Home
 Centenary of the Italian Air Force Scott 1822 (2023) Joint Issue with the Vatican, Sovereign Order of Malta and Italy On March 28, 1923, the Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service by the Kingdom of Italy and became known as the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force, or RA). In 2023, to celebrate the centenary of the establishment of the RA, Vatican City, Italy and the Sovereign Order of Malta jointly issued a memorial souvenir sheet, featuring three Savoia-Marchetti (SM.82) planes flying over Rome and the Vatican. The SM.82 is a heavy bomber/transport plane that was first used in 1940 and continued in service until 1960. A fly-over of modern jet aircraft on March 23, 2023 was one of the many religious, military and civic events celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Italian Air Force. This stamp gives appreciation to the Italian Air Force for their defense of Italy and the humanitarian services that they provide. Italy was one of the first countries to develop an interest in aviation, going back to the days before the invention of the airplane. It was an early proponent of the use of aircraft for military purposes, dating back to as early as 1884, when the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito) was authorized to acquire its own air component. The precursor to the RA, the Military Air Service (Corpo Aeronautico Militare) operated balloons based near Rome. Italy also holds the distinction of being the first country to drop a bomb from a plane, which occurred on November 1, 1911, during the Italo-Turkish War in Libya, representing the first use of heavier-than-air aircraft in armed conflict. 
 King Vittorio Emanuele III and Italo Balbo From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain On March 28, 1923, King Vittorio Emanuelle III of the Kingdom of Italy established the Regia Aeronautica (RA). In 1926, the famed aviator Italo Balbo was appointed Secretary of State for Air, and during his tenure he raised the prestige and dominance of the RA through a series of well-publicized flights across Europe, northern Africa, South America and North America. From a miliary perspective, prior to World War II, the first operation of the RA was in 1935 during the Italy-Ethiopia war. Between 1936 and 1939, the RA was involved in the Spanish Civil War, when Italy supported the right-wing Nationalists led by General Franco. On June 10, 1940, Italy entered World War II as an Axis partner of Nazi Germany. At the time the RA had a fleet of approximately 3,000 aircraft, but it had been estimated that 40% were below basic standards of readiness. The RA aircraft were deployed to the Russian front and North Africa, where the RA suffered significant losses in combating the Allies. After the end of the war, the Kingdom of Italy dissolved and the people of Italy established a Republic. The Air Force dropped the name Royal, and the air service was renamed the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare – IAF). With the establishment of NATO in 1949, Italy was one of the founding members. This brought about an increase in the capacity of Italy’s fleet of planes, with NATO's focus being the threat of the expansion of Russian Communism in Europe (the Vatican also had a high-stake concern regarding the advance of secular Communism). During the Cold War era, the IAF was involved in conflicts in Somalia, Mozambique, Congo, and the 1990 Balkan War. Following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990, the Italian Air Force joined the United States coalition during the first Gulf War. During his pontificate, Pope Francis held two audiences with the IAF. The first was on December 8, 2019 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the feast of Our Lady of Loreto. Pope Benedict XV has declared the Madonna of Loreto as the patron saint of aviation, aviators and air travelers in 1920. A Mass attended by 500 military aviators was celebrated by Pope Francis, and during a papal audience with the aviators, he brought up their role as peacemakers. He also gave recognition to the 13 Italian airmen who were killed in the 1960 Kindu massacre, when Italy was part of a United Nations peace operation during a civil war in the Congo. The second audience was a part of the 100th anniversary of the IAF. He commended the IAF for their work of scientific progress and their service in many contexts other than war. Flight safety and rescue, humanitarian and peace-support missions, the management of serious natural disaster, and assisting less well-equipped countries and poorer populations were acknowledged by the Pope. He stated that they were “men and women marked by great passion, commitment, courage and motivation.” The Sovereign Order of Malta participated in this joint souvenir sheet issue because of the assistance that the IAF has given to the Order. The Order’s mission is to bear witness to the Christian faith and to assist the poor and the sick. The Order is an independent sovereignty which has bilateral diplomatic relations with 113 counties. It works in the fields of medical and social care along with other humanitarian aid. It has approximately 13,500 Knights and Dames. This figure does not include volunteers (Companions of the Order of Malta). One does not have to be a Roman Catholic to be a member of the organization. The Order's annual revenue is approximately $95 million, which comes mostly from grants from other governments and Non-Government Organizations (NGO) throughout the world. Most recently the Order has been providing personnel, food and materials to the people of Syria, Ukraine and Gaza. References Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 1822 Date Issued - 23 March 2023 Face Value - €2,40 Joint Issue - Sovereign Order of Malta and Italy |
