![]() ![]() Finnish Fiat pilots shot down 99 Soviet aircraft for the loss of only three of their own, representing the best ratio of victories to losses achieved by any single fighter type in the service of a specific air arm during the war. ![]() Sadly for Italy, the amazing kill to loss ratio mentioned above was actually achieved by the Freccia in service with the Finns who operated 33 G.50s from the end of the Winter War, through the Continuation War and on until 1944 when these now quite aged aircraft were withdrawn from the front line. The little Fiat did better with Italian forces in North Africa but its career could hardly be described as spectacular. A few G.50s were committed to the Battle of Britain but despite flying 479 sorties failed to intercept a single British aircraft. Gifted to Spain at the end of the conflict these G.50s would later see combat in Morocco but by that time the Freccia had been in action against both the French and British. Dangerous canopy notwithstanding, 12 examples of the G.50 were sent to Spain to be evaluated under combat conditions although none actually took part in any fighting so this evaluation could be considered inconclusive at best. Even the most forward-thinking and radical fighter pilot is generally in favour of the idea of being able to escape the aircraft in the event of, say, a massive terrifying fire. The latter feature was discarded fairly rapidly, though not, as has often been suggested, due to the highly conservative nature of Italian fighter pilots but rather because it was virtually impossible to open in flight. Designed by Guiseppe Gabrielli, who would later rustle up the pretty G.91 jet for NATO use, the Fiat G.50 was the first Italian monoplane fighter and was fitted with such amazing novelties as retractable undercarriage and an enclosed cockpit. How many Italian fighters achieved a 33/1 kill loss ratio during the Second World War? If your answer to the second question is ‘none’: well, you’re half right – as we shall see. Fiat G.50 Freccia (‘Arrow’) Colourization by Michael Jucan Here is a totally subjective top ten of these relative rarities. Second World War Italian aircraft design was often brilliant but was unfortunately dependant on Italian industrial output, which was not. The Regia Aeronautica entered the war (a little late) fresh from a spectacularly successful campaign in the Spanish Civil War where Italian aircraft had proved to be amongst the world’s best. Derided by their foes and patronised by their major ally, the armed forces of Italy during World War II have not been given the subsequent level of historical attention they deserve.
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