How did the Italian Air Force perform during World War II?

Let me talk about this issue! Italy's performance in World War II has always been widely criticized, and it has been described as a "pig teammate". Funny jokes about the Italian army are also widely circulated. But objectively speaking, Italy is a quite powerful industrial country even in the Western world. Its aviation The technical level and air force are not bad, but they are somewhat inferior to those of Britain, Germany and other countries.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Italy was definitely an aviation power and the first country to use aircraft in war. The first aerial reconnaissance and aerial bombing in history were created by the Italians in the Italian-Turkish War of 1911. . Under Mussolini's initiative, Italy established an independent air force in 1923. At that time, Italy was still a monarchy, so it was called the Royal Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica Italiana).

Royal Italian Air Force (1923-1946) military emblem (left), nationality mark on the fuselage (middle) and nationality mark on the wing (right).

Between the two world wars, the Italian Air Force participated in the Ethiopian War, the Spanish Civil War and the invasion of Albania, and gained a certain amount of actual combat experience. Especially in the Spanish Civil War, the Italian Air Force claimed to have achieved about 500 victories. Victory in the first air battle, with the loss of 86 aircraft and 200 pilots. However, the Italian Air Force did not receive as many lessons as the Luftwaffe to promote its own development.

Due to its limited national strength and shortcomings in the aviation industry system, by the eve of World War II, the Italian Air Force had a clear gap with countries such as Britain and the United States in terms of tactical thinking and fighter performance.

During the Spanish Civil War, Italian Air Force SM 81 bombers performed bombing missions escorted by CR 32 fighter jets.

When Mussolini announced his participation in the war in June 1940, the Italian Air Force was the weakest air force among the three Axis powers. It had 3,296 aircraft on paper but only about 2,000. Most of the aircraft are outdated, and there are only 166 modern fighter jets. Its best fighters, the Mackey MC200 and Fiat G50, are slightly worse than the British and German fighters of the same period, lacking power and weak firepower.

Even with German technical assistance, the Italian Air Force's technical disadvantages did not improve significantly throughout the war, and the Italian Air Force was far from ready for a full-scale war.

G 50 fighter jets of the Italian Air Force and Bf 110 fighter jets of the German Air Force flew together.

The combat scope of the Italian Air Force during World War II may be beyond the imagination of many people. From the English Channel on the western front to the Soviet Russian snowfields on the eastern front, traces of the Apennine Eagle can be found, but the Italian Air Force’s The main battlefields are still in the areas around the Mediterranean, including the battlefields in North Africa. In the early days of the war, the Italian Air Force launched an attack on southern France. Before France surrendered, it claimed to have destroyed 50 French aircraft in the air and on the ground, and lost 10 of its own.

During the Battle of Britain in 1940, the Italian Air Force also sent about 170 aircraft to assist in the battle, but with little success. In addition, the Italian Air Force also has activities in the Middle East battlefield and the Eastern Front battlefield, but the role is not significant.

Artistic painting of Italian Air Force Macchi MC 200 fighter jets operating over the Mediterranean Sea.

In the Mediterranean Theater, the main war that the Italian Air Force initially participated in was the invasion of Greece. It initially invested 193 aircraft and later increased it to 400. It was still unable to fully control the air and could not avoid the army's defeat on the ground until Germany intervened in the Balkan war and Italy was able to save the defeat. During the Balkan Campaign, Italy lost 79 aircraft, damaged more than 400 more, and claimed to have shot down 218 Greek and British aircraft.

A two-plane formation of CR 42 fighter jets of the Italian Air Force.

On the East African battlefield, the Italian Air Force performed significantly better than other battlefields. In June 1940, Italy deployed 220 aircraft in East Africa, most of which were old models. However, the airport facilities were complete, the troops were well-trained, and the morale was high. In the early stages of the battle, Italy once mastered the air superiority. Italian pilots also created the ability to fly biplanes. The CR-42 fighter jet shot down the British "Hurricane". However, due to being far away from the mainland and with no support, the Italian Air Force gradually lost its advantage in East Africa, and by October 1941, all its aircraft were lost.

An Italian Air Force Macchi MC 202 fighter jet fighting in the North African battlefield.

The North African battlefield is one of the main battlefields of the Italian Air Force. In the early stages of the Libyan campaign, about 400 aircraft were invested, and the performance of the fighter aircraft was not much different from that of the British Desert Air Force. However, with the defeat of the ground forces, the stationed aircraft The Italian Air Force in North Africa was almost completely destroyed, and it was not restored until the British army divided its forces in the Balkans and the German African Army arrived for reinforcements.

By early 1941, the Italian Air Force had about 200 aircraft in North Africa and 600 in Sicily. However, by this time the protagonist of the air battle in North Africa and the Mediterranean was the German Air Force, and the Italians played more of a supporting role. With the help of its allies, the Italian Air Force improved its tactics and equipment, and its combat effectiveness was strengthened. It was even better than the German army in local combat. For example, in May and June 1942, Italian pilots flew the new Macchi MC 202 fighter jets to fight The air combat exchange ratio was 4.4:1, while the exchange ratio of the German Bf 109 during the same period was 3.5:1.

In addition, Italian fighter planes also performed well in ground support operations, cooperating with the German Air Force to effectively support the offensive and defensive operations of Rommel's African Army. However, with the failure of the Battle of El Alamein, the Italian Air Force also retreated. By the time of the Battle of Tunisia in May 1943, it was difficult to see the shadow of Italian aircraft in the skies of North Africa.

After the Maltese towns were bombed by the German and Italian air forces, the island withstood long-term air raids and blockades and remained unmoved.

On the Mediterranean battlefield, the main task of the Italian Air Force is to suppress the British military base on the island of Malta and ensure the safety of the shipping line from the Italian mainland to North Africa. From June to December 1940, the Italian Air Force dispatched 7,410 aircraft sorties, dropped 550 tons of bombs on Malta, and lost 35 aircraft, but failed to achieve its combat objectives.

With the intervention of the German Air Force, Italy once again became a supporting role in the air raid on Malta. However, the German and Italian Air Force ultimately failed to win the Battle of Malta. The base was always in the hands of the British army and allowed The German and Italian Air Force paid the price of 1,500 aircraft damaged. In maritime operations, the Italian Air Force's performance was also unsatisfactory. Due to insufficient aircraft performance and poor sea-air coordination, the Italian Air Force was very passive in the Mediterranean naval battle. It could neither effectively cooperate with the fleet operations nor curb the British sea and air offensive. It was defeated. The more you win, the less you win, the more you lose.

After the exhaustion of the long-term war, by the time the Battle of Sicily broke out in July 1943, the Italian Air Force had lost the ability to defend its airspace. As Italy announced its surrender, the remaining Italian air force split into two factions, joining the Allied and German camps to fight respectively.

Artistic painting of a formation of Italian Air Force SM 79 bombers attacking a British convoy in the Mediterranean Sea.

From June 10, 1940 to September 8, 1943, the Italian Air Force lost 6,483 aircraft, including 3,483 fighters, 2,273 bombers and transport aircraft, and 227 reconnaissance aircraft, claiming to have destroyed 4,293 enemy aircraft. aircraft, 1,771 of which were destroyed on the ground. In terms of personnel losses, the Italian Air Force suffered 3,007 killed or missing, 2,731 wounded, and 9,873 captured.

During the war, the Italian Air Force produced a group of ace pilots, among whom 25 pilots achieved 10 or more victories. The one with the highest achievement was Franco Luccini, who achieved 22 aircraft. . Overall, the Italian Air Force was inferior to its main rivals, the British and American Air Forces, and its ally, the German Air Force, in terms of strength. It was far from ready for war, coupled with its inherent flaws in technology, training, and morale, so it suffered greatly during World War II. His performance was not outstanding, but he still proved his combat effectiveness in some local battles.

Franco Luccini, the number one ace of the Italian Air Force in World War II.