Exploring Fiat Fighter Aircraft WW2: Italy’s Top Warplanes
Often overlooked by history, the armed forces of Italy during World War II, though sometimes criticized by allies and foes alike, possessed remarkable design talent despite industrial limitations. The Regia Aeronautica entered the conflict following a successful showing in the Spanish Civil War, where Italian aircraft had demonstrated capability. While industrial output was a challenge, the designs themselves were frequently brilliant. Here is a subjective ranking of ten notable Italian aircraft from WWII, including prominent Fiat Fighter Aircraft Ww2.
10. Fiat G.50 Freccia (‘Arrow’)
How many Italian fighters achieved a 33:1 kill-loss ratio during World War II? Surprisingly, the answer is one, although not strictly for Italy. Designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli, who later designed the G.91 jet, the Fiat G.50 was Italy’s first monoplane fighter, featuring innovations like retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit. The latter feature was quickly removed, not due to pilot conservatism but because it was difficult to open in flight – a critical safety issue.
[An original image from the source article.
Twelve G.50s were sent to Spain for evaluation, though they saw no combat. Later, these aircraft saw action in Morocco. The Freccia was also used by Italian forces against the French and British. A small contingent of G.50s participated in the Battle of Britain, flying 479 sorties but failing to intercept any British aircraft. It performed better in North Africa but did not have a spectacular career with Italy. Discussions around future military fighter aircraft often reflect on how design and performance evolve over time, a stark contrast to the challenges faced by early warplanes like the G.50.
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Colorized image of a Fiat G.50 fighter plane.
The impressive kill-loss ratio was achieved by the Finnish Air Force, which operated 33 G.50s from the Winter War until 1944. Finnish pilots achieved 99 victories against Soviet aircraft for the loss of only three G.50s, the best ratio for any single fighter type with a specific air arm during the war. Despite this, Finnish pilots often preferred the MS.406, Hurricane, and Brewster Buffalo, finding the G.50’s open cockpit uncomfortable in winter. After being withdrawn from frontline service, G.50s served as trainers until 1946. The Fiat G.50 was generally a modest performer, but its incredible success rate in Finnish service makes it noteworthy.
9. Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (‘Sparrowhawk’)
First flying in 1934, the SM.79, nicknamed the ‘damned hunchback’ due to its distinctive dorsal hump, proved incredibly resilient. It was arguably the best bomber of the Spanish Civil War and later became the Axis’s most effective torpedo bomber. Known for its sturdy construction and reliability – qualities not always associated with Italian wartime engineering – the SM.79 outlasted its intended replacement.
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A Fiat G.50 aircraft on the ground.
In Spain, the Sparviero was highly effective and rarely intercepted, partly because Italy lacked fighters fast enough to escort it. Only four of around 100 committed aircraft were lost on operations. While its speed advantage diminished by 1940 against newer British fighters, it remained a reliable medium bomber. The SM.79 truly excelled as a torpedo bomber, sinking significant Allied shipping. The top Sparviero torpedo pilot, Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia, was credited with sinking over 90,000 tonnes of enemy shipping.
Historical photo of a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 in flight.
The SM.79 served with various air forces, including Yugoslavia, Iraq, Brazil, and Romania (which licence-built a twin-engine version). Surprisingly, four SM.79s even flew with the RAF briefly in 1941. Lebanon used them until 1965, making it the last Italian WWII aircraft type in active service globally. Two surviving examples are former Lebanese aircraft. Considering how air forces today plan their long-term needs with aircraft like the indian air force future fighter aircraft, the SM.79’s longevity is remarkable.
8. Fiat CR.42 Falco (‘Falcon’)
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Formation of Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 aircraft.
Was the CR.42 an outdated biplane or a fighter well-suited to specific conditions? Perhaps both. The culmination of Fiat’s successful biplane fighter line, the CR.42, featuring a radial engine, appeared late for the Spanish Civil War, where the move to monoplanes was already clear. Despite its perceived obsolescence, this Fiat Fighter Aircraft Ww2 was a significant export success, ordered by Hungary, Sweden, and Belgium.
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Promotional image for a book related to warplanes.
The CR.42 first saw combat with Belgium, even shooting down two Bf 109s before Belgium fell. With Italy, it performed well in the brief French campaign and particularly shone in East Africa, decisively beating RAF Gladiators. The top-scoring biplane ace of WWII, Mario Visintini, achieved most of his victories in the CR.42 during this campaign.
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Savoia Marchetti SM 79 Sparviero in flight.
Over North Africa and Malta, the Falco proved adequate against Hurricanes when well-handled. In Greece, CR.42s were highly successful against the defenders. Hungarian Fiats also performed well on the Eastern Front. As modern monoplanes became dominant, the CR.42 transitioned effectively to ground attack due to its excellent handling and manoeuvrability at low level. Its effectiveness was such that after Italy’s 1943 capitulation, Germany restarted its production for Luftwaffe use as light night attack bombers. This fiat fighter aircraft ww2 is notable for having served with the Luftwaffe, as part of the Luftwaffe, and against the Luftwaffe. With over 1800 built, it was the most produced Italian aircraft of the war.
7. Macchi MC.200 Saetta (‘Lightning’)
Fiat CR.42 Falco biplane fighter.
Initially surprising many, the Macchi MC.200 Saetta was a formidable dogfighter with outstanding performance and no vices in combat against aircraft like the Hurricane. Designed by Mario Castoldi, it was a monoplane fighter following Macchi’s success in seaplane racing, though it bore little visual resemblance to its predecessors, being powered by a Fiat A.74 radial engine.
Promotional image for ‘The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes Vol 1’.
Like the G.50, it initially featured an enclosed cockpit which was soon removed. Its armament of two 12.7 mm machine guns was typical for early Italian fighters, though doubled from the original specification. An unusual design feature was one wing being slightly longer than the other to counteract propeller torque. Early spin issues were resolved before Italy entered the war, resulting in viceless handling.
Ground crew adding ammunition to a Macchi C.200 Saetta.
Entering service in 1939, the MC.200 was one of the best operational fighters globally at the war’s outbreak. However, Italian standardization efforts meant it remained in production largely unchanged until 1943, being overtaken by the rapid pace of fighter development. Despite becoming pedestrian by 1943, the Saetta flew more combat sorties than any other Italian type. It could outmanoeuvre P-40s and Hurricanes in North Africa and proved rugged. It also saw service as a fighter-bomber and on the Eastern Front, where Italian MC.200s achieved a favourable kill ratio.
After 1943, Saettas served briefly in close support roles and extensively as trainers until 1947. The development of fighter aircraft has continued through various generations, leading to discussions about advanced concepts like 7th gen fighter aircraft, highlighting the stark evolution from early monoplanes like the MC.200.
6. CANT Z.506B Airone (‘Heron’)
[A Fiat G.50 on the ground.
A rare example of a seaplane successfully developed into a landplane, the slender CANT Z.506B trimotor bomber was one of the last frontline aircraft built primarily of wood. Initially a commercial airliner that set numerous records, the Z.506B military version added a ventral gondola for bombing and defence. It also set records, including a 7020km non-stop flight. It saw service in the Spanish Civil War, beginning a remarkable 24-year frontline career.
A CANT Z.506B Airone seaplane.
Despite its wooden structure, the Airone was noted for its ability to operate in rough seas. It performed coastal raids, anti-shipping strikes (with torpedoes), maritime patrol, reconnaissance, and transport duties. A dedicated air-sea rescue version, the Z.506S, saved hundreds of people, often facing attacks despite Red Cross markings. After the Italian capitulation, Z.506s were used by both Allied-aligned and German forces. Its excellent endurance and seaworthiness kept it in air-sea rescue service until 1959.
The Z.506B is also known for a unique incident in 1942 when Allied POWs rescued by one hijacked the aircraft and flew it to Malta, where it joined the RAF.
5. Macchi MC.205V Veltro (‘Greyhound’)
Macchi MC-205V Veltro fighter aircraft.
The pinnacle of Macchi’s wartime fighter development, the MC.205V Veltro combined the superb Daimler-Benz DB.605 engine (licence-built as the Fiat RA.1050 Tifone) with the exceptional handling of the MC.202 Folgore (an MC.200 re-engined with a DB.601). This resulted in a world-class airframe. It was also one of the first Italian fighters with significant armament: two 20mm cannon and two 12.7mm machine guns.
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Promotional image for ‘The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes Vol 2’.
While considered slightly inferior to the Reggiane Re.2005 and Fiat G.55, the Veltro was a magnificent performer. Importantly, as a development of the mass-produced MC.202, it could be built in greater numbers quickly compared to its contemporaries. 146 MC.205Vs entered Regia Aeronautica service before the 1943 armistice.
Reggiane Re2005 Sagittario fighter in Northern Italy.
Veltro pilots were very successful. Its handling was familiar to pilots transitioning from the MC.202. British test pilot Eric Brown praised it as “one of the finest aircraft I ever flew.” Top MC.205 pilot Luigi Gorrini claimed 14 victories in the type, while Italy’s top ace, Adriano Visconti, scored 11 of his 26 victories in the MC.205. After the armistice, Veltros served with both the Allied-aligned Co-Belligerent Air Force and the Fascist ANR. The Luftwaffe briefly operated a few, noting its speed and handling but criticizing its reliability and servicing times. The pursuit of advanced capabilities continues with modern fighter programs, including those considered for india future fighter aircraft.
The Veltro served with the postwar Italian Air Force until 1955, with some newly built examples supplied to Egypt, seeing combat in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
4. Piaggio P.108
Piaggio P.108 heavy bomber aircraft.
Alone among the Axis powers, Italy produced and used a four-engine heavy bomber in combat. The Piaggio P.108B (Bombardiere) was built in small numbers (only 24 bomber variants), but it was a remarkable aircraft, comparing favourably to Allied contemporaries like the Lancaster and B-17. It was slightly faster than both, carried a bombload between them, and had similar range. Unlike most Italian aircraft, it featured a powerful, advanced defensive armament, including remotely controlled wing turrets. It was also exceptionally strong, built to fighter-level load factors, making it unusually robust.
[Another promotional image for ‘The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes Vol 2’.
The P.108 saw limited combat, undertaking missions against targets like Gibraltar. Several were lost to night fighters. However, the P.108 was also developed into transport variants. The P.108C was a planned pressurized transatlantic airliner, ordered despite Italy being at war with the USA. More successfully, the P.108T was a military transport capable of carrying up to 60 troops or 12 tonnes of cargo, including two partially dismantled MC.200 fighters. These transports saw extensive use with the Luftwaffe after 1943, proving invaluable during the Crimea withdrawal.
Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 ‘Kanguru’ transport aircraft.
Most spectacular was the P.108A (Artigliere), armed with a 102mm anti-ship gun in the nose, though this variant did not see operational service. While bomber production was low, the transport variants were more numerous under German control and served until the war’s end.
3. Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario (‘Archer’)
Fiat G.55 Centauro fighter aircraft.
Considered by many to be the most beautiful of the Italian Serie V fighters powered by the Fiat-built DB 605 engine, the Re.2005 Sagittario was an exceptionally promising design. Despite an order for 750, Italian industrial capacity limited production to only 54 aircraft, flown by just one unit. Development of the earlier Re.2001, the Re.2005 was a complicated, expensive airframe ill-suited to Italy’s limited resources, but possessed outstanding design flair.
Savoia Marchetti SM 82 at Vigna di Valle Air Force Museum.
Officially rated the best-flying of the DB 605-powered Italian fighters, the Re.2005 had a brief but impactful combat career from April 1943 until the September armistice. It proved superior to the MC.205 against high-flying American bombers due to its greater wing area, allowing better high-altitude manoeuvre. Its only significant fault was tail flutter at very high speeds, which was reportedly resolved. Italian pilots loved it, and German test pilots were grudgingly impressed. RAF Wing Commander Wilfrid Duncan Smith noted its potency, believing Spitfires would have struggled against it in numbers. Ultimately, its low production numbers rendered this magnificent aircraft essentially irrelevant to the war’s outcome. The complexity and cost of high-performance aircraft remain a factor today, influencing the feasibility of advanced designs like seventh generation fighter aircraft.
2. FIAT G.55 Centauro (‘Centaur’)
[An original image from the source article.
Widely considered the best Italian fighter of WWII, the Fiat G.55 was so impressive that German experts, including Kurt Tank (designer of the Fw 190), rated it potentially the best fighter in the Axis. While a better fighter than the Bf 109, its complexity meant it took three times longer to build, halting German plans for mass production. Compared to the Re.2005 and MC.205, this fiat fighter aircraft ww2 had fewer teething issues, was easier to build than the Re.2005, and demonstrated superior altitude performance to the MC.205.
[Colorized image of a Fiat G.50 fighter plane.
Only 35 were delivered before the Italian armistice. Pilots who flew it were thrilled. The 353rd Squadriglia, defending Rome in the summer of 1943, used the Centauro‘s altitude performance effectively against American bombers. With three 20mm cannon and two 12.7mm machine guns, its armament was more than capable of taking down a heavy bomber, overturning the stereotype of underarmed Italian fighters.
[A Fiat G.50 aircraft on the ground.
After the armistice, many G.55s were confiscated by the Luftwaffe, and this fiat fighter aircraft ww2 continued in production for the Fascist ANR. Ultimately, 274 were built during the war, forming the equipment of four ANR frontline squadrons. The G.55 even returned to production after the war in 1946, with a further 74 examples built for the Italian Air Force, Syria, Egypt, and Argentina, seeing combat against Israeli aircraft. Shortage of the DB 605 engine led to a Rolls-Royce Merlin-powered version, the G.59, which served as an advanced trainer until 1965. The G.55/G.59 line represents astonishing longevity for an Axis fighter, rivalled only by the Spanish Merlin-powered Bf 109 derivative, the Hispano Buchon, though the G.59 was a superior design. The journey from early designs like the G.55 to aspirations like 7th gen fighter aircraft illustrates the relentless pace of aerospace innovation.
1. Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 Kanguru (‘Kangaroo’)
Historical photo of a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 in flight.
Perhaps neither glamorous nor aesthetically striking, the corpulent Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 was arguably the most useful aircraft produced by Italian industry during WWII. It was the Axis’s most numerous transport aircraft, serving extensively with both Allied-aligned Italian forces and the Luftwaffe after 1943, and remained in Italian service until the early 1960s. Developed from the SM.75 airliner, the Kanguru adopted a double-deck fuselage, carrying 32 passengers above and freight below.
[Formation of Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 aircraft.
Maintaining a 1930s trend, it functioned as a bomber-transport, featuring large bomb bay doors that also served as cargo access. It could carry up to 4000kg of bombs. Despite a modern exterior, its construction was old-fashioned, with a steel tube fuselage framework and largely wooden wings.
[Promotional image for a book related to warplanes.
The prototype SM.82 made headlines with a 10,000km non-stop flight. Production aircraft entered service in 1940 and were constantly in demand for supplying Italian forces, notably delivering 51 CR.42 fighters and spare engines to East Africa. The Kanguru also conducted audacious long-range bombing missions, including a 15-hour raid on Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, the longest bombing raid by any nation at that time, which caused significant shock and forced costly defensive upgrades. It even operated civil airline services to Brazil for nearly two years during the war. The logistical needs of air forces today continue to shape development, influencing designs beyond just fighter jets, a consideration for countries evaluating their defence capabilities and india future fighter aircraft.
Recognized for its capacity, the SM.82 became the most numerous foreign aircraft in the wartime Luftwaffe, with 100 operated by FliegerTransportGruppe “Savoia” from 1942. After the Italian armistice, Savoia Marchetti built a further 299 for the Luftwaffe. The Kanguru also continued service with Italian units on both sides of the conflict. After the war, the Italian Air Force flew the SM.82 until at least 1960, later fitted with more reliable Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines. Slow and vulnerable as a bomber, the SM.82’s practicality, range, and versatility as a transport workhorse made it the most effective wartime aircraft produced in Italy, with 726 built, significantly contributing to the conflict on both sides.
[Savoia Marchetti SM 79 Sparviero in flight.
This look at Italy’s top ten aircraft of World War II, including notable fiat fighter aircraft ww2 like the G.50, CR.42, and G.55, highlights a range of designs that were sometimes brilliant, occasionally flawed, but often more significant than commonly acknowledged. From groundbreaking monoplanes to resilient transports, Italian aviation during the conflict presented a complex mix of innovation, industrial constraint, and operational impact.
