There was mention of this in a book I read last year – ‘Beckoning Skies’ by Bryan Young. He was an RNZAF pilot who flew with an RAF sqn in the Med andAfrican area, and then went on to attack Italy. Awesome book, a MUST READ. So descriptive and he photographed everything too.
Anyway they found themselves, after some time attacking Italy, on the same side as their former foe when they’d given in. They had to share the same base as Italian squadrons who’d been told to change sides and fight with the Allies. The Brits and Kiwis didn’t trust them one bit because there were still many Fascists among the crews of these Italian squadrons who were bitter at their country’s capitulation. He may have even mentioned sabotage, or the fear of it, from memory, but it did not occur on any of their aircraft. I think they posted guards against it.
The same thing may have been told in ‘Green Kiwi Versus German Eagle’ by Norby King too from memory. Norby had a very similar career to Bryan, until they both left the Med area, Norby went to 485 Sqn in England and Bryan went to India.
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