Fascist Heroes

Neither Premier Mussolini nor Fascist book censors saw anything amiss with Flying Over Ethiopian Mountain Ranges by Vittorio Mussolini, a 150-page book published last week in Rome. "My purpose is to have Italian youth learn from a young man," wrote Author Vittorio, ''what it feels like to be fighting a war when only 20 years of age, and to be above war's sorrows, seeing only its beauties."

So far above war's sorrows soared Bomber Vittorio that he writes: "I remember that one group of horsemen gave me the impression of a budding rose as the bombs fell in their midst. . . .

"The bombing of Adowa failed to give us any satisfaction, owing to the fact that there were only small huts, which flattened out without raising smoke or flames such as one could see in an American film."

Last week, Second Son Bruno. 19, whom his father has called an "idealist" (TIME, Oct.-n), reached less violently for laurels as he zoomed a tri-motor Savoia-Marchetti transport airplane over a 621 mi. (1,000 km.) closed circuit course breaking three speed records for planes carrying up to 4,409 (2,000 kg.) Ib. payload. His speed was 267 m.p.h., four miles faster than the previous record which he himself established last July. With him flew his flying instructor, Squadron-Commander Colonnello Attilio Biseo, who when in Rome acts as personal pilot to his pupil's father.

Italian radio stations immediately broadcast Fascism's pride to the whole world. For 35 minutes stout young Bruno enjoyed being a world hero. Then suddenly a radio station of Italy's new "bosom friend" Germany made an announcement. With great satisfaction in a matter "particularly interesting," Berlin announced that Flight Captain Gerhard Nitschke, 32-year-old chief pilot of the Heinkel Airplane Works, had just flown a two-motored Heinkel-Benz airplane 621 miles, with a payload of 2,204 lb-(1,000 kg.) at a speed of 313 m.p.h.--46 m.p.h. faster than young Mussolini's record for the same weight at the same distance; leaving Bruno for the moment with only the 1,100 (500 kg.) and 4,409 lb. (2,000 kg.) payload marks. When the world press published these facts about supposedly good friends, both Germany's Air Ministry and the Heinkel Works closed their doors to reporters and Germans who no longer laugh in public about public matters chuckled privately behind their hands.

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