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 of 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.107, was built for research purposes and, powered by a 540-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini Gamma, was flown early in 1942. The S.A.I.107 was externally similar to the S.A.I.207, which was built to full fighter requirements and carried an armament of two 20-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 ~ 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 Italy 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.). Initially 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 1,000h.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 inadequate 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 900-h.p. Isotta-Fraschini K.14 engines (although, far operational service, all 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 reconnaissance 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 prototype 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.1007 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.1011 were built, but the bomber was under-powered and inadequate performance led to the abandonment of further development in favor of the Z.1007.
Quantity production of the Z.1007 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.1007bis Alcione, differed from the prototype in having three 1,000h.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.1007ter and Z.1008. Of wooden construction, the Z.1007bis 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.1007ter was externally identical to the bis, differing only in having 1,100-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 Italy'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.511 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.511 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 "Bergamaschi" 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 1,000h.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 20-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 600-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 reconnaissance 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.20 quater of 1943, which was similar to its predecessor apart from the engines, which were two 1,150-h.p. Daimler-Benz DB 601s. 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 prolific.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.
The C.R.42 Falco was widely used as a bomber escort and subsequently relegated to the assault role with two 220-1b. bombs. In 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.
Also in 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 601N 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 licence 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 responsible 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 Italy. 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 prototypes 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 1,050-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 Reggio 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 export orders for 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 totally 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. had 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 II, and production deliveries commenced in 1941, first being used by the 2nd Gruppo Caccia and appearing aver Malta early in 1942. Initially, the Falco II carried the same armament as s predecessor, but the first production machines had two 7. 7-mm. machine guns in the wings, supplementing the two 12.7-mm. guns, and 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 440-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 side-by-side with the inline-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 with 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 reconnaissance-bomber variant of the original Re 2000. Only two prototypes 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 605AL 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 320th 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 still served with the Regia Aeronautica when Italy entered the war, being used as a night bomber in Greece and North Africa.
The most important product of the Savoia-Marchetti factories was undoubtedly 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 commercial monoplane powered by three 650-h.p. Alfa Romeo 125 R.C.35 radials but the initial bomber production 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 Government-during this competition the Italian pilot executed four /oops-and was awarded an order. The S.M.79B was powered by two 1,030-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 Romania for Romanian Air Force bomber elements, Romanian-built aircraft being powered by two 1,100p. 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-II powered by three 1,000-h.p. Piaggio P .XI R.C.40 radials which increased maximum speed from 267 m.p.h. to 295 m.p.h. The final production series of the Sparviero, the S.M.79-III, was an improved version which was used after the armistice by the air arm of the Republica Sociale Italiana, which operated in concert with the Luftwaffe. The S.M.79-III 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 flying 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 Bahrain Island, and had an unusual central bomb-aimer's position which retracted into the fuselage.
However, the major wartime function of the Marsupiale was that of heavy transport. In 1942 a Marsupiale flew from Rome to Tokyo 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 commercial 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,000-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 design 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 carried 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. gun 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. Only single prototypes were built of each of the last four aircraft mentioned.
Very good thank you
ReplyDeleteFantastic, thanks a lot. I will be looking at your blog often in the future, as I started to build a collection of Italian WWII aircraft model scale 1/72. As of now I built eight models (between fighters and medium bombers)
ReplyDeleteforgot to mention Aeronautica Macchi
ReplyDelete