Continue Scrolling to See Additional Entries. Designed in 1940, production started early in 1941 but by the time the Nazis invaded there were only 249 available.After the factories were moved out of range of the Germans production soon skyrocketed and the IL-2 became ” as essential to the Red Army as air and bread,” as Stalin put it. An MC-205, among the best WW2 Italy airplanes The Royal Italian Air Force – The Regia Aeronautica – was considered one of the most advanced in the world. Marcon, Tullio. [3], The Royal Egyptian Air Force ordered a total of 42 C.205s, but 31 of these were in fact re-engined Folgores (C.202s), armed with only a pair of 12.7 mm Breda machine guns. Two weeks later, another four aircraft arrived; one of these was reportedly lost during a test-flight. Although these forces were insufficient they nevertheless achieved notable successes. [8] The C.202 also had its defects: like its predecessor, the C.200, it could enter a dangerous spin. [21] It was significantly streamlined over the preceding C.200 to increase performance by reducing the parasitic drag encountered. [13] A speed of 603 km/h (375 mph) was recorded during testing, while an altitude of 5,486 m (18,000 ft) was attained within the space of six minutes; in addition, little of the favourable manoeuvrability of the earlier C.200 had been lost. [59] By the end of the year, the growing strength of the Allied forces was overwhelming and after the defeat in the skies over Malta as well as El-Alamein the last operational Axis units lost their air superiority in the Mediterranean. [66][60], The C.202s played a significant role in the defense of Sicily and Southern Italy against bombing attacks launched by the USAAF, however, by the time of Allied invasion of Sicily during July 1943, their effectiveness had been diminished considerably as a result of attrition, which had reduced the number available. Nijboer, Donald: "Spitfire V vs C.202 Folgore – Malta 1942 (Osprey Duel ; 60)". The 109 was one of the only true modern planes in the war; it included features such as a retractable landing gear, all-metal monocoque construction, and a closed canopy. Messerschmitt Bf 109 formation. [50] On 26 November, during Operation Crusader, 19 Macchis of 9° Gruppo, 4° Stormo were sent to Africa, and by the end of the month the whole 1° Stormo was in Libya, both units taking part in the last stages of the British offensive that led to the raising of the siege of Tobruk, and the retreat of Italian and German troops in Cyrenaica in December. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator. The first batch of 16 "Folgores" delivered to the ZNDH was from the XII series, built by Breda following the German occupation of Northern Italy. At the time of Rommel's offensive on Tobruk, 5ª "Squadra Aerea" ("Aviation Corps"), based in North Africa, had three Macchi wings: 1° Stormo had 47 C.202s (40 serviceable), 2° Stormo had 63 C.200s (52) while 4° Stormo had 57(47). Following, in rough chronological order, are ten of the greatest fighter aircraft of that conflict. Nevertheless, by late 1942, Folgores outnumbered all other fighter aircraft in the Regia Aeronautica. [3][11], As a result of the favourable flight test reports, the C.202 was immediately ordered into production; the first examples (built by Macchi as Serie II) appearing in May 1941. [40] Over the skies of the besieged island, the new Macchi fighter was not only used to conduct fighter operations, but also for performing ground attack runs and aerial reconnaissance missions. [35][36], The Folgore first saw service during the Siege of Malta on 29 or 30 September 1941; their first mission was the interception of British Hurricanes over Sicily. $2.95 shipping. [73] During 1944, the Croatian Air Force Legion (HZL) fighter squadron had returned to Croatia from service on the Eastern Front. The unpressurised cockpit had an armor plate fitted behind the armored seat for protection. See more ideas about fighter, italian air force, ww2 aircraft. [74] At the end of the summer, those C.202s that were still in a flight-worthy condition, based in Borovo, were used by Croatian cadets for training purposes. [21], The fuselage of the C.202 was a semi-monocoque shell, comprising four light-alloy beams, complete with longerons and ovoidal bulkheads. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. [14] The performance figures gathered during these tests indicated that Italy had caught up with both Britain and Germany in the field of fighter airplanes. [53], In the desert war, incursions by the SAS behind enemy lines were often aimed at destroying aircraft on the ground. During July 1941, the Folgore went into service with the Regia Aeronautica. 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