Umberto Nannini

Umberto Nannini was an Italian military and aviation pilot who competed in the gliding exhibition at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. His most famous feat dates back to 1933 when he was part of the legendary Crociera del Decennale commanded by General Italo Balbo. From 1 July to 12 August, 25 seaplanes carrying 115 people flew round-trip from Orbetello on the Mediterranean Sea to the Chicago World’s Fair with legs in Amsterdam, Londonderry, Reykjavik, Cartwright, Shediac, and Montréal, ending on Lake Michigan and finally New York. Nannini was in charge of the squadron (one of eight in total) called Rossa Stellata (Red Star).

From Chicago the entire squadron flew to New York with an escort of 36 US planes, where they were given a warm welcome on Broadway as millions of people watched the parade. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited General Balbo and all his men to lunch. On 25 July the group returned via Shediac, Shoal Harbour, Ponta Delgada, and Lisboa, landing at the seaplane base of Ostia on 12 August, and ending what The Times described as “the greatest exploit in the history of the Air Force.”

During World War II, Nannini was for some years at the Budapest legation and when he was reached by the news of the armistice (8 September 1943), he immediately worked to protect and defend Italian interests, safeguarding thousands of remaining soldiers involved in the events of the armistice. In the 1960s, Nannini co-founded the Associazione Trasvolatori Atlantici.