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ITALERI SUPERMODEL 1/72 FIAT G.55 CENTAURO WW2 ITALY DECALS-ONLY REGIA
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Additional Information from
Internet Encyclopedia
The Fiat G.55 Centauro (Italian:
"Centaur") was a single-engine single-seat World War II fighter
aircraft used by the Regia Aeronautica and the Aeronautica Nazionale
Repubblicana in 1943�1945. It was designed and built in Turin by Fiat. The Fiat
G.55 was arguably the best type produced in Italy during World War II, (a
subjective claim also frequently made for the Macchi C.205 Veltro as well as
for the Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario) but it did not enter production until
1943,[3] when, after comparative tests against the Messerschmitt Bf 109G and
the Focke-Wulf 190, the Luftwaffe itself regarded the Fiat G.55 as "the
best Axis fighter".
During its short operational
service, mostly under the Repubblica Sociale Italiana insignia, after the 8
September 1943 armistice, this powerful, robust and fast aircraft proved itself
to be an excellent interceptor at high altitude. In 1944, over Northern Italy,
the Centauro clashed with British Supermarine Spitfire, P-51 Mustang, P-47
Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning, proving to be no easy adversary. Italian
fighter pilots liked their Centauro but by the time the war ended, fewer than
300 had been built. By comparison, the Germans produced 35,000 Bf 109s.
Design and development
By 1939, all the main Italian
aircraft factories had begun designing a new series of monoplane fighter
aircraft, using inline engines as opposed to the radial engines that powered
the first generation Italian monoplane fighters used in the early years of
World War II (fighters such as the Fiat G.50 and the Macchi C.200). This
process saw the first generation radial-engined fighters re-equipped with the
Italian-built copy of the Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine, the so-called Serie 1/2,
whose most prominent representative was the Macchi C.202 Folgore (which was an
aerodynamically revised Macchi C.200- also known as Macchi C.201 - with an
inline V-12 instead of a radial engine). Aircraft in this series were given
alphanumeric designations ending in the number "2". However, the
process didn't stop, and already in 1941, designers shifted their attention on
the new, larger and more powerful Fiat RA.1050, a license-built copy of the
Daimler-Benz DB 605. Aircraft powered by this new engine became the "Serie
5", and all had alphanumeric designations ending in the number
"5" (Macchi C.205, Reggiane Re.2005, Fiat G.55). Fiat designer
Giuseppe Gabrielli, while experimenting a new version of his Fiat G.50 fighter,
equipped with the DB 601, started a new design that was to be powered by the DB
605.
The first G.55 prototype flew on
30 April 1942,[7] piloted by commander Valentino Cus, immediately showing its
good performance and flight characteristics. It was armed with one 20 mm MG
151/20 cannon with 200 rounds of ammunition, installed in the forward fuselage
and firing between the cylinder banks, exiting through the propeller hub. In
"Sottoserie O" airframes, there were also four 12.7 mm (.5 in)
Breda-SAFAT machine guns; two in the upper engine cowling, and two in the lower
cowling, firing through the propeller arc, with 300 rpg. This layout soon
proved to be troublesome, both for rearming and for the servicing of the lower
cowling mounted machine guns: for this reason, the two lower machine guns were
removed, and replaced with a 20 mm MG 151/20 in each wing, in the later
production series, the Serie 1 (for a total of three cannon and two 12.7mm
machine guns, although this varied; some had machine guns in the wings instead
of cannon).
The prototype flew to Guidonia,
where it was put into trials against the other fighters of the so-called Serie
5: Macchi C.205V Veltro and the formidable Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario, all of
them built around the powerful, license-built Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The
trials showed that the Centauro was the 2nd best performer overall, and it won
the tender set by the Regia Aeronautica. The C.205V was good at low and medium
altitudes, fast and with good diving characteristics but its performance
dropped considerably over 8,000 m (26,250 ft), particularly in handling. The
Re.2005 was the fastest at high altitudes and best in dogfights, but suffered
from a vibration which turned out to be a balance problem. This was corrected,
but was still the most technically advanced, intricate, and therefore
time-consuming of the three to produce, which made it unattractive at that
stage of the war. The G.55 was chosen for mass production, along with the
C.205. The G.55 prototype reached 620 km/h (390 mph), fully loaded, and without
using WEP (war emergency power), at 7,000 m (22,970 ft). This was a little less
than expected, but it had a strong airframe and was the best aircraft regarding
handling and stability at every altitude. The only negative assessment noted by
G.55 pilots was the pronounced left-hand yawing at takeoff due to the powerful
engine torque. This was partially remedied by a slight offset positioning of
the vertical stabilizer to counteract engine torque.
By early 1943, increased Allied
bombing raids over Italy had showed that there was no suitable high-altitude
fighter to deal with them effectively. The Macchi C.202's performance decreased
above 8,000 m (26,250 ft), the typical altitude of the bombers and its light
armament of two 12.7 mm (.5 in) and two 7.7mm (.31 in) machine guns was hardly
adequate to bring down heavy bombers. Of the Serie 5 fighters, the Centauro
showed the best high-altitude performance, due to its large wing surface area.
Also its powerful armament, along with the generous ammunition supply (the G.55
had 250 rounds of 20 mm ammunition in the centerline cannon as opposed to 120
rounds in the Re.2005) standardized in the production Serie I, was sufficient
to bring down US heavy bombers.
The Regia Aeronautica
commissioned the production of 1,800 G.55s, later raising that number to
2,400.[8] A pre-production series of 34 examples was ordered: these aircraft
were mostly based on the prototype, with minor changes to improve its flying characteristics.
They had a different weapon layout, as stated above, with the two lower cowling
machine guns moved into the wings. Only 19 of the 34 commissioned aircraft were
built, and six of them were converted to the Serie I standard at the factory.
The production version, named
Serie I, had the standard armament of three 20 mm MG 151/20s and two 12.7 mm
(.5 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns, plus two underwing hardpoints, allowing it to
carry either two bombs (up to 160 kg/350 lb), or two drop tanks (100 L/26 US
Gal). At the date of the Armistice, 8 September 1943, 35 G.55s of all Series
had been delivered, including three prototypes. Of these, only one was flown to
South Italy to join the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (a second G.55,
MM.91150, was obtained by the Allies in summer 1944, when test pilot, Serafino
Agostini, defected with an escaped British POW, an RAF officer, sitting on his
knees. The aircraft was then taken on charge by the RAF and transferred to the
Central Fighter Establishment of Tangmere, Great Britain, on 17 March 1945,
with the identification number VF204 applied, was put in the depot at Ford; its
final fate is unrecorded.
From that date on, the Centauro
served with the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR), the air force of the
new fascist state created in North Italy by Mussolini, with the assistance of
the Germans. It still not exactly known how many "Centauros" were eventually
requisitioned by the Luftwaffe or those acquired by ANR. About 18 aircraft were
expropriated by the ANR while 12�20 (possibly as many as 42, according to some
official reports) were requisitioned by the Germans.
The Fiat factory, in Turin under
German control, continued production for about six months. On 25 April 1944,
Fiat factories were heavily bombed: 15 G.55s were destroyed,[10] as well as
some trimotor Fiat G.12 transports, BR.20 bombers, and CR.42LW biplane fighters
ordered by the Luftwaffe. 164 "Centauros" had been completed, 97 of
them being produced after the Armistice and delivered to the ANR. Following the
advice of R�stungs und Kriegsproduktion Stab (RuK), the German Control
Commission, production was dispersed in small cities of Monferrato and
production of parts were assigned to CANSA of Novara and AVIA in Vercelli. The
parts were then assembled in Turin where the aircraft were to be flown by test
pilots Valentino Cus, Rolandi, Agostini and Catella.[11] Production slowed
markedly, and was stopped by the German authorities in September 1944.[12] A
total of 148 G.55s were delivered to the ANR and, when the factory was
captured, 37 more examples were ready, while 73 were still on the production
line, in various degrees of completion.
Operational history
The first Centauro to see
operational use was the third prototype. On 21 March 1943, the aircraft was
assigned to 20� Gruppo (squadron), 51� Stormo (wing) CT, based at
Roma-Ciampino, for operational evaluation. In May, the G.55 followed the unit
to Capoterra, near Cagliari having its baptism of fire on 5 June 1943, against
Allied aircraft attacking Sardinia. The two first pre-production series flew,
respectively, on 10 April and in May 1943. In early June they were assigned to
353a Squadriglia (flight) CT based in Foligno, Umbria, were, until August, were
transferred nine more aircraft.[13] Pilots were delighted when they began to
receive the new fighter in summer 1943.
In June, the first Serie I were
assigned to Gruppo Complementare of 51� Stormo in Foligno, near Perugia, but in
July the 11 G.55 of Gruppo Complementare were transferred to 353a Squadriglia,
that already had in charge the "pre-series" machines, to operate from
Roma-Ciampino Sud airfield. The 353a Squadriglia, commanded by Capitano Egeo
Pittoni, flew many missions against the American bomber formations, but the
flights were stopped when Rome was declared "Citt� aperta" (open
city). On 27 August, the Squadriglie 351a and 352a left Sardinia and arrived in
Foligno to be re-equipped with G.55. But at the date of the 8 September the
G.55 had not been delivered yet. During the first week of September, 12
Centauros had been assigned to 372a Squadriglia of 153� Gruppo in
Torino-Mirafiori. On 8 September 1943, the date of Armistice, the Regia
Aeronautica had received 35 G.55s. Only one of them flew to southern Italy,
accepting the invitation of Maresciallo d'Italia Pietro Badoglio to surrender
to Allied forces.
ANR service
There still is no exact data
about the G.55's captured by the Luftwaffe or acquired by Aeronautica Nazionale
Repubblicana. About 18 G.55s were acquired by ANR while 12�20, or even 42,
according to some reports, were requisitioned by the Luftwaffe.[13] The
Centauro entered in service with the ANR; a decision was made to produce 500
G.55s, of which 300 were G.55/I and 200 G.55/II Serie II, armed with five 20 mm
MG 151/20s and no machine guns (one in the centerline, two in the upper
cowling, two in the wings). Only 148 were delivered to the ANR units that, as the
number of available G.55s dwindled, were progressively re-equipped with the Bf
109G, of various sub-versions, even though Italian pilots preferred the G.55,
with cancellation of production being extremely unpopular.
The ANR had two Gruppi Caccia
terrestre (fighter squadrons), the first was initially equipped with the Macchi
C.205, from November 1943 to May 1944, then, re-equipped with the G.55/I in
June 1944 until it switched to the Bf 109G starting from November 1944. The 2nd
Gruppo was the main unit equipped with the G.55, of which it had 70 examples
from December 1943 � August 1944, before being progressively re-equipped with
the Bf 109G.
The first unit in ANR to be
equipped with G.55 was the Squadriglia Montefusco [it], in November 1943,
operating from Piemonte until 29 March 1944, when it was absorbed by the 1st
Gruppo and transferred in Veneto. The 2nd Gruppo was formed at Bresso. It was
initially commanded by Lt Col Antonio Vizzoto, and later by Lt Col Aldo
Alessandrini.[16] It had three Squadriglie (the 4th, Gigi Tre Osei, the 5th,
Diavoli Rossi, and the 6th, Gamba di Ferro). The unit operated near Milan and
Varese until April 1944, then it was transferred near Parma and Pavia, then
again near the Lake Garda (Brescia and Verona). At the end of May, the 2�
Gruppo gave its G.55s to 1� Gruppo and re-equipped with 46 ex I./JG 53 and
II./JG 77 Bf 109G-6/R6
With the ANR, the G.55s gave a
good account of themselves against Allied fighters like the Spitfire and
Mustang.
German interest
In December 1942, a technical
commission of the Regia Aeronautica was invited by the Luftwaffe to test some
German aircraft in Rechlin. The visit was part of a joint plan for the
standardization of the Axis aircraft production. In the same time, some
Luftwaffe officers visited Guidonia where they were particularly interested in
the performance promised by the Serie 5 fighters. On 9 December, these
impressions were discussed in a Luftwaffe staff meeting and raised the interest
of Hermann G�ring himself. In February 1943, a German test commission was sent
in Italy to evaluate the new Italian fighters. The commission was led by Oberst
Petersen and was formed by Luftwaffe officers and pilots and by technical
personnel, among them the Flugbaumeister Malz. The Germans also brought with
them several aircraft including a Fw 190 A-5 and a Bf 109 G-4 for direct
comparison tests in simulated dogfights.
The tests began 20 February 1943
with the German commission very impressed by the Italian aircraft, the G.55 in
particular. In general, all the Serie 5 fighters were very good at low
altitudes, but the G.55 was also competitive with its German opponents in term
of speed and climb rate at high altitudes, while still maintaining superior
handling characteristics. The definitive evaluation by the German commission
was "excellent" for the G.55, "excellent" for the Re.2005
although very complicated to produce, and merely "average" for the
C.205. Oberst Petersen defined the G.55 "the best fighter in the
Axis" and immediately telegraphed his impressions to G�ring. After
listening to the recommendations of Petersen, Milch and Galland, a meeting held
by G�ring on 22 February 1943 voted to produce the G.55 in Germany.
German interest, apart from the
good test results, derived also from the development possibilities they were
able to see in the G.55 and in the Re.2005. Particularly, the G.55 was bigger
and heavier and was considered a very good candidate for the new, significantly
larger and more powerful DB 603 engine, which was considered too large to fit
in the Bf 109's airframe. Other visits were organized in Germany during March
and May 1943 in Rechlin and Berlin. The G.55 was again tested at Rechlin at the
presence of Milch. Gabrielli and other FIAT personnel were invited to visit German
factories and to discuss the evolution of the aircraft. The specifications of
the German G55/II included the DB 603 engine, five 20 mm guns and a pressurized
cockpit. The suggestion of weapons in the wings, limited to one 20 mm gun for
each wing, originated the final configuration of the Serie I, while the DB 603
engine was successfully installed in what became the G.56 prototype. As a
concrete expression of the German interest in the G.55, the Luftwaffe acquired
three complete G.55/0 airframes (MM 91064-65-66) for evaluations and
experiments providing three DB 603 engines and original machinery for the setup
of other production line of the Italian copy of DB 605. Two of the Luftwaffe
G.55's remained in Turin, at the Aeritalia plants, where they were used by
German and Italian engineers to study the planned modifications and the
possible optimizations to the production process. Later these two were
converted to Serie I and delivered to the ANR. The third one was transferred to
Rechlin for tests and experiments in Germany. The DB 603 engines were used to
build the G.56 prototypes.
The interest in the G.55 program
was still high after the Armistice. In October 1943, Kurt Tank, who previously
personally tested a G.55 in Rechlin, and who had had nothing but praise for the
aircraft, was in Turin to discuss G.55 production. However, events in the war
and the not yet optimized production process were the reasons for which the
G.55 program was eventually abandoned by the Luftwaffe. Early production of
G.55 required about 15,000 man-hours; while there were estimates to reduce the
effort to about 9,000 man-hours, the well-practiced German factories were able
to assemble a Bf 109 in only 5,000 man-hours. The DB 603 were instead to be
used in Tank's own Ta-152C.