Messerschmitt Bf.110. Part one. The Bf.110 in use with the Regia Aeronautica

 

In early 1942, Italy had a serious night aerial defence problem. Every attempt to develop a domestic night fighter was fruitless and the night fighters of the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force), namely the Fiat Cr.32 & Cr.42, were clearly outdated. 
The Regia Aeronautica asked to their German ally for help, so in January 1942 an aeronautical commission led by gen. Attilio Biseo visited some German anti-air installations, such as radar sites and night fighter units of the Luftwaffe. 
That commission reached to the conclusion that the purchase of twenty-four Bf.110C-3s was urgent, as an interim night fighter, while Italian aircraft, such as the Caproni Ca.331B was put into mass production. 
During this time the Regia Aeronautica's night fighter operational structure was deeply modified too; On 15th February 1942 the Comando Intercettori Leone was formed, based at Tortona, in Piedmont with two operational training units assigned, 1º Nucleo Addestramento Intercettori, with base at Treviso, in the Veneto and the Scuola di Volo Senza Visibilità (Blind Flying School) at Linate airfield, Milan. All those units were intended to train personnel for the 41º Stormo (the Italian unit equivalent to a Wing in the British Royal Air Force -RAF-), for which the unit was changed from a bombing unit to a fighter one, composed of two squadrons, the 59th and the 60th Gruppi (the Italian equivalent to a squadron).
In June 1942 the first Italian crews were sent to Germany to train and obtain the qualification on the Bf.110C-3, which they got the next month and came back to Italy, with the first two Regia Aeronautica's Bf.110C-3.
During July, a German commission suggested to change the remaining undelivered Bf.110Cs for the Dornier Do.217J, as Messerschmitt had ceased production on the Bf.110C-3. This decision wasn't well received by the Italian pilots as the Do.217J had some setbacks in the night fighter role, owning to their bomber nature and were , just like the supplied Bf.110s, second-hand machines, in spite of its heavier armament and being radar-equipped. 
In August the 235ª Squadriglia (the Italian unit equivalent to a flight in the RAF), which was part of 60º Gruppo, was equipped with both Bf.110 and the Do. 217. 
On 15th September 1942 the 59º Gruppo was rebased to Venegono Inferiore airfield and assigned to the night aerial defence of Milan and Turin and on 21st October the 60º Gruppo was rebased to Lonate-Pozzolo.
When the 235ª Squadriglia achieved its combat readiness, it was composed of two Do.217J-1 and two Bf.110C-3 plus one unserviceable Bf.110C-3.
The first operational order for the unit took place on 25h October 1942 and the Bf.110Cs were kept on the night fighter patrols, without much success or activity of the Bf.110Cs as they were barely employed because most of the unit was equipped with the Do. 217J.
When the Italian armistice took place, the aircraft of the 235ª Squadriglia were taken over by the German at Lonate-Pozzolo and moved to Germany.
It seems that in 1943 a single Bf.110G-4/R3 was offered to the Regia Aeronautica for night-fighting evaluation purposes and later, in the spring of 1944, the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (the air force of the Italian Social Republic) received at least two Bf.110G-4/R3, which were assigned to the 170ª Squadriglia Caccia Notturna, based at Albenga-Villanova, on the Gulf of Genoa. However, as we couldn't find any graphical evidence of those fighters, we decided not to draw them.

Sources:
1st Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali Straniere In Italia 4 - Gli Altri Tedeschi (translated)
2nd https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_110 (translated)

Bristol Beaufighter, part ten. Bristol Beaufighter in German, Italian and Portuguese service.

 

The Bristol Beaufighter was also employed, albeit in small numbers by the following countries:

• Germany: There is one photograph suggesting that at least one Bristol Beaufighter Mk. IC was captured by the Germans and put to flight in Luftwaffe markings. However, as the picture we had access does not enjoy the highest quality available, the drawing we made below should be taken with a grain of salt.
  
  
• Italy: On 7th January 1942 a Beaufighter Mk. IC registered as T4887 was on an Overseas Air Despatch Unit flight from Gibraltar to Malta when landed by mistake at Magnisi airfield, close to Augusta and was captured intact by the Italian personnel. This happened because the Italians were jamming the Malta radio-beacon with a jammer truck placed for that purpose at Porto Palo. Both the pilot, Flt. Sgt. Jones and the navigator, Flt. Sgt. Bold were taken prisoners.
  The aircraft was quickly taken to Guidonia, the testing centre of the Regia Aeronautica (the Royal Italian Air Force) and was repainted with Italian markings and colours and even received an Italian registration: MM4887. 
  At Guidonia the Beaufighter spent almost one year, where it was flew tested by many pilots, who praised the excellent avionics and the power of the Bristol Hercules engines. 
  Oddly enough, the Italian engineers did not consider necessary to reverse engineer the British throttle lever action, which was totally abnormal for Italian pilots. 
  After testing was completed, the Beaufighter was assigned to 235ª Squadriglia of Comando Intercettori Leone (235th Flight of Leone Interceptor Command) in mid-December 1942 but it did not last long as it was lost to a take-off accident at Venegono airfield, close to Milan, on 29th January 1943. The most probable cause for the accident was an erroneous throttle control input by the pilot, Tte. Ercole Norace Zedda, who died in the accident, while Flight engineer Sgt. Mg. Motorista Sacchi was severely injured.
  
  
• Portugal: A total of sixteen Beaufighters TF. Mk. Xs were bought by the Forças Aéreas da Armada (literally 'Navy's Air Forces') and were shipped between March and April 1945. 
  All those aircraft were based at Portela de Sacavem airfield, close to Lisbon by Esquadrao 'B' ('B' Squadron) of the Forças Aéreas da Armada. Those Beaus received Portuguese serials ranging from BF.1 to BF.16 and the squadron also operated from Averio airfield under command of Centro de Aviaçao Naval de S. Jacinto (S. Jacinto Naval Aviation Centre).
  On 22nd October 1945 one Beau, BF.4 crashed at Ovar beach, close to S. Jacinto, killing the pilot, 1st Lt. Felix F. Lobo and Sgt. Antunes Nogueira and the wireless operator, Luis Pacheco, dying from the burns he got while trying to rescue his partners from the burning plane. The crash was caused by a broken drive shaft on one of the engine oil pumps, so Bristol sent mechanics to Portugal to repair and modify the remaining airframes to prevent this from happening. 
  A replacement Beaufighter TF. Mk. X (ex RD862) was supplied by Bristol and received the Portuguese registration of BF.17. 
  The Beau was kept in service with Forças Aéreas da Armada until 1950 when Esquadrao 'B' was disbanded and two of the remaining Beaus were assigned to the Instituto Superior Técnico (Technical High School) at Lisbon to serve as instructional airframes, while another airframe was passed to the South African Air Force in exchange for a Spitfire Mk. IX registered as ML255. 
  Those two airframes remained at the Instituto Superior Técnico until 1965 when one of them, BF.10 was sent to Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronáutico (General Aeronautical Material Workshops) at Alverca, Lisbon, where the national aeronautical museum was founded on 1st July 1969 and BF.10 was restored for display. 
  The other airframe, BF.13 (ex-RD253) was shipped back to the United Kingdom as a gift from the Portuguese government to the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was later restored at RAF St. Athan (Glamorgan, Wales) before being placed on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon on 15th March 1971 where it can be seen nowadays.

Sources:
1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Beaufighter
2nd Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali Straniere In Italia 6 - Prede di Guerra
3rd Scale Aircraft Modellers Datafile 6 - Bristol Beaufighter

Breda Ba.75

 

The Breda Ba.75 was a Italian two-seat reconnaissance multirole airplane with ground attack capabilities. It was built by Società Italiana Ernesto Breda (Italian Society Ernesto Breda) during the late 1930s and never went beyond the prototype stage.

The project originated from a modernization requirement of the previous Breda Ba.65, the forerunner, which although having served successfully in the Spanish Civil War, it was already showing obsolescence during the late 1930s. The new project, commended again to Antonio Parano and Giuseppe Panzeri (lead designers of the Breda Ba.64 and Ba.65) was different in having a new repositioned wing, better armour and a more spacious fuselage with room for a crew of three, pilot, observer and bomber, for whom the lower part of the fuselage was equipped with large windows. The higher positioning of the wing also meant more clearance which lead to the adoption of a fixed landing gear as a retractable one was not possible because it would have been too long.

It was powered by a single Isotta-Fraschini K.14 radial engine which yielded 900 hp of power and was armed with two 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns placed in the wings. This was a step backwards, typical of the Italian aircraft of the time. For comparison, the Ba.65 was armed with two 7,7 mm machine guns, the later versions with 12,7 mm ones plus a rear turret. 

The Ba.75 could also carry up to 500 kg (1.102 lb) of bombs. This was on pair with the factual payload the Ba.65 could carry.

The only built prototype, with military registration MM.301 was completed in early 1939 and was tested soon after at Guidonia. It was deemed as obsolete, so the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) didn't show any interest at all, causing the termination of the project in early 1940. After unsuccessfully trying to sale the plane to other countries, Breda abandoned the project for good.

Sources:

1st https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.75

2nd https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.75

Bristol Blenheim, part three, various foreign users

 

The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber designed and built by Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was extensively used during the first half of the Second World War by the Royal Air Force (RAF) but also by many foreign users like:

• Independent State of Croatia: After the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941 many Blenheim Mk.Is were captured by the Germans who passed them to the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia (known by its Croatian acronym of 'ZNDH'. The exact number is confuse, some sources claim it was up to 20 bombers, others claim it was just 8. Anyway, they were used inside the borders of the old Kingdom of Yugoslavia in anti-partisan operations until 1944. Many of these Blenheims (some of them built under license in Yugoslavia) survived the war and one flew to Austria after the collapse of the Independent State of Croatia in May 1945.
• Free France: One flight of the, back then, newly founded 'Groupe Mixte de Combat No1' (No1 Mixed Combat Group) which was founded at RAF Odiham, Hampshire in August 1940 was initially equipped with Blenheims to see action in the Territory of Chad (which declared itself in favor of Free France shortly after the Fall of France in June 1940). This unit was later merged with the Blenheim-equipped 'Escadron Topic' (Topic Squadron) based at Maidugur, in the British Colony of Nigeria. Together they formed the 'Groupe Réservé de Bombardement' (Reserve Bombing Group) at Fort Lamy, in Chad in December 1940. This unit saw little action and was disbanded shortly later in March 1941, but they formed the basis of 'Groupe Lorraine' (Lorraine Group) which operated together with RAF's No.1430 Flight with elements supporting from No.47 Squadron in December 1941.
  After flying the Blenheim Mk.IV and Mk.V the unit was called back into the United Kingdom in October 1942 to be reformed into the No.342 Squadron. There, they replaced their Blenheims with Handley Page Halifaxes and were assigned to the RAF's Bomber Command.
  Another Free French units equipped with the Blenheims were 'Groupe Bretagne', the Free French Flying School at Bangui, in Equatorial Africa and 'Groupe de Chasse No.1 'Alsace''. Most of these Blenheim didn't serve in the frontlines and were kept in active acting as trainers or transports until 1944 or even 1945.
• Germany: One damaged Blenheim Mk.IV was captured by the German during the Battle of France in May-June 1940. It was later repaired, tested and used as a special training aircraft until 1942. 
• Greece: Before the beginning of the Second World War Greece showed interest on the Blenheim but eventually they decided against ordering it. However, in late 1939, after the war had started, they ordered 12 Blenheim Mk.IV which were shipped in early 1940 and assigned to 32. Mira (No. 32 Squadron) of the Royal Hellenic Air Force (RHAF).
  They saw action on 1st November 1940 during the Greco-Italian War and, on the 27th one of them was shot down by Italian anti-air fire. Due to the intensive use of the Blenheim and the lack of spares, by January 1941 32. Mira was reduced to just 4 operational Blenheims. To compensate for the losses, on the following months six additional Blenheim Mk.Is were supplied, though increased fighter presence in the area quickly reduced their numbers. When Germany invaded Greece in April 1941,  every Greek bombing squadron was rebased from Tanagra to Eleusis, close to Athens. There, most of the surviving Blenheims were destroyed on strafing attacks by the Luftwaffe. 
  When Greece fell, some RHAF personnel managed to escape to Egypt, where they fought under RAF's command. One of them was No.13 (Hellenic) Squadron which was, from January 1942 equipped with the Avro Anson and was part of the No.201 Group.  This squadron was quickly re-equipped with the Blenheim Mk.IV and Mk.V later and was used in the maritime and anti-submarine patrol role, specially in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They were re-equipped with Martin Baltimore bombers in October 1943.
• Italy: The Italian Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) managed to capture two Blenheims. One of them belonged to the No.40 Squadron RAF which landed in error at the island of Pantelleria (the pilot had mistaken it for Malta) on 13th September 1940. This machine was sent to Guidonia (Regia Aeronautica's testing center) to be tested. One more was captured in Yugoslavia when the Axis invaded in April 1941. 
  Apparently, two more were seized in Italian East Africa, but these were soon recaptured when that territory fell into British hands. 
  One captured Blenheim Mk.IV appears in the 1942 Italian film 'Un Pilota Ritorna' (A Pilot Returns) directed by Roberto Rosellini.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Blenheim

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bristol_Blenheim_operators

3. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 26 - Bristol Blenheim

4. Osprey Publishing - Combat Aircraft 5 - Blenheim Squadrons of World War 2

Caudron C.440 Goéland, Foreign Users Part One

 

The Caudron C.440 Goéland (French word for "seagull") and its derivatives, was a French twin-engined utility aircraft of the 1930s decade that saw service with various users abroad:

• Belgium: Caudron-Renault showcased the Goéland at Evere airfield, in Brussels on 11th March 1936. In the following June, the Belgian government signed a contract for the purchase of two C.444, powered by two Renault 6Q engines, which yielded 220 hp of power each. 
  Both aircraft were delivered to the 3eme Régiment of the Aviation Militaire (Belgian Military Aviation), based at Evere in September/October of that same year. The Goéland was intended to be used as a trainer for the fast reconnaissance and bomber aircraft the Aviation Militaire was planning to acquire. In 1938 both Goélands received civilian registrations in order to allow them to fly in foreign skies. When Germany invaded Belgium in May 1940, both machines were flown to Tours, in France, and then to Merignac airport, in Bordeaux, where they were intended to train Belgian crews before they converted to the Lioré-et-Olivier LeO.45 medium bomber. The fate of these machines is unknown, but they were most likely captured by the Germans.
• Bulgaria: Bulgaria ordered three Caudron C.444 from France back in 1936, the first of which was delivered that same year. However, as Bulgarian authorities weren't satisifed with the performance of the aircraft, the order was cancelled and the sole aircraft was returned to France. Bulgari allocated three civilian registrations for these machines, LZ-REA, LZ-REB and LZ-REC.
• Germany: The Luftwaffe was the biggest foreign user of the Goéland, with more than 750 newly-built machines plus many more captured ones when France fell. In fact, the Goéland was the most produced aircraft in French factories during the German occupation. They saw service with many Luftwaffe units as utility airplanes and crew trainers and were employed in North Africa, Western and Eastern Fronts. Some were reportedly operated by Deutsche Lufthansa too.
• Italy: A total of nine Goélands served with the Italian Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force). They were acquired by the Italians during summer 1943 from Salon-de-Provence airfield, Southern France, and were assigned to the Scuola Volo Senza Visibilitá (Blind Fliyng School) at Cameri, North-Western Italy. After the Italian armistice all nine of them were captured by the Luftwaffe.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudron_C.440_Goéland

2. https://www.belgian-wings.be/caudron-c-444-goeland

3. http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/bulgaria/af/types/misc.htm

4. http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2015/08/caudron-c-445-goeland-zg-1-stg-1-rs.html

5. Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali Straniere in Italia 5 - Aerei Francesi nella Regia Aeronautica

Caproni Ca.310, part three, domestic users

 

The Caproni Ca.310 'Libeccio' (South-Western wind in Italian) was a low-wing monoplane reconnaissance-bomber. Its design was basically a developed version of the previous Ca.309 with retractable landing gear and better engines. The fuselage was of welded steel tube construction, covered with light alloys fabrics and panels, with the empennage and tail unit being made out of wood with plywood skin on its fixed portions and fabric covering on control surfaces.

Above the fuselage, mounted in line with the trailing edges, was a manually operated dorsal turret equipped with a single 7,7mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun. 

Most of the Libeccios were meant to be exported but, as most orders were either cancelled and many of the delivered aircraft were returned to Italy, the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) received most of the produced ones, 193 of a total of 312 exemplars (though, according to other sources, the total number of manufactured Libeccios was circa 250. Regia Aeronautica did not equip entire units with the Libeccio, but assigned one aircraft per squadron for auxiliary duties. In total, the Regia Aeronautica operated 193 Ca.310 and Ca.310bis. They were used as squadron hacks, training aircraft and light passenger and cargo airplanes, mainly in the North African Theatre.

The only unit that was almost fully equipped with the Libeccio was the 12º Gruppo/50º Stormo Assalto (12th Squadron/50th Assault Wing) which received the ex-Hungarian machines as an interim replacement for the Breda Ba.65 in 1940. In this squadron, together with other types, they served until 1941 when they were replaced by the ground attack variant of the Fiat Cr.42. 

There was also an Idro (Italian word for "Hydro") version, equipped with floaters. This was intended to be used for naval reconnaissance purposes and had reduced bow glazing and no weapons. In August 1940 when the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) was looking for a replacement for the IMAM Ro.43 observation biplane, Caproni presented the Ca.310 Idro. There was a single prototype of this variant, which was converted later into the Ca.316. It seems that the Kingdom of Yugoslavia showed interest on this variant, after a demonstration flight was made at hydroplane station in Divulje, as they ordered six Ca.310bis Idro machines to serve with the Royal Yugoslav Navy in February 1939. These aircraft were intended to perform reconnaissance and target towing duties and their delivery deadline was 30th June 1941. However, by April 1941, when Yugoslavia was invaded by the Axis, only two Piaggio engines had been delivered. We drawn a hypothetical version of this aircraft serving with Yugoslavia. The Italian one should be regarded as speculative.

After the Italian Armistice in September 1943, some machines served with the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force which, after the end of the war, were kept on active service with the Aeronautica Militare (Post-War Italian Air Force) until 1948. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.310

2. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235096763-caproni-ca310/

3. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/16154/Caproni-Ca-310-Libeccio

4. https://comandosupremo.com/caproni-ca-310/

Caproni Ca.309, Italian users

 

 The Caproni Ca.309 was an Italian aircraft used during the 1930s and the World War II. 

It was designed by Cesare Pallavicino (who would also design , after the war, the famous scooter Lambretta, along with the Piaggio Vespa) and was based on the previous Caproni Ca.308 Borea transport and passenger plane. The Ca.309 was initially intended to replace the obsolete IMAM Ro.1 biplane (itself being a license production of the Dutch Fokker C.V) with reconnaissance and ground attack capabilities.

The Ca.309 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane powered by two 390 hp Alfa-Romeo 115-II in-line engines on each wing. 

The Ca.309 served with the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) in Libya, where, in June 1940, just when Italy declared war on France, many Ca.309 based on Western Libya, made some reconnaissance flights along the Libyan-Tunisian border. They took part in every battle in the North African Theatre during 1940, with good operational results, until 1943 when Axis forces were defeated in Africa. 

After that, the surviving planes were sent to Italy, where they served mainly as transports and reconnaissance trainers, in fact, in February 1943, the Scuola Osservazione Aerea (Aerial Observation School) in the town of Cerveteri, close to Rome, had a total of 6 Ca.309 in charge.

There were two main unofficial sub-variants, the Ca.309 armed with a 20 mm cannon and the Ca.309 Sanitario (Sanitary). The up-armed Ca.309 was made shortly after the Italian entrance to the war, under the request of the Comando Aviazione Libia (Libyan Aviation Command) by adding a Breda 20 mm machine gun placed under the nose. This modification was requested by Marshall Italo Balbo himself during the very first days of the hostilities in Septentrional Africa. He was looking for an effective way of attacking British reconnaissance vehicles, which constituted a serious threat for Italian  positions in the Cyrenaica region. As Balbo was killed by friendly fire on 28th June 1940, his tactics couldn't ve put into use. 

In September 1940, in Guidonia (the testing grounds for the Regia Aeronautica), the Sanitary version was tuned and tested. A revision of the internal load was in order to improve the take off characteristics and, therefore, total fuel load was reduced from 575 kg to 320 kg and the total amount of transportable patients was also reduced from three to two. By the first week of October 1940, the aircraft was ready and was sent to Libya, where any trace of its service was lost.

A total of 247 Ca.309 were manufactured at Cantieri Aeronautici Bergamaschi (Caproni's main factory) at Ponte San Pietro from 1936 until 1944, some of them being made after Italian Capitulation. There were also plans for a 'Super-Ghibli' (an improved version powered by two Isotta-Fraschini Beta engines, with a redesigned nose) which could transport either 8 paratroopers or 600 kg (1323 pounds) of bombs. Some studies were also made to convert the Ghibli in a meteorological observation plane, by completely redesigning the fuselage and engine arrangement (it would've been powered by just one engine placed at the nose) and the possibility of having the fuselage of a Ca.311, powered by the engines of the Ca.309 was also considered.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.309

2. http://www.flyinglions.eu/storia/aviazione/item/233-caproni-cab-ca-309-ghibli.html (translated)

3. https://www.valka.cz/Caproni-Ca-309-Ghibli-t16152

Caproni Ca.308 'Borea'

 

The Caproni Ca.308 'Borea' (Northern Wind) was a small Italian airliner built in the mid 1930s.

The Ca.308 was a streamlined, low-wing cantilevered  conventional monoplane with a fixed undercarriage and wheels fitted with spats. 

Its origins date back to 1934 when Ala Littoria (fascist Italy's national airline) issued a specification for a multipurpose aircraft that could operate on secondary colonial airlines. This specification aimed for a copy of what the French called "colonial" airplane, as Italy lacked it, as its colonial empire wasn't as extensive as France's one. The specification stipulated the following conditions: 

• Six seater passenger compartment.
• The ability to transport mail and small amounts of cargo.
• A cruising speed of at least 200 km/h.
• Simple design, low maintenance costs and easy to repair.

Two aircraft, Breda Ba.44 (heavily inspired by the De Havilland DH.90 Dragon Rapide) and Caproni Ca.306 won the competition, although the first one, being a copy of the Dragon Rapide, was decided not to push its production forward. Regarding the Ca.306, it was designed from scratch by a team lead by engineer Cesar Palavicino and was powered by two Czechoslovak Walter Major engines rated at 200 hp each and driving two-bladed propellers. 

The two-seat cockpit was equipped with double controls and, in the passenger cabin, seats were placed alongside the wide side windows in two rows of three seats each. It was also equipped with a luggage compartment placed at the bottom of the fuselage.

Production process began in July 1935 linking major Italian airports of the time with local lines. Shortly after its introduction in Ala Littoria, the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) demanded the Ca.306 to be adapted for military use, for which, got the denomination Ca.308. For that goal it was necessary to adapt the fuselage to carry small bombs (up to 300 kg of payload) and two 7.7 mm movable machine guns in the front and the rear of the fuselage. It was also required to replace the Czechoslovak Walter engines with De Havilland Gipsy Six engines, rated at 185 hp, since the importing company could not cope with the demanded pace. Additionally, Caproni also proposed a sanitary variant capable of transporting 6 stretchers and powered by two Isotta Fraschini engines, as well as another variant powered by radial engines. Those two versions, however, never passed the project stage.

Civilian variants of the Ca.308 were delivered in December. Of a total of eight machines built, six of them served in Italian mainland and two of them in Libya and Italian East Africa, serving on the routes Tripoli-Sirte-Benghazi, Tripoli-Kassala-Asmara and Tripoli-Benghazi-Cairo-Khartoum. In Italian mainland they operated the line Rome-Ancona and in Albania, the routes between the capital, Tirana and the cities of Scutari, Wallona, Berat, Kukus and Cinnamon. In February 1938 they were gradually decommissioned when 5 of them were retired. A single machine, registered as I-LIBI was lost to an accident on 16th March 1940 and the last civilian Ca.308, coded I-NTRA was sent to the Comando Servizi Aerei Speciali (Special Air Services Command) where it served until September 1943 when Italy signed the armistice. That machine was subsequently passed on to Allied hands and, after the war kept flying with Italian airlines until 16th April 1959 when it was lost to an unfortunate accident. 

Regarding the Libyan Ca.308s one of them was lost in an accident before the war and the second was transferred to the 5º Gruppo Osservazione Aerea (5th Reconnaissance Squadron) where it was used as a liaison aircraft in the Balkans.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.308_Borea

2.http://www.airwar.ru/enc/cw1/ca308.html (translated)

3. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/it-regia-aeronautica-orbat.htm

Junkers Ju.52/3m even more European users

 

The Junkers Ju.52/3m is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. It was employed by many countries in either a civilian or military role and, together with the countries previously covered, in this post we're going to cover the next ones:

• Greece: Greece national airline back in the 1930s, Elliniki Eteria Enaerion Sinkinonion (EEES) acquired three Ju.52/3m which arrived to Greece on 28th June 1938. They served in various aerial routes with Athens as the main hub until they were requisitioned by the Ellinikí Vasilikí Aeroporia (Royal Hellenic Air Force - RHAF) when Italy declared war on Greece in late October 1940. In the RHAF they served as transports to ferry troops, supplies and medical evacuation from the frontlines, at the North-Eastern part of the country and the interior. When Germany invaded Greece on 6th April 1941, they were captured and put to use with the Luftwaffe.
• Netherlands: The Rijksluchtvaartschool (RLS - the Dutch civilian flying academy, forerunner of the actual KLM Flight Academy) had in inventory three ex-German Ju.52/3m which were bought from the British in early 1946. In April they were transferred to the RLS where they served as crew trainers until 1st October 1949. They all were written off two months later and sold in early 1950.
• Italy: In January 1935, Ala Littoria (Fascist Italy's national airline) bought three Junkers Ju.52/3 without engines in order to replace some older Junkers G.24 they had. They were engined with Italian-built Alfa Romeo 126 R.C. 34 and another one (registered as I-BIZI) with the Piaggio P.X. R. engines. Of those original three, only one survived (I-BIZI) as two of them were lost to accidents and were replaced with three more machines, two of them having Alfa Romeo engines and one retaining the original BMW ones.
  In June 1940 all four of them were militarised and taken in charge by the Nucleo Comunicazioni Ala Littoria, which belonged to the Italian S.A.S. (Servizi Aerei Speziali - Special Air Services). One of them, registered as I-BERO, suffered an accident on 7th September 1940 while landing at Brindisi airport, which left the machine badly damaged and another was sent to serve with the Corpo Aereo Italiano (Italian Air Corps) to Belgium to take part in the Battle of Britain. After the Italian armistice in early September 1943, all of them were taken over by the Luftwaffe.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Junkers_Ju_52_operators

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ala_Littoria

3. https://www.airhistory.net/photo/287118/PH-UBA

4. Ali Straniere in Italia 4 - Gli Altri Tedeschi

Morane-Saulnier Ms.406, foreign users, part one

 

The Morane-Saulnier Ms.406 was a French fighter aircraft designed, developed and manufactured by Morane-Saulnier from 1938 onwards. As it was France's most numerous produced fighter of the time, with more than 1.000 machines having been made, it was exported to various countries, among them, the following ones:

• Republic of China: The Republic of China Air Force ordered 12 aircraft in 1938 and they were shipped in 1940 to Haiphong, in the northern part of Indochina to be delivered there to the southern part of China. With the fall of France in June 1940 most of them were diverted to the EC.2 Escadrille, which fought in the Franco-Thai War. It's believed, however that one or two Ms.406 may have been eventually been smuggled into Chinese territory. We've drawn an speculative Ms.406 in Chinese markings and registration.
• United Kingdom: The Free French Flight (the most direct precursor of the Free French Air Force) was composed of three flights, with the No.2 being the one equipped with fighters. Hierarchically it was dependant of the No.33 Squadron RAF and, when it was formed in July 1940 in the Middle East, it was equipped with Ms.406. They were replaced by Spitfires though.
• Germany: After the defeat of France in June 1940 Germany captured many French fighters. There were at least 120 airworthy Ms.406 and Ms.410 (though their exact number is unknown). One Ms.406 was exhibited, with French markings at an aviation museum in Berlin (whose fate is unknown but it was most likely destroyed during an air raid in Berlin) and others were transferred to SNACAO factory in Bourges to be repaired, being tuned-up and being painted in typical Luftwaffe's camouflage colours. They were used mainly for advanced training together with older versions of the Bf.109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw.56. In 1941 twenty-five Ms.406 were sold to Finland.
  After the German occupation of Vichy France in November 1942, the Luftwaffe captured 46 more Ms.406 and put them into service after having being sent to Ossun-Tarbes (close to the city of Lourdes) to be refitted to German standards with a FuG,7 R/T radio set. Later planes were repainted again and sent to serve with operational training units like JG.101, JG.103 and JG.105. 
  In those units they were used together with the Dewoitine D.520, Bf.109B and Es and Fw.190As. Given the intensive and fast training, many young and inexperienced pilots caused many accidents, so, eventually, only 33 Ms.406 were still in service, which were sold to Bulgaria and Croatia. 
• Italy: The Italian Regia Aeronautica, managed to have 57 Ms.406 in total when France fell. They were requisitioned by Italian personnel and sent to Lonate-Pozzolo (northen Italy) to be tested and studied. They remained inactive until the Italian armistice in September 1943.
• Lithuania: A total of 13 Ms.406 were ordered by Lithuania. They were to be shipped in 1940, and some of them were already painted in Lithuanian markings just after having come out of the factory. However, when Germany attacked in May 1940, they were all put into service with the French Air Force and none was delivered to the Baltic Country.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406

2. https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=112&t=98874

3. http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/ms-406.html

4. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235044440-hobby-boss-morane-saulnier-ms406-c-lithuanian-air-force/

5. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali Straniere in Italia 5 - Aerei Francesi nella Regia Aeronautica

6. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Piaggio P.119

Most of the Italian aircraft manufacturers during World War II, such as Savoia-Marchetti and Caproni, designed and built mixed-construction aircraft (made of steel and wood) or, just like in the case of CANT, made of wood. Whilst FIAT and Macchi manufactured more advanced aircraft, they still had conventional if not obsolete, structures, even if they were made entirely of metal. Only two companies, Reggiane and Piaggio, achieved the manufacturing of all-metal structures and, of them, only Piaggio tended to explore more innovative concepts, even if Reggiane had some jet-powered fighters projected.
The project for the P.119 dates back to 1939 for an aircraft with minimum drag with the engine fitted into the mid-fuselage, in a similar layout as the Bell P-39 Airacobra. It was expected to increase manoeuvrability by placing the engine near the centre of gravity, allowing that way heavy nose-mounted armament to be carried too. One year later, in 1940, Piaggio still had to solve three major issues: power transmission, contra-rotating propellers and engine cooling.
In order to solve those, Piaggio's main designer, Giovanni Casiraghi, tried to solve them with a design that was never built, the P.118 double-engined fighter which was going to be powered by two Piaggio P.XI RC 40 radial engines, each of them connected to a propeller. The P.119 was built instead and flew for the first time in late 1942 with three configurations having been studied before one of them was chosen.
The P.119 was a cantilever monoplane made entirely of metal with a conventional wide undercarriage. It had a forward-mounted cockpit with the weapons, four 12,7 mm (0,5 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns mounted on the nose and one single 20 mm (0.78 in) Breda-SAFAT cannon firing through the propeller hub with provision to install four additional Breda-SAFAT 7.7 mm (0.3 in) in the wings, but they were never installed in the prototype. Apparently an anti-tank version with a 37 mm (1.45 in) cannon instead of the 20 mm one, was also envisioned but it never went beyond the drawing board. It had an advanced construction for the time, with many removable panels for internal inspection with the number of components reduced to a minimum and standardised to make construction as easy as possible.
It was powered by a single Piaggio P.XV RC 45 radial engine which yielded 1.500 hp of power. It was located behind the cockpit with cooling air intakes fitted under the nose. A further development was planned with a more advanced variant powered by a Piaggio P.XV RC 50 expected to yield 1.650 hp of power.
The aircraft was flight-tested, but it was found that firing all the weapons produced excessive vibration. A landing accident slightly damaged one wing on 2nd August 1943 and one month later the Italian armistice brought the project to an end.
Unlike many other Italian aircraft of the time, it was not sent to Guidonia (Regia Aeronautica's test centre) for official evaluation and that's why it has been a rather mysterious fighter.
Performance could've been very good as it solved the main flaw of the Italian fighters of the time, their feeble armament. Its performance was good enough to compete with other Italian fighters of the time and had much better endurance. However, the aircraft was not ready when the Fiat G.55, Reggiane Re.2005 and Macchi C.205 were available and that resulted catastrophic for the programme. As we said previously the aircraft was not officially evaluated by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) and just one machine, registered as MM.496 was built. Apart from this, the range, endurance, overall visibility and armament were superior. But, with its many technical problems it was never in condition to become an operational aircraft, so the only Italian fighter with an engine mounted in the mid-fuselage section was forgotten. Unlike wikipedia claims, there was other fighter with an identical layout in the Axis side, the Yokosuka R2Y.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.119
2. https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/piaggio-p-119.47582/
3. https://www.valka.cz/Piaggio-P-119-t1325
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Messerschmitt Bf.108, part four

The Messerschmitt Bf.108 was a sport and touring aircraft that was widely used all around the world. The countries covered in this post are:

• France: The French Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) operated a number of captured Bf.108s during the late stages of the World War 2 just before the liberation. After the War it was built by SNCAN (commonly known as 'Nord') and was used also by both the Armée de l'Air and the Aéronavale (French Naval Aviation). 
• Italy: The Italian forces stationed in Albania captured at least one ex-Yugoslavian Bf.108 in 1941 which was assigned to the Reparto Volo Commando (Flight Command Department) of the Aeronautica Albania (Albania Air Force Command). Later it was assigned to the Gruppo Autonomo di Volo (Autonomous Flight Squadron) of the 3ª Squadra Aerea based in Rome where it served at least until 31st July 1943. It's fate is unknown.
• Switzerland: In 1936 the Swiss Air Force bought some Bf.108s which were used in communications flights until the late 1940s. 
• Nationalist Spain: During the Spanish Civil War the Condor Legion employed some Bf.108 in liaison and VIP transport duties. It seems that just four Bf.108 operated with the Condor Legion during the war. In 1939, after the war ended, they were inherited by the newly re-funded Ejercito del Aire (Air Force) and got another additional three machines.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_108

2. https://www.valka.cz/Nord-1001-Pingouin-I-t85450

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nord_Pingouin

4. http://www.warbirdalley.com/bf108.htm

5. Wydawnictwo Militaria 149 - Messerschmitt Bf-108 Taifun

6. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=347

Fairey Swordfish, part one, foreign users

The Fairey Swordfish is a British biplane torpedo bomber designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was nicknamed "The Stringbag" and was operated mainly by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force, but also by other operators. The first countries to be covered in this post are:

• Netherlands: Right since its inception in June 1943 at RNAS Donibristle, in Scotland, the No.860 (Dutch) Naval Air Squadron was equipped with Swordfishes. They performed torpedo-bomber reconnaissance duties until November when they were rebased to Maydown, in Northern Ireland, to be splitted in two flights of six aircraft each, to operate from merchant aircraft carriers MV Acavus and MV Gadila and later just from MV Macoma and Acavus from June 1944. They performed that role with the Swordfishes until June 1945 when the old-fashioned biplanes were replaced by the more advanced Fairey Barracudas.
• Italy: At least four Swordfishes were captured by the Italian Regia Aeronautica.
  One was captured just after the bombardment of Taranto, albeit in poor condition and was savaged.
  Another one, belonging to the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle was shot down and captured during a raid on Maritza Airfield, in Rhodes, on 4th September 1940. It was sent to Italian mainland, repainted in Italian markings and sent to Guidonia (Italian's Regia Aeronautica test centre). It was kept in flying conditions until mid-1941 thanks to spare parts taken from another captured aircraft.
  The fourth one, took off from HMS Ark Royal (91) to bomb the city of Cagliari, in Sardinia, but was hit by ground anti-air fire. It force-landed on the Italian airfield at Elmas, in Sardinia too, on 2nd August 1940. The crew were taken prisoner and the aircraft was repaired by the Italian firm Caproni. It was refitted with an Alfa-Romeo 125 engine and was taken to Guidonia for testing on 27th February 1941. It seems that by 6th April 1942, it was still there, however it was most likely destroyed in one of the Allied air raids.
• Spain: At least two Swordfish ended in the hands of the Spanish Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force).
  The first one, belonging to the 813 Naval Air Squadron, was based in Gibraltar when, during an anti-submarine patrol, lost its sweep and force landed between Ras-el-Farea and Pota-Pescadores in Spanish Morocco on 30th April 1942. The crew were interned and the fate of the machine is unknown.
  The second one, a floatplane, belonged to a detachment of the 700 Naval Air Squadron, that was operating from the Battleship HMS Malaya (01) ran out of fuel while it was shadowing the German pocket Battleship Scharnhorst on 8th March 1941, close to the Canary Islands. Both aircraft and crew were interned by Spanish authorities and, as the aircraft was serviceable, it was put into use in the Spanish Air Force with a new registration and assigned to 54ª Escuadrilla (54th Flight) on 6th December 1943, which operated from Puerto de La Cruz, in the Island of Tenerife, Canary Islands. It was written-off in March 1945 at Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, also in the aforementioned archipelago.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Swordfish#Operators

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/860_Naval_Air_Squadron

3. http://incidentessgm.blogspot.com/2013/11/fairey-swordfish.html (translated)

Caproni Campini N.1

Note: Next Saturday there won't be new post, since we're taking some days off. See you back in July!
In 1931 Italian aeronautics engineer Secondo Campini submitted a report to the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) on the potential of jet propulsion, with some proposals for its implementation. Later that year, Campini founded his own company to seek after both the development and practical applications of the jet engine. Accordingly, the next year he demonstrated a jet-powered boat in Venice, being that way the first vehicle to harness jet-propulsion and reached a speed of 28 knots during testing. This experiment attracted much attention from the Italian government, and shortly later Campini received a government-issued contract to produce a pair of engines for testing purposes.
During 1934 the Regia Aeronautica allowed the development of two prototypes together with a static testbed for the purpose of demonstrating the principle of a jet aircraft and explore its military applications. Considering that Campini's company lacked the needed industrial infrastructure for such endeavour, he reached an agreement with Caproni aviation manufacturer, under which they provided the needed material assistance for the manufacturing of the prototypes. Under this partnership Campini developed his design, which later received the official military designation of N.1.
Its development, unlike its German or British counterparts, was made totally public, because the Italian government wanted to give the impression that Italian industry was modern and sophisticated.
The Caproni Campini N.1 was an experimental aircraft, designed to demonstrate the feasibility of the jet engine. It was entirely out of duraluminium and had a monoplane layout, outfitted with an eliptical wing. The initial aircraft lacked certain elements like a pressurised cabin, however, that feature was included in the second prototype. However, after initial flight testing, it was found that the heat output generated by the pioneering propulsion system, the canopy had to be left permanently open as a heat mitigating measure.
The engine itself was different from the later jet engines. One radical difference was the compressor, a three-stage variable-incidence one, located forward of the cockpit, was driven by a conventional piston engine, which was a 900hp liquid-cooled Isotta Fraschini. The flow provided by the compressor was used to cool down the engine before being mixed with the engine's exhaust gases recovering that way most of the heat energy that in traditional piston-propelled designs would've been discharged overboard. A ring-shaped burner would then inject fuel into the gas flow and ignite it, just before the exhaust nozzle to further increase thrust.
The engine turned to be powerful enough to provide enought thrust for flight even without activating the rear burner, similar to a ducted fan coupled with an afterburner. Campini named this configuration as a "Thermojet", although with time it has been known as a "Motorjet". However, due to the small size of the duct, limited the mass flow and therefore the propulsive efficiency of the engine, resulting in relatively low pressure ratios with poor thrust and poor fuel efficiency. Ground tests of the engine yielded a thrust of around 700Kgf (1500Lbf.)
The maiden flight took place on 27th August 1940 in Taliedo, Milan at the hands of test pilot Mario De Bernardi, a veteran pilot who had previously set various aviation records. The initial flight took under 10 minutes, during which the speed was kept under 362 km/h (225mph) on purpose, due to insecurities about the untested frame. Considering that the German Heinkel He.178 had flown a year before, but it was kept as a secret, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale recorded the event as the first successful flight of a jet aircraft.
Subsequent flight tests achieved the speed of 515 km/h (320mph). Anyway, testing revealed issues with the engine as it lacked the ability to provide enought thrust to achieve high performance.
Later, on 30th November 1941 the second prototype was flown by De Bernardi and engineer Giovanni Pedace from Linate Airport in Milan to Guidonia, in Rome, as a publicity maneouver. That was the first cross-country jet flight to occur and the first mail delivery performed by a jet powered aircraft. In that flight there was a stopover at Pisa for refuel and was made entirely without using the rear burner.
The N.1 served as a pioneer and jet demonstrator. After that November 1941 flight, a total of 33 nations, some of which at war with Italy at the moment, sent their official congratulations to Italy for the achievement, making the prototype successful.
Thanks to the experience gained with the N.1, Campini, partnered this time with Reggiane (another Italian aircraft manufacturer) and aircraft designer Roberto Longhi, commenced work on a completely new design including the decission of abandoning the native Italian jet engines in favour of its German counterparts, this aircraft, which was never completed was called Reggiane Re.2007.
The N.1 was kept testing well into 1943 when, due to the outcome of the war, and the Allied bombing campaign which destroyed Caproni's factory at Taliedo, one of the prototypes was destroyed and subsequent testing was cancelled. After the war, the N.1 was transported to RAF Farnborough were it was tested and later scrapped. Another prototype was kept in storage at Caproni's facilities, where it survived the war. During the 1950s it was sent to the Italian Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) to be kept in the Italian Air Force's museum, where it's being showed today.
We've drawn also an entirely fictional single-seater fighter variant (with the cabin heat problem solved) which was armed with two 12,7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns placed in the nose plus two additional 12,7mm ones placed in the wings.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Campini_N.1
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campini-Caproni_C.C.2 (translated)
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Breda Ba.64

The Breda Ba.64 was an Italian single-engined ground attack aircraft used by the Regia Aeronautica during the 1930s. It was designed by Antonio Parano and Giuseppe Panzeri and served in just two units from 1936 together with the Caproni A.P.1. It was written off from frontline duties in 1939 and replaced by the more powerful and advanced Breda Ba.65.
Developed from the previous Breda Ba.27 fighter, the Ba.64 was designed in 1933 to a requirement of the Regia Aeronautica for a multi-role aircraft capable of undertaking various roles like fighter, bomber and reconnaissance. It featured an all-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane with a wire braced tail unit and fixed tail wheel. The open cockpit was placed well forward of the fuselage in line with the wing roots to provide an excellent field of view down as well as forward. The headrest behind the cockpit was extended as a streamlined fairing all the way down the fuselage upper decking to the tail.
Two prototypes were built, serialed MM 249 and MM 250. The first one, MM 249 was a two-seater with a fixed landing gear while the second one, MM 250 was a single-seater with a semi-retractable landing gear housed in a cowling under the wings. Contrary to what wikipedia in English claims, both prototypes were powered by a single Alfa Romeo 125 RC.35 radial engine which yielded 650hp of power. It was the engine that would also power the production variants. It was armed with two Breda-SAFAT 12,7mm (0,5in) machine guns placed in the wing roots plus two additional Breda-SAFAT 7,7mm (0,3in) placed also in the wings and another defensive Breda-SAFAT 7,7mm in the observer's position firing backwards. It could also carry up to 144kg (317.5 pounds) of bombs under the wings and 400kg in the small bomb compartment located between the pilot and the observer.
It flew for the first time in 1934 and it was barely produced for one year as it was manufactured from 1935 until April 1936. Only 44 exemplars were made, all of them by Breda at their factory in Sesto San Giovanni, close to Milan.
Production aircraft were sent to serve with 5º and 50º Stormos, but pilots considered the aircraft to be ill-equipped to perform missions both as a fighter or as a bomber. It also suffered various flaws because it was underpowered, was heavy to control and had a tendency to enter high-speed stalls that led to a number of crashes. After seeing some limited-use in frontline duties, the Ba.64s were relegated to second-line duties in 1939 in the Regia Aeronautica, with some of them serving until 1943 as trainers with a modified cockpit.
Apparently, two Ba.64s were exported to the USSR in 1938 for evaluation purposes and a single machine served with the Aviazione Legionaria, the Italian volunteer air force in the nationalist side of the Spanish Civil War.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.64
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breda_Ba.64 (translated)
3. https://www.valka.cz/Breda-Ba-64-t1310
4. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali d'Italia 7 - Breda Ba.65 (the Ba.64 is mentioned as the forerunner of the Ba.65)

Fiat Cr.25

The Fiat Cr.25 was designed to meet a requirement for a multi-seat, twin-engined escort with secondary fighter-bomber and reconnaissance capabilities. It flew for the first time on 22nd July 1937. It was made entirely out of metal with light-alloy and fabric skinning. It was powered by two Fiat A.74RC 38 radials rated at 840hp at 12465ft. (3800m) high and had a crew of three, pilot, navigator and observer when flying bomber missions. It was armed with four forward-firing 12,7mm (0.5in) Breda-SAFAT machine-guns two forward-firing and a dorsal one placed in a turret. An initial order of 10 aircraft was ordered, followed shortly by an additional order of 30 more. One of them completed as a light-transport named as the Fiat Cr.25D for the personnal use of the Italian air attaché in Berlin. Eventually, only 12 of them were complete. The remaining 11 of them, together with the second prototype, were assigned to an strategic reconnaissance squadron, the 173ª Squadriglia Strategica Terrestre in 1940. They were storaged for one year and, as their  range, maneouvrability and, relatively high speed were considered adequate for the mediterranean air combat. Therefore the 173ª Squadriglia Strategica Terrestre was created with personnel coming from the 31st and 35th Stormo Bombardamento Maritimo (31st and 35th Sea Bombing Wing) and, after a short trial period when one aircraft was lost, they flew their first recon mission on 24th July 1941.
From then on they saw extensive use and many of them suffered breakdowns and had to be cannibalized for spare parts as they had not spare parts due to the uniqueness of it. The Cr.25 travelled practically to every Italian mediterranean airport performing reconnaissance missions unescorted even to dangerous zones like Malta. They clashed with British aircrafts like the Bristol Blenheim, Bristol Beaufort or Bristol Beaufighter achieving almost 400 flight hours without any aircraft shot down due to enemy fire.
In February 1943 they were gradually taken out of service as Allied fighters were becoming more capable. They were storaged in the Italian town of Cameri, and replaced by the Caproni Ca.314.

Sources:
1. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_C.R.25
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_CR.25

Savoia-Marchetti SM.91

The project of the SM.91 was born to a requirement from the Italian Air Ministry for a multi-role aircraft that could be used in the escort, fighter-bomber, ground-attack and quick reconnaissance roles.
The SM.91 was a heavily-armed, two-seater aircraft powered by two Daimler-Benz DB 605A rated each of them at 1475hp of power. It was one of the first all-metal aircraft manufactured by Savoia-Marchetti in order to achieve the best performance regardless of the cost. The central nacelle held the crew of two, and wings and tails were similar to the ones of the Savoia-Marchetti SM.88. It had a fuel capacity of 1600L (422.67 US Gal) that could be raised up to 1800L (475.5 US Gal) with external fuel tanks. It had a stimated range of 1600Km (900 milles). It achieved a top speed of 585km/h (363mph), which was better than the SM.88, the aircraft whose development was killed by the development of the SM.91.
It was armed with five 20mm MG 151 cannons, three of them placed in the nose and two of them in the wings, close the fuselage plus another two Breda-SAFAT 12,7mm machine guns, placed at the extreme of each wing. There was an extra MG 151 facing backwards which was operated by the rear gunner. It could carry a payload of 1640Kg (3620lb) of bombs placed under the wings or a torpedo.
The prototype, flew for the first time on 11th March 1943 at the hands of Aldo Moggi and the results were satisfactory. In fact, a second prototype was made from a modified SM.88.
Tests followed at the next month in Vergiate achieving a total of 27 flight hours. It was an advanced design which reminds to the American P-38 Lightning which served as inspiration as the Italian managed to capture one. However, it didn't pass official tests in Guidonia due to the Italian armistice in September 1943 because by that month, it was still undergoing testing. The first prototype was captured and sent to Germany in October 1943, after which its fate is unknown but it was most likely destroyed. The second prototype was captured incomplete by the Germans when they occupied Northern Italy in September 1943. It was tested on 10th July 1944 but it was destroyed shortly later that year.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_SM.91
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_S.M.91 (translated)
3. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/52645
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Piaggio P.108C/T, part five

When the development of the P.108B was underway, Piaggio's workload was further hindered by the request of a new transport aircraft which should be able of long-range flights to South America for Linee Aeree Transcontinentali Italiane (LATI). At first the intention was to manufacture under license the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, but the license wasn't granted, so it was proposed to use the P.108C as an interim transport in 1940 while work on the official transports, P.126C and the P.127C (with four and six engines respectively) continued. The P.108C had a pressurised cabin capable of accommodating up to 32 passengers in a wider fuselage, but it lacked any defensive armament. It flew for the first time on 16th July 1942 but by that date there weren't any trasatlantic routes to serve. Despite that, and the inability of Piaggio to serve the P.108B in time, five P.108Cs were ordered.
On 26th March 1941 the P.108T military cargo version was ordered. It was an unpressurised version of the P.108C with one Caproni dorsal turret and, in some versions only, one Breda ventral turret plus two flank machine guns all of them with a Breda-SAFAT 12,7mm (0.5in). It was powered by four Piaggio P.XII RC.35 radial engines with a power of 1332hp each and was capable of achieving speeds up to 440km/h (270mph). Through a ventral door, it could fit up to two Macchi C.200s and had an internal volume of 77square meters (2700 square ft). It could carry up to 60 soldiers, eight torpedoes or 12 to 13 tonnes of cargo. After many redesigns, it flew for the first time on 7th September 1942 and, although they were destined to serve with the 148ma Squadriglia (148th flight), as very few of them were built before the Germans took over the production and, subsequently, 11 of them were built.
After Italian armistice in September 1943, all of them were taken over by the Luftwaffe and four P.108C plus five P.108Ts were used in the Eastern Front, where they were employed in the evacuation of Crimean peninsula where they carried over 100 soldiers in each flight. As both the P.108C and the P.108T were more reliable than its bomber counterpart, they had a great load capability and the Luftwaffe was still relying on smaller cargo aircrafts like the Junkers Ju.52, they were liked by the Luftwaffe. The Germans also modified the P.108T version adding four 13mm (0.51in) MG 131 machine guns in defensive positions, a ventral one, a dorsal one and two waist ones.
One aircraft, nicknamed "Die General", was destroyed on Salonicco airfield, in Greece, as Transportfliegerstaffel 5 operated most of them until the end of the war with one aircraft assigned to links between Italy and Germany and the rest assigned to the Eastern Front. On 10th August 1944 an air raid destroyed six of them and another four were destroyed or captured in 1945. A post-war P.108T-2 version was proposed but without any success at all, ending that way, the P.108 development history.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.108#P.108C/T
2. La Bancarella Aeronautica - Ali d'Italia 15 - Piaggio P.108