Antonio Dini
New Zealand fighter pilot (1918–1940) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Antonio Simmons Dini (7 January 1918 – 31 May 1940) was a New Zealand fighter pilot and flying ace who flew in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He is credited with at least five aerial victories.
Antonio Dini | |
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Birth name | Antonio Simmons Dini |
Born | (1918-01-07)7 January 1918 Christchurch, New Zealand |
Died | 31 May 1940(1940-05-31) (aged 22) near Folkestone, England |
Buried | Hawkinge Cemetery, England |
Allegiance | New Zealand |
Service/ | Royal Air Force |
Years of service | 1938–1940 |
Rank | Pilot officer |
Service number | 40609 |
Unit | |
Battles/wars |
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Born in Christchurch, Dini joined the RAF in 1938. After a period of service on loan to the Fleet Air Arm and then flying with No. 66 Squadron, in early May 1940 he was posted to No. 607 Squadron. Flying a Hawker Hurricane fighter, he destroyed a number of German aircraft during the Battle of France. After returning to England later in the month, he was transferred to No. 605 Squadron. He was killed when his aircraft crashed near Folkestone shortly after taking off for the flight to join his new unit.