Like every year, yesterday also took place at the Shrine of the Parachutist, in the monumental cemetery of Tarquinia, the commemorative ceremony called 'La torch of the ideals', organized by the local section of the ANPdI - National Parachutist Association of Italy, in front of a large and attentive public.
In addition to the president of the same section of Tarquinia, Giulio Maria Ciurluini, who conducted the whole, and the delegations of those of Rome and Viterbo, numerous authorities present, civil and military, including the general incursor Franco Monticone and the Medal d 'Silver to Military Valor, 1 ° Marshal Lgt. Giampiero Monti.
After the touching rituals and the reading of the Paratrooper Prayer, the Fiaccola started (with the first torch bearer in charge of the prestigious task, Marshall Gianluca Tonicchi) who, ideally joining the paratroopers of all generations, starting from that - glorious and unreachable - who fought in the famous battle of El Alamein, will reach the brigade headquarters thunderbolt, in Pisa, tomorrow.
Why Tarquinia: the three historical schools of military parachuting
Tarquinia was the headquarters of the first skydiving school in Italy, officially constituted the 15 October 1939, with the name of Royal Air Force Paratroopers School, under the command of the colonel pilot of the air force pilot Giuseppe Baudoin, after "While the school of Castel Benito was working in Libya, with the Fanti dell'Aria regiment, in the metropolitan territory the Army General Staff had issued a circular with which he requested to report the names of those wishing to attend a skydiving course, to be held at the Military School of Parachuting, at the "Amerigo Sostegni" Airport of Tarquinia "1.
Subsequently, the 25 February 1943, a second school was established, near Viterbo (the "Regia Scuola Paratutisti di Viterbo"), placed under the command of the pilot colonel of the Air Force Renato di Jorio.
Meanwhile, the events of the war, however, precipitated and, with the looming of the defeat, both schools were forced to interrupt their activities.
Tarquinia was closed July XXUMX 0 while Viterbo worked again for two months, until the armament of the September 19432.
After that date, 1 December 1943, there was the establishment of the Paratroopers School of the Italian Social Republic in Tradate, on the initiative of the National Republican Air Force3.
1http://www.folgore.it/storia_e_tecnica/tarquinia.htm
2http://www.nembo.info/Paracadutismo/le_regie_scuole.htm
3http://www.nembo.info/Nembo/Guerra/ParnellaR.S.I..htm: officially the School was born as a grouping of Arditi Paratroopers of the Republican Air Force, in command of the ten. with the. Edvino Dalmas, former commander of the Btg. ADRA of the Regia Aeronautica.
(photo of the author)
