Regia Aeronautica Italiana
(Royal Italian Air Force)

Regia Aeronautica Italiana was the name of the Air Force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1915, there was the foundation of corporate Aeronautico Militare. Together with the 1913 established naval aviators, it took part in the First World War, including France, the Balkans and North Africa.

World War 1

Despite the experience of war and all expansion efforts, the Italian air force troops were neither technical nor organizational, industrial processing, or prepared by the infrastructure to go to war. On 7 January 1915 for Corporate Aeronautico Militare renamed Air Fleet remained formally continue the engineer corps (Arma del Genio) assumed seemed to Colonel Maurizio Mario Moris as inspector general for the aircraft being in the War Office. The battalion was flying just 15 Squadriglie(Squadrons) when the war began consisting of 135 pilots and 86 aircraft, which provide for the use of twelve frontline Squadriglie with 75 aircraft. By the end of 1916, the Italian aircraft industry was delivered with the aid of French allies, and thanks to the capacity-developed some 1,255 aircraft and 2,300 engines. 49 Squadriglie operated at the front, including 13 bombers, 22 reconnaissance squadrons. When ceasefire on 4 November 1918 the Air Force had grown to 10,348 men, including 5,100 pilots (of which about 500 Americans), 500 observers, 100 pilots shooters. 5,000 and another specialists were trained.

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Pre-World War 2

The Italian dictator Benito Mussolini set up on 24 January 1923, just three months after his seizure, an aviation commissariat. The 28th of March 1923, was the official launch date of the Regia Aeronautica Italiana. The Air Force was to be equipped with the finest equipment the aircraft industry could provide. Participating in the Schneider Trophy air races in the 1930s, Italian industry was often at the forefront of aviation design. Her tri motor aircraft created new distance records and her fighters had participated in the Spanish civil war with good success. From this auspicious beginnings, it appeared that Italiy would be a formitable adversary in any future war, with thousands of then modern planes ready for war. However, this was not to happen.

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Ethioipa

In October 1935, the subjugation of Ethiopia, which had in 1896 successfully defended against a first Italian attempt at colonisation, was relaunched. Italy brought in this second war, the largest colonial forces of history ever used. Over 300,000 soldiers were sent from Italy to East Africa, were added the colonial troops from Eritrea and Somalia. In these two countries, which had a big attack from Ethiopia in a pincer movement, the Regia Aeronautica had provisions for the operations and started the first operations with no less than 83 new airports:29 in Eritrea and 54 in Somalia. It was not long before the country was overrun. Little if any help came from the League of Nations, which showed that the League was in fact a toothless tiger, as shown when the Japanese invaded China several years later.

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Spanish Civil War

In the 32 months of the Italian participation in the Spanish Civil War the Regia Aeronautica sent over 700 aircraft to Spain, which operated there under the name 'Aviazione Legionaria'(Aviation Legion). SM.81, SM.79 and BR.20 were used as bombers, Ro.41, CR.32 and new Fiat G.50s as fighters, Ba.65 as fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft as Ro.37, along with some floatplanes which were Type Z .506. They flew more than 8,500 combat missions, which improved on the one hand, to a certain degree the training of the crew, on the other hand reinforced the illusion that Italy had continued as an equal with the strongest air forces. 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.

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World War 2

Italy had the smallest air force among the three major Axis powers. With a paper strength of 3,296 machines, only 2,000 were fit for operations, of which just 166 were modern fighters. The Macchi C.200 and Fiat G.50 were the best available but were still slower than modern Allied fighters. While numerically still a force to be reckoned with, it was hampered by the local aircraft industry which was using obsolete production methods. Technical assistance provided by its German ally did little to improve the situation. The approximately 120,000-strong Regia Aeronautica was divided into five Air Corps during the war. Split between different division or brigade commands were 6 fighter squadrons of CR.32, CR.42, G.50 and C.200, 23 bomber squadrons of BR.20, Z.1007, SM.79 and SM.81, 2 maritime bombers of Z.506, 2 squadrons of Ca.310 and Ba.88, 37 flying units to support the army, 20 in support of the Navy and other units in the colonies. Italy had fought in a number of campaigns, both alone and with the Germans. Italy declared war on France and on the 13th of June 1940 bombed of the French naval port of Toulon by the 13th BR.20 Squadron. When the campaign ended ten days later, Regia Aeronautica had lost ten aircraft and 24 men.

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Battle of Britain

Italy contributed to the Battle of Britain providing aircraft to assist the Luftwaffe. From 25 October 1940, some 170 Italian planes (including 73 Fiat Br.20 bombers) were sent to occupied Belgium to form the Italian Air Corps "(Corpo Aereo Italiano, or CAI)" to participate in the Battle of Britain. The CAI achieved only very limited successes and in December 1940, were largely withdrawn to Greece. The last Italian aircraft left Belgium by mid-April 1941.

Greece

On the 28th of October 1940 Italy attacked Greece. They were poorly organized and the campaign was conducted with insufficient ground forces attacking the resolute Greeks who transformed quickly into a defensive struggle though the Regia Aeronautica supported wherever possible. Here too, the decision could only be achieved with German help, which resulted in Yugoslavia being attacked and occupied.

Russia

In the summer of 1941 an Italian expeditionary force, the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia "(Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia, or CSIR)" was sent to the Soviet Union. The Aviation Command of the CSIR had less than 100 aircraft. The CSIR had the following aircraft available to it: Macchi C.200 Saetta fighters, Caproni Ca.311 light reconnaissance-bombers, and Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Bat" (Pipistrello) tri-motor transports. They were divided into two flying groups, the (22 ° and 61 ° Gruppo, in 1942, 21 ° and 71 ° Gruppo). They were subordinate to the Italian 8th Army in Russia (Armata Italiana in Russia, or "ARMIR"). There until early 1943, aircraft of the types Macchi C.200's, C.202s, SM.82, BR.20, and approx. 133 Ca.312 aquitted themselves successfully, despite the most adverse conditions during the winter months. Most of the aircraft were wiped out following the collapse of the ARMIR following the Soviet's Operation Saturn which resulted in the destruction of the Italian 8th Army, south of Stalingrad in December 1942. By the end of February 1943, the rout of the ARMIR was complete. Mussolini then withdrew what remained of his 8th Army from Russian soil.

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North Africa

Initially, the Western Desert Campaign was a near equal struggle between the Regia Aeronautica and the British Royal Air Force (RAF). 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. Later, the balance of power would shift periodically as each side obtained improved aircraft. Italy sent more modern equipment to North Africa, including the Macchi C.200 and a few months later, the improved Macchi C.202. The CR.42 biplane, which had until April 1941 fought sometimes with remarkable success against British Hawker Hurricane's were, as a result of 50 and 100-kilogram bombs used for close air support. In the spring of 1942 the C.202 supplied the 3rd and 4th Squadrons, a decisive contribution to limited air supremacy over North Africa. The last successful actions of the Italian Air Force were mostly on the account of the torpedo bombers, which in 1942 together with German forces attacked the convoys Vigorous, Harpoon and Pedestal. By the fall of 1942 it suffered heavily over the battlefield of El Alamein and losses were never recovered by Regia Aeronautica. Despite the introduction of modern fighter aircraft in the so-called Series 5 (C.205, G.55 and Re.2005), the Italian pilots had in the following months moved to Tunisia and then Southern Italy suffering costly defensive struggles against far superior Allied air forces. Regia Aeronautica was put in a defensive role during the Sicilian Campaign. Italian pilots were constantly fighting against Allied efforts to sink Regia Marina ships. Just before the Allied invasion, a huge Allied bomber offensive struck the airfields in Sicily in an effort to gain further air superiority. This left Regia Aeronautica very weak, but still alive as aircraft continued to arrive from Sardinia, southern Italy, and southern France. The last mission of Regia Aeronautica before the truce with the allies was the defence during the (USAAF) bombing on Frascati Rome on September 8, 1943.

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Armistice

After the Italian armistice, Regia Aeronautica was briefly followed by two new Italian air forces. In southern Italy, the Royalist Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force ("Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana, or ACI") fought alongside the Allied forces. In northern Italy, the National Republican Air Force ("Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, or ANR") flew for the Italian Social Republic and the Axis. Aircraft of the Royal and Republican air forces never fought each other.
Losses suffered during the conflict consisted of 3,007 dead or missing, 2,731 wounded and 9,873 prisoners of war. Some 5,201 aircraft were lost, while Italian fighter pilots claimed 4,293 aircraft destroyed, including 1,771 destroyed on the ground. The Regia Aeronautica was succeeded by 'Aeronautica Militare' when Italy became a Republic on 2 June 1946.

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Italian national markings


'Aircraft of the Axis' available from fineartamerica