Balbo’s Flight
Balbo’s Flight to Shoal Harbour
On July 26, 1933, the largest armada of aircraft to make a transatlantic flight landed in Random Sound. This accomplishment put Shoal Harbour in the international spotlight.
Pioneering aviator General Italo Balbo and his fleet of twenty-four seaplanes landed at Shoal Harbour to complete the last leg of their spectacular flight from Orbetello, Italy to the Chicago Century of Progress Exhibition.
Balbo Drive and the former Balbo Elementary School (now Riverside Elementary) were named in honour of this occasion.
Who was Balbo?
Italo Balbo (born June 6, 1896, near Ferrara, Italy—died June 28, 1940, Tobruk, Libya) was an Italian airman and Fascist leader who played a decisive role in developing Benito Mussolini’s air force.
Upgrading military as well as commercial aviation, Balbo became famous for his promotion of mass international flights to demonstrate Italy’s air power.
His rising popularity among Italians may have caused Mussolini to remove him from the limelight by appointing him governor of Libya. Balbo was killed on June 28, 1940 when his plane reportedly failed to give correct recognition signals and was shot down by Italian guns in Tobruk harbour.
See more: https://youtu.be/PR4mZN6XKVA
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