5 Favourite Planes

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Well, the technology was similar to that of the B-29's, 4 years earlier. It had a decent payload, good firepower, Good ceiling and speed, excellent range and it was better than any other bomber the Axis had during that time period. Had Mussolini's son not been killed in one, production may well have continued and the plane may have been developed into a formidable bomber. The P.108 A with the 102mm cannon would have made an excellent ship buster and would have been helpful in Malta had the Germans not captured the only example. The P.108C was the Transport version, with a slightly larger fuselage for hauling goods. Most of the P.108's remaining after production were converted into Transports.

And although irrelevant, I think it was damn good looking too 8)
 
The Piaggio P.108 B was the only heavy four-engine bomber to see service with the Regia Aeronautica during World War Two. Too few were built to play a significant role in the war, only 163 P.108 Bs having been built. The P.108 B was an all-metal cantilever low-wing monoplane with an retractable under-carriage, driven by four 1,350 hp Piaggio P.XII radial engines. The first prototype was finished in 10/39 and had a very advanced defensive armament for its day of two 7.7 mm machine waist guns, a 12.7 mm machine gun in the lower turret and a similar weapon in the nose turret, and two remotely-controlled twin gun turrets in outer engine nacelles. The first Allied bomber with a similar armament was the Boeing B 29, developed four years later. The bomb load of the Piaggio comprised of 7,700 lbs, all carried internally in the bomb bay.

The only unit of the Regia Aeronautica ever to fly the P.108 B was the 274th Long-Range Bombardment Group. This unit was formed in 5/41 around the first machines that came off the assembly lines. The training of the crews lasted far longer than anticipated and in 6/42 the 274th became operational. The most spectacular raids with the P. 108 B were flown in 10/42 when several night attacks against Gibraltar were undertaken from Sardinia. Several versions were derived from the P. 108 B: such as the P.108A, which had a 102 mm anti-shipping gun in the nose; the P.108C airliner and the P.108T transport. The latter two versions had a larger diameter fuselage for transporting passengers or freight. They were hardly used by the Regia Aeronautica, the main user being the German Luftwaffe. In 9/43, after the Italian armistice, the Luftwaffe had captured all fifteen P.108 Cs and P.108 Ts built. They were used at the Russian front, as part of Luftflotte 2, where they performed sterling duties, among others during the evacuation of the Crimea in 1944.
Click to expand...

There we go, 1,350hp. Its hard to tell if they were reliable as it wasnt used to much...
 
1,350hp isn't all that impressive really. The B-17 and B-24 matched it, the Lanc had it beat, and the B-29 blew it outta the water, figuratively speaking.
 
This is an Italian engine in 1940 though, with the firsrt prototype being completed in 1939. It wasnt that bad really.
 
cheddar cheese said:
P.108 information is very hard to come by, it could be a while before I find anything.

Why are you so interested all of a sudden
Click to expand...

I don't know about anyone else but I can't reasearch every WWII plane it's nice to pick up the information though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

_PabloSniper_
WWI Aces Flying WWII Planes
Replies
17
Views
1K
Admiral Beez
A
bauple58
Japanese wooden planes
Replies
1
Views
879
GrauGeist
GrauGeist
S
Italian series 5/6 fighters really better?
Replies
8
Views
1K
GregP
GregP
S
Comparison of the Gloster F.5/34 and the Mitsubishi A6M2.
3 4 5
Replies
86
Views
5K
z42
Z
A
Your favourite open cockpit monoplane fighter?
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
Shortround6
S
Back