Diacronie. Studi di Storia Contemporanea (Mar 2016)
L’8 settembre 1943 e la Regia “fascistissima” Aeronautica
Abstract
On 8 September 1943, following the widespread surprise caused by the proclamation of the armistice, the flight of the reigning house and the disruption of the armed forces, every Italian citizen was called to decide whether to be loyal to the legitimate government which had moved to Brindisi or to the Republican Fascist movement which would have settled in Salò, whether to be allied to the old Anglo-American enemy or be an enemy to the old German ally. This article, concerning what happened in the days following the proclamation of the surrender, proposes a general reflection on the adjective ‘fascistissima’ given to the Royal Air Force and a specific reflection on the connection between the leading figures of the Air Force staff and the Fascism. For this purpose, specific documents contained in the 181 files composing the archive ‘Discriminati Gen’ kept at the Air Force Historical Archive will be analyzed.
