Strana 91
The model was
built by Paolo
Portuesi as part
of a project by
Eduard and the
Museum of the
Air Battle over
the Ore Mountains
on 11 September
1944 in Kovářská,
where
it is now
on display.
BUILT
s/n 44-14223, Lt. Col. Elwyn G. Righetti, CO of 55
th
FG, 8
th
AF, Wormingford,
United Kingdom, December 1944–March 1945
Elwyn Guido Righetti, also known as “Eager
El”, was not only the 55
th
FG top fighter ace
but also the most successful strafing ace in
the whole ETO. Righetti joined the 338
th
FS,
55
th
FG in October 1944. At the age of 29, he
was already a matured pilot, however he
lacked the combat experience. Despite his
age he was eager and aggressive, so he was
able to boost morale of his rather tired group.
One of Righetti’s “hobbies” was destroying the
locomotives. He also managed to shoot down
two Mistels and destroyed several Me 262
jets on the ground. Unfortunately, Righetti’s
outstanding achievements were cut short right
before the end of war. On April 17, 1945, exactly
on his 30
th
birthday, Righetti was shot down by
flak while raiding the airfield near Dresden.
He successfully performed the emergency
landing and advised his friends over the
radio “Tell the family I’m okay. Broke my nose
on landing. It’s been a hell of a lot of fun
working with you, gang. Be seeing you a little
later.”Since then no one ever heard about
Righetti again. Supposedly he was murdered
by the enraged German civilians. During his
short combat career, he scored 7.5 kills and
destroyed 35 enemy aircraft on the ground.
He flew two personal Mustangs (44-14223
and 44-47222), both of them were decorated
with the inscription KATYDID and grasshopper
artwork on the port side of the fuselage.
INFO Eduard
91
August 2026