Italy remembers FAB WW2 pilot John Richardson Cordeiro e Silva

Massimo Mazzanti, our Contributor in Italy interviewed an eyewitness of his death

Our contributor in Italy, Massimo Mazzanti was invited to participate in the Cerimony in Honor of a Brazilian Air Force WW2 pilot, 2ºTen.-Av. John Richardson Cordeiro e Silva, fallen in battle in Livergnano in 1944..

The Cerimony took place November 7th, 2010 at 10:30 local time at Monumento al soldato di Livergnano. At 11:30 a flower wreath was placed by John Richardson's bust.

Present, Brazilian authorities, Fl. Col. Sergio Roberto de Almeida, Brazilian Attache for Defense and Aeronautics in Italy, CMG Sérgio Nathan Marinho Goldstein, Brazilian Attache for Defense and Navy in Italy, Col Orlando Roque de Simone Brazilian Attache for Defense in Italy, Ft. Col. Jorge Antônio Araújo Amaral c/o Aditância de Defesa e Aeronáutica, Col Av Ivo Rodcz Filho Head of RECABI, Ten Col Pil Felipe Cruz Velasco RECABI, So Dilson José de Oliveira Coadiutore dell'Addetto per la Difesa e Aeronautico, SO Donizeti Furtado de Oliveira Coadiutore dell'Addetto Navale, ST João Batista Piloneto Coadiutore dell'Addetto Militare, 1st Sarg. Cosme de Castro Caetano Coadiutore del Capo della RECABI, a Delegation from Brazilian Air Force Academy with 16 members. By the Italian side, Gabriele Minghetti, Pianoro's Mayor and other regional authoritie and Gruppo Amici di Livergnano, which offerd a cocktail at the end.

Brazil sent a P-47D squadron to Europe as part of the Allied effort to defeat the Nazis. This squadron was trained in the US to fight as an USAAF unit under USAAF orders.

At the begining, Brazilian Air Force pilots flew within USAAF's 350th Fi. Gp squadrons, 345th, 346th and 347th. We were the fourth squadron of the group, known by the Americans as 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron.

That was the case when our John Richard was flying as the forth plane on a 345th formation. He was hit by Flak on the first run. With his engine on fire he managed to hold the plane but without power to gain altitude to bail out with parachutes and losing the speed he gained from the dive's recovery, he tried an emergency landing over the enemy lines on rough terrain, south of Pianoro, on the Gothic Line, close to Bologna. As he touched ground his P-47D-27-RE s/n 42-26872 exploded to small pieces. He was not schedulled to this flight, he was a reserve to Lt. Perdigão, whose plane hit a pole prior to take-off, damaging the wing.

Fl. Lt. John Richarson was Brazilian Air Force's first combat loss in Europe.

But the most significant event of the day was finding an eyewitness to John's death. Massimo found and interviewed Sig. Arbati Remo, a young man at the time, he saw the plane going down on fire over his "paese" and a couple of Flaks hitting him after that. At Livergnano there is a Museum in honor of the Brazilian Expedicionary Force (FEB).

Massimo was also invited on July 20th to Santos=Dumont Celebration and December 13th to Sailor Day.

Grazie Massimo!

Livergnano, Comune di Pianoro, Bologna Provice official site: www.comune.pianoro.bo.it/news

phone 051 6529 119 - 143 Italy