Savoia-Marchetti SM.82PW, mm61187
| ZR-8
Note the double-deck windows.
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 'Marsupiale' was an Italian bomber and transport aircraft of World War II.
It was a cantilever, mid-wing monoplane trimotor with a retractable, tailwheel undercarriage.
There were 875 (plus one prototype) built, the first entering service in 1940.
Although able to operate as a bomber with a maximum bombload of up to 8,818 lb (4000 kg), the SM.82 saw very limited use in this role.
The SM.82 was the foreign aircraft used in largest number by the Luftwaffe, which operated several hundreds of this aircraft, as a transport.
Post-war about 30 SM.82s continued in service with the Aeronautica Militare Italiana, many remaining in service until the early 1960s. [¬ Wikipedia] |
Savoia-Marchetti SM.82PW, mm61187
| ZR-8
Macchi C.200 'Saetta', 'mm5311'
(orig. mm8307, 'M7707')
The Macchi C.200 Saetta (EN: 'Lightning'), or MC.200, was a fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Aeronautica Macchi in Italy.
Various versions were flown by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) who used the type throughout WW2.
The C.200 was designed by Mario Castoldi, Macchi's lead designer, to serve as a modern monoplane fighter aircraft, furnished with retractable landing gear and powered by a radial engine.
The C.200 possessed excellent maneuverability, and its general flying characteristics left little to be desired.
Its stability in a high-speed dive was exceptional, but it was underpowered and underarmed in comparison to its contemporaries. [¬Wikipedia] |
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX, mm4084 (ex/ RAF MK805)
Fiat G.212, mm 61804 | 142-5
The Fiat G.212 was an Italian three-engine airliner of the 1940s. An enlarged development of Fiat's earlier G.12 transport, it was used in small numbers in commercial service and by the Italian Air Force.
The first prototype of the G.212, the G.212CA military transport, flew on 19Jan1947.
While very similar in configuration to the G.12, i.e. a low-wing all-metal cantilever monoplane with a retractable tailwheel undercarriage, the G.212 was longer, and had a larger wing and a wider fuselage. It was powered by three 860 hp Alfa Romeo 128 radial engines. [¬ Wikipedia] |
The G.212CP entered service with Avio Linee Italiane (Italian Airlines), which ordered 6, in 1947, being operated on routes within Europe.
On Thursday 1Jul1948 I-ELSA, a flight from Milano to Brussels, crashed near Keerbergen airfield (8 people died). One of the surviving crewmembers died 6 months later in the crash of an ALI Douglas C47 at Milano airport...
On 04May1949, a chartered Avio Linee Italiane G.212, carrying the Torino football first team squad 'the Grande Torino' back home from a match in Lisbon, crashed into a hill near Turin, killing all 31 aboard, including the 18 players. [¬ Wikipedia] |
Reggiane Re.2002, mm8669
'Ariette II'
The Reggiane Re.2002 'Ariete' (EN: Ram) was an Italian fighter-bomber developed during World War II.
The aircraft was a further development of the Re.2000, with some of the modifications that already had been introduced in the Re.2001.
The aircraft was mainly used by the Regia Aeronautica (Royal [Italian] Air Force), but it also saw limited use with the German Luftwaffe, who used it against the French resistance.
The first prototype flew in Oct. 1940, approximately three months after the Re.2001. The evaluation period showed some reliability problems with the Piaggio engine and therefore the aircraft served primarily as an attack aircraft instead, as it could carry a considerable payload, by Italian standards. [¬ Wikipedia] |
I was quite amazed by the number of Italian manufactured, and flown, aircraft of which I had never heard!
Macchi C.202, mm9667 | 73-7
The Macchi C.202 'Folgore' (Italian for Thunderbolt) was an Italian fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Macchi Aeronautica. It was operated mainly by the Regia Aeronautica (RA; Royal (Italian) Air Force) in and around the WW2.
According to aviation author David Mondey, the Folgore has been considered to be one of the best wartime fighters to serve in large numbers with the Regia Aeronautica!
The C.202 was designed by a team headed by the company's chief of design, Italian aeronautics engineer Mario Castoldi. As per company tradition, Macchi aircraft designed by Mario Castoldi received the 'C' letter in their model designation, hence the Folgore is commonly referred to as the C.202 or MC.202. [¬ Wikipedia] |
Macchi C.205V 'Veltro', mm9546
| 97-2
The Macchi C.205 Veltro ('Greyhound' which was also known as MC.205: MC standing for 'Macchi Castoldi') was an Italian World War II fighter aircraft, built by the Aeronautica Macchi.
Along with the Reggiane Re.2005 and Fiat G.55, the Macchi C.205 was one of the 3 'Serie 5' Italian fighters built around the powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine.
The C.205 was a development of the earlier C.202 Folgore.
With a top speed of some 640 km/h (400 mph) and equipped with a pair of 20 mm cannon as well as 12.7mm Breda machine guns, the Macchi C.205 Veltro was highly respected by Allied and Axis pilots alike!
Widely regarded as one of the best Italian aircraft of World War II, it proved to be extremely effective, destroying a large number of Allied bombers. [¬ Wikipedia] |
Fiat G.55, mm53265 | 5
The Fiat G.55 Centauro ('Centaur') was a single-engine single-seat World War II fighter aircraft used by the Regia Aeronautica and the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana in 1943–1945. It was designed and built in Turin by Fiat.
The Fiat G.55 was arguably the best type produced in Italy during World War II (a subjective claim also frequently made for the Macchi C.205 Veltro as well as for the Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario) but it did not enter production until 1943.
After comparative tests against the Messerschmitt Bf 109G and the Focke-Wulf 190, the Luftwaffe itself regarded the Fiat G.55 as "the best Axis fighter"...! [¬ Wikipedia] |
SIAI-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero, mm45508
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Italian for sparrowhawk) was a three-engined Italian medium bomber developed and manufactured by aviation company Savoia-Marchetti.
It may be the best-known Italian aeroplane of WW2.
The SM.79 was easily recognizable due to its fuselage's distinctive dorsal 'hump', and was reportedly well liked by its crews, who nicknamed it il gobbo maledetto (=damned hunchback). [¬ Wikipedia] |
North American P-51 Mustang, mm4323
| RR-11
Rolls-Royce Merlin 500-20 engine; it allowed the P-51s to escort the Allied bombers over Germany
CANT Z.506S 'Airone', 'mm45442'
(mm45425)
The CANT Z.506 Airone ('Heron') was a trimotor floatplane produced by CANT from 1935.
It served as a transport and postal aircraft with the Italian airline ' Ala Littoria'.
It established 10 world records in 1936 and another 10 in 1937!
During World War II it was used as a reconnaissance aircraft, bomber and air-sea rescue plane, by the Italian Regia Aeronautica and Regia Marina, Aeronautica Cobelligerante del Sud, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and the Luftwaffe.
The military version revealed itself to be one of the best floatplanes ever built!
Despite its wooden structure it was able to operate in very rough seas.
A number of Z.506S air-sea rescue aircraft remained in service until 1959. [¬ Wikipedia] |
SIAI-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero
Such a splendid accommodation to have these historic planes preserved for future generations!
SIAI-Marchetti S.79 and Fiat G.55
Fiat G.212, mm 61804 | 142-5
Fiat G.212, mm 61804 | 142-5
|
Photos © Ruud Leeuw
Douglas C-47B, mm61776 | 14-45 (c/n 19194): off on a good start!
Aerfer Ariete, mm569
Aermacchi MB.326E (2-seat trainer), mm54389 | 68
