Luigi Gorrini, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Luigi Gorrini

Italian flying ace

Date of Birth: 12-Jul-1917

Place of Birth: Alseno, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Date of Death: 08-Nov-2014

Profession: aircraft pilot

Nationality: Italy

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Luigi Gorrini, MOVM (12 July 1917 – 8 November 2014), was an Italian World War II fighter pilot in the Regia Aeronautica and in the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana.
During the conflict he flew with the Corpo Aereo Italiano (CAI, Italian Air Corps) during the Battle of Britain, fought over Libya and Tunisia, and was involved in the defence of the Italian mainland.
Gorrini was credited with 19 (24 according to some sources) enemy planes shot down plus 9 damaged, of several types: Curtiss P-40, Spitfire, P-38 Lightning, P-47 Thunderbolt, B-17 "Flying Fortress" and B-24 Liberator.
He claimed his air victories flying the biplane Fiat C.R.42 and monoplanes Macchi C.202 and C.205 Veltro.
Gorrini was the top scoring C.205 pilot.
With the Veltro he shot down 14 enemy planes and damaged six more. He was the highest ranking Italian ace still alive until his death, and the only surviving fighter pilot awarded the Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare (Gold Medal of Military Valor).