Hi guys! Surfing on the net I read some different versions regarding the partecipation of Regia Aeronautica in the Battle of Britain.
Different statistics regarding the missions, the claimed victories and the losses. Could you help me to find the truth among the mismatches?
(E.G. only 8 italian fighters lost against 20 spitfires and hurricanes; another site instead reported that the 25% of the entire aerial corp was destroyed in less than 300 hours of mission. There must be something wrong, IMHO, in one of these websites I think)
Thanks in advance
The Corpo Aereo Italiano in the Battle of Britain
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Alessandro
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Re: The Corpo Aereo Italiano in the Battle of Britain
This is a nice siteAlessandro wrote:Hi guys! Surfing on the net I read some different versions regarding the partecipation of Regia Aeronautica in the Battle of Britain.
Different statistics regarding the missions, the claimed victories and the losses. Could you help me to find the truth among the mismatches?
(E.G. only 8 italian fighters lost against 20 spitfires and hurricanes; another site instead reported that the 25% of the entire aerial corp was destroyed in less than 300 hours of mission. There must be something wrong, IMHO, in one of these websites I think)
Thanks in advance
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/falco_bob.htm
While Italian losses weren't as high as is often claimed, they failed to shoot down a single RAF fighter
if in doubt, PANIC !!!!
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sid guttridge
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Hi,
The Luftwaffe's own aircraft were not well suited to strategic operations again the UK and Italy's situation was made even worse by other circumstances.
The Italians arrived late when the Germans had alreadt lost the Battle of Britain. They had to take up airfields further away from the UK because the Luftwaffe already had the nearer ones. As a result Italian fighters had almost no endurance over the UK mainland. As by then even the Germans had failed to win with far larger escorted daylight operations the Italians were limited to occasional raids on coastal towns. They were not well equipped for night operations and so even unescorted their bombers couldn't contribute to the Blitz. The bombers were withdrawn to take part in the Greece/Albania campaign at the turn of 1940/41 and the fighters were thereafter redundant and also returned home.
Cheers,
Sid.
The Luftwaffe's own aircraft were not well suited to strategic operations again the UK and Italy's situation was made even worse by other circumstances.
The Italians arrived late when the Germans had alreadt lost the Battle of Britain. They had to take up airfields further away from the UK because the Luftwaffe already had the nearer ones. As a result Italian fighters had almost no endurance over the UK mainland. As by then even the Germans had failed to win with far larger escorted daylight operations the Italians were limited to occasional raids on coastal towns. They were not well equipped for night operations and so even unescorted their bombers couldn't contribute to the Blitz. The bombers were withdrawn to take part in the Greece/Albania campaign at the turn of 1940/41 and the fighters were thereafter redundant and also returned home.
Cheers,
Sid.