Zippo - Pocket lighter - Steel (stainless)

Zippo lighter Tornado 6th Stormo “Diavoli Rossi” 1995, Italian Air Force base Ghedi, Brescia; one part is a NATO base.

Rare item.

Material: satin stainless steel.
New, never used.

This type of Zippo lighters was usually produced and distributed as official on-base merchandise or as commemorative gifts for pilots and specialists of the unit.

The engraving on the back of your lighter depicts the famous crest of the 6th Stormo “Diavoli Rossi” of the Italian Air Force, based at Ghedi air base.

The link with the Tornado aircraft shown on the front of the lighter is historical and inseparable.

The 6th Stormo has been for over forty years the unit of choice for attack and interdiction operating with Panavia Tornado fighter-b bombers, since their entry into service in 1982.

The snarling stylized devil with wings seen in your photo reproduces, in a personalized way, the figure of the red rampant devil diving, the official symbol of the Wing and of the legendary 154th Flying Group.

The code C XI precisely indicates that your lighter was manufactured in March 1995.
The official Zippo Italy dating system decodes the inscription as follows:
C: Corresponds to the production month, specifically the third month of the year, i.e., March.
XI: The Roman numeral used by the Bradford factory to identify the year 1995.

A fascinating historical detail
Dating it to 1995 makes this piece even more valuable from a collectible and military perspective. In 1995, in fact, the Tornadoes of the “Diavoli Rossi” of the 6th Stormo were heavily deployed in real operations over the skies of the former Yugoslavia (Operation Deliberate Force).

This lighter is a direct witness to that precise and crucial historical period for the Ghedi unit.