The aircraft had its first combat mission on April 7 over Tunisia, when fighters from Pantelleria escorted naval and aerial convoys plying between Italy and North Africa. Focke-Wulf FW 190 D-9. The lightest (over two tons) fighter aircraft of WWII, it had impressive characteristics of speed and maneuverability. Get answers by asking now. Italian Piaggio P.108 bomber in 1942 A list of aircraft used by Italy during World War II until its capitulation to the Allies in September 1943. Anonymous. Alongside the Fiat CR.42 biplane, the Macchi C-200 formed the backbone of the Italian Royal Air Force in 1940, and was soon involved escorting bombers in raids against the island fortress of Malta. Arsenal VB 10 . There are a total of [ 58 ] WW2 Italian Aircraft (1939-1945) entries in the Military Factory. The last Macchi C205V’s were out of service in mid-August 1944. The Messerschmitt Bf 109, officially shortened to Bf 109, was the iconic German fighter of WWII. This prototype of the Macchi C-202 Folgore, first flew in August 1940. The only difference from the prototypes was in the installation of a Fiat-built DB605-engine. See more ideas about wwii, ww2 aircraft, wwii aircraft. The famous Piper Cub went to war as the L-4, by far the most widely used USAAF liaison aircraft of World War II. This thing could fly 453 MPH, had crazy firepower and could take on pretty much any enemy aircraft. When the army changed aircraft designations, the Cub was briefly called the L-59 before settling on the final ‘‘Love Four’’ title. Some state the FW 190 D-9 was superior even to the British spitfire. Me 109 Gustav in foreign service. The G.55 Centauro and Re.2005 Sagittario. The appearance of the new aircraft over France in 1941 was a rude surprise to the Allied air forces. Early models had the standard Daimler-Benz engines, but later ones the slightly less powerful 1075 hp version, license-built by Alfa Romeo. These continued in service as trainers until 1947. This was still far below the monthly average of 50 C.202 being produced parallel. It could achieve a top speed of 399 miles an hour. They turned better and had more range than the Veltro or anything in the Luftwaffe. While armament was still restricted to a single pair of machine guns, firing from just behind the engine cowling through the propeller arm. 1 min ago. 0 0. In addition to being considered on of the finest axis fighter planes of ww2, it was also considered one of the best looking fighter planes of that time. Moreover, the 20 mm Mauser cannon was even harder to produce than the engines, and most of the first 100 examples had to be fitted with 7.7 mm machine guns similar those of the C.202. The G-50 had two heavy machine guns firing through the propeller arc, and was powered by an 840 horsepower radial engine, which only gave a top speed of 293 miles an hour. There was quite a lot wrong with the Me 262 when it was committed to action but most of this was due to the exigencies… Production was further delayed due to the Regia Aeronautica demanding the fuel tanks would be incorporated into the wings. The Focke-Wulf FW-190 was widely believed to be the best fighter aircraft of World War II. It was a tremendously good dog fighter. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Information on Italian aces is scanty at best and confusing at worst. In addition to being considered on of the finest axis fighter planes of Recognizing the superior qualities of the Messerschmitt 109, Macchi acquired an 1175 hp Daimler-Benz 601 liquid cooled inline engine, and fitted this to a modified Macchi C-200. Corgi World War II Diecast Military Aircraft The air war in Europe helped decide the outcome of the war. It had a better roll rate than the Bf 109G as well as better turn, dive and climb. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site! The type was also used as a shipping escort in the Mediterranean, fitted with drop tanks to extend its range. Later production models were fitted with the same wings as the improved Macchi C.202 Folgore, and could carry 706 pounds of bombs. However, nearly half of them were obsolescent bi-plane types, with fixed undercarriages such as the Fiat CR.32 and CR.42 Falcon, which has fought on the nationalist side during the Spanish civil war. Can you identify it? Which is not to say that the 109 was the best fighter of the war, but that its design was the most solid and serviceable of WWII. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Service debut of the C205s came in February 1943, when four examples joined the C.202’s of the 1 Stormo of the Regia Aeronautica at Sicily and Pantelleria, and by end of the March the number had risen to 21. The 190 is literally one of the best fighters of all time, no Allied plane that … 1 Answer. Answer Save. What was the best Italian fighter aircraft of World War II? Italian industry had been slow to respond to changing demands, particularly in the development of more powerful engines. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order (1-to-Z). By the end of 1942, U.S. B-17 and B-24 strategic bombers had begun launching daytime raids on Italian cities, and the Italian Regia Aeronautica badly needed more cannon-armed fighters to have any hope of shooting the huge aircraft down. But Italian fighter pilots tended to be conservative and later production models had a semi-enclosed cockpit. Looking very similar to the G-50 but distinguishable by the streamlined faring over the cylinder heads, which reduced the frontal area of the engine cowling, the Macchi C-200 Saeta, or MC-200 was only marginally superior. History, development, service, specifications, pictures and 3D model. The birth of the best Italian fighter plane of WW2, the Macchi C.205V Veltro was harassed by high authorities within the Italian Air Ministry who, for some reasons, preferred to support the all-new Fiat G.55 Centauro and Reggiane Re 2005 instead of moving ahead at a much faster pace with a natural development of an already well-established MC.202 Folgore. The improvement was immediately noticeable. one license-built Daimler-Benz DB605A-1 (called Fiat RA1050 RC58 Tifone) engine with 1,475 hp, 399 mph; 376 mph in 24,606 ft (642 km/hr; 605 km/hr in 7,500 m), 2 x 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns (400 rounds each), 2 x Mauser MG151/20 (720 rpm; velocity 1,920 ft.sec; 250 rounds each), Enemies claimed Destroyed in air by ANR January-August 1944. As the war went on the FW-190 was manufactured in no fewer than 40 … Within a few seconds three Allied fighters went down, without losses by the Italians. On that day, they encountered superior numbers of Spitfire V and Curtiss P-40 fighters, obtaining significant results. There are a total of [ 32 ] WW2 Italian Fighter Aircraft (1939-1945) entries in the Military Factory. The Focke-Wulf FW-190 was widely believed to be the best fighter aircraft of World War II. History, development, service, specifications, pictures and 3D model. Learn how your comment data is processed. The aircraft in this image is a two-seat German fighter from World War II. As with the G.50, the pilots disliked the enclosed canopy, and this too was replaced by a semi-enclosed canopy after the first couple of hundred aircraft had been built. Production kicked off with a mere trickle, the SMA insisting that the C.202 and obsolete C.200 production lines remain open in parallel with that new machine. Fighter concepts and prototypes are also included in this listing as are single- and twin-engined heavy fighters. But less were produced. The Luftwaffe was impressed enough to equip one of their groups with the Veltro. After capturing an A6M Zero following a battle in Alaska the United States knew how to combat them, so the Japanese were forced to build a better fighter. The Reggiane Re-2005 was described by the British as a superb, potent aeroplane. All information, figures, specifications and statistics used here had been compiled from a variety of sources and the large, over decades collected, library of the author about military history, WW2 and weapons. Ask question +100. The Macchi C-202 entered in the summer of 1941, seeing its first action over Libya in November. However, it was still powered by the same 840 hp Fiat radial engine, and only had a top speed of 313 miles an hour at 15000 feet. By the time the allies invaded Sicily in 1943 however, losses left only about a 100 still operational. 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