Supermarine Spitfire. European Users, part eleven. Italian Spitfire users.

 

In 1942 the Italians managed to capture a single Spitfire Mk. V, which was transferred in September of that same year to the experimental centre in Guidonia (Regia Aeronautica's -Italian Air Force- experimental test centre), close to Rome. However,  as we couldn't find any graphical evidence of this captured Spitfire, we decided not to draw it.
After Italy switched sides and joined Allies, the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (the name given to the pro-Allied Italian Air Force) was equipped with the Spitfire Mk. V, more exactly the 51º Stormo Caccia Terrestre (51st Land Fighter Wing).
This unit, composed of three Gruppi (squadrons) flew the Spitfire Mk. V together with the Macchi C.205 from 1944 until the end of the war.

After the war, around 150 Spitfire Mk. IX were bought from the British and were used by the 51º and 5º Stormos plus the Scuola di Vuolo (Flight School). 
In December 1947 Italian Spitfires were assigned registration numbers ranging from MM. 4000 to MM.4285 (the letters 'MM' stands for 'Matricola Militare' - Military Number Plate-). This numbering did not include those aircraft that had previously been written off due to accidents. Additionally, two registrations, (which by a strange coincidence were MM. 4040 and MM.4140) were assigned to non-existing aircraft by mistake.

In 1949 the Italian took over two ex-Turkish Spitfire Mk. IX under unclear circunstances. 
Both Stormos ceased to employ the Spitfire in 1950. They were later used until mid-1952 in flight schools. After 1952 most Spitfires were scrapped, while some were employed for fire-fighting training and thirty units, which were in the best technical conditions, were sold to Israel. 

Sources:
1st AJ Press - Monografie Lotnicze 40 - Supermarine Spitfire part 3 (translated)
2nd https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/51º_Stormo (translated)
3rd https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/5º_Stormo (translated)
4th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Supermarine_Spitfire_operators#Italy

Macchi C.202 - Co-Belligerent users

On 3rd September 1943, the armistice of Cassibile was signed and Italy was divided in two sides, the pro-German fascist ones, in the Italian Social Republic and the pro-Allied one in the so called "Regno del Sud" (Southern Kingdom) also known as Co-Belligerents.
The Co-Belligerents had their own air force too which eventually flew allied airplanes too, like the Bell P-39 Airacobra or the Supermarine Spitfire, among others.
The Macchi C.202 also served with the Co-Belligerent Air Force and some others were converted into the better C.205 by fitting its engine into the C.202 fuselage.
Their main operation base was at Lecce, in the Italian region of Puglia with Brindisi, also in Puglia, as a secondary one. They served with the 9th, 10th and 21st Gruppi (meaning literally groups, but it's the closest equivalence to a Squadron) in September 1943 and, by the summer 1944 they were still active in the 9th, 10th, 12th, 21st and 155th Gruppi serving together with the improved Macchi C.205.
When the war ended, those that were still in flying conditions and that weren't converted into C.205s to be sold abroad, were used as advanced trainers by the newly created Aeronautica Militare until 1948 in the Lecce Flying School.

Sources:
1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_C.202
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of FIghters

Macchi C.200 - Italian Co-belligerent users

When Italy signed the armistice, in September 1943, the country was splitted in two, the followers of Mussolini, and the co-belligerent ones, that sided with the Allies.
In that context, both sides reorganized their units creating new armies, air forces and even navies. In the case of the co-belligerents, those were the grounds of the actual Italian army.
As the Macchi C.200 was greatly outdated by 1943 its use was limited. It was only used by the 8º Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre (8th Autonomous Land Fighter Squadron), which was based in Leverano, at the very southern part of Italian peninsula. It was also employed by 371ª Squadriglia Autonoma Caccia Terrestre (371th Autonomous Land Fighter Flight) that was also based in Leverano.
However, as those units were re-organized and received better airplanes, the Macchi C.200 were relegated to the training roles, where some of them, 23 more exactly, were used in the inmediate postwar period.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_C.200
2. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeronautica_Cobelligerante_Italiana (translated)