[10] But when a small French fleet shelled the Ligurian coast on 15 June, the Italian air force was not able to prevent this action or attack the French ships effectively, showing a lack of cooperation with the Regia Marina, Italian navy. Mussolini sent to Spain 6000 aviation personnel as well as about 720 aircraft, including 100 Savoia Marchetti SM.79 bombers and 380–400 Fiat CR.32 biplanes that dominated the air, proving superior to the Soviet Polikarpovs of the Republican Air Force. 84 Squadron with Bristol Blenheims, and No. [5], During the Spanish Civil War Italian pilots fought alongside Spanish Nationalist and German Luftwaffe pilots as members of the Aviazione Legionaria ("Aviation Legion"). The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by King Victor Emmanuel III as the Regia Aeronautica ("Royal Air Force"). Only about 80 long tons (81 t) of bombs were dropped on the targets, to little effect. [17], On 10 September 1940, an independent air corps for supporting Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain was established. After World War II, when Italy was made a republic by referendum, the Regia Aeronautica was given its current name. The Italian air force became an independent service—the Regia Aeronautica—on March 28, 1923. During Rommel's first offensive, the Italians managed to divert RAF attacks from his forces and covered his retreat during the British Operation Crusader, while inflicting heavy losses on RAF bombers. They were initially based in the Ukraine and ultimately supported operations in the Stalingrad area. Here is a list of the aces attributed with ten or more kills. Humbrol Colour System Binder. When fighting commenced in North Africa in June 1940, the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Air Headquarters Egypt immediately mounted bombing missions against Italian targets in Libya and helped repel the Italian offensive into Egypt. Back to main article. [citation needed]. The last raids on Gibraltar were flown during the 1943 Allied landing in Algeria, when those bombers also made a successful strike on the port of Oran. [9] It was named Corpo Aereo Italiano, or CAI. During the 1930s, the fledgling Regia Aeronautica was involved in its first military operations, first in Ethiopia in 1935, and later in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939. There was also the usual lack of co-operation between the Italian Navy and Army. The Regia Aeronautica tended not to keep statistics on the individual level, instead reporting kills for a certain unit, attributed to their unit commander. When the Greco-Italian War started on 28 October 1940, the Regia Aeronautica fielded 193 combat aircraft, which initially failed to achieve air superiority against the Royal Hellenic Air Force (RHAF), which had 128 operational aircraft out of a total of 158. The RAI played a major role in the Italian invasion of Ethiopian (1935), primarily by using poison gas in the country side and bombing cities, especially Addis Ababa. The last of the Italian F-104s was withdrawn from service in 2004. Nevertheless, the Italians managed to mobiliz… Not quite on par with her contemporaries of World War 2, Italy nonetheless fielded a variety of useful aircraft in the conflict. In Spain, the Italian pilots were under direct command of the Spanish Nationalists and took part in training and joint operations with the pilots of the German "Condor Legion". This page was last edited on 21 December 2020, at 08:37. Aircraft in East Africa wore a black 'X' over the white fuselage band, also with a black cross under each wing inboard of the insignia. The Italian airmen started to fear Maltese fighters and AA artillery, so much that the flight to the besieged island became known as the rotta della morte, the "route of death". Although the air campaign in Libya was seriously limited because of desert conditions, the Italian Royal Air Force managed to retain a force of nearly four hundred airplanes. In early 1941, the tide was turned as the German Wehrmacht launched its simultaneous invasions of Yugoslavia and Greece. Just two squadrons of G.50s remained until mid-April 1941. After a period of neutrality, Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940 alongside Germany. [29], The Regia Aeronautica began its attacks on the British crown colony of Gibraltar and its important naval base from July 1940. Aircraft of the Royal and Republican air forces never fought each other. The first supersonic fighters added to the Italian Air Force were American-designed F-104 Starfighters that were produced by a group of several European aircraft companies, including Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm, Dornier, Fiat, Fokker and SABCA. During the Anglo-Iraqi War, German and Italian aircraft of "Flyer Command Iraq" (Fliegerführer Irak) stopped to refuel in the Vichy French-controlled Mandate of Syria as they flew to Iraq. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by King Victor Emmanuel III as the Regia Aeronautica ("Royal Air Force"). Its primary missions: raids on aeronautical compounds, forward air control, combat controlling, and combat search and rescue. The book reviews the aircraft used by the Italian air forces in world wwar two thta were not ready to compete against the allied world war 2 aircraft. Just before the Allied invasion, a huge Allied bomber offensive struck the airfields in Sicily in an effort to gain further air superiority. In June 1940, the Italian Royal Air Force had here 195 fighters, bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, plus 25 transport planes. By the September 1943 the Air Force numbered 1,200 aircraft of which about half were serviceable. American military aid sent by the Mutual Defense Assistance Program brought about the introduction of American-made P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang propeller-driven fighter planes. It also received the new Lockheed-Aeritalia F-104S Starfighter fighters for ground attack and air-defence purposes. Italy ArtItaly ItalyKingdom Of ItalyOrientalEmpire RomainNose ArtEast … Technical assistance provided by its German ally did little to improve the situation. But more important than the material losses were the wrong conclusions drawn from air war in Spain. After the Italian armistice, the Regia Aeronautica was briefly succeeded by two new Italian air forces. In relative terms, these were some of the best aircraft on hand to either side at the beginning of the East African Campaign. In 1952, the Italian Air Force was granted jet fighters for the first time, American F-84G Thunderjets and F-86D Sabres, together with over 200 licence-built British de Havilland Vampires; these were followed by F-84F fighters and C-119 Flying Boxcar transport planes from the United States. German and Allied artillery also took … Probable kills are usually left out of the list. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. For the 11-day campaign against Yugoslavia, the Regia Aeronautica deployed 600 aircraft, claimed five air victories (plus 100 planes destroyed on the ground) and suffered five losses. During Rommel's second offensive, the Regia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe suffered considerable losses due to stronger Allied resistance during air battles over El Alamein and bombing raids over Alexandria and Cairo. Up to October 1942, the Regia Aeronautica carried out 14 raids with a total of 32 bombers. The ensuing fighting took a heavy tole on civiliansas fighting took place up the Itlalian Peninsula as the Allies fought their way north toward the Reich. By the end of February, the Regia Aeronautica had only 42 aircraft left in East Africa, and the British now had the upper hand. White spinners were used on fighters in Italy, with white extended to engine cowlings, particularly on bombers, in the Mediterranean. The Aviazione legionaria achieved approximately 500 aerial victories, losing 86 aircraft in air combat and about 200 flying personnel. The Regia Aeronautica could deploy more than 3,000 aircraft, although fewer than 60% were serviceable. Italy is one of the nations that can boast some of the oldest traditions in the field of aviation. In one of the lesser known incidents of the war, starting in July 1940, Italian aircraft bombed cities in the British Mandate of Palestine. The bombing of Tel Aviv on September 10 killed 137 people. It fought from the icy steppes of Russia to the sands of the North African desert, losing men and machines. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order (1-to-Z). This support role continued during the occupation of Greece and Yugoslavia that followed. The Air Service (Corpo Aeronautico Militare) operated balloons based near Rome. The reborn Italian aviation industry also began to develop and produce a few ingenious aircraft designs of its own, such as the Fiat G91, the Aermacchi MB-326, the Piaggio Aero P.166 and the line of Agusta-Bell helicopters. In mid-October, the Italians also bombed American-operated oil refineries in the British Protectorate of Bahrain. The last mission of the Regia Aeronautica before the truce with the Allies was the defence during the United States Army Air Forces' bombing of Frascati—Rome on September 8, 1943. [26] Up to the end of 1940, the Regia Aeronautica carried out 7410 sorties against the island, dropping 550 tons of bombs, but losing 35 aircraft. In mid 1942 the more modern Macchi C. 202 was introduced to operations in Russia. [25] Finally, just few days after the start of the war, Italian pilots were confronted by No. [10] The RAF, however, reported no losses. Italian aircraft dropped a total of 276 tons of bombs. Massimello, Giovanni and Giorgio Apostolo. the Air Force) and the “users”(i.e. This group was part of the National Republican Air Force of the Italian Social Republic. In reality, only 2000 aircraft were fit for operations, of which just 166 were modern fighters (89 Fiat G.50s and 77 Macchi MC.200s), both slower than potential opponents as the Hawker Hurricane, the Supermarine Spitfire and the Dewoitine D.520. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator. After the end of hostilities on 5 May 1936, for the following 13 months the Regia Aeronautica had to assist Italian forces in fighting Ethiopian guerrillas. The aerobatic display team is the Frecce Tricolori. Only in 1962 did the Air Force Historical Office release a partial list of Aces – 19 in total. [16] The Italian Air Force (Italian: Aeronautica Militare; AM) is the air force of the Italian Republic. Prior to World War 2 both Hitler and Mussolini were boasting about their military forces to each other. Most or some 125,000 Italiam civilians were killed after the Armistice and with the German occupation and Allied invasion (September 1943). At the beginning of the twentieth century, Italy was at the forefront of aerial warfare: during the colonization of Libya in 1911, it made the first reconnaissance flight in history on 23 October, and the first ever bombing raid on 1 November. The Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica Italiana) was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. In addition, the Italian aircraft were often based at better airfields than those of the British and Commonwealth forces. The Peace Treaty of Paris of 1947 placed severe restrictions on all of the Italian armed forces, but the establishment of NATO in 1949 with Italy as a founding member brought about the necessity for the modernization of all of the Italian armed forces, including the Italian Air Force. Following the declaration of war on 10 June 1940, the Italian Air Force engaged with its French and British counterparts throughout the Mediterranean. The ADV Tornados served as fighter-interceptors to supplement and then to replace the old F-104 Starfighters. In July 1939, the Regia Aeronautica was seen as splendid air arm, holding no fewer than 33 world records, which was more than Germany (15), France (12), the United States (11) Soviet Union (7), Japan (3), the United Kingdom (2) and Czechoslovakia(1). This left the Regia Aeronautica very weak, but aircraft continued to arrive from Sardinia, southern Italy, and southern France. The first ANR fighter unit was the 101st Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre, based in Florence. In mid-1942, during the Battle of Bir Hakeim (26 May 1942 – 11 June 1942) the new Macchi C.202 fighter outperformed all of the Desert Air Force's fighters,[23] achieving an unprecedented ratio kill/loss of 4.4/1, better than that of famed Messerschmitt Bf 109s (3.5/1) fighting the same battle. For night missions the fuselage bands and fin crosses were usually blacked out. However, during the first three months, Regia Aeronautica lost 84 aircraft and had 143 aircrew personnel killed and 71 wounded, but the losses did not halt Italian operations. Generale Giuseppe Santoro in his book published after the war criticized such unplanned use of the Air Force, which had not been prepared for operations against fortifications which were immune to aerial bombing. The Italians claimed 66 British planes in these first six months of combat, but these claims were exaggerated. During World War I, the Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare, then still p… The Regia Aeronautica was forced on the defensive during the Sicilian Campaign. In March, surplus personnel of air force units had to fight as infantry. By the end of the following month, Italians had only 13 serviceable aircraft left in East Africa. On 28 March 1923, the Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service by King Vittorio Emanuele III of the Kingdom of Italy. The transfer of the planes was completed by 19 October. The Regia Aeronautica Italiana (Italian Royal Air Force--RAI) was the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. 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The Air Ministry, blinded by the success of the Fiat CR.32, persisted in its belief that the biplane could still dominate the sky, and ordered large numbers of Fiat CR.42s, the last war biplane in history. [15] Cut off from Italy as they were though, problems with lack of fuel, munitions, spare parts and replacements became a serious problem and the Regia Aeronautica was worn down in a war of attrition. In 1994, with the Typhoon still some years from introduction to service, 24 Panavia Tornado Air Defense Variant (ADV) interceptors were leased from the United Kingdom for a period of 10 years. On 8 May 1945, the hostilities ended, beginning the rebirth of military aviation in Italy. In 1942, Italian Piaggio P.108 bombers attacked Gibraltar from Sardinia, flying a number of long-range night raids. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. The CAI was based in occupied Belgium. To provide direct air recon capabilitiesto the Army and Navy, two separate Commands (“Air Force for the Army” and”Air Force for the Navy”) were established, to act as a go-between the”owner” of the airplanes and crews (i.e. After the armistice of 8 September 1943, Italy was divided into two sides, and the same fate befell the Regia Aeronautica. Possibly the most brilliant successes were the floatplane's world speed record of 709 km/h (440.6 mph) achieved by Francesco Agello on the Macchi-Castoldi MC-72 in October 1934 [1] and the long-range formation flight to the USA and back to Italy in 1933, a total of 19,000 km (11,800 miles) on Savoia-Marchetti S.55 flying boats. Italy is one of the nations that can boast some of the oldest traditions in the field of aviation. In northern Italy, the National Republican Air Force (Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, or ANR) flew for the Italian Social Republic and the Axis. At last, on 24 October 1941, about one month prior to the final Italian surrender, the last Italian aircraft of the campaign, a Fiat CR.42, was shot down. It was under command of Generale Rino Corso Fougier. The CR.42s clashed with British Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires just two times, in November. [4][5][6][7][8], Air warfare branch of Italy's armed forces, From the end of the Cold War to present day, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of aircraft used by Italian Air Force, Italy opens F-35 assembly line, as political opposition grows, " Italy's ruling party divided over order for F-35 combat jets", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Italian_Air_Force&oldid=987741635, Military units and formations established in 1923, Articles lacking in-text citations from August 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1 Cavalier Cross of the Military Order of Savoy, Generale di Squadra Aerea con Incarichi Speciali, This page was last edited on 8 November 2020, at 23:36. Initially, the Western Desert Campaign was a near equal struggle between the Regia Aeronautica and the British Royal Air Force (RAF). This was aimed at pushing the British back and retaking the greater Mediterranean, as in ancient Roman times. [11]. In 1941, Regia Aeronautica carried out further attacks on Malta, but less intensely than in 1940. Italy was among the earliest adopters of military aviation. with the Ethiopian war. To aid the promotion of the new Super Enamel range, Humbrol has produced a Colour System Binder.This publication contains instructions of how to interblend the paints of the Super Enamel range to obtain selected authentic colours as well as Humbrol paints discontinued with the introduction of the Super Enamel. The Italian Air Force (Italian: Aeronautica Militare; AM) is the air force of the Italian Republic. In 1942, for its operations against Malta, between 1 January and 8 November, the Regia Aeronautica had 100 more aircraft lost in action. 17º Stormo Incursori the raiders corp of Italian Air Force. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Italy was at the forefront of aerial warfare: during the colonization of Libya in 1911, it made the first reconnaissance flight in history on 23 October, and the first ever bombing raid on 1 November. By the time of the Tunisian Campaign, the Regia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe rarely enjoyed parity let alone air superiority in North Africa. With the UK lease due to expire in 2004, the Italian government wished to avoid a costly lease extension and instead opted to lease 34 F-16 Fighting Falcon multi-role fighter planes on multi-year leases from the US. The Germans were not gentle, seeing the Italians as trecherous for pulling out of the Axis Alliance and switching sides. It later saw action in Albania and Greece, where it acquitted itself surprisingly well against British hurricanes. The last of these fighters was returned to the United States in May 2012, following the Italian Air Force's acquisition of a sufficient number of Typhoons over a period of several years. It is necessary to emphasize that the question of assessing and comparing the success rate of fighters by number of victories is one of the more problematic. [1], As of 2014, the Italian Air Force[2] operates a total active fleet of 557 aerial vehicles,[3] including 209 manned and 12 unmanned combat aircraft, with eight more Eurofighter Typhoon on order and 75 more F-35s planned. During this short war, Regia Aeronautica lost 10 aircraft in aerial combat and 24 aircrew personnel, while claiming 10 kills and 40 French planes destroyed on the ground. The Italian Air Force did not officially credit victories to individual pilots, but to their unit as a whole. However, pilots were able to keep personal log books, so the few that survived through World War II give individual statistics. This pioneering achievement was organized and led by General of Aviation Italo Balbo.[2]. [24] The Regia Aeronautica, having suffered heavy losses in Egypt, was withdrawn progressively to Tobruk, Benghazi, Tripoli and, eventually, Tunisia. On 10 June 1940, during the closing days of the Battle of France, Italy declared war on France and the United Kingdom. Early on, the fighters available to both sides were primarily older biplanes, with Italian Fiat CR.32 and Fiat CR.42s flying against British Gloster Gladiators. The ACI operated in the Balkans and the ANR in northern Italy and the area around the Baltic Sea. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order (1-to-Z). Its origins are in the A.D.R.A Arditi Distruttori Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force Brave Destroyers), a corp of World War II. The story of the Italian Air Force in World War II is really three stories. [27], Malta suffered heavy loss of equipment, ship, and vehicles, and was to the edge of starvation. 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