Italian fighters, training and liaison aircrafts

[gekho]

The Fiat G.59 was a post-war trainer producing by matching the fuselage of the G.55 Centauro with the Rolls Royce Merlin engine. It was produced in single-seat versions as the G.59-1A, -2A, -3A and -4A and in two-seat versions as the -1B, -2B and -4B. The -1 and -2 series aircraft were similar to the wartime G.55s, while the -3 was a single prototype of a navigational trainer and the -4 series got a new bubble cockpit canopy and cut-down rear fuselage, much like late-war Spitfires. The G.59 was an excellent training aircraft for its time, with performance reasonably close to that of contemporary fighters and excellent manoeuvrability. Just under 200 G.59s of all types were built.

The G.59-2A was a single-seat fighter produced in response to an order from Syria. It was armed with four 20mm cannon, all located in the wings, and could carry bombs or auxiliary fuel tanks. Thirty were built, of which twenty-six went to Syria. The Syrians also purchased nineteen of the G.59-2B two-seater trainer.

Source: Fiat G.59

 

[vikingBerserker]

Never heard of the G.59, but it's a good looking aircraft.

 

[gekho]

The Macchi M.C.202 Folgore (Thunderbolt) was probably the best Italian fighter aircraft to see service in significant numbers during the Second World War. It was developed from the manoeuvrable but underpowered M.C.200 Saetta, and was based around a licence-built Daimler-Benz inline engine. Although the M.C.200 was a well-streamlined and very manoeuvrable aircraft it was limited by its under powered radial engine. Italian efforts at producing a home-grown inline engine, including the Fiat A.38, failed. The problem was only solved by importing the German Daimler Benz DB 601A. Fiat had already negotiated a licence to produce the DB601 in case their own engine failed. At the start of 1941 Francesco Pricolo, the new Chief of the Air Staff, ordered Fiat to prepare for mass production of the German engine, and to end work on the A.38. Four complete engines were imported from Germany, of which two went to Macchi and two to Reggiane.

The new Macchi design retained the tail, landing gear and most of the wings of the M.C.200, partly to speed up the development of the new design and partly to retain the M.C.200's best feature - its manoeuvrability. One unusual feature was that the port wing was 8in shorter than the starboard wing, to counter the torque from the engine. The rest of the fuselage was redesigned. The new engine was placed in a well streamlined nose and the partly open cockpit of late production M.C.200s was replaced by a fully enclosed version. The back of the cockpit canopy was faired neatly into the rear fuselage. Only the armament remained unchanged, at two .50in machine guns carried in the nose.

The prototype M.C.202 made its maiden flight on 10 August 1940, and lived up to expectations. It had a top speed of over 375mph, and retained the good manoeuvrability of the M.C.200. The limited firepower remained for the first fire production series, and then two .303in guns were added in the wings. The M.C.202 was ordered into production soon after undergoing flight tests. The main limit on production was the availability of the engine. Germany provided 400 DB601 engines to fill the gap before Alfa Romeo could begin production of the Ra 1000R.C.41. The first of 2,000 licence built engines was completed in the summer of 1941. A total of fifteen series of M.C.202s were ordered, with production split between Macchi, Breda and SAI-Ambrossini. Of the 1,300 aircraft ordered in these fifteen series, around 1,150 were completed, some after the Italian Armistice.

The M.C.202 entered service with the 1st Stormo in the summer of 1941, but didn't enter combat until November 1941 when the unit returned to Libya. This was too late to stop the RAF from gaining aerial superiority over Cyrenaica during the crucial offensive that saw the siege of Tobruk lifted. The M.C.202s of the 1st Stormo took part in Rommel's successful offensive of early 1942. Fighting alongside the Bf 109 and eventually the M.C.202s of the 4th Stormo, they helped the Axis powers gain air superiority over the desert.

The turning point in the air, as on the ground, came at El Alamein. The German and Italians were now operating at the end of a very long supply line, and at the same time the Allied air forces were gaining rapidly in strength, and were also gaining an increasing number of aircraft that were on a par with the M.C.202, amongst them the Spitfire V. Two Stormi (3rd and 4th) were with the Axis army in the El Alamein position at the start of the Allied offensive, and although the M.C.202 was still an effective aircraft the two Stormi were simply overwhelmed. During the retreat they were forced to merge into a single unit, before being pulled back to Tunisia.

On the eve of the Allied invasion of Sicily there were only 100 serviceable M.C.202s left, supported by a tiny number of the newer M.C.205. During this period the remaining aircraft were used in the role for which the original M.C.200 had been designed, as a metropolitan defence interceptor, attempting to stem the massive Allied bombing campaign that hit Italy. After the Italian armistice some of the remaining M.C.202s joined both the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force and the new Fascist air force in the north, but neither side used them in combat - in the south they were soon replaced by newer Allied types while in the north they were used as training aircraft. The M.C.202 was also used in small numbers on the Eastern Front, arriving in September 1942. The M.C.202 was followed into service by the very similar M.C.205, which was powered by the Daimler Benz DB605A, and came very close to a top speed of 400mph.

Source: Macchi M.C.202 Folgore (Thunderbolt)

 

[gekho]

The Folgore was put into production using imported DB 601Aa engines, while Alfa Romeo set up production of the engine under license as the R.A.1000 R.C.41-I Monsone (Monsoon). Due to initial delays in engine production, Macchi resorted to completing some C.202 airframes as C.200s with Fiat radial engines. Nevertheless, by late 1942, Folgores outnumbered all other fighter aircraft in the Regia Aeronautica. The first units selected to be equipped with the C.202 Series I are the 17° and 6° Gruppi, from 1° Stormo, based on airfield of Campoformido, near Udine, and the 9° Gruppo of 4° Stormo, based in Gorizia. Their pilots start to train on the new fighter in May–June 1941, on Lonate Pozzolo (Varese), the airfield of the Macchi.[24] Although deployed in mid-1941, the C.202 did not see action until later that fall, because of the many defects of the first machines. Some defects appeared similar to those on the early C. 200 version: on 3 August, during a mock dogfight, Sergente Maggiore Antonio Valle – an experienced pilot, credited with two kills in Marmarica and recipient of a Medaglia di Bronzo al Valor Militare (Bronze Medal to Military Valor) - at a height of 4.000 meters entered in a flat spin and could not manage to recover or to bail out, losing his life.

At last, on 29 July, the three first operational C.202s of 4° Stormo, 97a Squadriglia, landed on Merna airport. By November, C.202s appeared on the Libyan front. In addition to North Africa, the aircraft saw limited service on the Eastern Front where between 1941 and 1943, together with C.200s, they achieved an 88 to 15 victory/loss ratio.[22][page needed] But, according to other authors [27][28] that ratio refers only to the C.200 "Saetta". On 23 December 1942 the "Regia Aeronautica" command with a circular letter authorized the use of under-wing jettisonable tanks, to increase the range of the C.202s of 6° and 7° Gruppo, based in Pantelleria. Following the Allied 1943 Armistice with Italy, C.202s were used as trainers in the Italian Social Republic (Repubblica Sociale Italiana, or RSI). After the war, two examples served as trainers in Lecce until 1947. Allied pilots who flew against the Folgore were impressed with its performance and manoeuvrability. The Macchi C.202 was considered superior to both the Hawker Hurricane and the Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks it fought against, at first on the Libyan front, and the equal of the Spitfire Mk. V. The C.202 was able to out-turn all three although the Spitfire had a superior rate of climb. The C.202 could effectively fly against Hurricane, Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Bell P-39 Airacobra, Curtiss P-40 and even the Spitfire at low altitudes but the aircraft's combat effectiveness was somewhat hampered by its weak armament. The Folgore first saw service during the Siege of Malta on 29 or 30 September 1941; this first mission was intercepting British Hurricanes over Sicily. From its initial combat missions, the C.202 proved superior to the Hawker Hurricane, which formed the island's main form of aerial defence at the time.

The presence of the Folgores in Maltese skies was to last only until the end of November, when most of the unit was transferred to the deteriorating North Africa front. The 4° Stormo returned to Sicily in April 1942, for a couple of weeks, before continuing its transfer to Campoformido. In the meantime the 16° Gruppo had started to re-equip with the C.202s at the end of 1941. The Macchis of 51° Stormo and 23° Gruppo (3° Stormo) arrived in May 1942. During this time the Axis had to give up the planned invasion of Malta (Operation C 3), aircraft and men being necessary elsewhere. At the end of June, about 60 C.202s could be mustered in Sicily to operate against Malta, which had started to receive the Spitfire Mk. V in quite considerable quantities. The Macchis often encountered Spitfires, with losses on both sides. Even if the Macchi could out-turn the Supermarine fighter, the Folgores suffered from the lack of a more powerful armament and, without radios, the Regia Aeronautica pilots were forced to communicate by waggling their wings and, consequently, had to adopt too tight and less effective formations. They also suffered due to the lack of radar, which the RAF used successfully to vector their fighters. On 7 March 1942, the carrier USS Wasp delivered the first Spitfires to Malta, and the Axis' air-superiority started to shift in favour of the Allies. C.202s were also involved in Operation Harpoon, clashing with Sea Hurricanes.

 

[gekho]

On 26 November 1941, during Operation Crusader, 19 Macchis of 9° Gruppo, 4° Stormo were sent to Africa, in response to the British offensive. During its initial combats over the Western Desert, the Folgore was quite a surprise to British pilots and it remained a respected adversary. In the desert war, the SAS incursions behind the lines, led by men like "Paddy" Maine were aimed at destroying aircraft at their bases. On the night of 28 December 1941, Macchi 202s of 1° Stormo were based at Uadi Tamet. They were transferred from Italy one month before and recently relocated from El Merduma because this airbase was too exposed to SAS attacks but this did not help them. 1° Stormo had 60 fighters, his 17° Gruppo around 30. In a month of combat this latter lost eight fighters. That night Mayne and his three comrades destroyed nine others, causing a great loss to Italians and decimating this fighter's group (the other, 6°, had only one MC.202 damaged). Italians placed much hope in these brand-new fighters but after this attack were forced to move them further back, well away from the front lines to avoid more losses. During 1942, Bf 109F/Gs and Macchi C.202s fought Allied air forces in the skies of North Africa. At the time of Rommel's offensive on Tobruk, 5° "Squadra aerea" ("Aviation Corps"), based in North Africa, had three Macchi wings: 1° Stormo had 47 C.202s (40 serviceable), 2° Stormo had 63 C.200s (52) while 4° Stormo had 57(47). This, coupled with the 32 Cant Z.1007s, was one of the most powerful fighter forces that the Italians fielded in the war, and comprised almost a 10th of the overall Folgore production.[4][page needed] In the meantime, some Macchi fighters were sent to the USSR to supplement the obsolete C.200s.

At the end of the year, the growing strength of the Allied forces was overwhelming and after the defeat in the skies over Malta as well as El-Alamein the last operational Axis units lost their air superiority in the Mediterranean. The Germans and the Italians succeeded in establishing a bridgehead in Tunisia, and later in December the Regia Aeronautica transferred four fighter squadrons there. The 5a Squadra Aerea, which had left Libya and retreated to the Tunisian regions, had previously repatriated all aircraft unsuitable for further action to Italy. On 21 February 1943, the 5a Squadra Aerea still had, in the northern sector, the 6° Gruppo C.T. with three squadrons of MC.202s at Sfax and Gammarat and in the southern sector, 3° Stormo with six squadrons of MC.200s and MC.202s at El Hamma. "Although these forces were quite insufficient they nevertheless achieved quite notable successes. The Macchis continued fighting while retreating to Tunisia and then in the defence of Sicily, Sardinia and Italy against an increasingly stronger opponent. The Macchis of two groups which landed at Korba airfield from Italy experienced one notable action. Forced to concentrate 40 C.202s (both 7° and 16°, 54° Stormo) on a Tunisian airfield, on 8 May 1943, almost all the C.202s were destroyed on the ground by marauding Spitfires. A contemporary photo showed over a dozen Macchi C.202s in an abandoned airfield, damaged beyond repair by air attacks or dismantled to support the last few operating fighters. Because no transport aircraft were available every surviving fighter taking off the next day had two men inside, a pilot and a mechanic. Only a few aircraft (five of 7° and six of 16°) were repaired by 10 May 1943 and retreated to Italy. At least one, manned by Tenente Lombardo, was destroyed and the two men inside were wounded after crash-landing on a beach near Reggio Calabria.

In May 1942, the 22° Gruppo Caccia, that had reached its operational limit, was replaced by the newly formed 21° Gruppo Autonomo C.T. composed of 356ma, 382ma, 361ma and 386ma Squadriglia. This unit, commanded by Maggiore (Major) Ettore Foschini, brought new C.202s and 18 new Macchi C.200 fighters. [41] In August 1942, at the beginning of the Soviet offensive they were deployed at the Stalino, Lughansk, Kantemirovka and Millerovo airfields, fighting against the Red Army positions on the east Don river during October–November 1942. the fighters operated in adverse climate conditions (40° to 45° below zero and heavy snow storms) while under heavy Russian fighter-bomber harassment.[citation needed]Under these circumstances, 21° Gruppo - which had 17 C.202s on strength - was rather moderate in deploying the C.202s. Only a total of 17 missions were flown with Folgores on the Eastern Front during a four-month period. [42] The C.202s were forced to escort C.200s alongside Fiat BR.20Ms and Caproni Ca.311s in attacks against Soviet columns, while facing great numbers of new V-Vs fighters. The C.202s also escorted CANT Z.1007bis in reconnaissance missions[citation needed] and German transport aircraft. One of these missions was the escort to Junkers Ju 52s flying to Stalingrad, on 11 December 1942, during which Tenente Pilota Gino Lionello was shot down and had to bail out from his Folgore.

After the abandonment of advanced airfields between December 1942 - January 1943 at Voroshilovgrad, Stalino and Tscerkow, the Italian air units operated in defensive actions against a more potent Soviet air offensive, mainly using Ilyushin IL-2s Shturmoviks and Petlyakov Pe-2s. In March 1943, the Corpo Aereo Italiano was detached to Odessa airbase joining Reggiane Re. 2000 Heja I of the Hungarian MKHL 1 and 2/1 Vadaszszazad and IAR 80C and Bf 109E/G of Romanian FARR 4 and 5 detached at same base and Saki (Crimea) in a holding action against the V-Vs armada of 2,000 aircraft, at a time when Axis air forces only countered with 300 operative aircraft with very small quantities of fuel, munitions and equipment. The last effective operation of Corpo Aereo Italiano in Russia occurred on 17 January 1943, when one mixed formation of 25 surviving Macchi fighters (out of a remaining total of 30 C.200s and nine C.202s) attacked Red Army armored and motorized infantry columns to support German and Italian units encircled in Millerovo.

The C.202s played a significant role in the defence of Sicily and Southern Italy against bombing attacks launched by the USAF, but by the time of Allied invasion of Sicily (10 July 1943) they were less effective as attrition had reduced the number available, while 20 mm cannons were needed to cause enough damage, so Bf 109F/Gs, Macchi MC.205s and Fiat G.55s replaced C.202s as soon as possible. Mixed units (such as the 51° Stormo, Sardinia) were formed with C.202s often serving with C.205s. At the Armistice, there were only 186 Folgores, with 100 aircraft still servicable. Several C.202s also served with the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, and some were transformed into C.205s or C.202/205 with the Veltro's engine. Others served as trainers in the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (National Republican Air Force) of the Italian Social Republic (RSI) and the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). Switzerland ordered 20 C.202s, but none were delivered, because at that time (12 May 1943), Italy no longer had the capability to export these types of aircraft. However, 12 C.202s and probably another 12 were delivered to the Croatian Air Force Legion for operational use against the RAF and USAAF over Croatia in mid-1944, all ex-LW fighters. After the bombing of Macchi Industries in 1944, the combat career of the C.202 and C.205 was nearly over. Post-war, however, some aircraft had survived along with newly manufactured C.205s to serve in Italy, C.202s were operational until 1948. The Royal Egyptian Air Force ordered a total of 42 C.205s, but 31 were re-engined Folgores (C.202s) armed with only two 12.7 mm Breda machine guns. Some of these aircraft fought against Israel, and were in service until 1951.

Source: Macchi C.202 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[gekho]

One of the biggest problems faced by the Italian aircraft industry at the start of the Second World War was the lack of an advanced aircraft engine. The generation of fighter aircraft developed before the war were all powered by small radial air cooled engines, with limited potential for further development. In 1939 the most advanced engines available were liquid cooled inline engines such as the Rolls Royce Merlin or Daimler Benz DB601. The quickest way to develop an improved Italian fighter aircraft was clearly to match the existing aircraft with the DB 601. This would improve the performance of the new aircraft in two ways. Most obvious was the increased power offered by the DB 601. This provided 1,175hp at takeoff, an increase of nearly 20% on the engine used in the Re.2000. Second, inline engines could be built into a streamlined nose, significantly reducing the drag caused by the large flat front of the air cooled radial engines.

Reggiane began work on installing the DB 601 in their Re.2000 Falco in July 1939 and the first prototype flew on 14 July 1940. Other than the change of engine, it was very similar to the Re.2000, retaining the flawed wings with their vulnerable fuel tanks. In official tests at the Regia Aeronautica test base at Guidonia, near Rome, the Re.2001 achieved a top speed of 352.9 mph at 18,000 feet, winning it a production order. Despite its much improved performance, the Re.2001 was not destined to be produced in large numbers. In August 1940 the Macchi C.202 flew for the first time, and achieved a top speed of 375mph. It too used the DB 601 engine, and would go on to be the most successful Italian fighter of the war.

The main limit on production of both aircraft was the engine. Germany needed every engine Daimler Benz could produce. Italian supplies were dependent on Alfa Romeo, who produced the engine under license as the RA 1000 R.C. 41-Ia Monsonie (Monsoon). When their production ran into problems, priority for the limited number of engines produced went to Macchi. Work on improving the Re.2001 continued during 1940. The final design included an improved wing, with armoured fuel tanks, which made the aircraft much less vulnerable to sudden disaster. The second prototype, with the new wings, entered testing in December 1940, suffering a fatal crash in March 1941. Despite this, the Regia Aeronautica still placed an order for 300 Re.2001s on 31 October 1940.This order was repeated altered. Early in 1941 it was reduced to 120 aircraft, of which 50 were to be modified to allow them to be used from the two aircraft carriers then under construction. Eventually only fourteen were built with carrier use in mind. Thirty nine were completed as Re.2001 CBs (Caccia Bombardiere – Fighter Bomber) – with a bomb rank capable of carrying a single bomb of up to 551lbs (250kg) under the fuselage. Another 34 were built as night fighters (some sources give the much higher figure of 124), carrying two 20mm cannon in gun pods under the wings (when supplies allowed). Standard firepower was provided by two 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns in the nose and one 7.7mm machine gun in each wing.

Squadron deliveries began in September 1941. By the time the Reggiane factory was destroyed by an allied air raid on 8 January 1944, somewhere between 237 and 252 (sources vary) Re.2001s had been completed. The three squadrons that made up the 2nd Gruppo C.T. (Land-Fighter Group) of 6th Stormo (Wing) received the Re.2001 by the end of 1941. On 10 May 1942 they were redeployed to Sicily, to aid the Axis attack on Malta, and on the same day took part in their first mission. The Re.2001 proved itself to be a capable fighter in the skies over Malta during the summer of 1942, holding its own even against the Spitfires by then based on the island. The fighting over Malta had been the highpoint of the Re.2001's career. The time of the war in the Mediterranean was turning against the Axis powers, and Italy would soon be threatened. By July 1943 only 71 Re.2001s remained serviceable to oppose the Allied invasion of Sicily, and half of these aircraft were lost between then and the Italian armistice of 8 September 1943. After the Italian armistice a number of Re.2001s remained in use by both the allied co-belligerent air force and by the Repubblica Sociale Italiana, the rump state set up in Northern Italy under German control. The allied aircraft were finally retired in May 1944. The Re.2001 was further developed into the Re.2002 Ariete and Re.2005 Sagittario.

Source: Reggiane Re.2001 Falco II

 

[gekho]

The Macchi M.C.205V Veltro (Greyhound) was an interim design for a fighter produced by matching the fuselage of the M.C.202 with the Daimler Benz DB 605A engine. The Macchi M.C.202 Folgore had been a great improvement on the underpowered M.C.200 Saetta, but by 1942 it was becoming increasingly underpowered itself. The Italian aircraft industry had failed to produce its own powerful engines, and so Italy was forced to look to Germany for assistance. The obvious choice of engine was the Daimler Benz DB 605, itself an up-rated version of the DB 601 engine used in the M.C.202. Two different approaches were taken to getting the DB 605 into service in a frontline fighter. The quickest approach was the one that produced the M.C.205V, and saw the new engine installed in a standard M.C.202. The composite aircraft made its maiden flight on 19 April 1942, by which time it had already been ordered into production. This faith in the new design was justified, for the new aircraft kept most of the manoeuvrability of the M.C.200 and M.C.202 while gaining performance from the new engine.

The second approach was to order the design of a whole series of new aircraft based on the DB 605, the Serie 5 fighters. These aircraft included the Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat G.55 and Macchi C.205N Orione. The M.C.205V was ordered into production with Macchi and Fiat. None of the Fiat aircraft (Serie II) were ever completed, as the factory was flattened by Allied bombing in December 1942. The Macchi built Serie I aircraft were armed with two 12.7mm machine guns in the nose and two 7.7mm machine guns in the nose, while the Serie III replaced the 7.7mm guns with 20mm cannon. The DB605 was placed into production in Italy as the Fiat RA 1050 R.C.58 Tifone (Typhoon), but production of the new engine was fairly slow. The M.C.205 made its combat debut in early July 1943, and by the time of the Italian armistice only 66 had reached the Italian Air Force. Of these aircraft six reached the Allies after the armistice, while most of the rest were used by the new Italian Fascist air force in Northern Italy. Production continued in the north of Italy after the Armistice, and eventually 262 M.C.205Vs were completed. The M.C.205V was good enough to be used by the Luftwaffe, equipping a single fighter Gruppe, and was the best Italian fighter aircraft designed during the Second World War to be produced in any numbers.

Source: Macchi M.C.205V Veltro (Greyhound)

 

[gekho]

The C.205 entered production only five months after its maiden flight and began reaching front line units in February 1943. At the end of April, the 1° Stormo, based in Pantelleria, is the first unit to enter action with the C.205, on Mediterranean, escorting maritime and aerial convoys to and from Tunisia. During their first sortie, 22 C.205 clashed with very good results against more numerous formations of Curtiss P.40 and Supermarine Spitfires. During the next few months, C.205s of the Regia Aeronautica were involved in several major engagements with some of the 4,000 Allied aircraft that were stationed in the Mediterranean at that time. At the end of May, because of the vulnerability of Pantelleria, the 1° Stormo was moved to Sigonella airfield, in Sicily, and on the minor airstrip of Finocchiara, 15 km South-East of Ragusa. On June 8, 1943, 15 C.205 of 1° Stormo escorted three torpedo-bombers attacking Allied ships which were shelling Pantelleria's defenses. At the end of June, the Stormo had no more serviceable Veltros. On 24 June, 1° Stormo left Sicily for Osoppo first, and Ronchi dei Legionari later, and was replaced by 4° Stormo. Few pilots returned to Udine, while the remaining aircraft joined other units. 4° Stormo, that had left Africa in January 1943, was re-equipped with Macchi C.202s and C.205s on the airfields of Campoformido (10° Gruppo) and Bresso (9° Gruppo). It was then moved on Rome-Ciampino airport. On 9 July 1943 (the eve of the Allied invasion of Sicily), 4° Stormo was based in the Catania plain, with a complement of 10 Veltros and 38 Folgores (no Italian unit was equipped with Veltros alone). Later it received a batch of a further 10 C.205s. The Italian pilots flew as many as six sorties per day, but on the 14th of July, with the first Allied paratroopers landing on the Catania plain, 4° Stormo was forced to retreat to Crotone airfield in Calabria after setting fire to four or five damaged C.205s that could not be repaired in time.

51° Stormo fought with some success over Sardinia, (apart from the battle of 2 August) but sustained many losses, especially at the end of July and the beginning of August. 3° Stormo C.T., commanded by Tenente Colonnello Tito Falconi, also had the chance to use the "Veltro" in combat. At the time it was based on Cerveteri airstrip with the task to defend Rome, 83a, 85a and 95a Squadriglia, 18° Gruppo (of 3° Stormo) all received a number of C.205s. Commander Falconi assigned them to the most eminent pilots: Sergente Maggiore Luigi Gorrini, Tenente Franco Bordoni-Bisleri and Maresciallo Guido Fibbia. The 3° Stormo used the new type effectvely to intercept American bombers and fighters in the sky of Latium."The Macchi fighter possessed some excellent qualities, and the Italian pilots made optimum use of the aircraft which had a maximum speed of 644 km/h (400 mph)." One of the greatest British fighter pilots of World War II, Group Captain Duncan-Smith DSO DFC respected both the Macchi and the Italian airmen: In general the standard of flying of the Italian pilots was very high indeed, and in encounters with Macchi 205s particularly we were up against aircraft that could turn and dog-fight with our Spitfires extremely well. Like its predecessors, the first Veltros were insufficiently armed, but the aircraft often performed well in combat. Guido Carestiato said about the C.205, that it was the "best Italian fighter that he knew" and many pilots like the C.205 "ace" Luigi Gorrini, scored 19 or 24 victories (in return, he was downed four or five times). Gorrini claimed 12 victories in July 1943 and several of them were with the Veltro.

1° Stormo received the first Veltros in time to fight over the southern Italian air base. In free-ranging patrols, the wing fielded 24 Veltros (around 1/10 of all those produced) and nine Folgores in an attempt to intercept enemy aircraft in the area. While patrolling between Cap Bon and Cap Mustafà on 20 April 1943, a large enemy formation was spotted 35 km (22 mi) west of Pantelleria. The Italian fighters started to close in to the aircraft of Nos. 1, 92, 417, and 601 SAAF squadrons which were flying at low level, but were surprised by six Polish pilots of 145 Squadron flying high cover. These were joined by other Spitfires and the 33 Macchis found themselves in combat with up to 60 Spitfires (mainly Mk VCs, and possibly Mk VIIIs and IXs). The Italian pilots claimed 15 victories (one by Maresciallo Baschirotto who fired 500 rounds), with 14 Spitfires downed in the sea and another over African soil. The Polish pilots, on the other hand claimed seven victories, another three were claimed by 92 Squadron and one by a pilot of 601. The encounter was differently described by other sources: On 20 April 1943, over the Straits of Sicily, 30 C. 202 and C. 205Vs from 1° Stormo clashed with 60 Spitfires. Losing only two of their own fighters, the Italians claimed to have shot down 17 Spitfires.

However, another analysis of this combat shows that the Regia Aeronautica pilots claimed a total of 17 aircraft on 20 April and claimed to have downed 15 Spitfires in this engagement; although Italian ground observers claimed to have seen 14 aircraft crash into the sea or onto land, only one Spitfire, flown by Flg Off Drecki of 145 Sqn, was heavily damaged. In return three C.205Vs were lost. There is also a possibility that Bf 109s of I./JG77 were involved in this engagement. Allied records report only two C.205Vs downed (Tenenti Andreoli and Fanelli), while another made an emergency landing near Cap Bon, and explains why some sources quote two losses and others three, but there is some doubt as to whether this aircraft, the only one to touch down on African soil, was a Veltro or a Folgore. At least one other Macchi was damaged, and the pilot wounded. Similarly, the Italian claims didn't match any losses recorded in Allied squadron reports.

On 2 August 1943, two British Beaufighters were downed and the Italians sent a CANT Z.506 Airone aircraft escorted by four C.205Vs on a search and rescue mission. A group of P-40s attacked the Cant, but despite the defence put up by the Veltros, one American fighter crashed into the Z.506 and both fell into the sea. A USAAF search and rescue PBY Catalina mission was also mounted, escorted by 12 P-38s. C.202 and C.205s of 51° Stormo, led by Ennio Tarantola, intercepted this flight. The Catalina was taken by surprise on the surface near the Sardinian coast having broken a propeller blade in the heavy sea conditions. The Italians also claimed to have downed all 12 P-38s, whereas the Americans claimed three or four victories over the Axis fighters with no losses. Later records showed that only the Catalina and the C.202 of Maresciallo Bianchi, a close friend of Tarantola, were shot down. The two or three victories over P-38s claimed by Tarantola are not supported by any data available; however, no further SAR missions were made by Americans to search for the downed pilots, while the Italians claimed as many P-38s downed as all those available in the theatre. Except for a crewman killed by strafing, the crew of the Catalina was saved, thanks to a fast vessel of the Royal Navy whose captain was awarded with the DSC for battling adverse sea conditions, coastal battery fire and enemy aircraft while rescuing the survivors.

Mid-1943, Gorrini obtained one of the three C.205s delivered to the 3° Stormo (the other two were assigned to other aces, Tenente Franco Bordoni Bisleri and Maresciallo Guido Fibbia). In six weeks, during the Difesa di Roma, Gorrini became the C.205 top scoring pilot; by the Armistice, he had claimed three Consolidated B-24 Liberators, three Lockheed P-38 Lightnings (three damaged), two B-17s and two Supermarine Spitfires. Given the shortage of modern aircraft, it was natural that more advanced combat aircraft like the Veltros were usually given to the best flyers and most experienced pilots like Vittorio Minguzzi.

 

[gekho]

With the Reggiane Re.2002 Ariete II the designers went back to the radial engine. In this sense the Re.2002 was the direct successor of the 1939 Re.2000 Falco, but it had the technical and structural features of the Re.2001. The Re.2002 was an agile and sturdy plane, and it played an important role in operations during the last months of Italy's participation in World War II. It was the best fighter bomber and attack plane in the Italian Air Force. Its fine qualities were also acknowledged by the Luftwaffe which decided in 1943 to develop a version of the Re.2002 powered by a 1,600 (1194 kw) BMW engine that powered the Focke-Wulf Fw.190 fighter. However this plan was never carried out. When Italy withdrew from the war in 1943, the Germans took over about 60 of the Re.2002's for use in their attack units. Total production reached 255 aircraft, 149 for the Italian Air Force and the rest for use in the Luftwaffe.

The Re.2002 project was developed in the summer of 1940 by Reggiane designers Longhi and Alessio. They decided to adapt the basic structure of the Re.2001 to a different engine. The Daimler Benz inline engine that powered the Re.2001 was always in short supply because Alfa Romeo was slow in producing the Italian version and deliveries from Germany were limited. The Re.2002 therefore was powered by a new Piaggio radial, the 1,175 hp (876 kw) P.XIX RC.45 14-cylinder air cooled engine. Thus the wing system and the empennage were those of the Re.2001, but the fuselage was remodelled to accommodate the larger radial engine. Armament consisted of a pair of 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns in the forward fuselage section, synchronized to fire through the propeller disk, and two 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns in the wings. A belly support permitted the plane to carry a 924 lbs (420 kg) or a 1,102 lbs (500 kg) bomb, and two 352 lbs (160 kg) carried in racks under the wings.

The prototype of the Re.2002 first took to the air in October 1940. It was an excellent plane and in some respects was superior to the Re.2001. But making final refinements in the aircraft, especially in the engine took a considerable amount of time, and it was in September 1941, before the Italian Air Force placed and order for 200 aircraft. The first planes were delivered in March 1942, but they did not become operational immediately. The 5th Diver Group became operational in July 1943, when a series of missions were carried out to try to block the Allied invasion of Sicily. After the 1943 armistice, about 40 Re.2002s continued operations with the Allies until the summer of 1944. Mussolini's forces in the north made almost no use of the aircraft. The Luftwaffe took 60 planes to Germany, 40 of them being brand new. The German planes were eventually used in France in operations against the Maquis.

 

[gekho]

The Reggiane Re.2003 was a development from the Reggiane Re.2002 fighter bomber that first flew on 29 June 1941. It was designed to replace the outdated IMAM Ro.37 used at the time. Unlike the Reggaine Re.2002, it had room for a second crewman who sat behind the pilot. It was equipped with onboard camera equipment. The Fiat A.74 RC.38 engine was intended to be used originally, but the Piaggio P. XI RC 40 Bis was chosen instead. Only one was ever produced, and production for a second started, but never finished. The Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) made an order of 200, but cancelled the order as Allied bombing raids made the Air Force's focus switch to fighter aircraft.

 

[gekho]

The Reggiane Re 2005 was defined by many as "the most beautiful fighter of the axis".In fact,the Sagittario was a really beautiful airplane, with a clean and fascinating shape,but moreover it had exceptional flying charaterisics ,very powerful armament and exceptional handling.It was "the fighter" but it was limited by a slow production during the war, also due to the american bombing runs over the Reggiane factory. However the Re 2005 could fight in the most difficult and important scenario of the Italian war ,giving evidence to its good qualities.To evaluate how the Re 2005 was considered from pilots who flew it , it can be used the sentence of General Vittorio Minguzzi :"all the series 5 fighters (Macchi 205,Fiat G55 and Re 2005) were competitive with the best aliies fighters, including Mustang and Spitfire IX,each one getting in evidence for a particular flight character.The Re 2005 in particular is the best in handling at high altitudes".

The Reggiane Re 2005 Sagittario was the ultimate refinement of a series of fighters which started with the Re 2000 Falco I and continued with the Re 2001 Ariete I and Re 2002 Ariete II.The 2005 was a turn round in the Reggiane airplanes,an occasion offered by the avaiability of the new engine Daimler-Benz DB-605 capable of producing 1475 HP.The Reggiane technical staff leaded by Ing.Alessio and Ing.Longhi devoted itself with much resolve to the realization of the new fighter and the result was of great excellence.The complete d machine had little in common with the other planes of the Reggiane fighter series.The wing structure and the empennages were retained ,while the fuselage,undercarriage,wing profiles and armament were completely new.The construction of the first prototype was started in October 1941 and completed at the end of 1942.After the first flights the prototype was sent to the Experimental Air Force Centre of Guidonia,where some modifications were requested and the Re 2005 proved to have better performance than the others series 5 fighters, with a top speed of 678 km\h at 2000 m. The Air Force ordered 750 Reggiane, but only few were produced.A series was produced also for the Luftwaffe.

In May of 1943, the first Sagittarios entered service with the Regia Aeronautica. The first prototype and several of the zero series aircraft were used operationally by the 362a Squadriglia, 22o Gruppo at Naples-Capodichino starting in May 1943, being used to defend Rome and Naples. The squadron had developed a rather daring method of attacking Allied B-17s which involved diving head-on with all guns blazing, then flipping the aircraft over on its back and diving away at the last minute.The Reggiane had good behaviour in close dogfight and , according to General Minguzzi, who flew both Re 2005 and Spitfire, was even better than the Spit in tight turns and handling.The operative life of the Sagittario was concluded by the Armistice , that came in the September 1943. Re 2005 was used also in R.S.I. (Italian fascist Social Republic-costituited in the north of italy after Allies invasion)with good result and by luftwaffe.About Luftwaffe's use of the Sagittario many say that it was used to defend Bucharest and Berlin; their fate thereafter being unknown.At least one Re 2005 was captured by the U.S., and the fuselage of one Re 2005 survives in the Museo Aeronautico Caproni di Taledo in Milano, been restored by GAVS.

Source: Reggiane Re 2005 Sagittario project-history

 

[Wayne Little]

Not bad, but i like the MC 202 and 205 better...