After the attack against Yugoslavia, Ferrulli, along with 10° "Gruppo" (now equipped with the Macchi C.200s delivered by 54° "Stormo"), moved to Sicily for operations against Malta. On 11 July 1941, with fellow pilots of his "Gruppo", Ferrulli took part in the attack against the Maltese base of Mqabba. He was one of the "Comandante" Romagnoli's wingmen. Flying above the sea after strafing the airfield, Ferrulli saw fellow pilot Devoto being pursued by two Hurricanes. He and Franco Lucchini turned back to give help but four or five more Hurricanes arrived on the scene and a violent dogfight ensued. The three Macchis were forced to disengage by flying very low over the sea, chased by the British fighters for about 30–40 km. Ferrulli's Macchi was hit many times and was heavily damaged, but he was unscathed. The attack on Mqabba was regarded as a success and mentioned in the "Bollettino di Guerra" (War Bulletin) n.402. At the end of 1941, 4° "Stormo" was equipped with the new and more effective Macchi C.202. During 1942 Ferrulli shot down eight P-40s and a Spitfire, and on December of that year was promoted "Sottotenente" (Second Lieutenant) for war merits. Ferrulli made his two last kills on the very day of his demise, 5 July 1943, in the sky of Sicily. At 14:20, few hours after the death of his friend (and fellow "ace") Franco Lucchini, Ferrulli, "Tenente" Giorgio Bertolaso and "Sergente" Giulio Fornalé, also from 91a Squadriglia, took off from Sigonella to intercept a squadron of B-17s escorted by P-38s and Spitfires. He was seen shooting down a four-engined American bomber from which three men bailed out, and then a twin-engined P-38 fighter. However, immediately thereafter, Ferrulli was attacked by Spitfires. His Macchi was hit and he bailed out; too low for his parachute to open. Ferrulli was killed, hitting the ground near Scordia (Catania). The identity of the Allied pilot who shot down the then-top-scoring Italian ace is unknown; it was possibly Pilot Officer Chandler (JK139/V-X), who claimed to have damaged a Macchi during that combat, or Flight Sergeant F. K. Halcombe (JK368/V-J) from 1435 Squadron, who claimed to have hit a Messerschmitt Bf 109 (the two Axis fighters looked very similar to one another), or Flying Officer Geoff White (JK611/MK-M) from 126 Squadron that shot down a Macchi, but his victim was more likely "Sergente Maggiore" Corrado Patrizi from 84a "Squadriglia" who parachuted successfully from his damaged Macchi C.205.