5 Series Italian Fighters -- No Respect

[CharlesBronson]

More pics.

SM-79

"Merry christmas"

The squadron "Falchi delle Baleari" (Hawks of Baleares) over the Tarragona harbour, Spain 1938.

SM-82.

Piaggio P-108.

 

[Sal Monella]

That bottom four engine plane is pretty big. How did it compare with allied foiur engine jobs?

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

wow great pics........

and that four engined plane at the bottom is a Piaggio P.108, the only 4 engined bomber to see Italian service, although only in VERY few numbers, and whilst CC will not agree with me, it did not stand up well against the allied 4 engined heavies...........

 

[Sal Monella]

How so? How did it compare with the B-17 for instance? How about the British heavies?

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

well on paper it would appear to be better than a B-17, but so was the Skua, and the british heavies beat the P.108 hands down, however no one knows much about it's construction for example, so we can't really tell what she was like in combat...............

 

[mosquitoman]

A bit of exaggeration there Lanc, the oly thing that a Skua was better than was a Roc

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

yes i know it was just a friendly little bash at the B-17...........

 

[Aggie08]

Good lord three engined planes are ugly.

 

[JCS]

All the tri-motor Italian planes looked great, IMO.

 

[CharlesBronson]

More.

SM-79

CANTZ 1007 over Greece.

The divebomber Breda Ba-201, powered by DB-601.

Elegant gull wing in this plane.

 

[DAVIDICUS]

I'm not a fan of tri-motored aircraft either. But ...

That Cant Z.1007 Alcione is a beautiful airplane. (Flying over Greece circa 1941.)

 

[evangilder]

I normally also don't care for tri-motors, but that being said, if I had to fly one, the CANT would be the one.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

wow i love your new siggy JCS............

 

[cheddar cheese]

I love the looks of pretty much all Italian planes.

The P.108 was a kick ass bomber, a rival for the British heavies...The P.111 would have been great

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

and how do you suppose the P.108 could stand up against the british heavies??

 

[BombTaxi]

The Italian trimotors all look great, shame they were a bit of a developmental dead-end by the time they appeared

 

[cheddar cheese]

Yeah. Although the SM.79 was one of the very best torpedo bombers.

 

[JCS]

Great pics, CB. I especially love that one of the Z.1007.

 

[cheddar cheese]

Yep the pics are very, having some of them for myself Gotta love the SM.79 at the top of the page 8)

 

[CEFORNIGLIA]

Macchi MC 205 Veltro - Became operational in June 1943

Fiat G55 Centauro - Became operational in September of 1943

Regianne RE 2005 Sagittario - Became operational in May of 1943

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Obviously, these fighters were produced in tiny quantities and saw very limited action. Italy was effectively out of the war when the other large allied and axis players were starting to refine and hone their fighters into really impressive machines.

At the point in the war when these aircraft came onto the scene, how do you think they compared with the best fighter aircraft of the U.S.A., Britain, Germany and Japan?

The Macchi 205 Was deliverd to the First Fighter Wing in February, 1943: The first Re2005 (Prototype) entered servce with the 22nd Fighter Group in March. The G.55 (2nd Prototype) with the 20th Fighter Group in April, 1943.