NA P-51 Mustang AMI in Somalia

In 1941, Italian Somalia, officially the Governorate of Somalia, was occupied by the troops of the British Empire during the Allied Campaign in East Africa, who took over the administration of the Italian colony. On November 21, 1949, the United Nations General Assembly approved resolution no. 289, with which it assigned the territory of Italian Somalia in fiduciary administration to Italy, although this was not yet part of the organization, to gradually bring it to independence. This is the only case of trusteeship assigned to a defeated nation in World War II.

The British continued to administer the area until Italy, on 1 April 1950, assumed direct control of Somalia (an act ratified by the United Nations General Assembly on 2 December 1950), then it kept until 1 July 1960, when the former colony became independent.

Initially, 4 P51D Mustang fighters (MM4237, MM4239, MM4250, and MM4259) from the 4th Fighter Wing (Quarto Stormo caccia) were also sent to Somalia for possible air police interventions. A few weeks after their arrival, on March 20, 1950, MM4239 was lost in a flight accident, causing the death of pilot Sergeant Major Bruno Munarin.

Except for a machine-gunning action to disperse a group of armed Somalis near Vittorio d'Africa, there were no other interventions, so, having noted the futility of their presence, after about a year and a half, in June 1951 they were returned to Italy. The three surviving aircraft, dismantled, returned to Italy in June 1951 on board the motor ship Portorose.