lta was in need of fighter protection and it was decided to form a flight of Gladiators at RAF Hal Far ugg bailey bow günstig , to be composed of RAF and FAA personnel. Several Sea Gladiators were assembled and test-flown. By June, two of the Gladiators had crashed and two more were assembled. Charity was shot down on 29 July 1940. Its pilot, Flying Officer Peter Hartley, scrambled at 09.45 with fellow pilots F. F. Taylor and Flight Lieutenant William Joseph "Timber" Woods, to intercept a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 "Sparviero", escorted by nine Fiat CR.42s from 23o Gruppo. During a dogfight between the opposing fighters, a burst of fire from a CR.42 flown by Sergente Tarantino struck the fuel tank of Hartley Gladiator (N5519), causing it to explode. He baled out after suffering severe burns. Woods shot down the commander of the Italian formation, Capitano Antonio Chiodi of the 75a Squadriglia, his aircraft falling into the sea five miles east of Grand Harbour. Chiodi was subsequently awarded a posthumous Medaglia dro al Valor Militare (Gold Medal of Valour - Italy highest military award). In May 2009 ugg bailey button günstig , the remains of Charity and others were the subject of an underwater search by NATO minesweepers. Hope (N5531) was destroyed on the ground by enemy bombing in May 1941. The fate of at least five more Gladiators that saw action over Malta is not as well documented. North Africa In North Africa, Gladiators had to face Italian Fiat CR.42s. "The C.R.42 was superior to the Gloster Gladiator, but that was but a paltry success." The first aerial combat between the biplanes took place on 14 June over Amseat. Captain Franco Lucchini, of 90a Squadriglia, 10 Gruppo, 4 Stormo, with five victories in Spain, flying a CR.42 from Tobruk, shot down a Gladiator, the first of his 21 kills in World War II. According to historian Hkan Gustavsson damen bailey button triplet , it was a victory of Tenente Giovanni Guiducci, of 90a Squadriglia. According to other authors the air victory was to be shared four ways between Capitano Maggini, Tenente Guiducci, Sergente Ceoletta and Lucchini himself. No losses are noted in RAF records, that day, howewer. In either case, it was the first claim made against RAF in the desert war. In June, three Gladiators (together with 11 Blenheims and a Sunderland), were shot down. But on 3 July, four Falcos of 13 Gruppo were intercepted over Menastir by six Gladiators and were all destroyed bailey button triplet günstig , the same day two others didn't come back. On the afternoon of 24 July, CR.42s and Gladiators clashed over Bardia. A formation of 11 CR.42s from 10 Gruppo, backed by six more from the 13 Gruppo attacked a British formation of nine Blenheims that was attacking Bardia, and was in turn reportedly attacked by 15 Gladiators. The five Gladiators of 33 Squadron claimed four CR.42s destroyed. In the big aerial combat of 4 August 1940, the Fiat biplanes from 160 Squadriglia of Capitano Duilio Fanali intercepted four Gladiators commanded by Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle (eventually to be one of the top score Allied aces with approximately 50 claims), that were attacking some Breda Ba.65 that were strafing British armoured vehicles. Wykeham Barnes claimed a Breda 65, while Pattle claimed a Ba 65 and, during a running fight, a C.R. 42. Eastern Africa In Eastern Africa the Gladiators faced the Italian biplane fighters: Fiat CR.32s and CR.42s. The latter, more modern than the Gladiator short ugg winterstiefel , was a formidable opponent. On 6 November 1940, in the first hour of the British offensive against Ethiopia, the Fiat CR.42 fighters of the high-scoring 412a Squadriglia led by Capt. Antonio Raffi shot down five Gloster Gladiators without losses. That day, the British forces in Sudan launched an offensive against Italian fort of Gallabat and Metemma, that were was just across the border. The Gladiator's last air combat with an Italian fighter was on 24 October 1941, with the CR.42 of Tenente Malavolti (or, according to historian Hkan Gustavsson, sottotenente Malavolta). The Italian pilot took off to strafe British airfields at Dabat and Adi Arcai. According to the Italian historian Nico Sgarlato, the CR.42 was intercepted by three Gladiators and managed to shoot down two of them, but was then itself shot down and the pilot killed. Other authors state that Malavolti managed only to fire on the two Gladiators before being shot down. According to Gustavsson ugg classic tall grau , South African Air Force pilot (no. 47484V) Lieutenant Lancelot Charles Henry "Paddy" Hope, at Dabat airfield, scrambled to intercept the CR.42 (MM7117). Diving on it, he opened fire at 300 yards. Although the Italian pilot took violent evasive action, Hope continued to follow, closing to only 20 yards and firing as the Fiat tried to dive away. There was a brief flicker of flame and the last Italian aircraft to be shot down over East Africa spun into the ground and burst into flames near Ambazzo. Next day, the wreckage was found, the dead pilot still in the cockpit. Hope dropped a message on the Italian positions at Ambazzo: "Tribute to the pilot of the Fiat. He was a brave man. South African Air Force." But operational record books of the Commonwealth units in the area state that they didn suffer any losses on this date. The dedication of the posthumous Medaglia dro al valor militare states that Malavolti shot down a Gladiator and forced another one to crash land, but was himself shot down by the third Gladiator. This was the last air-to-air victory in the East African campaign. Greece Tension had been building between Greece and Italy since 7 April 1939, when Italian troops occupied Albania. On 27 October 1940 ugg cardy günstig , Italy sent an ultimatum to Greece, which was rejected, and the following morning, Italian troops invaded Greece, initiating the Greco-Italian War. Britain sent help in the form of 80 Squadron, elements of which arrived at Trikkala by 19 November. That same day the Gladiator debut came in the form of a surprise, intercepting a section of five Italian CR.42s on Coritza, only one come back. On 27 November, seven Glad.