Yesterday morning, Wednesday 4th December, the 100th anniversary ceremony of the formation of the 61st Flying Group took place, attended by Group personnel and the Commander of the Combat Forces, Air Division General Marco Lant, the Commander of the 32nd Wing based at Amendola (the unit hierarchically superior to the 61st APR Flying Group), Colonel Antonio Vivolo, and the Commander of the 41st Anti-Submarine Wing and Sigonella Military Airport (the unit that provides fundamental logistical-administrative support and where the Group is co-located), Colonel Stefano Spreafico.
The 61st Air Observation Group – this was its original designation – was formed on 5th April 1924 and was assigned to various Units until, during the Second World War, it became autonomous. During the Second World War, it carried out intense activity on enemy territory, conducting observations of troop concentrations and movements, vehicles, mechanised equipment, and railway convoys, as well as reconnaissance over airfields, photographic surveys of locations of major military interest, and leaflet drops intended for the population. Years of glorious activity followed, until 8th September 1943, when it was disbanded following the armistice.
After over half a century of suppression, it was reconstituted on 10 July 2017, on the site of Sigonella Airport, as the 61st APR (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) Flight Group, in order to face the new challenges in which the Italian Air Force has been called to operate, with particular attention to the Mediterranean basin and the Strait of Sicily.
Following a welcome address by the Commander of the 61st Flight Group APR, Lieutenant Colonel Fabrizio Ciani, who briefly retraced the steps that led to the re-establishment of the Group and the prestigious milestones achieved in terms of flight hours with the Predator aircraft
MQ-1C, the ceremony continued with a speech from the Commander of the 32nd Wing, who highlighted how “…the 61st Group has a character that means there’s no challenge it cannot face. A history of constant new beginnings, of continuous activity, which it always approaches with an authentic and genuine spirit.” and that of the Commander of the Combat Forces Command who, closing the speeches and having taken the opportunity to greet and thank the men and women of the 61st, highlighted how these anniversaries are an opportunity to stop and reflect on the great journey made over the years, emphasising the work of the Predator aircraft, consisting of observation and reconnaissance, decisive for “...to know in order to understand; to understand in order to decide.” finally, he concluded by highlighting “Passion, courage and determination have been decisive ingredients in reaching this milestone and will be equally fundamental for the future challenges that await the 61st Flying Group.
The ceremony then concluded with the evocative unveiling of the commemorative plaque, which, in effect, sealed the commemorative celebration.
