ITALIAN WWII FIGHTER PILOT

The Italian Armed Forces first used airplanes in 1909, and the Italian Air Force experienced a rapid development during World War I. In 1923, the Italian air force became an independent type of armed force called Regia Aeronautica. In the 1920s and 1930s, a lot of emphasis was placed on the development of Italian aviation, which led to the fact that in the early 1930s it was very modern and had well-trained pilots. However, the very dynamic development of aviation in the period 1929-1939, as well as the experience of the civil war in Spain (1936-1939) forced changes in the Italian aviation, which were not completed until Italy joined the Second World War. At the beginning, the Italian air force numbered approximately 3,250 aircraft, including approximately 1,800 combat machines. The most modern Italian fighters of that time were the Macchi MC.200 and the Fiat G.50. However, the Fiat CR.32 and CR.42 planes can be considered definitely obsolete. Among the bomber planes, the Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 and the CANT Z.1007 machines should be mentioned first of all. In the years 1940-1943, the Italian air force fought mainly in the Mediterranean, in the skies of the Balkans and North Africa. It is worth adding that Regia Aeronautica has several hunting aces, among them, for example Leonard Ferrulli or Franco Bordoni-Bisleri.