Italians in the Battle of Britain - How Bad Were They?
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- čas přidán 19. 04. 2024
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After entering WW2 on the side of the Axis, Mussolini decided to join Germany in its efforts against Britain. He insisted on sending an air corps to participate in the fighting and Germans eventually accepted. About 200 bomber, fighter and support aircraft formed the Corpo Aereo Italiano (Italian Air Corps). They operated from their bases in Belgium and concentrated on the area between Thames and Harwich. What exactly did their missions look like and were they really that ineffective? Learn about the first part of the Italian story in this video.
Main sources:
- Håkans aviation page
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- Håkan Gustavsson and Ludovico Slongo - Fiat CR.42 Aces of World War 2
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I knew a WWII vet in Rhodesia that served in the British Army in North Africa. He always claimed that they feared more the Italian Air Force bombing raids then the German Luftwaffe. The Italians usually bombed at a very low altitude, a bit chaotic and undisciplined formation, and hardly missed, whereas the Germans had a higher, more standard way of a bombing raid that usually caused a much lesser damage to their base.
Thank you for sharing info! That's an interesting insight.
Very interesting and rare info, thanks a lot
I was talking with a WWII SAAF pilot years ago who flew Gladiators in 40/41. He said the "I-ties" and their CR 42's didn't worry them at all, as their "crates" had the edge on the FIAT. It was the 109E's & F's that were to worry about.
My father was an royal artillery driver in North African campaign (1942 -1943). Whether German or Italian aircraft I don't know but he used to talk about the way convoys would scatter in all directions if they heard enemy aircraft. He used to describe the high speed scatter in terms of excitement and thrill, but deadly thrill. So axis pilots were skilled at what they were up to!!
My grandad was run over and killed by a Fiat..
It was the first military attacks on Britain by a military unit from the Italian peninsular since the evacuation of the Roman army in 410AD.
Never thought of it this way :)
I think you could go further back than that - since Britain (well, England and Wales) was the Roman province of Britannia. The Roman legions completed the conquest and reached what is now Scotland in 79 CE. After that, the Romans were defending Britain, not attacking it.
@@timonsolus Tell that to a Scotsman
@@binaway : Depends on the Scotsman. Some feel British, some don’t.
Back then the British natives defended their lands and exterminated Roman invaders whenever they could. Now the British are more progressive and enjoy removing themselves.
You shouldn't forget either that RAF Bomber Command regularly sent raids against Italy beginning 5 days after Italy entered the war in June 1940. Many forget that British bombers were as busy as the Luftwaffe at the time
That's true, the British didn't wait to retaliate. I hope to cover some of that early campaign in a future video.
Hitler and Mussolini, the old Roman Empire syndrome. It didn’t last long did it
If you are interested, the book "The chianti raiders" by Peter Hainning covers the italian air campaign during the Battle of Britain.
Thank you for your suggestion!
Sorry, any Italian book written by Italian historical about CAI- BoB ?
What set apart your videos is also that they are very well researched. Until 2011, I corresponded with Serg. Magg. Pilota (Flt. Sgt.) Luigi Gorrini, Italian second highest ace, credited with 19 confirmed kills (the total tally is probably much higher due to the Italian Regia Aeronautica regulations on how to credit aerial victories). He passed away in 2014. He was assigned to the 85th Squadriglia/Squadron which together with the 83rd and 95th comprised the 18th Gruppo/Group. The CAI was sent purely for "show the flag" and propaganda purpose. Without radios and more advanced navigation equipment, the planes were totally unsuitable for that theatre of operation, especially in winter time. The fighters (CR42 and G50) were completely outclassed (but not necessarily outmanouvered) by the Spitfires. Looking forward to the second part which, I think, will center on the "turkey shoots" of 11/11/40 and 11/23/40. During the latter one Gorrini was almost shot down (during his career he was shot down three times). His flying career is narrated in "Vespa 2", of which I proudly have a copy personally signed and donated to me by him.
Thank you for your elaborate comment. As for research, it is the historians and authors who do the research and I just rely on theirs 😁 Yes, part two will be about the events you mentioned. And the achievements of Luigi Gorini might be a good topic for a future video.
Gorrini è stato l'unico pilota italiano ( giustamente ), ad essere accettato nell'Associazione Internazionale Piloti da Caccia..
Gorrini was the only Italian pilot (rightly so) to be accepted into the International Fighter Pilots Association.
E senza contare che i Fiat G50 e CR42 erano aperti nel l’autunno … mettevano fogli di giornale per avere meno freddo!!!!
My parents were farmers in WW2 and 'hosted' lots of Italian PoWs. They liked and trusted them, and they were left to work on the farm unguarded. They had NO intention of escaping and enjoyed their war in England. Some married locals afterwards I think, which probably elevated cuisine in the UK no end!
So far the Alps exacted a bigger toll on the Italian air force then the Brits.
True. But in part two, there will be some very significant differences
so far, wait until part 2 whne they clash with the RAF , whilst they were playing strategic airforce the FAA sank half the Regia Marina's battleships, home defence or reinforcing the Malta attacks might have been a more profitable use of their time
@@peteuistif Littorio and Doria count as sunk, so do Queen Elizabeth and Valiant in Alexandria 1941
Whata mistaka to make
I have read Robert Stanford Tuck's biography and he was one of Britain's top fighter aces. His verdict on the Italians was that they were skilled, tough fighters. Unfortunately the propaganda press printed the exact opposite message, even saying that Tuck called the Italian airmen "just dead meat of the skies". Tuck wasn't even involved on the day and he couldn't get the press to retract "his" quote. I know who's word I believe. The press haven't changed much since WW2, have they?
The press is probably even worse today :) The reputation Italians got from WW2 is certainly exaggerated. It seems to me that individually, many of them were brave and skilled but the whole system was flawed and there wasn't much they could do.
@@showtime112 Aviators are a special selection. Not all people of that country are brave and tough to beat.. Germans were mostly brave lions. Tough soldiers for all the 6 years of war. italy gave up after 3years and join the allies. Backstbbing the Germans.. Germans then invade Itally too. No BS soldiers..
What accounted for the British collapse in the first part of the war then? Anyway why expect people of a country barely 80 years old living in a dictatorship for 20 years and highly regionalised act like the British setting aside that in Britain that the nobility changed sides for their own gain as it suited
@@CFITOMAHAWK backstabbing? study some history please. Soldiers pledged loyalty to the king not to Mussolini and Mussolini fell.
@@leonardogregoratti386 Bullshit. Backstabbers changing uniforms AFTER CHANGING UNDERWEAR DUE LAZY COWARDS THEY WERE.. GIRLS IN MEN UNIFORM.. FAKES..
The Fascist Italian Air Force in the Battle of Britain was mock by British Ace Johnnie Johnson, yet they do there best without performance with limited radio equipment.
i learn something new everytime I tune into this channel.
@@andywells397 true !
You could say that the Italian leadership often put their men in impossible situations.
I'm glad to hear it. I learn new things too researching for the topics :)
@@showtime112 true, the Italian army was fighting with inferior tanks against the British in the Desert and Greeks in the Balkans, there Air force best fighter Fiat G.55 Centauro come in March 1943 service mostly with the Fascist Italian Social Republic, was a good match against P 47, P 38, P 51 and Super marine Spitfire, the Italian have good pilots brave willing to fight for there Axis belief but the leadership in position was cowardice and the same with the Italian Navy willing to fight, but coward in leadership.
Well, I'm British and quiet happy to tip my hat to these chaps. If you told me to go fly a totally substandard aircraft without even the basics to navigate with, against a numerically superior and far better equipped enemy, you'd hear my laughing from London in the streets of Rome. I'm surprised these aircraft weren't overweight due to the size of the massive plums these chaps were packing.
That is a very interesting point of view, thank you for sharing it!
The Italian fighter never lacked Courage; witness their Human Torpedo program- the ONLY such program that suceeded in the war.
It was the Italian GOVERNMENT that folded...and frankly, they could not have done otherwise.
Not courageous.. Italians as usual, thought the biplane was a better turner than the monoplane and they were going to show the world italians were right. Huge disappointment.. Arrogance dont win battles..
Being a model maker ,ive always enjoyed Italian aircraft for there camouflage schemes.
True, interesting camouflages always look great.
..or, their camouflage.
Anyone who knew how the Italians performed in the Schnieder Cup races would NOT have underestimated the Italian fighter designs.
The plane of Schneider cup was only a prototype and didn't went in mass production. The italian aircraft industry was not capable of making mass production of quality planes because of the fascist protectionism in the 30's.
Planes of Schneider cup were prototype that never went in mass production because of the features of italian war industry.
@@mlccrl Worked out OK for Supermarine.
The Italians made the wrong choices.
@@mlccrl you could hardly call them prototypes; they were one-off RACERS, AS WERE THE SUPERMARINE racers. They were NEVER intended for mas production.
Nevertheless, the KNOWLEDGE that was gained was not lost on EITHER country.
@@craigwall9536 Absolutely! The excellent Macchi fighters were made by the same designers of the racers (Castoldi, mainly), and they were quite successful
The Italian planes were not up to par, but their pilots were game, so give them that.
You could put it that way, sure.
‘Game’ is also a term used to describe animals that are hunted for sport or food, so there’s that.
@@rsoul7282 bruh
What about that poor sod in the swing-down belly turret? He must have been cold!
Italian planes were not built by Albanians.... Italians and everyone in the Balkans have this problem of blaming vaguely to claim credit for their nation. Dude... the same countrymen that you talk about as game pilots, were also the makers...
thank you for this! my mother's uncle flew in the 353a squadriglia of the 20 Gruppo a G.50. he fought against Hurricanes but was shot down and he crash landed in the Bretagne. The CAI was a total failure. He was then trasferred to Libya where he fought against the British in the OPeration Crusader, where he shot down one Hurricand and three P-40 Tomahawk.
Thank you very much for sharing it! I'll have to cover some of the fighting in North Africa someday.
And an F18 too? Italians love to lie and exaggerate every dam day. 70 year old pilot trainer im.
@@CFITOMAHAWK and just because you're old and flew a Cessna or something makes you an expert or what LOL
@@DKT1970 You flew Cessnas. I soloed on a Cherokee. Flew up to private jets. LOL.
@@CFITOMAHAWK Your American planes were easy to knock out so stop your whinging
While their performance was poor, the Italian aircraft looked elegant and stylish.
The well known Italian elegance :)
Yes, they did. Some of the prettiest camouflage and markings schemes ever used. Their best fighter at that time (1940) was the Macchi 200, but it was not fielded in their force sent to Belgium. It was fairly similar in general characteristics to the Fiat G.50, but was a better plane in some respects.
The performance depended on the aircraft; the Macchi 202 was not top tier but still solid while the 3 aircrafts of the "Serie 5",the Fiat G55, the Macchi 205 and the Reggiane 2005, had overall performances more or less on par with the best planes the Germans and Allies could muster in early-mid 1943 (and their design was still very elegant)
Among the latters, the best was the Fiat G55 but it was very costly to produce (it took twice/thrice the hours needed to produce a Messerschmit) and so less than 200 units were produced before the armistice was signed and the Germans decided to shut down its production due to the costs
The G50 looked like a barfed on turd, are you high?
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Battle of Britain is one of my favorite subjects. However, I have to admit that I don't know much about the involvement of the Regia Aeronautica in the battle. Thanks for covering yet another unique and obscure subject!
Thank you for the feedback! That was my idea behind the video, even people well versed in the Battle might find something new here.
There was one Jamaican on the British side.
You should look up the list of countries the pilots came from. Very interesting
@@showtime112I THOUGHT I was well versed in the battle and straight up didn’t know the Italians participated at all.
To go to war with mostly obsolete weapons shows a type of bravery that borders on the suicidal behaviour of the Japanese.
My late Father saw the Italian aircraft, they came over our home town; they machine gunned a water tower and then a farm in the next town. Until the farm house was demolished in the 90's, you could still see the bullet holes in a brick wall. A wooden house nearby, still has a couple of holes in the woodwork!
Italians: We already lost half of our aircrafts!
Germans: On your first mission???
Italians: No, before it!
There's a story, before the war, before Churchill was Prime Minister, where he was negotiating with Von Ribbentrop, who told Winston: "If there is to be war, this time we will get the Italians!" to which Churchill replied "That's only fair, we had them last time."
The plural of aircraft is aircraft.
Fiats.. LOL.. I bet most crashed before getting to England.. LOL..
A massively untold story is the losses incurred during ferrying of planes to bases near the enemy. The Japanese had a shocking number of lost planes just flying brand new Mitsubishis from the factories in Japan to the Pacific bases with no American opposition. I was astonished at how this affected their war effort, both in planes and pilots.
@@CFITOMAHAWKI’ve had two very reliable Fiats.
You got to give credit to the Italian pilots. Being sent into battle with such sh*it equipment but still going anyway. Thank you SHowtime112. A very nice and well researched video as always
I love Italian aircraft and I'm always interested by something talking about the Regia Aeronautica. Italy never had the capabilities to wage war, the soldiers did what they could with what they had.
True, the scopes were way too ambitious for the country's capacity.
Italy did in fact have decent potential capabilities (though inferior to the other major belligerents) but there was no quick mobilization and establishment of a "war economy" because the whole strategy since the beginning was of piggybacking on German victories that were sure to come, with minimal effort. The object of this video being an example, as well as the expeditionary force against the Soviet Union. Once full industrial mobilization started it was too late in war.
Mussolini didn't want to go to war that early. But he thought the Germans might be good for business & a lot of the fighting was over anyway. He also didn't want to be invaded I suppose.
I had no idea the Italian Air Force was involved in the Battle of Britain at all. Total news to me. Thank you Showtime for once again hipping me to some really cool & interesting information. 👍
Thank you for the feedback!
Respectfully (albeit with a smile on my face) but where are you from??? Welcome to the history of the Battle of Britain!!
I knew a CR.42 pilot that was part of the Italian Air Corps (CAI) in Belgium. According to him, many of them were experienced pilots from the Spanish Revolution, but the logistical situation was hopeless: the planes had almost no spare parts, the airbase was made from basic tents with no utilities under constant rain and even the food was very little and barely edible. The flight performance of the pilots was drastically reduced from the start.
He was then chosen to train on the BF-109E, as it was planned for the Italians to switch to them, but the BoB ended before that.
(His name was Giuseppe Ruzzin, on the net there are even pics of him during the training on the 109)
The German pilot was Oblt. Franz Hahn (7.) of 2./JG 77. There are several possibilities, including 46 Squadron Hurricane and 222 Squadron Spitfire, so Sub/Lt Brian James Edward „Sandyˮ Lane (Spitfire Mk.IIa P7377) could be shot down by Fiat G.50 of 20o Gruppo patrolling Dungeness, Folkestone, Canterbury and Margate in the afternoon resembling the allegedly sighted shooting Hurricanes.
Thank you very much for providing additional detail!
The RA had some pretty camo patterns and colours. I didnt know the Italians played a role in the BoB, thanks for this. Eagerly awaiting Part 2.
The camos were quite unique for sure. Thank you for the feedback!
Another detail about the Battle of Britain that I was not aware of. Good Job, as usual !
Thank you very much for the positive feedback!
I understand the next part of the video will focus on the “Spaghetti Party” as dubbed by the British press at the time which occurred on 11/11/40. With the loss of six Italian aircraft, three Fiat BR.20 Bombers shot down and three Fiat CR.42 fighters. 1 Fiat fighter was actually shot down while the other two were lost due to mechanical issues. One being preserved at RAF Hendon museum in London. It is worth noting that most of the Italian aircraft that had been lost during the campaign were lost due to mechanical issues or running out of fuel than to actual combat.
Yes, the sequel will be about that. Spoiler alert, lots of overclaims 😁
From both sides of course.
Fiat Br. 20 Cicognas were about as oudated as a Junkers 86 twin-engine bomber in the Battle of Brittain.
Or the British Bristol Blenheim.!
@@andygass9096 True, the RAF pilots called it the Flying Suitcase.
Muchas gracias show time. Excelente video.
Gracias de nuevo. Muy entretenido!
Thanks!
Thank you for continuous support!
Thank You Showtime112, you were mild on us... ;-) Very very interesting details, looking forward for part 2. Ciao/Zdravo/Tschuss
Thank you very much for the feedback!
Great video 🎬🏅.
Looking forward to part 2. 👍
Thank you for appreciating the content!
Nice information, never heard about this aspect of BoB. Also nice cliffhanger))) Thank you very much for as always perfectly directed and executed videos
Great positive feedback, as usual. Thank you once more!
Thanks for this. Another bit of history rarely studied.
Thank you for watching!
I love this video I learned a lot . They did their best with the equipment issued. Keep up the fine work.
Thank you very much for the positive feedback! Yes, Italian crews were given a task they were not prepared for.
Excellent video. This is new and interesting information to me, and is very well composed.
You learn something new everyday. Very interesting.
Thank you for the feedback!
Great video 👍
Glad you appreciate it!
Another great entertaining an educational video. Had no idea Italian were involved in this Thanks for sharing .
Thank you for watching and for providing feedback.
Excellent video....Thanks very much from an Old F-4 Phantom ll pilot Shoe🇺🇸
Thank you very much, I'm really happy to hear you appreciate this content!
The Italian involvement in WWII in the skies over Great Britain is hardly new news to me, but this video filled in quite a few details, so thanks for that. Because of their what could be described as 'medium-calibre' weaponry both the FIAT CR 42 and G 50 were heavier hitters than would appear to be on the surface and I'd consider the FIAT BR 20 to be a slightly superior type to the contemporary Handley-Page Hampden, so I wouldn't be nearly so dismissive of the quality of those types as you were.
i live not too far from Ursel Airfield, althought you can find memorials of RAF units that operated from the airfield after D-Day, there is very little mention of the Italian detachment that was posted there after the belgian capitulation.
Thank you for the feedback! I guess that part wasn't as interesting to promote.
The Best Special and Seldom,also Unknown Air War storys of All Air Forces and all Decades of War !! Extraordinary channel, Thank You for all this brilliant Videos ! I believe,there was a lot of sleeples nichts for You !! Good Job ,well done ,❤ it !!! 😊
Thank you very much for this positive feedback! The production does take a full time effort :)
Fascinating. I do enjoy the obscurer aspects of history.
Thank you for the positive feedback!
Thank you for this amazing trilogy of videos showing the part Italian pilots contributed to in the Battle of Britain and I would highly recommend any true history buffs to watch these fantastic informative videos
Harwich is pronounced Harrich by locals 👍. Another good video, thank you.
Thanks! I think I heard it pronounced that way. British sometimes seem to deliberately introduce as many pronunciation peculiarities as possible :) Thanks for the comment!
@@showtime112 Agreed, although other East of England towns sound similar with that ending. For example, Norwich sounds like Norrich or Narrich.
The entire Italian war effort is so nuanced. When motivated and using good kit the Italians were then let down by leadership. Often they weren’t motivated which was actually to their credit. Not wanting to support fascism was a good thing. Then post war Anglo Saxon bias and a willingness to underplay their contribution made the history very muddy.
Over Malta, the RA made wild, silly claims of kills. These weren’t for the obvious reason though. It was often because pilots didn’t want to be involved so made claims to look like they were motivated but were in fact just inventing victories to keep the boss off their back.
Well said, Sir.
Italian soldiers learned from WWI to not take World War too serious 😅
Thank you for providing info!
Lol so much post war historical revisionist nonsense in an attempt to make the Italians seem like they aren't useless at war
One thing overlooked by most historians - is how significant the campaign in Italy was.
It involved the same number of Allied soldiers as were fighting in Western Europe - approx 1.5 million.
Italy turned into one of the toughest campaigns in a country that Churchill dismissed as 'The soft underbelly' of Europe.
Great history lesson, & beautiful video !
Thanks, and VIVA L'ITALIA !
Thank you very much for the feedback!
Hans Hahn was a beast. His markings grace every major Bf-109 Emil kit decal sheet.
really good, how long do i have to wait for part 2
Thank you! Part two is scheduled for 04 May.
Nice video 😊
Thanks Chups!
Loving your vibe
Oh, I'm sure you do :)
I have to confess that I didn't even know the Italians were part of the Battle of Britain.
Some people would argue that Battle of Britain was already over by then :) But still, in a wide sense, they did. Thank you for the comment!
Italy was not ready for ww2
Hey, thanks for correcting my lousy italian pronunciation. Great video.
Thank you for the feedback!
I love the paint scheme on those G50’s
There seem to be plenty of fans :)
Never knew this. Great research!
Thank you for the feedback! Don't miss part two in a week.
Graet video. Thanks
I'm happy to hear you appreciate it!
Your videos realley helped me to know about aerial warfare diring the last century
Outstanding!
Thank you for the feedback!
A piece of history that I was unaware of.
Robert Stanford Tuck took issue with the Press for making up a quotation from him "We got them like cold turkeys". they never replied to his complaint. His hurricane was one of those from Coltishall that intercepted twin engined, twin-tailed a/c and also CR42 biplanes. He had respect for them, sent by Mussolini as part of the Axis effort.
I knew about this but the history isn't isn't widely known, its good to see relatively unknown incidents like this get some publicity.
I'm glad you think so, thank you!
What video game are you using for content? It is really well modeled. I would love to try and fly some of these in a sim.
It's War Thunder. If you want to try it, use this link: playwt.link/showtime112
It's free to play and you will get some bonuses.
Nice video
Are you using IL-2 Cliffs Of Dover Blitz?
Thanks! No, this is War Thunder. IL-2 would have perhaps been a little better but I'd need to figure out its mission editor and that usually takes a long time.
The belly gunner looks like he is about to fallout!
Dustbin turret...even the name gives no confidence. Might be why the poor gunner panicked and jumped.
If I had to choose any position in that aircraft, that would be my last choice :)
@@terraflow__bryanburdo4547 Yes thanks I forgot the term!
@@showtime112 Great Video!
Well, he would be strapped in by his seatbelt harness. Those "dustbin" style ventral gunner positions were fairly common in bomber designs of the late 1930's but were soon replaced by fully glazed positions, as seen the the principle German bombers of 1939-40.
My friend no man will ever tell all the tales of WW2. This tale was all new to me.
True. And imagine how many veterans never really told their stories, never wrote any books or gave interviews.
When early jet fighters were being developed, they put up Spitfires to test the new planes out, those Spitfires could out manouvre the fast jets and get 'a burst' into them as they came accross their sites. The Spitfires aquitted themselves remarkably well. I imagine that a byplane would be hard to get a lock on, made of string, canvas and wood it won't have much of a radar signature, nor much of heat signature from a relatively low power radial engine.
7:51 anti-surprise surprise camouflage 😃
Thank you.
Thank you for watching and commenting!
The Italian fighter’s 12.7mm guns fired shot about 4 1/2 times heavier than the British 7.7mm/.303" guns. They were also mounted on the fuselage centre line which was potentially more accurate so they were not inherently inferior to the British fighter armament but presumably the Italians didn’t have modern reflector gun sights?
RAF Fighters arranged for wing mounted guns to harmonise ( I e converge) initially at 400 yards and then reduced to 250 yards so wing mounted guns were not at a disadvantage. British fighters with either 303 machine guns therefore had the advantage over Italian fighters. By the end of the Battle of Britain, the RAF had sharpened up their tactics after 3 odd months of continual fighting.
@@richardbanker391020 years ago i have read a Book about Spitfire. A old pilot said: to hit a Bf109E with a Spit mk1A , open fire Around 50 méters....😮
@@dominiqueroudier9401 The guns weren’t really perfectly harmonised, they covered a splayed out pattern to ‘allow for’ bad shooting. At the nominal harmonisation distance not all 8 guns deliberately could hit the target, but then being off a little would get hits too.
Italians fighting WW2 with WW1 technology.
To a Londoner, it seems the Regia Aeronautica’s impact in the BofB to be a little underwhelming, compared to say the Luftwaffe. However, their equipment was substandard, and to go into battle with little means to communicate with each other, deserves a certain degree of respect for showing more courage than the British usually credited Italian armed forces from having.
Good point, thank you for sharing!
That was fast!
Pretty much :)
@@showtime112 lmao. outside of that, this was an absolutely awesome video, I love the pilot mention as always and the trip through the alps was something I didn't know was a thing!
I hope in part 2 you will mention the Z.1007 Alcione, on the wiki it says that it did recon works but that always seemed strange since the 1007 itself is a bomber and a much more modern one at that compared the BR.20s that they mainly used.
@@FRIEND_711 Glad you liked it! I'll see about the Z.1007 as there is plenty of action remaining to cover. I think in this campaign, they only used it for recon duties.
@@showtime112 yes exactly, which again is kind of odd considering.
The Z.1007 can carry more bombs, like 1.8 times more then the BR.20, has more armament too, yet they used it for recon.
If you can find anything, that would be awesome but if not that's fine too. Thank you for making this to begin with and thanks for always listening hehe
Quite interesting incident during WWII. But interesting that is all, that should be mentioned
Thank you! 👏 Fascinating segment... my first introduction to ITALIAN participation in the Battle of Britain.
Thank you for commenting! I'm glad you liked it.
So do you think you could do a segment on the Fiat G81 through G83 series?
Thx !!!
Thank you for the comment!
Fascinating. I would have called myself an aeroplane buff all my 65 years especially with regard WW2, my own father having ben in the RAF during the war, but had no idea Italian aircraft were even part of the BoB!
WW2 is such a complex part of history that it is literally impossible to know every aspect of it.
Great video. I was not aware of Italian participation in Battle of Britain. Thank you very much!
Thank you for the feedback! Plenty of people write they have never heard of it. I remember reading about it years ago and I thought most viewers would have at least a general idea. But even better this way :)
Absolutely incredible graphics and also a totally forgotten story. (Were the RAF asleep the whole time??)
Thank you for the positive feedback! RAF was not too active in these initial raids but that changed in the ones that followed.
@@showtime112 Yes I'll agree with Linda, incredible graphics. Plus I was wondering where Ronny Raf was too.
@@aussie6910 Thank you for the feedback! I couldn't find explanation why that first daytime raid was unopposed but today, a video will be released which shows a very different situation.
@@showtime112 Just watched "Italians in the Battle of Britain" part 2. Liked & subscribed. Excellent work, you've filled in a few gaps in my BoB knowledge. The CR-42 is one of my favourites, highly manoeuvrable & not easy to hit. Some interesting background stories out there about museum exhibits & what saved them from the scrapyard.
Your smoke graphic might need a little work.
1:35 The strange & unexplained reason Harwich is pronounced 'Harrich is IT'S ENGLISH. Forget about phonetic pronunciation with a lot of English.
I always thought it was said as Horich.
Excellent recounting and graphics!
Not a very auspicious campaign for the Italians it must be conceded...
Thank you very much for the positive feedback! The campaign wasn't exactly a success, that's for sure :)
Very interesting. I think this is a Little known part of the Battle.
Thank you for commenting!
Later a British pilot reported chasing a Fiat BR 20 . When the pilot dived the aircraft which promptly broke up mid air falling like confetti . British fighter pilots reported it was impossible to shoot down the Fiat 42 biplanes they were so manurable.
I always liked the look of the sm79 although it doesn’t appear in the Battle of Britain , I remember building a few model kits when I was younger
Yes, SM.79 was employed in all other theaters. Not a bad bomber.
The raids on ramsgate hit houses at the top of my nan and gandads road and there's still a crater in the local cemetery were one bomb landed
Thank you for sharing!
This is fun, I'm making a Fiat BR20bis 3D model for PhoenixRC. It's interesting to see the differences between these two planes.
Thank you for the comment!
Hello showtime112. Just for check , now 270.000 views for Ta152H 1st part👍👍👍. Take some holidays in spa close to seaside near Spanish border. Good for health, need bliss😊
Yes, this one has definitely not flatlined. Good to hear you are having some good time in a spa :)
The BR-20M has a 127mm. SAFAT HMG in the dorsal turret, unlike the He111 H3, which has all 7.92mm. LMG's for defensive armament.
Yes, the top mg was of a higher caliber.
Poor equipment, bad leadership, and a total lack of motivation. No wonder the Italians did so poorly.
They sometimes did alright but generally, they were troubled by the things you mention.
The italians were not unmotivated
Just for your information, the plural of stormo is stormi. Stormo means "flock of birds" and for extension it entered the military aeronautic language.
I know that. But it might make some people think that 'stormi' is the singular so I chose to pronounce it that way.
Excellent part one, about an unknow story in relation with the battle of britain. I wait for the part two.
I'm glad you liked it. Spoiler alert, in part two there will be plenty of contact with RAF :)
On pourra conclure comme je l'avais lu ya très longtemps :
Italiens: plus acrobates que pilotes😂
@@dominiqueroudier9401
C'est pas leur fort, c'est pas dans leur caractère, ce n'est pas inné chez eux.
On attend la deuxième partie, il y aura du contact.
@@jeannezehner9450 et aussi leur matériel était désuet par rapport à leur équivalent qui équipait la Luftwaffe
Peut être que dans la 2ème partie ST 112 parlera du BR20 crashe train rentre dans la campagne anglaise. Les soldats ont trouvé panier pique nique. Pâte, jambon, saucisson( à laïl).pain ,gros rouge!!!.
J'ai quelques jours de repos, m'envoie 4 jours Canet en Roussillon bord de mer 🦞 🌊 besoin repos thalasso, car mécanique fatigué 😫 🙋
@@dominiqueroudier9401
Bon repos.
On se retrouve samedi.
Footage shows Spitfire MkV's, Spitfires that participated in the Battle of Britain were a few Mk1 but mostly Mk11's, Mk V's were later in the war.
Those were actually Mk IIa but here the IIb was chosen by mistake.
It's a mistake to think the G.50 was hopelessly underarmed. It's 12.7mm rounds were much heavier and more destructive than the 7.7 mm rounds of the British. The Italian machine guns also had a very high rate of fire, about twice that of the British equivalents. The Italian 12.7 was also unique in firing an explosive bullet, which could significantly increase damage compared with the conventional solid bullet of other nations. All together these meant that the G.50's overall firepower was broadly equivalent to that of a Hurricane or Spitfire from this time in the war. The one drawback was that a single gun jam would immediately halve firepower.
Just a heads up.
You now have 2 ongoing series which still did not get their second part.
This one and Romanian Air Force in the Eastern Front.
Well, this one just received a new episode 😁
In March 1945 a CR42 scored the last biplane kill of the war when a Luftwaffe pilot shot down a P-38.
Very nice depiction, of fighter aircraft engagements, that weren't photographically recorded, and/or preserved. Very well, and intelligently put together👍!!
WWll, Italian military pun, time. Q. Why are all the old Italian aircraft, in museums?? A. They had to put them back, after they were done!! Q. Why does the new Italian navy, have glass-bottom ships?? A. To see the old, Italian navy☺️!!!!
Thank you for the positive feedback!
The raf were instructed not to engage axis fighters over the mainland unless they were escorting bombers.
The twin tails had beautiful embroidered pennants attached which were subsequently cut off to adorn the walls of the mess.
Open canopy must have been as much fun as no radio in poor weather conditions. Those planes were developed for africa, not the north sea
Ma si tratta di WT? comunque complimenti per i bei video 😉
Yes, that's what it is. Thank you for the comment. Don't miss part two which is already out and part three coming out in two days.
gotta ask? if mussolini had not gone all facist, and had recognised his prior alliances, what territorial gains would he have achieved after an allied victory?