Historically speaking, about Italian combat vehicles, it was almost as if they were dead: either nothing or nothing at all. That is, they seemed to be, but they did not exist either. Something was flying there that was not good for anything initially.
In fact, the truth was, as always, not where the triumph of ideology was. If we talk about fighters, the Italians had them, moreover, they were very modern and interesting machines, which, in fact, I am going to show you.
The Italians had their own "trick", which cannot be ignored before starting. In the majority of countries, the idea of literally two or three brands was implemented, so as not to strain their industry. These are Spitfire and Hurricane for the British, Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf for the Germans, Yakovlev and Lavochkin for us.
Some will say: Polikarpov. Yes, but the production of Polikarpov's fighters was actually discontinued even before the start of the war. And the aforementioned MiG merged there in 1942. So if you take the slice in this way, then everything is fine.
So, the Italians in this regard, the guys were more careless and took everything, including potatoes. That is, in fact, they turned their Air Force into a very funny set of aircraft from a bunch of manufacturers. Capronni-Vizzola, Reggiane, A. U. T, IMAM, Fiat … The French had something similar, which was completely unhelpful in terms of maintenance, repair and logistics.
Therefore, speaking about what the Italian designers have achieved in terms of creating fighters, I decided to start with the "Macchi" / "Macchi" brand. For several reasons at once, but the point is not in them. The bottom line is that in this material there will be three planes at once. Simply because, on the one hand, you can discuss every screw, or you can approach from the side from which the rather short life of the Italian Air Force does not particularly deserve curtsey.
1. MC.200 Saetta ("Arrow")
Mario Castoldi.
The artist of the world of aircraft. He created airplanes in much the same way as his fellow countryman Rafaello Santi (who is simply Raphael) painted pictures: easily and quickly.
The Saetta turned out exactly like this: from the project of a two-seat interceptor. What are the problems of removing one crew member, increasing the flight range and strengthening the armament (one large-caliber machine gun - well, obviously not enough even for 1935)? Yes, no. And now M. S. 200 is already flying. The year is 1937, and Castoldi has a tempting prospect of a government order!
Of course, I had to fight. The Ministry of Defense of that time did not like the plane very much, first of all, because of its appearance. A bloated barrel, and even with a hump. It looked so-so.
But Castoldi defended the plane, moreover, expert pilots from the Ministry of Defense and the Italian Air Force helped him in this. It was they who discerned a golden grain in this peculiar plane.
This hump in the cockpit area provided just an excellent overview. Aerodynamics were average because the engine was air cooled. But they could cover themselves quite normally in battle. In general, aerodynamics was a very strong place of the Italian designers, and Castoldi also did everything he could to ensure that the forms were as close to ideal as possible.
But the highlight of the M. C.200 was not high speed. The strengths of the "Saetta" were the rate of climb, vertical maneuver, and strength. The design was not really afraid of hard landings and it was possible for an inexperienced pilot to "apply" the MS.200 from the heart, without any problems for the aircraft.
The plane dived exclusively. During the tests, the aircraft developed at its peak speed of 805 km / h, and without any flutter manifestations.
In 1939, the M. S.200 was safely adopted.
Combat use.
The M. C. 200 did not go to the war with France. France ended somewhat faster than the Italians delivered the proper number of aircraft to the troops. Plus there were delays, including due to accidents. In 1940, Denmark ordered 12 vehicles, but it did not work out there either, since Denmark also ended.
The first combat use of "Strela" (as translated from the Italian name) was at the end of 1940, when there were battles for Malta. M. S. 200 was accompanied by German bombers and naturally entered into battles with British air defense fighters of the island. Basically, these were Hurricanes, to which the Strela was inferior in speed. Well, that was such an Italian "Arrow" that even the monster, which was the "Hurricane", surpassed it in speed.
However, the Italian pilots quite normally realized superiority in maneuverability, turning radius and rate of climb. As a result, the Hurricanes suffered losses, the Saetta turned out to be a very difficult contender, plus 2 machine guns 12, 7 mm versus 6 machine guns 7, 7 mm from the British - as it seems to me, it is somewhat more effective.
North Africa.
It was worse there, because the Americans were added to the Hurricanes on the P-40. With "Tomahawks" it was more difficult, the plane was a little worse in maneuvering, but much superior in speed and power of weapons. 6 machine guns 12, 7 mm - this is very serious.
However, in Africa, in a desert environment, M. C.200 has established itself very positively. Strong, with a short take-off run, plus even production vehicles were distinguished by their extraordinary ease of piloting. A huge plus is the overview, which was clearly lacking in British and American fighters. So weak armament is perhaps the only drawback of this vehicle.
It turned out from "Strela" and a fighter-bomber. Suspension of bombs on fighters of that time was a common thing, but it was with the MS.200 that it turned out quite well. Low speed and excellent visibility were good ingredients for success. By success I mean the sinking of the 13th group of the British destroyer Zulu by the Arrows. It is clear that plugging a ship already damaged by German aviation with bombs is not exactly an achievement, but nevertheless. We have what we have.
Arrows also fought in our sky.
Already in August 1941, M. S. 200 took part in hostilities as part of the Italian Expeditionary Force in Russia (CSIR). For 18 months of hostilities, the aircraft made 1983 escort flights, 2557 "on call" flights, 511 sorties to cover their troops and 1310 assault sorties. In total, 88 Soviet aircraft were destroyed with the loss of 15 Italian fighters.
We will not judge the numbers and their veracity, if the Germans turned out to be liars in full, then one can doubt such successes of the Italians. Although, if you work on the U-2 and transport workers, you can get even more. There is, of course, no data on who was shot down by the Italians.
Well, when Italy ended as a member of the Axis in 1943, the Air Force ended accordingly. "Arrows" in the bulk became training aircraft and some of them met the 50s in this capacity.
On the whole, the plane turned out to be quite good. Better than many in Europe, and, perhaps, in the world.
Advantages: maneuverability, visibility, design.
Disadvantages: speed, weapons.
2. MC.202 Folgore ("Lightning")
This plane was born at the same time as all his classmates: at the peak of the Spanish success of the Messerschmitt and the liquid-cooled engine.
Italy was no exception, and many designers rushed to invent new aircraft. Castoldi was no exception.
The trouble was that he didn't have a decent engine. And competitors from other companies, too. And then Castoldi, through Mussolini himself, turned to the Germans for help, since the allies and followers of the Duce doctrine did not refuse the request.
So in 1940, the McKee company got the coveted in-line liquid-cooled Daimler-Benz DB 601, around which Castoldi built the MS.202.
The prototype was, and the prototype was very interesting: the racing MS 72, which in 1934 set a world speed record of 710 km / h. Using the developments of M. S. 72 and a German motor, Castoldi created M. S. 202.
We have already understood that an imported engine for an aircraft is not the best thing, especially in a changing environment (hello MS-21). Therefore, simultaneously with testing prototypes with German engines, Alfa Romeo began work on the licensed assembly of the DB.601 under the designation R. A.1000 RC41.
In principle, one could rejoice for the Italians, since the M. C. 202 was really a world-class aircraft and was not much inferior to analogues from other countries, and even surpassed many. M. S. 202 was really the best Italian fighter that fought against the allies on all fronts.
The only drawback of the Italian vehicle was the same problem of heavy weapons. The Italians were never able to create something more or less decent with a caliber of 20 mm and above. Therefore, all that could be counted on were large-caliber 12, 7-mm machine guns.
Nuance: Italian cars were distinguished by the completeness of aerodynamic shapes and the legacy of racing cars. Hence the rather thin wing profiles and the impossibility of installing the same large-caliber machine guns in the wings. Therefore, the maximum configuration of the M. S. 202 is two synchronous 12.7 mm machine guns and two wing 7.7 mm machine guns. Which in the same 1942 was really not enough.
In 1941-43, about 1500 M. C. 202 were produced, both by the McKee company itself and at the Breda factories.
"Lightning" in the war.
The lightning was not very good at getting into the crucible of air battles. Some experts argue that if M. S. 202 had arrived in North Africa early, then the Axis forces that conquered the air could have been more successful in resisting the Allies and the alignment in Africa would have been different.
I don’t know how useful MS.202 with untrained and semi-ready crews would be in Africa, I honestly don’t know. It is very difficult to judge here, and the story has no subjunctive mood.
The facts say that the "Lightning", which first collided in the air of Malta in 1942 with the "Sea Hurricane" and "Seafire" from the aircraft carriers "Eagle" and "Wasp", felt more than comfortable in battles.
He fought M. S. 202 and on the Eastern Front, as part of the aforementioned CSIR corps. But since aircraft in the air force of the corps were an infrequent phenomenon, it is simply not necessary to talk about any successes or failures solely due to the fact that the Lightning was present in a single quantity.
In general, the main sore spot of the aircraft was not even the weapon, but the engine. The production of the M. S. 202 was problematic in terms of quantity solely thanks to the motors, the production of which the Italians could not raise above 40-50 units per month. Of course, given the constant need to replace those worn out and damaged in battles, this is minuscule. And the fact that Italian factories were able to produce 1,500 aircraft can be called a labor achievement.
The Germans, however, could not afford to supply engines to the Italians during the war. In the end, it turned out that way: a very good and promising combat vehicle was produced per hour by a teaspoon.
If we talk about the assessment of M. S. 202 precisely from an expert point of view, then it turns out to be somewhat twofold.
If we take the assessments of the Allies, then the plane was not good for anything. And if you read the memoirs of Italian pilots, then it was an airplane that was appreciated and loved by those who flew on it.
3. MC.205V Veltro ("Greyhound")
An airplane that could well claim not only the title of the best Italian fighter, but also compete for one of the highest places in the overall standings. It was called the "Italian Mustang" for a reason, it was a truly outstanding car.
It all began in 1942, when a very outstanding aircraft was put into service in the Luftwaffe: the Bf-109G with a DB-605 engine with a capacity of 1475 hp. The "trick" of the engine was that it was actually identical in size to its predecessor DB-601, which the Italians did not hesitate to take advantage of.
The McKee company quite expectedly decided to introduce a new engine into its old MS.202 aircraft. What was conceived was quite successful, and so the M. S. 202 bis was born, which in fact differed from its predecessor only in the device of the oil cooler (in the form of two cylinders on the sides of the nose of the fuselage), the retractable tail landing gear and the shape of the propeller coca.
As expected, the aircraft passed all stages of testing and received the designation MC.205V and the name "Veltro" ("Greyhound").
Serial production of MC.205V was launched at the enterprises of Macchi (I and III aircraft series) and Fiat (II series). True, the Fiat plant in Turin has not produced a single aircraft, but the Italians are almost not to blame for this. Although, how to look. If the new fighters had entered the troops earlier, the plant might have remained intact. And so it was completely bombed by the Allies in December 1942 and not a single plane was ever fired on it.
All that Makki plants could do was to produce 262 units. Agree that this is a minuscule, which was not able to cover the needs of the Italian Air Force for these aircraft.
Meanwhile, the M. S. 205 could be a very remarkable machine. It was technologically simple, based on the design of the M. S. 202. The wing with two 7.7 mm machine guns was completely borrowed.
By 1943, it became clear that 2 x 12, 7-mm and 2 x 7, 7-mm were absolutely nothing against American bombers, and for aircraft of the third technological series, wing machine guns could be replaced with MG-151 cannons. But imports are still a weak link, whatever one may say.
Licensed release of the DB-605 engine under the designation RA 1050R. C. 58 "Tifone" was carried out by the firm "Fiat".
The first Greyhounds entered service at the beginning of 1943, and by the time of Italy's surrender in September 1943, the Regia Aeroinautica had 66 MS.205 fighters at its disposal.
In the future, the factories of the company "Makki" continued their production, but under German control. It so happened that the main production of "Makki" were located in the northern part of Italy.
The pilots who mastered and fought on the MC.205V spoke highly of the capabilities of this fighter. They believed that with the same training of pilots at low and medium altitudes, the Greyhound was no worse than the Mustang. Yes, above 6,000 meters, the Mustang began to have an advantage in speed and maneuver, since the wing borrowed from the MS.202 Folgore was clearly not enough for such an aircraft.
In this table, you can compare the flight characteristics of Italian aircraft and their opponents.
How can you summarize all that has been said? Well, only this way: alas for Italians, but history has no subjunctive mood. The Castoldi planes were indeed very outstanding machines, if not for the nuances that did not allow them to confidently gain their well-deserved fame. The McKee fighters were strong and maneuverable, they did not need long and even runways, they were unpretentious. But the frankly weak armament of two machine guns is for 1942 and beyond it is simply absurd.
If the Italians mastered the production of cannons, engines … But this did not happen, and therefore, no matter how wonderful the Macchi planes were, they could do absolutely nothing to ensure the victory of their country.
