Fiat Aeritalia Fighters
by
Luigino Caliaro
The Italian aircraft industry was hobbled during World War II due to Italy not having enough manufacturing infrastructure. This was exceedingly lucky for the Allied powers. While Italy started the war with outdated airplanes, they soon developed some excellent designs that were as good or better than their allies or enemies. With this book, the second in a trilogy about Italian fighters, the author shows us those that were designed by the Fiat company.
The book starts with a preamble about the history of Fiat's contribution to aviation going back to 1908. It then goes into a synopsis of the company's involvement with aircraft until the present day. The meat of the book starts in the Interwar years with the design and manufacture of the CR.20. This then developed into the CR.32, a very formidable aircraft at its inception. This airplane was blooded in the Spanish Civil War and gave a good report of itself against the Russian aircraft that the Republicans flew.
Next, we have the design and history of the last Fiat biplane, the CR.42 Falco. This plane was one of the ultimate designs of the biplane era. The CR.42 frame was of an all-metal construction. It started to come off the assembly line in 1939. In the short campaign against France, it did well against the opposition. The plane was also useful in the very early period of the war in North Africa. However, it was still in use by the time Britain was able to manufacture enough Hurricanes and Spitfires to be used against it.
The FIAT G.50 Freccia was of the next generation of Italian fighters. These were among the first group of monoplane fighters that were considered for the Royal Italian Air Force. These types of Italian fighters had the 'chunkier' shape of many of the prewar designs from other countries. They did not resemble the shark like fighter aircraft being developed by Germany and Great Britian. Although a reasonably good aircraft for 1940, it soon was delegated to a second line one due to a lack of speed and armament.
The FIAT G.55 Centauro is considered by many to the be ultimate Italian fighter in World War II. Compared to most Italian fighters of this time it was equipped with a very strong arsenal of cannons and machine guns. It was more than a match for any fighter in the skies above Europe during the middle of the war years. The author includes a conversation of the leaders of the German Luftwaffe praising the G.55 when it was flown against the Germans' latest types in 1943. Luckily for the Allies the Germans did not begin manufacturing the G.55. Also luckily, the Italian infrastructure was incapable of building more than a few of them.
The book is very large, a real coffee table tome. It is absolutely filled on every page with photographs. The author not only goes through each plane's development, but also its use by the Italian Royal Air Force and other nations. The last part of the book shows surviving examples of the planes. For the person interested in aviation, this is a must read. It is also invariable for the modeler and really anyone interested in Italian aviation. Thank you, Casemate Publishers for allowing me to review this encyclopedic reference book on Fiat fighters, both before and during World War II.
Robert Peterson
Book: Fiat Aeritalia Fighters
Author: Luigino Caliaro
Publisher: Crecy Classic
Distributor: Casemate Publishers
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