Italian Aircrafts 1939 - 1945
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Of the aircraft
used by the major powers during the Second World War least bas been written
of those produced by Italy's aircraft industry. Indeed, so little detailed
information bas been published on the aircraft employed by, or under development
for, the Regia Aeronautica, that there is
a serious gap in the reference generally available concerning the military
aircraft of World War Il. This account fills that
gap. It covers aircraft used in service (as well as those under development)
up to the fall of the Fascist Government in July 1943, and subsequently in
Northern Italy while under German occupation. Many of the types described
and illustrated appear for the first time anywhere.
The quality of Italian combat aircraft
was frequently derided during the war years, and it was generally supposed
that the equipment of Regia Aeronautica squadrons
was considerably below world standards. In part this was true, for while Italy's
aircraft designers were undoubtedly capable of much first class creative work,
her aircraft industry never acquired the ability to achieve quantity production
without allowing the basic design to become obsolescent.
Immediately before the war Italy was
one of the leading exponents of the high-performance attack bomber, some of
which set up remarkable "prestige" records, producing several types
which were among the fastest in their class at the time of their appearance. But, paradoxically, the Italians were strangely
sentimental with regard to fighter biplanes, devoting a sizeable proportion
of their production capacity to such types long after they had been discarded
by all other major air powers. Although the Italian aircraft industry was
loath to discard the biplane for the interception role, it should not be thought
that such machines were developed to the exclusion of the fighter monoplane.
On the contrary, six distinct types of fighter monoplane made their debut
in 1937-39, but their designers were forced to contend with one major handicap,
the lack of a high-powered, low-drag, liquid-cooled engine. Reliance on comparatively
low-powered, bulky, drag-producing, air-cooled radials rendered adequate armour
protection and effective offensive armament secondary considerations where
a reasonable performance was to be attained.
Thus, it was with obsolescent fighter
biplanes and under-powered fighter monoplanes that Italy's Stormi
Caccia (Fighter Squadrons) entered the war.
The later availability of the excellent Daimler-Benz series of liquid-cooled
engines gave Italian fighter aircraft the much- needed "shot in the arm",
but even then inadequate production capacity did not allow for the disruption
in the flow of replacement aircraft that would have resulted had any attempt
been made to introduce completely new fighters. In consequence, existing
air- frames were adapted to take the new power plants and, surprisingly, several
of these Italo-Germanic combinations proved to be
exceptional fighting machines. This was fortunate for the Italians, for no
single-engine, single-seat fighter of exclusive Italian wartime design ever
reached the squadrons of the Regia Aeronautica.
A substantial proportion of Italian combat
aircraft production was devoted to twin-engined and tri-motor medium bombers,
but of the 13,253 military aircraft of all types produced in the years 1939--43
inclusive, only 163 were four-engined heavy bombers, and after several relatively
abortive attempts at strategic bombing, the Regia Aeronautica confined its bombing forces to tactical duties.
Several light and medium bombers, obviously influenced by German trends, were
entering service or under development at the time or the armistice.
The Italian aircraft industry never succeeded
in developing mass production techniques comparable to those developed by
the other major powers. In consequence, the total number of combat aircraft
produced by Italy was uninspiring. Whereas in 1940, the year of Italy's entry
into the war, production was nearly double that of the preceding year (3,257
aircraft as compared to 1,750 aircraft), no commensurate increase was attained
in 1941, when 3,503 aircraft were delivered. Subsequently output fell off,
dropping to 2,813 aircraft in 1942 and only 1,930 aircraft in 1943. Such production
figures were inadequate to replace the Regia Aeronautica's losses, let alone increase its first-line
strength and its numbers-which had comprised 1,458 bombers and transports
and 1,160 fighters when Italy entered the war-gradually declined.
AERONAUTICA UMBRA: The Aeronautica Umbra S.A.
of Foligno was established in 1935, and was primarily
concerned throughout the war years with sub-contract work for other aircraft
manufacturers. However, Aeronautica Umbra's design
office, which was responsible for the unsuccessful T.18 single-seat fighter
of 1938, designed by Dr. Ing. F. Trojani, did undertake some
original work, and a heavy fighter of advanced and unorthodox design, the
M.B.902 designed by Ing. Bellomo, was actually built,
although flight testing had not commenced when the prototype was destroyed.
The construction of the M.B.902 was begun
in 1942, and this single-seat fighter was unusual in being powered by a pair
or 1,250 h.p. Daimler-Benz DB
605 liquid-cooled engines buried in the fuselage and driving twin contra-props
mounted outboard on the wings via extension shafts. Featuring a retractable
nose wheel undercarriage and carrying an armament of four 20-mm. and two 12.7-mm.
guns, the M.B.902 had an estimated maximum speed or 429 m.p.h., and a maximum range of 1,056 miles.
AMBROSINI: The Ambrosini industrial
group took over the Societa Aeronautica
Italiana in 1934, and in the immediate pre-war years
its Passignano plant was responsible for a successful
series of light cabin monoplanes. However, in 1939, the chief designer, Sergio
Stefanutti, developed an unorthodox tail-first, single-seat
fighter, the S.S.4. This canard fighter was powered by a liquid-cooled engine
mounted aft of the pilot's cockpit and driving a three-blade pusher airscrew.
A retractable nose wheel undercarriage was fitted and vertical surfaces were
mounted on the wing at approximately mid-span. An armament of two 20-mm. cannon
was mounted in the nose and flight trials started late in 1940, but the characteristics
of the S.S.4 were generally unsatisfactory and the machine crashed at Guidonia
in 1941.
The series of light monoplanes had culminated
in the S.A.I.7 which, of exceptionally clean design and powered by a 280-h.p.
Hirsh H.M.508D air-cooled engine, gained the 100-km. closed circuit record
for F.A.I. Category I aircraft with a speed of 244 m.p.h. in 1939. The S.A.I.7
possessed excellent flight characteristics. Stefanutti
had designed the aircraft with the alternative role of fighter trainer in
mind, and a fully militarized trainer prototype flew in 1941. The original
prototype featured a long, faired windscreen which extended to the front of
the engine cowling to reduce drag, but the military trainer had an orthodox
cockpit canopy for the tandem-seated pupil and instructor, and the German
Hirsh was replaced by a 280-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini
Beta R.C.I0.
Despite highly enthusiastic flight test
reports, the need for increased production of combat aircraft necessitated
the shelving of the S.A.I.7 trainer, but the aerodynamic qualities of the
basic design were such that Stefanutti contemplated
its adaptation as a lightweight interceptor fighter. The initial single-seat
model, the S.A.I.I07, was built for research purposes and, powered by a 540-h.p.
Isotta-Fraschini Gamma, was flown early in 1942. The S.A.I.I07
was externally similar to the S.A.I.207, which was built to full fighter requirements
and carried an armament of two 2O-mm. cannon and two 12.7-mm. machine guns.
In dives the S.A.I.207 fighter attained an indicated air speed of 466 m.p.h.
at 10,000 ft. (representing a true air speed of 596 m.p.h., or Mach 0.86),
and maximum level speed was 357 m.p.h., which was attained on the 750 h.p.
provided by an Isotta-Fraschini Delta R.C.40 engine.
Encouraged by the remarkable performance
of the S.A.I.207, Sergio Stefanutti developed the
more ambitious S.A.I.403 Dardo, which featured increased
wing area and redesigned tail surfaces. Carrying a similar armament to that
of its predecessor, the Dardo was powered by a 750-h.p.
Delta R.C.21/60 engine which provided a maximum speed ~f 403 m.p.h.
Large-scale production of the Dardo was planned, but the armistice precluded further development.
Other wartime activities of the S.A.I.-Ambrosini
concern were the construction of the AL-12P troop- and cargo-carrying glider
designed by Aeronautica Lombarda
S.A., and the development of the Ambrosini AR "flying bomb". Conceived by General
Ferdinando Raffaelli as an anti-shipping
weapon, the flying bomb was powered by a 1,000-h.p. Fiat A.80 radial engine
and was to have been flown off the ground by a pilot who would then bail out,
the bomb being directed to its destination by remote radio-control. Flight
tests began on 13th June 1943, and four further examples were built at the
Venegono plant. Flight trials were successful and
a speed of 225-230 m.p.h. was expected, but the bomb
was too late to see operational service.
BREDA: The Societa Italiana Ernesto Breda was one of
the largest members of Italy’s wartime aircraft industry, having plants at
Sesto S. Giovanni (Milan), Torre
Gaia (Rome), Apaulia and Brescia.
From the early 'thirties this company was preoccupied with the development
of ground attack aircraft, and two types were in production when ltaly entered the war, the Breda
Ba 88 and the more elderly Ba 65.
The Breda Ba 88 Lince appeared in 1937, and
in December of that year the prototype established several international records
(with a load of 2,205 lb. flying 62 miles (100 km.) at 344.5 m.p.h., and 621
miles (1,000 km.) at 326.3 m.p.h.). lnitially the prototype was flown with a single fin
and rudder assembly, but poor stability necessitated the adoption of a rather
cumbersome twin fin and rudder arrangement which marred the Ba
88s otherwise good aerodynamic form. The prototype was powered by two 900-h.p.
Isotta-Fraschini K.14 radials and was one of the fastest aircraft
in its class at the time of its appearance.
Production orders far the Ba 88 were placed far the Regia Aeronautica
and assembly lines were established by both Breda
and 1.M.A.M. (Meridionali) with deliveries commencing
late in 1938. The production version featured considerable redesign and was
powered by two 1,0000h.p. Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 radials
which provided a maximum speed of 304 m.p.h. The
first unit to receive the Ba 88 was the 7th Gruppo, which arrived in North Africa in September 1940. However,
relatively poor performance and in- adequate defensive armament resulted in
the Ba 88 being taken out of production after only
105 aircraft had been built. In 1941 the Agusta
concern substituted two 840-h.p. Fiat A.74 R.C.38 radials for the Piaggios, increased wing span and fuselage length, and began
the construction of a small series under the designation Ba 88M. Only about three aircraft of this type were completed.
The Ba 65 was a single-engined, low-wing monoplane which was already
obsolescent when Italy entered the war, although it was employed quite extensively
during the North African campaign. The Ba 65 was
produced with both the 1,030-h.p. Fiat A.80 R.C.41 and the 9OO-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini K.14 engines (although, far operational service,
alI A.80-powered Ba 65s were re-engined with the K.14), and a few Ba 65bis were produced with a dorsal turret containing a single
12.7-mm. machine gun. The Ba 75 was an experimental
prototype produced in 1939 far both the recon- naissance and ground attack
roles. Bearing a marked family resemblance to the Ba 65, the Ba 75 was a shoulder-wing
monoplane with a stalky, fixed and liberally strutted
undercarriage, powered by the 900-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini
K.14 radial.
Another Breda
design that progressed no further than the proto- type stage was the Ba 201, which designation was, during the war years, erroneously
applied to a supposed Italian-built version of the Ju 87B. In fact, although undoubtedly influenced by Junkers
trends, the Ba 201 was an entirely original design.
Powered by a 1,050-h.p. DB 601 engine and featuring an inverted gull wing
and retractable undercarriage, the Ba 201 was tested
at Guidonia in 1940-41.
Filippo Zappata, responsible far the
C.R.D.A. Cant series of bombers, joined the Breda
design staff in 1941, and was subsequently responsible far several interesting
projects, few of which were actually built. His first design under Breda auspices was the Bz 301 long-range,
all-metal medium bomber derived from the Cant Z.1018 but not built. The Bz
302 was a projected twin-engined heavy fighter of all-metal construction abandoned
in favour of the Bz 303 night fighter. The Bz 303
was a sleek two-seat, low-wing monoplane of mixed construction with twin fins
and rudders. Power was provided by two 1,450-h.p. Piaggio
P.XV R.C.60j2V radials, and the exceptionally heavy armament of eight 20-mm.
Mauser cannon (four firing forwards and four firing to the
rear) and a 12.7-mm. machine gun in a dorsal position. Maximum speed was 360
m.p.h., and range was 963 miles. The sole prototype was destroyed
by the Germans.
Other Zappata
projects included the Bz 304 twin-engined attack
bomber, the Bz 305 four-engined troop and cargo
transport, the Bz 306 four-engined long-range bomber,
and the Bz 401 light reconnaissance-bomber seaplane.
No prototypes of these aircraft were completed.
CANT: The Cantieri Riuniti Dell'Adriatico stemmed from the famous naval construction
company of Cantiere Monfalcone
when the latter entered the aircraft industry in 1923. Initially the C.R.D.A.
concentrated solely on the design and construction of sea-going aircraft,
but in the mid 'thirties the company produced two land- based medium bombers
to the designs of its chief designer, Filippo Zappata. These were the three-engined Z.I007 and the twin-
engined Z.1011, both powered by 840-h.p.Isotta-Fraschini Asso
Xl R.C.15 engines. Five prototypes of the Z.IOII
were built, but the bomber was under-powered and inadequate performance led
to the abandonment of further development in favor of the Z.IOO7.
Quantity production of the Z.I007 was
ordered in 1939, and in addition to the C.R.D.A.'s
Monfalcone plant, various other manufacturers, such as Piaggio and I.M.A.M. (Meridionali),
established production lines. The production model, the Z.IOO7bis Alcione, differed from the prototype in having three 1,0000h.p.
Piaggio P.XIbis R.C.40
radials, and was unique in being produced with both single and twin fin and
rudder assemblies. The former has hitherto been incorrectly referred to as
both the Z.I007ter and Z.IOO8. Of wooden construction, the Z.IOO7bis Alcione was a very efficient aeroplane, although inadequately
armed, and was built In large numbers far the Regia
Aeronautica, serving on most fronts on which this
force was engaged. The Z.IOO7ter was externally identical to the bis, differing only in having 1,IOO-h.p.
Piaggio P.XIX radials, and the Z.1015 was a further
version with 1,500-h.p. Piaggio P.XII R.C.35 radials,
both produced in small quantities.
Concurrently with development of the
production models of the Alcione, Zappata
was engaged on the development of the twin- engined Z.1018, the first of several
prototypes of which flew in 1939. The Z.1018 broke away from previous C.R.D.A.
practice in featuring metal construction, although one of two Piaggio P.VII- powered prototypes tested an alternative wooden
fuselage. Several types of engines were installed in the prototypes, one having
Piaggio p .XV radials, another having Alfa Romeo
135 R.C.32 radials, and yet another having Daimler-Benz DB 605 engines. Some
prototypes had twin fin and rudder assemblies, but a single unit was adopted
far the production model which, powered by 1,400-h.p. Atfa Romeo 135 R.C.32 radials, began to appear in service
in 1943 but was too late to participate extensively in the air war prior to
ltaly's collapse.
Another major type designed and produced
by the C.R.D.A. was the Z.506B Airone tri-motor,
twin-float reconnaissance-bomber seaplane which was developed in 1936 as a
military version of the Z.506 commercial floatplane (the Z.509 was a further
commercial development differing from the Z.506 in having 1000-h.p. radials),
and the Monfalcone factory had produced ninety-five
Z.506B float- planes by the time Italy entered the war. Production was subsequently
undertaken by Piaggio. The Z.506B was employed primarily
far maritime reconnaissance, bombing and torpedo attacks on shipping around
Italy's coasts. The Z.506S was an ambulance and air-sea rescue version built
by Piaggio. The Airone largely replaced the earlier Z.501 single-engined high-wing
flying- boat, although some of these obsolescent machines were operated throughout
the war. The Z.508 was a tri-motor flying-boat derived from the Z.501 (three
840-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI R.C.40), but only a small production batch was completed.
During the war years the C.R.D.A. also
completed two prototypes of the Z.5ll commercial transport floatplane designed
by Zappata before the war and intended far use on
Alitalia's South Atlantic route. Construction of the Z.511
commenced in 1941 and the first prototype flew on 8th September
1943. The first prototype was destroyed when it struck a mine, and the second,
commandeered by the Luftwaffe, was destroyed in Germany. The Z.51l was powered
by four 1,500-h.p. Piaggio P.XII R.C.35 radials
and had a loaded weight of 74,957 lb. The Z.515 WIIS a light reconnaissance
floatplane powered by two Isotta-Fraschini Delta
engines and built as a prototype only.
CAPRONI: The Societa Italiana Caproni, founded by Count
Gianni Caproni, had its beginnings as far back as
1908, and between the two world wars became the largest group of companies
in the Italian aircraft industry. The most prolific company in the group was
the Compagnia Aeronautica
Bergamasca, which began aircraft design in 1927, joining the
Caproni group in the 'thirties. The chief designer
was Cesare Pallavicino,
formerly chief designer to Ernesto Breda, and initially
the original designs produced by Bergamasca were
given Caproni-Bergamaschi designations, but later
"Berga- maschi"
was dropped and aircraft emanating from the Bergamo works could only be identified
by their type numbers, which were in the 300 series.
The Ca 309 Ghibli
light colonial monoplane powered by two 185-h.p. Alfa 115 engines was the
first of a series of light twin-engined aircraft produced for export and for
the Regia Aeronautica in considerable numbers.
The Ghibli was produced before the war and was used for police
duties by the Aviazione Presidio Coloniale and the Aviozione
Sahariana as a light reconnaissance-bomber and
transport (carrying two crew members and six passengers). Several production
series were produced, the final versions of the Ghibli
to Ibe produced in quantity being the Series V and
VI, the latter having a forward-firing 20-mm. cannon mounted in the nose.
A progressive development of the Ghibli was the
Ca 310 Libeccio, which differed from its predecessor main1y in having
the spotted fixed under-carriage replaced by rearward-retracting main members,
and two 430-h.p. Piaggio P.VII C.16 radial engines.
The Libeccio was produced primarily for export and
was supplied to the Croatian Air Force.
The Ca 311 differed from its predecessor
in having the "stepped" windscreen replaced by a more extensively
glazed Blenheim I-style dose section (although the second production series,
the Ca 311M (Modificato) reverted to a stepped
canopy rather like that later adopted for the Ca 314), and the Ca 312 was
a version with 630-h.p. Piaggio P.XVI R.C.35 radials.
The Ca 312M possessed a similar nose to that of the Ca 311, the Ca 312bis
was a twin-float seaplane variant, and the Ca 312-1S was an experimental
torpedo floatplane. The Ca 313 was a further development of the Ca 311 with
two 650-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini Delta R.C.35 engines
which was used in limited numbers on the Russian Front. The Ca 313 could carry
a torpedo under the fuselage, and eighty aircraft of this type were exported
to Sweden in 1940. According to Swedish sources, the Ca 313 was generally
unsatisfactory and had to be rebuilt and extensively strengthened after delivery.
Forty-one Swedish airmen lost their lives in accidents involving the Ca 313
and, after the war. the Swedish Government took legal
action against the Caproni concern but, in the meantime,
the Societa Italiana Caproni
had gone into liquidation. The Ca 314, an improved version of the Ca 313,
was the last of the Bergamaschi-designed light twin-engined
reconnaissance bombers to be produced in quantity. It was also used in small
numbers by the Luftwaffe and, surprisingly, was to have been built
under license in Germany as the Ca 315 (featuring a modified nose similar
to that of the Ca 316).
The Ca 316 was a twin-float reconnaissance
seaplane powered by two 450-h.p. Piaggio P.VII C.16
radials and intended for catapult launching from warships of the Italian Navy.
The Ca 316 was designed to replace the obsolescent I.M.A.M. Ro 43 float biplane,
but only prototypes had flown before the armistice stopped further development.
The Ca 325 was a medium bomber powered by two 1,250-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini Zeta R.C.42 engines projected by the Bergamo
design office in 1939, and the Ca 331 was a further light twin-engined bomber
reconnaissance aircraft. Of all-metal construction, the Ca 331 was projected
in two versions, the Ca 331A reconnaissance bomber and the Ca 331B night fighter,
prototypes of both versions being built and flown. The latter version was
to have been built in large numbers and carried an armament of four 20-mm.
cannon and four 12.7-mm. machine guns. Power was provided by two 825-h.p.
Isotta-Fraschini Delta 4 in-line engines and construction
was all metal. A projected escort-fighter variant was to have had an armament
of eight 12.7-mm. guns. The Ca 365, projected in 1942, was a progressive development
of the Ca 331 with increased wing span, higher loaded weight and two 1,250-h.p.
Isotta-Fraschini Zeta R.C.42 in-line engines.
The Ca 350 was a projected a11-metal
two-seat fighter powered by a 1,250-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini
Zeta R.C.42 engine. This project, dating from 1939, had an estimated maximum
speed of 402 m.p.h., but. construction
was abandoned. The Ca 380 Corsaro was a twin- fuselage
two-seat fighter with the crew seated in tandem in a cockpit carried by the
port boom (a similar arrangement to that adopted for the S.M.92). The Corsaro was powered by two 1,550-h.p. Daimler- Benz DB 603
engines and carried an armament of eight 2O-mm. Mauser
cannon and a bomb load under the wing section between the two fuselages. A
prototype of the Corsaro was flight tested but eventually
destroyed by the retreating German forces.
Other wartime Caproni
products included the Ca 135bis medium bomber powered by two 1,0000h.p.
Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 engines which was built in small numbers
for export to Hungary; the Ca 183bis, an unusual high-altitude fighter
which was under construction in 1943 and powered by a DB 605 engine and a
700-h.p. Fiat A.3D engine, the latter buried in the fuselage aft of the pilot’s
cockpit driving a compressor for a Campini ducted-fan
type unit, and the Ca 225, a two-seat low-wing attack bomber powered by two
800-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini Delta R.C.1750 engines.
Neither the Ca 183bis nor Ca 225 was tested.
CAPRONI-VIZZOLA: The Caproni-Vizzola S.A.
of Vizzola Ticino (Varese) was originally the Scuola
Aviazioni Caproni, one
of the oldest flying schools in Italy, but in the mid 'thirties its activities
were expanded and a fully-equipped factory built. The plant was primarily
engaged on sub-contract work building the Breda
Ba 65 attack aircraft, but in 1938 its first original designs,
the F.4 and F.5 single-seat fighters appeared, powered respectively by the
1,025-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini Asso
121 R.C.40 and the 840-h.p. Fiat A.74 R.C.38 radial. Designed
by Ing. Fabrizi,
a pre-production batch of fourteen of the radial-engined F.5 fighter was built
immediately prior to Italy's entry into the war, but like most of Italy's
fighters of this period the F.5 was under-powered (maximum speed being 326 m.p.h.) and under-armed (two 12.7-mm. guns).
Nevertheless, a squadron was equipped with the F.5 for a short period and
employed for the night defense of the area surrounding Rome.
One of the fourteen F.5 fighters was
re-engined in 1941 with a 1,050-h.p. DB 601 engine. This conversion was designated
F.6, but the most interesting development was the F.6Mz powered by the 1,250-h.p.
Isotta-Fraschini Zeta engine (which was also to
have been installed in the Reggiane Re 2004). The
F.6Mz flew for the first time late in 1942 and was to have carried an armament
of four 12.7-mm. guns or two 12.7-mm. and two 2O-mm. guns. Maximum speed was
404 m.p.h., but the Zeta engine was insufficiently
developed for operational service, and the F.6Mz progressed no further than
the prototype stage.
C.A.N.S.A.: The Costruzioni Aeronautiche Novaresi S.A. at Cameri, a subsidiary
of the Fiat Group, was primarily responsible for a series of trainers, such
as the C.5 and C.6 biplanes of 1940 and 1942 respectively, and the C.4 training
monoplane of 1942. In 1940, C.A.N.S.A. produced two prototypes of the F.C.12,
which was intended as a trainer for dive-bomber pilots but was also projected
as a light attack bomber. The F.C.12 was a tandem two-seat monoplane powered
by a 6OO-h.p. Fiat A.30 R.A. in-line engine. Armament comprised two 12.7-mm.
guns in the fuselage and two 12.7-mm. guns in the wings, and a manually-operated
12.7-mm. gun in the rear cockpit.
In the following year C.A.N.S.A. produced
the F.C.20 recon- naissance bomber powered by two 840-h.p. Fiat A.74 R.C.38
radials, and the F.C.20bis, which was intended for ground attack and
carried a 37-mm. cannon in the Dose. The final development
of the design was the F.C.20quater of 1943, which was similar to its
predecessor apart from the engines, which were two 1,150-h.p. Daimler-Benz DB 6O1s. These increased maximum
speed from 261 m.p.h. to 311 m.p.h.
C.M.A.S.A.: The Costruzioni Meccaniche Aeronautiche S.A., with
works at Marina di Pisa, was another subsidiary
of Fiat, being incorporated in the Group in 1931. The major wartime activity
of this concern was the development and production of the R.S.14, the prototype
of which was flown in 1938. The R.S.14 was powered by two 840-h.p. Fiat A.74
R.C.38 radials, and the production models, the R.S.14B and R.S.14C, differed
from the prototype in having a ventral gondola to house torpedoes or bombs.
In 1942, this concern produced a land-based version of the R.S.14 designated
A.S.14. Similarly powered to the floatplane,
the A.S.14 was intended for the ground-attack role and it was proposed to
install a 45-mm. cannon in the nose. The sole prototype
of the A.S.14 was destroyed at Guidonia in September
1943.
In 1939, C.M.A.S.A. had been building
the C.S.15 powered by the experimental 2,250-h.p. Fiat A.S.8 engine. The C.S.15
was de- signed for an attempt on the World Air Speed Record and employed surface
evaporation cooling. Estimated maximum speed was 528 m.p.h.,
but construction of the prototype was suspended when Italy entered the war.
The plant also produced a conversion of the Fiat 0.50 Freccia
single-seat fighter as a tandem two-seat advanced trainer. This was designated
0.50B, and the prototype flew for the first time on 30th April 1940, but no
production of this version was undertaken. The C.M.A.S.A. design office undertook
the conversion of a Fiat 0.50 to take the 1,050-h.p. Daimler-Benz DB 601 in-line
engine. This conversion, which flew on 15th August 1941, was designated 0.50Y
and attained a maximum speed of 360 m.p.h. It served
to provide data for the Fiat 0.55 Centauro-one of
the best fighters produced in Italy during the war. Production ceased at the
Marina di Pisa works after extensive damage had
been caused by bombing in 1943.
FIAT: Aeronautica d'Italia S.A. (Fiat)
was perhaps the most powerful organization within the Italian aircraft industry
and certainly the most prolifico Its
aircraft were exported all over the world prior to the war, and it supplied
a substantial proportion of the equipment of the Regia Aeronautica.
It was also the last of the world's major aircraft manufacturers to produce
fighter biplanes. When Italy entered the war many of her second-line fighter
squadrons and attack elements were equipped with the Fiat C.R.32 which, designed
by Ing. Rosatelli, had first flown
as far back as 1933. Despite the fact that it appeared antiquated even by
standards obtaining in the mid 'thirties, this little fighter biplane was
produced in substantial quantities right up until the outbreak of World War
Il. Powered by a 600-h.p. Fiat A.30 R.A. engine, it had a maximum
speed or 248 m.p.h., and production versions included
the bis, ter
and quater. It was also produced
under license in Spain as the Hispano HA-132-L Chirri.
With the appearance of the fast fighter
monoplanes of the 1935-37 period, the era of the
fighter biplane had apparently been ushered out forever. Yet in 1939, Fiat
produced a further fighter biplane, the Fiat C.R.42 Falco.
But what is even more surprising is the fact that the C.R.42 continued in
production unti11942, when a total of 1,800 fighters of this type had been
completed. The C.R.42 was powered by an 840-h.p. Fiat A.74 R.C.38 radial and
in its initial production form carried an armament of one 12.7-mm. and one
7.7-mm. gun. In the C.R.42bis this was changed to two 12.7-mm. guns, and in the C.R.42ter to four 12.7-mm. guns. The
C.R.42 Falco was widely used as a bomber escort
and subsequently relegated to the assault role with two 220-1b. bombs.
ln 1940, C.M.A.S.A. built
an experimental twin-float version of the C.R.42, and another experimental
version featured a retractable undercarriage. This fighter was also exported
to the air forces of Sweden and Hungary.
Ing. Rosatelli was also responsible for the design of the B.R.20
bomber of 1936. A modern twin-engined low-wing monoplane, the B.R.20 was in
complete contrast to Rosatelli's biplane fighters
and quantity production was initiated. The initial production model was powered
by two 1,030-h.p. Fiat A.80 R.C.41 radials, and 350 machines of this type
were built between 1937 and 1940. In 1939 the B.R.20M (Modificato)
appeared, featuring a redesigned nose section and other refinements, to
be followed in 1941 by the B.R.20bis with 1,250-h.p. Fiat A.82 R.C.42jS engines
and increased armament (one 12.7-mm. gun in a power-operated dorsal turret,
and manually-operated guns in the nose, a ventral position and side blisters).
A total of 250 B.R.20M and B.R.20bis bombers were built during the war years.
The B.R.20 was dubbed Cicogna in service.
Other Rosatelli
designs were the C.R.25 and the C.R.23. The C.R.25, which first flew in 1939,
was designed as a long-range escort fighter. It was powered by two 840-h.p.
Fiat A.74 R.C.38 radial engines which provided a top speed of only 273 m.p.h. at 13,123 ft., and a range of 932 miles. Armament comprised
three machine guns and a 1,550-lb. bomb load. Only a pre-production batch
of ten C.R.25 aircraft was completed, one of these being
used as a personal transport by the Italian air attaché in Berlin. The remaining
nine aircraft were actual1y used for convoy escort late in the war and were,
on one occasion, engaged by Beaufighters. The C.R.23
was a fighter-bomber powered by two 1,550-h.p. DB 603 engines and carrying
an armament of four 20-mm. Mauser cannon and one
12.7-mm. machine gun. Construction of a prototype began in 1943 but was not
completed.
towards the equipment of the Regia Aeronautica
was the series of single-seat fighters designed by Ing.
Gabrielli.
The first of these, the Fiat G.50 Freccia, flew
in prototype form on 26th February 1937, and a small production batch was
built far the Regia Aeronautica. The major
production model of the Freccia, the G.50bis,
flew far the first time on 13th September 1940, and although similarly
powered to the first version (840-h.p. Fiat A.74 R.C.38) and carrying the
same armament (two 12.7-mm. Breda-Safat guns) it
had a reduced all-up weight which resulted in a slightly improved speed and
range, and relinquished the cockpit canopy of the former. The G.50bis/A,
which first flew on 3rd October 1942, was similar but carried two additional
machine guns in under wing gondolas. Approximately 350 G.50bis fighters
were built, and some of these were supplied to Finland and Croatia.
Reference has already
been made to the G.50B trainer produced by C.M.A.S.A., but a little-known
experimental version was the G.50ter powered by a 1000-h.p. Fiat A.76
R.C.40/S radial (first flown on 17th July, 1941) which increased maximum speed
from 293 m.p.h. to 329 m.p.h. The G.51 was a projected
development of the G.50 with an A.75 R.C.53 engine, and the G.52 was another
projected version with a DB 6O1N engine and derived from the G.50Y developed
by the C.M.A.S.A. plant.
Progressive development of the basic
Freccia design
resulted in the G.55 Centauro powered
by the 1,475-h.p. Daimler-Benz DB 605 in 1942. The Daimler-Benz engine was
built under 1icence by Fiat . as
the R.A.1050 and was installed in the production Centauro,
deliveries of which began in 1943. The initial production model, the G.55/0,
carried an armament of four 12.7-mm. Breda-Safat
machine guns and one 20-mm. Mauser cannon. This
was succeeded by the G.55/I with two 12.7-mm. and three 20-mm. guns and, finally,
by the G.55/11 with five 20-mm. cannon. The G.55S (Scorta)
escort-fighter variant carried a long-range fue1 tank under the fuselage.
Production deliveries of the G.55 Centauro started
too late far this fighter to see active service with the Regia Aeronautica, but production of this fighter was centered
in the area of Ita1y occupied by German forces and, after the armistice with
Italy, production of the Centauro continued in Northern
Italy far the Fascist Repub1ican Air Force fighting alongside the Luftwaffe.
However, only about 100 Centauros had been delivered
when Northern Italy was overrun by the Allies.
The G .56 was a further development of
the Centauro, differing in having a 1,510-h.p. DB
6O3A engine. The sole prototype of the G.56 flew on 28th May 1943 and no production
was undertaken. The G.57 was a projected version which reverted to a radial
engine, the 1,250-h.p. Fiat A.82 R.C.24-52, but no prototype of this version
was tested.
Ing. Gabrielli was also responsib1e far the G.12 transport, designed
before the war far high-altitude Alpine crossings. The first prototype, the
civil G.12C with accommodation far fifteen passengers, flew on 15th October
1940, and the first military transport version, the G.12T, which could carry
twenty-two fully-equipped troops, flew on 15th May 1941. A number of G.12T
transports were delivered to the Regia Aeronautica,
being used notably during the Tunisian fighting, and the type was powered
by three 770-h.p. Fiat A.74 R.C.42 radials.
I.M.A.M. (ROMEO): The S.A. Industrie Meccaniche e Aeronautiche Meridionali of Naples was, until 1936, when it was absorbed
by the Breda Group, the S.A. Industrie
Aeronautiche Romeo. Before the war this concern
produced several original designs which were produced in quantity, such as
the Ro 37 and Ro 37bis two-seat reconnaissance biplanes, the Ro 43
two-seat fighter-reconnaissance floatplane, and the single-seat Ro 44 float-plane
fighter biplane. The I.M.A.M. Ro 51 was another of the single- seat interceptor
fighter monoplanes produced to meet similar requirements to those fulfilled
by the Macchi C.200 Saetta
and the Fiat G.50 Freccia in 1937-38. Powered by
an 840-h.p. Fiat A.74 R.C.38 radial, the Ro 51 was a low-wing monop1ane with
a fixed undercarriage and the usual armament of two 12.7-mm. Breda-Safat
guns. A second prototype was fitted with a retractable undercarriage and a
third with a single central float and outboard stabilizing floats, being intended
as a replacement catapult fighter far the Ro 44. Neither water nor land-based variants of the
Ro 51 were placed in production.
In 1939, Meridionali
projected a twin-engined single-seat fighter, the Ro 57. Powered by two 840-h.p.
Fiat A.74 R.C.38 radials, the Ro 57 carried two 12.7-mm. and two 20-mm. guns
in the nose, and attained a maximum speed of 304 m.p.h.
Designed by Ing. Giovanni Galasso,
the I.M.A.M. Ro 57 began to leave the production lines of the Naples factory
early in 1942, and entered service in small numbers with Regia Aeronautica fighter elements defending ltaly. Performance of the Ro 57 proved to be inadequate for
fighter requirements, and the design was adapted for the assault role by the
attachment of dive brakes and an under-fuselage crutch for bombs up to 1,100
lb. The assault version was designated Ro 57bis.
Two further original designs produced
by Meridionali as proto- types were the Ro 58 and
the Ro 63. The Ro 58 was a two-seat
heavy fighter similar in conception to the Me 110. Powered
by two 1,0SO-h.p. DB 601 engines and of all-metal construction, the Ro 58
was flown at the Guidonia test establishment in
1943 and proved to be a particularly promising design. Armament comprised
five forward-firing 20-mm. cannon (three in the nose and two in a blister
under the fuselage), and a manually-operated 12.7-mm. gun in the rear cockpit.
Maximum speed was 376 m.p.h. at 17,000 ft., and normal
range was 932 miles.
The Ro 63 was a
small, three-seat artillery observation and liaison monoplane powered by a
250-h.p. Hirsh H.M.508D engine. The Ro 63 could take off in a distance of
200 ft. and land in 180 ft., and quantity production orders were placed although
deliveries had not commenced at the time of the armistice. The major wartime
activities of the Meridionali plants at Bufola, Vasto and Capodichino were the series production of Breda Ba 88, Cant Z.1007bis and
Cant Z.1018 bombers.
REGGIANE: One of the many companies controlled by Count Gianni
Caproni, the Officine
Meccaniche "Reggiane"
S.A. of R.eggio began aircraft production in 1937
with a variant of the P.32bis (referred to under Piaggio)
which was originally deve1oped from the Ca 405C Procellaria.
The Ca 405C was designed by Reggiane to establish
several international records and powered by two 850-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini
Asso XI. R.C.40 liquid-coo1ed engines,
featured double-slotted high-lift flaps. The P.32bis was virtually
a redesigned bomber version of the Ca 405C, and the variant built by Reggiane featured a 1engthened fuse1age. Simultaneously, Reggiane built the Savoia-Marchetti
S.M.79 Sparviero under license.
The Reggie design office is best known
for the series of single-seat lighters that it produced for the Regia Aeronautica. The first of these, the Re 2000 Falco I (readers will note that the Fiat C.R.42 was also dubbed
"Falco"), designed by Alessio and Longhi, was a delightful
little aeroplane, despite its bulky radial engine, and was demonstrated at
Guiding in 1938. Its powers of maneuver were undoubtedly superior to those
of its nearest competitor for production orders, the Macchi
C.200 Saetta, and it was favored by the Guidonia test pi1ots, but the prototype suffered structural
deficiencies which, together with difficult maintenance, dictated the choice
of the Saetta far the Regia Aeronautica.
However, several {port orders far the Falco
I were obtained (notably from Sweden, here it was designated J 20, and Hungary,
where it was known as le Héjja and later built under
license), and production commenced 1939.
However, with Italy's entry into the
war, the Re 2000 was taken over by the Regia Aeronautica,
later serving in Greece and North Africa, where its maneuverability delighted
its pilots but its armament of two 12.7-mm. Breda-Safat
machine guns proved >tally inadequate. The prototype had been powered by
a 1,030-h.p. Fiat A.80 R.C.41 radial, but this was primarily a bomber engine
and not entirely suitable as a fighter power plant. Consequently, the production model of the Re
2000 employed the 986-h.p. Piaggio .XI R.C.40 which
provided a top speed of 332 m.p.h. at 16,400 ft. one Re 2000s were adapted
as fighter/bombers with a 440-lb. bomb slung under the fuselage, and in 1942
a series of experiments l catapult launching were conducted from the deck
of the battleship Italia.
In 1940 a number
of Daimler-Benz DB 601 engines of 1,050 h.p. ad
arrived from Germany and been distributed to various Italian fighter manufacturers
far experimental purposes. One of these was installed in a modified Re 2000
airframe, resulting in a considerable improvement in climb rate and ceiling.
This version was designated 2001 Falco Il, and production
deliveries commenced in 1941, first being used by the 2nd Gruppo Caccia and
appearing aver Malta irly in 1942. Initially, the
Falco Il carried the same armament
as s predecessor, but the first production machines had two 7. 7-mm. lachine guns in the wings, supplementing the two 12.7-mm.
guns, nd in the Re 2001CN (Caccia
Notturna) night fighter and the 2001H, the 7.7-mm.
guns were supplemented by two 20-mm. Mauser cannon
in underwing gondolas. The Re 2001G was a fighter/bomber
variant carrying a 44O-lb. bomb in an under-fuselage crutch which cou1d be
swung forward to clear the airscrew for diving attack.
Development of the
original radial-engined Falco I was continued de-by-side
with the in-line-engined Falco II, resulting in
the 2002 Ariete, which appeared in service in 1942.
The Re 2002 Ariete was first employed by the 5th
and 50th Stormi (previously operating
Ba 65 and Ba 88 attack
aircraft) as a fighter/bomber, and was powered by a 1125-h.p. Piaggio P.XIX R.C.45 radial enclosed in a neat, Mercier-style
cowling. The Re 2002 was used for a series of trials with a naval torpedo
slung under the fuselage, and when used for the escort tasks wlth an under-fuselage drop-tank, was designated Re 2002S
(Scorta). The Re 2002bis was an experimental version with
a sideways-retracting undercarriage which was later employed by the Re 2005
Sagittario.
The Re 2003 was
an experimental tandem two-seat recon- naissance-bomber variant of the original
Re 2000. OnJy two proto- types of the Re 2003 were
built. The Re 2004 was a projected development powered by a 1,250-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini Zeta R.C.42 (similar to that installed in
the Vizzola F.6Mz) with which a maximum speed of
385 m.p.h. was expected. Availability of the German DB 6O5AL engine
of 1,250 h.p. led to the abandoning of the Re 2004
in favour of the Re 2005 Sagittario.
The Sagittario
embodied considerable structural redesign, being fitted with a longer fuselage
and an outward-retracting under- carriage (first tested on the Re 2002bis),
and possessed the then exceptionally heavy armament (by Italian standards)
of three 20-mm. Mauser cannon and two 12.7-mm. Breda-Safat machine guns. The Sagittario
was first operational aver Sicily early in 1943 with the 32Oth Fighter Squadron
(22nd Gruppo) but did not reach operational
service in large numbers, although it was flown by German and Rumanian pilots
after the signing of the armistice between Italy and the AIlies. The Re 2005R was to have had a supplementary propulsion
unit of the Campini type; the Re 2006, with a 1,350-h.p.
DB 603 engine, was on the drawing boards at Reggio when development ceased.
SAVOIA-MARCHETTI: The Societa Italiana Aeroplani "Savoia- Marchetti" was the
major manufacturer of bombing aircraft far the Regia Aeronautica
from the early 'thirties, when the first of the Savoia-Marchetti
bomber tri-motors, the S.M.81 Pipistrello, was delivered
to the bomber squadrons in 1934. The Pipistrello
first saw active service in Ethiopia and subsequently in Spain. It was powered
by three 700-h.p. radiaIs and, with its fixed undercarriage,
had a maximum speed of only 217 m.p.h. Despite its
obsolescence, the S.M.81 Pipistrello stili served with the Regia Aeronautica
when ltaly entered the war, being used as a
night bomber in Greece and North Africa.
The most important product of the Savoia-Marchetti factories was undoubted1y the S.M.79 which,
although possessing an earlier type number than that of the Pipistrello, did not actually enter service until 1936. The
S.M.79 originally appeared in 1935 as an eight-passenger commerciaI
monoplane powered by three 650-h.p. Alfa Romeo 125 R.C.35 radials but the
initial bomber pro- duction version was powered
by three 850-h.p. Alfa Romeo 126 R.C.34 radials. Simultaneously, the Savoia-Marchetti design office developed a twin-engined version
of the design, the S.M.79B, featuring a completely redesigned nose section
to house a bombardier. The S.M.79B was intended primarily for export, and
in 1936 this type won the Military Aircraft Competition organised
by the Argentine Govemment-during this competition
the Italian pilot executed four /oops-and was awarded an order. The S.M.79B
was powered by two 1,O30-h.p. Fiat A.80 R.C.41 engines
and had a maximum speed of 276 m.p.h. The S.M.79B was also built under license
in Rumania for Rumanian Air Force bomber elements, Rumanian-built airc,'aft being powered by two 1,lOO-h.p.
Junkers Jumo 2llF liquid-cooled engines, but no
machines were delivered to the Regia Aeronautica.
The second production version of the
S.M.79 (named Sparviero) was the S.M.79-11 powered
by three 1,OOO-h.p. Piaggio
P .XI R.C.40 radials which iilcreased maximum speed
from 267 m.p.h. to 295 m.p.h. The final production series of the Sparviero, the S.M.79-1II, was an improved version which was
used after the armistice by the air arm of the Repuh/ica
Sociale Italiana, which
operated in concert with the Luftwaffe. The S.M.79-111 could be employed
as a torpedo bomber, carrying one or two torpedoes externally under the fuselage,
and some machines had their defensive armament augmented by a forward-firing 20-mm. cannon. One Sparviero
was used as a radio-controlled ftying bomb on 13th
August 1942, being directed against British warships off the Algerian coast.
However, owing to a fault in the radio circuit, the aircraft crashed in the
mountains of K1enchela.
The S.M.82 Marsupiale,
which appeared in 1938, entered service in 1941 and was employed as a long-range
heavy bomber pending the availability of the Piaggio
P.l 08B. The Marsupiale
was used far bombing raids on Palestine and Bahrein
Island, and had an unusual central bomb-aimer's position which retracted into
the fuselage.
However, the major wartirne
fuj1ction of the Marsuf'iale was that of heavy transport.
In 1942 a Marsupiale flew from Rome to Tokio with a Campini power plant
that had been purchased by Japan for research purposes.
The S.M.84 (which designation originally
caused some confusion as the S.M.84B was a twin-engined commerciai transport of pre- war design derived from the S.M.73)
was a further bomber tri- motor used extensively in the Mediterranean. The
S.M.84, powered by three I,OOO-h.p.
Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 radials, was first reported
in action against British shipping in the Mediterranean in November 1941,
and soon after its appearance succeeded in scoring a torpedo hit on the battleship
Ne/son. The S.M.84 had
a defensive armament of five machine guns and could carry
two torpedoes side by side under the fuselage.
The S.M.85 and S.M.86 were both light,
twin-engined dive- bombers of pre-war designo The
S.M.85 was powered by two 460-h.p. Piaggio P.VII
R.C.35 radials and a small production batch was built. However, the type was
unsuccessful and never used operationally. The S.M.86 was a development of
the S.M.85 powered by two 520-h.p. Walter Sagitta
engines which progressed no further than the prototype stage. Another experimental
prototype was the S.M.87
twin-float seaplane transport version of the land- based S.M.75. The S.M.87
was powered by three 960-h.p. Pratt and Whitney SG 3G radials.
In 1943, Savoia-Marchetti
completed the prototypes of four assault aircraft, the S.M.89, the S.M.91,
the S.M.92 and the S.M.93 (the S.M.90 was a commercial transport powered by
three 1,400-h.p. Alfa Romeo 135 R.C.32 radials). The S.M.89 was virtually
a twin-engined development of the S.M.84, with the wings of the earlier aircraft
and two 1,350-h.p. Piaggio P.XII R.C.35 radial engines.
The S.M.89 carried a forward-firing armament of two 37-mm. cannon and three
12.7-mm. machine guns in the nose, and a further 12.7-mm. gun in a dorsal
turret. Maximum speed was 286 m.p.h. at 17,388 ft.
The S.M.91 and S.M.92 were both two-seat twin-boom fighter-bombers powered
by two 1,475-h.p. DB 605 engines. They differed primarily in that the S.M.91
possessed a central cockpit nacelle between the twin booms, whereas the S.M.92
carriecl both crew members in the port boom (like the Caproni Ca 380 Corsaro). The armament
of the S.M.91 comprised four 20-mm. cannon and two 12.7-mm. machine guns (in
the wing roots) firing forward, and one manually-operated 12.7-mm. gun far
rear defence. The S.M.92 had a forward-firing armament
of three 20-mm. cannon (one firing through the airscrew hub of the starboard
engine and two mounted in the wing centre section) and four 12.7-mm. guns
mounted in two pairs under each engine. Rear defence
was provided by a 12.7-mm. gufi installed in a remotely-
controlled barbette mounted centrally on the tailplane.
Savoia-Marchetti's final wartime prototype was the S.M.93 dive-bombing
and ground attack aircraft. The S.M.93 carried a crew of two, the pilot lying
in a prone position, and power was provided by a 1,475-h.p. DB 605 engine.
Armament comprised one 20-mm. cannon firing through the airscrew hub, one
12.7-mm. gun in each wing and one manually-operated 12.7-mm. gun fired by
the observer. Maximum bomb loads included 1,800 lb. under the fuselage and
1,400 lb. under the wings, and maximum speed was 337 m.p.h.
at 22,975 ft. On1y single prototypes were built of each of the last four aircraft
mentioned.
