Bf 109G-10 Erla "Capt. Ugo Drago"
4^ Sq. 2° GC, Aviano, Italy, February 1945

Bf 109G-10 Erla W.Nr. 491353 / Flown by Capt. Ugo Drago, Commander of 4^ Squadriglia, 2° Gruppo Caccia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR) / Aviano, Italy / February 1945.
After the declaration of Italian Social Republic on September 18, 1943, a puppet state on the territory of Italy occupied by German military under the command of Benito Mussolini, Germany allowed this Republic to establish its own military force of four divisions. Its air force component called Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana consisted of two fighter plane groups (Gruppo Caccia), torpedo groups (Gruppo Aerosiluranti Buscaglia) and several transportation squadrons. In 1945, both fighter plane squadrons flew Messerschmitts Bf 109G-6/G-10/G-14. The Commanding Officer of 4a Squadriglia, carrying the title of Gigi Tre Osei, was in this time Capitano Ugo Drago, an ace with seventeen kills to his credit. In April 1945, he was awarded the German Knight's Cross. After the war, he emigrated to Argentina, where he made a living as a flight instructor. He returned to Italy in 1953 and took up a post with Alitalia with which he flew until 1973. He died in Rome on April 22, 2007.
Towards the end of the war, the majority of markings on ANR aircraft in the form of fuselage and wing crosses were no longer removed, with only the swastika being oversprayed and replaced by markings of Italian aircraft. This marking, an Italian flag edged in yellow, was also added to the fuselage sides.