- Yes
- Maybe
- No
History.
During the military campaign in the Mediterranean in 1940, a young pilot, a certain Roberto Crespi from Varese, earned his first silver medal at the helm of an SM.79 bomber. During the war he continued flying those aircraft and fighting until 1943, but after the events of 8 September 1943, Crespi decided to remain on the side of the Regia Aeronautica, which had now become the Aeronautica Cobelligerante.
In 1944, a unit called ‘Stormo Baltimore’ was created in Naples, a flock of Italian pilots flying British Martin Baltimore bombing planes. On 4 June of that year, the first pilots of the unit, including Crespi, were sent to Egypt, to Shandur, to begin training with the new planes. After a few weeks, the pilots returned to Italy and they and their unit were assigned to the Balkan Air Force, with the task of carrying out bombing missions over the Balkan areas still occupied by Axis forces.
During the six months of operations over the Yugoslavian and Greek skies, the various pilots had time to customise their aircraft and become familiar with them: the pilot Crespi, with his aircraft codenamed “Grappa 10”, achieved a record number of missions with the Italian allied units and was nicknamed “Fiorellino” by his fellow pilots because of the eponymous design on the nose of the aircraft. Unfortunately, during a break, he and several of his comrades witnessed the accident that led to the death of the pilot Major Buscaglia, but this did not stop the work of the wing, which continued its activities until the end of the war and beyond.
The pilot Crespi, on the other hand, remained active in aviation for eight years at the Aeronautica Macchi.
The decal.
The decal is very basic and simple: an inscription reading “Fiorellino” (“Little Flower”) is placed slightly curved and written in block letters with white outlines below a white coat of arms with a small stylised flower inside. Unfortunately, no colouring of the flower is known.
There are two versions of the flower in question, one in colour and one white with probably a yellow/orange centre. Unfortunately, it is not known which of the two coats of arms originated first and which was maintained the longest.
Pictures and drawnings.
Sources.
Spoiler
https://www.romadue-broglio.eu/wp-content/uploads/BUSCAGLIA-2-1.pdf
“Fiorellino” - Italian Forces | Gallery
Baltimore "Fiorellino" nose art, Italy | World War Photos
Stormo Baltimore - Wikipedia
132º Gruppo - Wikipedia
https://www.cmpr.it/baltimore/baltimore.htm
E' morto il generale Roberto Crespi
" Il Gobbo maledetto e il Baltimore. Confronto fra due mitici aeroplani in missione"