Paola Del Din reached her 102nd birthday on Friday. She was the first female Italian paratrooper to make a war jump.
At a Glance
- Born: 22 August 1923, Pieve di Cadore (Belluno)
- Battle name: “Renata”
- First Italian female paratrooper to make a war jump
- Role: Osoppo Brigade partisan, SOE agent, courier and saboteur
- Awards: Gold Medal for Military Valour; Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- Postwar life: Teacher, Fulbright scholar, leader in veterans’ associations
Born on 22 August 1923 in Pieve di Cadore, Belluno, Del Din joined the Italian Resistance alongside her brother Renato after the 1943 armistice. She became one of the few women in the Osoppo Brigade of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Following Renato’s death during a raid, Paola took on his memory by adopting the battle name “Renata”. Her missions took her behind enemy lines as a courier and liaison; through perilous terrain, under threat, she ferried critical messages and documents. In a bold turn, she was sent to Florence with sensitive papers to deliver to Allied command.
Trained in Britain as an agent of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), she was parachuted into northern Italy on 9 April 1945. Despite fracturing her ankle during landing, Del Din completed her mission, crossing combat lines multiple times to deliver vital messages to advancing Allied forces.
Heroism Recognised
For her extraordinary service, she was awarded Italy’s highest distinction for gallantry, the Gold Medal for Military Valour.
In recognition of her decades-long embodiment of courage and national memory, she received the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (OMRI) in 2025, the nation’s highest civilian honour.
A Symbol of Resistance
Her story resonated beyond Italy’s borders. On 9 April this year, King Charles III paid tribute to her in a speech to the Italian Parliament, “the only Gold Medal for Military Valour of the Resistance still alive.”
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has repeatedly called her “an extraordinary woman,” highlighting her as a guiding light for future generations.
On her birthday, the Osoppo-Friuli Partisans Association sent its heartfelt wishes: “Today, our patriot Paola Del Din, Gold Medal for Military Valour, honorary president of the APO, turns 102! Best wishes from all of us, proud to have her among our ranks.”
And Friuli Governor Massimiliano Fedriga praised her legacy. “An extraordinary woman who marked the history of our country with her courage and love of freedom.”
Life after War
After the war, Del Din graduated in literature from the University of Padua, taught for several years, and earned a Master of Arts through a Fulbright scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania.
She continued serving her country, leading the Italian Federation of War Volunteers, heading the regional branch of the Association of Families of the Fallen, and, since 2020, serving as Honorary President of the National Paratroopers Association.
