Evening star., 1951-08-30
knights Of Malta GET
|0Id Planes as ItaIy
Acts 10 Get New Ones
By the A.soeio,.d Pres,

| ROME. Aug. 30.-A spokesman
for the Defense Ministry said to-
day some scores" of old Italian
EwarplaneS have been transferred
to the Knights of Malta for air.
ambulance use as one way of
keeping within peace treaty re-
strictions on her air force.
Gen. Fiore Vernazza. the min
istry spokesman. said 'it is no
secret" that some of Italy's World
War II three-engine bombers have
been turned over to the order,
which is recognized here and in
a half dozen other countries as a
Sovereignty"
Qualified American sources said
the tranSfer-which cuts Italy'sI
inventory of old planes so more
modern air power can be brought
in under the treaty restrictions
is being done with the knowledge
OF the United States Government
and of Gen. Eisenhower's Atlantic
pact command.
Italian army and Knights Of
Malta sources both confirmed that
Italian air force crews are as
signed to fly the planes for the
order, and the flyers are being paid
by the Italian air force.
Restricted to $50 Planes.
Italy, with a wary eye toward
the Iron Curtain, where Soviet
Russia Is signatory power to the
Italian peace treaty, previously
has kept silent about the transfers.
Under terms of the peace treaty
Of 1947, Italy is restricted to only
$50 planes-200 fighters and re-
connaisance planes and $50 trans
ports. But its 1949 listing showed
| it had total Of 419 planes, and
since then new British and Ameri-
can fighters have been sent in to
bolster this country's defenses.
More, including American jets,
are on the way.
An official spokesman for the
Italian branch of the knights of
Malta said at least 81 planes had
been received from Italy. Some of
the planes already have been fitted
with stretcher carriers. and the
first four Of these few to Dublin
this week on their first aerial mis-
sion. They carried crippled and
ailtng Irish Catholic pilgrims to
the French miracle shrine at
Lourdes yesterday.
The planes are kept at Italian |
military air bases-at Guidonia
near Rome and at other air force
fields near Venice, La Spezia,
Naples and TarNnto. They are
flown by Italian air force pilots
and crews assigned from the seth
Air Squadron.
The planes transferred thus
far-Savoia-M -Marchetti 81s and
82s and Fiat G-12s-are Of the
type which made raids on
Gibraltar, the Suez Canal and
Bahrein Island in the Persiand
Gulf while Italy was still at war
on the Axis side.
Planes Are Outright Gifts.
They have been handed over as
outright gifts to the sovereign
and military order of Malta. |
The eight-century-old order has
neither territory nor population.
but 1t has diplomatic representa-
tives at the Vatican and in Spain.
Portugal and Argentina.
In Italy its members drive auto
mobiles with Order of Malta"
license plates and do not have to
have Italian plates.
One Of the orders principal ac-
tivities is to maintain hospitals
and f1rst-aid services to war in
Jured. The order took it's pres
ent name during the two CEN
turieS when it ruled the Isle of
Malta, now held by Britain as 4
mid Mediterranean naval base.
Earlier 1t had been called the
"Hospitaller Knights OF st. John
of Jerusalem" It was given its
sovereign status for its part in
the Crusades and in the post
Crusade defense Of Rhodes and
Malta.
The plane transfer idea is
new one. But already the knights
OF Malta have an "air force" one
fourth as big as Italv's