while eight other Spitfires of 249 Sq. attacked from the left ("10 hour direction"). Niclot was preparing to counter-attack the Spitfires or 126 Sq. when his wingman,Sergente Ennio Tarantola, tried to warn his commander, waggling his wings, as Italian radios worked badly, of the Spitfires diving on them from the left, but Niclot understood that Tarantola was warning him of the Spitfires he had already spotted.

Fl. Sgt. George "Screwball" Beurling, from 249 Sq., first scored hits onSergente Faliero Gelli's aircraft, who later crash landed on Gozo, and soon after shot down Doglio's C.202 (MM 9042), who was waggling his wings to warn his fellow pilots of Spitfires closing "head-on". "The poor devil simply blew to pieces in the air", Beurling recalled the following year, writing the bookMalta Spitfire, together with journalist Leslie Roberts.^[5]

When he was killed, Doglio held the rank ofCapitano and was the commanding officer of 151ªSquadriglia, 20°Gruppo, 51°Stormo, and was flying aMacchi C.202, aircraft number 151-1.^[6] In less than a month, July 1942, Niclot had flown 21 missions of war, over Malta, was involved in 18 air combats, claimed six aircraft shot down plus four more probable and two shared with his wingman,Ennio Tarantola.^[7]

Doglio left a wife and two sons, Stefano and Gian Francesco, doctors, who are still alive and live in Northern Italy. Invia Ravenna 7A, nearpiazza Bologna,Rome, the house where Niclot lived with his family on the first floor, is still standing.

In Rome, at the entrance of the building built by himself and his father, in via Bolzano 14, a plaque in the hall displays the citation from Doglio's Gold Medal. The citation of the Gold Medal is also on a plaque on the Bonaria cemetery of Cagliari, Sardinia, where the local section ofArma Aeronautica is dedicated to Furio Niclot Doglio. In Fiumicino, near Rome, a street in the area of Isola Sacra is named: "Niclot".

In 1936, Doglio became one of the first recipients of the FAI'sLouis Blériot medal.^[8] Doglio was awarded theMedaglia d'oro al Valore Militare (MOVM) (Gold Medal for Military Valor),^[6] a Silver medal of aeronautical valour, aSilver Medal of Military Valor "on the field", two Bronze Medals and theIron Cross, Second Class (EK II. Klasse).

• List of World War II aces from Italy

Notes

Bibliography

• Google translation of account of Doglio's death
• History site which includes two photos of Doglio