Savoia-Marchetti S.M.82 Marsupiale

SM. 82 Unit: 49 Squadriglia, 38 Gruppo B. T., 32 Stormo B. T. Serial: Y Pilot - Capt. Rossaldi. Decimomannu, Sardinia, It was delivered to the unit on 12 August 1940. Note unusual codes 'Y'. On 20 August 1940 it took part in the raid against Gibraltar. In September 1940 it returned to Italy for repairing.

SM. 82 Unit: 49 Squadriglia, 38 Gruppo B. T., 32 Stormo B. T. Serial: Y Pilot - Capt. Rossaldi. Decimomannu, Sardinia, It was delivered to the unit on 12 August 1940. Note unusual codes 'Y'. On 20 August 1940 it took part in the raid against Gibraltar. In September 1940 it returned to Italy for repairing.

First flown during 1939, the Savoia-Marchetti S.M.82 Marsupiale was developed from the earlier S.M.75 Marsupiale civil transport, of which a number were impressed into service with the Regia Aeronautica in June 1940. A militarised version designated S.M.75bis was also built for the air force. The S.M.82 prototype was basically an enlarged version of its predecessor with a fuselage that was both longer and deeper, in configuration a cantilever mid-wing monoplane with retractable tailwheel landing gear and the three engine powerplant that was a feature of the Savoia-Marchetti bomber/transport designs of this era.

Despite being underpowered, the S.M.82 cargo/troop transport saw wide scale use with the Regia Aeronautica, and several were used in similar roles by the Luftwaffe. Specially equipped for the cargo role, it even included handling gear to simplify the loading and unloading of items such as aero engines, and its cabin volume enabled it to transport a dismantled Fiat CR.42 biplane without difficulty.

In the troop transport role it had folding seats to provide standard accommodation for 40 and their equipment, but many more than this number were carried in emergency. About 400 were built, the first of them entering service in 1941, but although able to operate as a bomber with a maximum bomb load of up to 8,818 Ibs (4000 kg), the S.M.82 saw very limited use in this role. Following the armistice between Italy and the Allies the type continued to operate in the transport role, about 50 with the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and 30 with the Aeronautica Cobelligerante del Sud. Post-war some 30 continued in service with the Aeronautica Militare Italiana, many remaining in use until the early 1960s.

(Savoia-Marchetti S.M.82 (Marsupial) )
Type: Heavy Transport & Bomber
Design: Societa Italiana Aeroplani Idrovolanti (Savoia-Marchetti) Design Team
Manufacturer: Societa Italiana Aeroplani Idrovolanti (Savoia-Marchetti) with factories in Sesto Calende and Borgomanero
Powerplant: Three 950 hp (708 kW) Alfa Romeo 128 RC.21 9-cylinder radial engines.
Performance: Maximum speed 230 mph (370 km/h); cruising speed 186 mph (300 km/h); service ceiling 19,685 ft (6000 m).
Range: 1,864 miles (3000 km) on internal fuel.
Weight: Empty 23,259 lbs (10550 kg) with a maximum take-off weight of 39,727 lbs (18020 kg).
Dimensions: Span 97 ft 4 1/2 in (29.68 m); length 75 ft 1 1/2 in (22.90 m); height 19 ft 8 1/4 in (6.00 m); wing area 1,276.64 sq ft (118.60 sq m).
Armament: One 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Breda-SAFAT machine-gun and four 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine-guns, plus up to 8,818 lbs (4000 kg) of bombs.
Variants: None.
Equipment/Avionics: Standard communication and navigation equipment.
History: First flight 1939; (first delivery) 1941; withdrawn from service early 1960s.
Operators: Italian Regia Aeronautica, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and Aeronautica Cobelligerante del Sud, Germany (Luftwaffe).

LOMBARDA AL 12P

Ambrosini also manufactured the AL 12P troop and cargo glider designed by Ing. Preti of Aeronautica Lombarda S.A. Constructed entirely of wood, the AL 12P possessed extremely clean contours. In addition to two normal doors, the fuselage featured a hinged forward section which swung to starboard to facilitate loading. Ten fully-equipped troops or a cargo up to a maximum of 3960 lb. could be carried. Air brakes were fitted above and below the wings just inboard of the ailerons. The AL 12P spanned 69 ft. 10 1/2 in., was 45 ft. 1/8 in. long, and had a wing area of 546 sq. ft. Empty weight was 3300 lb. and maximum weight 7260 lb.

A twin-engined variant, the P.512, was designed by Ambrosini and built after the war. Employing  Alfa Romeo 115ter in-line engines of 225 h.p. each, the P.512 was essentially the same as the glider in other respects, although a modified landing gear was fitted.

FIAT G.12

The first G.12 trimotor transport was flown in October, 1940. Designated G.12C (Civile), the fourteen-passenger airliner was designed for high-altitude trans-Alpine routes. The power units were FIAT A.74 R.C.42 fourteen-cylinder radials of 170 h.p. each. Structure was of metal with mixed metal and fabric covering. Empty and loaded weights were 20,680 lb., and 34,100 lb. Maximum speed was 242 m.p.h. at 16,400 ft., cruising speed 192 m.p.h., ceiling 27,880 ft., and range 1962 miles. One civil airliner was placed in service with Avio Linee Italiane S.A. on the Milan-Venice-Vienna-Budapest route, but further wartime development was concentrated on military models.

The G.12T cargo and troop transport, which could carry 22 fully-equipped troops, flew in May, 1941; this version was placed in production for the Regia Aeronautica and saw service in North Africa as well as in metropolitan Italy. The G.12T weighed 20,460 lb. empty and 33,000 lb. loaded and had a range of 1428 miles, other performance figures being similar to those of the G.12C. Dimensions common to most models of the G.12 were: span 93 ft. 10 in., height 65 ft. 1P/3 in., height 16 ft. 1 in., and wing area 1215.9 sq. ft.

The G.12 Gondar (named after the base in A.O.I. which was one of the objectives during the Ethiopian war of 1935) was a further model of which several examples were built in 1941. Empty and loaded weights were 20,570 lb. and 37,059 lb., and range was no less than 3606 miles, a distance greater than that from the FIAT factory in Turin to Gondar. Maximum speed dropped slightly to 239 m.p.h. In 1942 one G.12A (Grande Autonomia, or long range) passenger airliner was built. In keeping with its designation, the G.12GA had an impressive range of 4350 miles. Maximum speed was 236 m.p.h. and ceiling 21,320 ft. Empty and loaded weights were 21,340 lb. and 39,600 lb.

Later the same year appeared the first G.12LGA passenger transport, of which a few were built for LATI (Linee Aeree Transcontinentale Italiane), the airline founded in September, 1938, to link Italy with South America. The G.12LGA was powered by 750 h.p. Alfa Romeo 126 R.C.34 nine-cylinder radials. Empty and loaded weights were 20,460 lb. and 34,100 lb. Performance included a maximum speed of 233 m.p.h., a ceiling of 19,680 ft., and a range of 2142 miles.

In late 1942 and early 1943 came the G.12RT and G.12RTbis prototypes, both extremely long-range transports powered by 895 h.p. Alia Romeo 128 R.C.18 nine-cylinder radial engines. These two aircraft, although operating at lower altitudes at reduced speeds, were by far the heaviest and longest-ranged of the entire G.12 series. The G.12RT, weighing 21,197 lb. empty and 43,802 lb. loaded, had a ceiling of 15,580 ft. and a range of 4968 miles. The G.12RTbis carried an even greater fuel load, empty and loaded weights being 22,143 lb. and 46,640 lb., and had a ceiling of 14,100 ft. and a range of 5590 miles, exceeding that of all other wartime Italian aircraft and not greatly inferior to that of the Boeing XPBB-1 flying boat, which at that time was considered to have an exceptional endurance of seventy-two hours and a maximum range of 6300 miles.

Post-war versions of the G.12 built between 1945-50 included the G.12CA nineteen-passenger airliner (Alia Romeo 128 R.C.18 radials), the G.12L 18-22-passenger airliner (FIAT A.74 R.C.42 radials) with lengthened fuselage and modified fin, the G.12LB 16-22-passenger airliner (730 h.p. Bristol Pegasus 48 radials), the G.12LP 18-22-passenger airliner (1065 h.p. Pratt & Whitney R.1830 SlC3G radials), the G.12LA 16-22-passenger airliner (Alia Romeo 128 R.C.18 radials) - all civil models - and the G.12 Aula Volante (Flying Classroom) military trainer (Alia Romeo 128 R.C.18 radials). Commencing with the G.12L in 1947, the later models were of all-metal construction.

The G.212 was a larger, generally similar post-war development built in several versions, with accommodations for as many as 34 passengers. Wing span and area were increased to 96 ft. 3 in. and 1254.6 sq. ft. respectively. Performance was similar to the various models of the G.12.

SAVOlA-MARCHETTI SM.73

Forerunner of the SM.81 bomber that fought in Ethiopia, Spain, and in the Second World War, the SM.73 three-engined transport was produced in 1934. The prototype was powered by 600 h.p. Gnome-Rhone 9 Kfs radial engines driving wooden airscrews (four-bladed on the nose engine, two-bladed on the outboard units), and featured the tall tail surfaces of the SM.71. The SM.73 went into production with a revised, longer fuselage, 700 h.p. Piaggio Stella IX R.e. nine-cylinder radials driving three-blade variable-pitch metal airscrews, and a lower, broader vertical tail assembly. As the SM.73P it entered service with Ala Littoria; as well as S.A.B.E.N.A., the Belgian airline; and C.S.A., the Czechoslovakian state airline.

The SM.73, weighing 12,760 lb. empty and 20,460 lb. loaded, had an all-wood cantilever wing and fabric-covered welded steel tube fuselage and tail group. Wheel spats were filled, open on early models, later fully-enclosing. Eighteen passengers and a crew of four were accommodated, plus up to 800 lb. of baggage in the bottom of the fuselage. Maximum speed was 205 m.p.h. at 13,120 fl., cruising speed 174 m.p.h., and landing speed 56 m.p.h. Service ceiling was 24,272 fl. and maximum range 994 miles. The SM.73 climbed to 6560 ft. in 10 min., to 13,120 ft. in 20 min., and to 19,680 ft. in 33 min. On two engines, maximum speed was 168 m.p.h. and service ceiling 14,432 ft. Dimensions were: span 78 ft. 8 2/3 in., length 57 ft. 2 3/4 in., height 15 ft. 1 in., and wing area 1000.7 sq. ft.

With Italy's entry into the war, the SM.73's of Ala Lilloria came under the management of the Commando Servizi Aerei Speciali (C.S.A.S.) as military transports. Thirteen formed the 605a and 606a Squadriglie of the 1480 Gruppo "T", based at Reggio Calabria. These were used for varied duties, including the supply of troops and equipment to North Africa. In many ways the Italian counterpart of the German Junkers Ju 52/3m, the SM.13 was one of the earliest transports to serve efficiently on European air routes. A few were built by S.A.B.C.A. in Belgium.

LINK