Falling from Great Heights.
Falling from Great Heights By Roberto Vacca Translated and re-elaborated (a bit) by Leonardo Pavese Lieutenant Giovanni Badalini of the Italian Royal Air Force completed 180 bombing missions over Malta. He was awarded one gold medal and two silver medals for military valor. On July 13, 1943, his S.M. 79 tri-motor bomber was shot down by a British fighter and dove to the ground. Badalini was ejected from the aircraft and fell at a speed greater than 310 mph. His parachute opened almost immediately and decelerated his fall so abruptly it caused him serious internal injuries. Normally, airmen who are ejected at high speed wait for the air resistance to slow them down to about 120 mph before opening their parachutes. After spending about 15 hours in the sea, Badalini was rescued by a British ship. After the Armistice , he went back to fly for the Italian Royal Force, this time against the Nazis; but before that he had to carry out a liaison mission wit