Evening star., 1940-06-30
Italy Mourns BaIbo,
Killed With 9 Others
By British Flyers
Prominent ItuIiuns Die
With Pioneer Fascist
Leader in Libyo
BY the Associate Press.

ROME, June 29--Marshal Italo
Balbo, bearded pioneer in the Fas-
cist movement, and nine others, in
cluding prominent Italians, died
when their plane was shot down in
flames by British aircraft encoun-
tered over Tobruk, Libya.
The victims included the Italian
consul general of Tripoli, the editor
of Balbo's newspaper Corriere Pada-
no, and two relatives of Balbo, Sig
nor Ferrara, a nephew, and 1t.
Florio Gino, brother-in-law.
Five Passengers Perish.
Five passengers and four crew
members perished with Balbo
The plane was on an official mis-
sion but did not go up for military
action when it was brought down
yesterday
Mussolini ordered flags half
stated; Fascist headquarters was
swathed in black crepe; the Italian
Sroadcasting system was silent for
A"O d1lCl
death of the spectacular airman,
and the high command thus honored
him, in special communique:
Flags of the armed forces Of Italy
are lowered in sign of homage and
high honor to the memory of Italo
Balbo, Alpine volunteer in the World
War, one of the quadrumvirate Of
fha (EacnictN rAyn1tItinyo frn r
lantic flyer and air marshal, who
died at his post in combat"
Governor General of Libya.
Balbo was governor general of
Libya-sent there in 1888 at the
height of his popularity after hav-
ing successfully led a mass flight
of italian planes from Rome to Chi
cago and return by way of New
York.
He had been mentioned often in
the old days as a possible successor
to Mussolini himself, but after his
assignment to Libya he had been
less prominent in such speculations
than Count Galeazzo Ciano, the
Duce's son-inlaW.
1t was gosSiped in Rome that he
had been sent away to keep his
political shadow from darkening
the Piazza Venezia"-the site of
Mussolini's palace.
Balbo organized the Blackshirt
militia after the World War and was
one of the leaders in the 1922 march
on Rome of Mussolini-the marshal's
old friend from war days.
Crew Perishes with Him.
The official announcement indi-
Gated his plane was shot down by
British flyers bombing Tobruk, Ital-
ian base on the Libyan coast near
the Egyptian frontier, Balbo's
whole crew perished with him, but
the number of lives lost was with
held
Italy's only air marshal. Balbo
had an impressive record as soldier,
flyer Of the Atlantic to North and
South America and colonial ad-
ministrator. His dynamic, flashing
personality and his black spike
beard set the fashion for many
young Blackshirts.
For six and a half years Balbo
was in semi-eclipse SO far as Fascist
publicity was concerned. Many be-
lieved that Balbo had been sent to
Libya because his tastes as a cul-
tured, adventuresome, continental
native of Ferrara made him little in
cHned to colonial problems.
Quickly Became Libya Boss.
But Balbo, aided by his instinct,
soon found his way in what for
him was new ethical, economic and
political world" one of his biogra-
pliers said. He quickly became boss
of Libya.
He colonized its fertile seacoast
with thousands of Italians from the
homeland. He entertained lavishly
in big, white gubernatorial palace
at Tripoi He rode a white horse
with the air of desert chieftain be-
fore Libyan natives.
viva Balbo," spelled out in white
washed rock on sandy slopes by ad-
mnlng soldiers, was visible to air.
planes flying over Libya.
Balbo was made air marshal for
his flight to Chicago, a flight in
which he led 110 men in "a planes.
Before that he had led four other
mass flights, three over the Medi-
terranean and one to Brazil in
1881.
In the early days of Fascism Balbo
was the youngest of Mussolini's
trusted ieutenants. Back from the
World War as a soldier in the AL
pine front, he became head of the
Fascist movement in his native Fer
rara.
When Mussolini organized the
march on Rome in 1922 he chose
Balbo as one of his quadrumvirate
of leaders
The only quadrumvirs remaining
are Cesare Maria de Vecchi, Cover
nor of the Dodecanese Islands, and
Marshal Emilio de Bono, chief of
Italy's southern army.