The nose’s emblem of 4st Stormo “Francesco Baracca” on a Macchi MC.202 “Folgore” of this glorious Italian Regia Aeronautica’s fighter unit dedicated to the memory of most important Italian ace of First World War. The picture highlight many details of the front of the most famous Italian fighter aircraft of the WW2. Photographed still in Italy, perhaps at Gorizia, this plane is already equipped with the anti-sand filter for the operations in North Africa. Victor Sierra

MC.202’s nose

A pilot boarding on an Italian Regia Aeronautica’s assault plane Breda 65, with engine running to idle, Libya, perhaps Tobruk, Summer 1940. The photo highlight two of the four machine guns of Breda 65 mounted in the wing and firing outside propeller disk. The four machine guns were two inner 12,7 mm, each with 350 shots, and two outside 7,7 mm each with 500 shots. Employed in Spain by the Italians fighting with the Nationalist during the Spanish Civil War, the Breda 65 was used by Italian Regia Aeronautica also in the first months of wars in North Africa. Almost the Breda 65 were lost during the fierce combats on the first Italian offensive and the British counter-offensive, June-December 1940. Victor Sierra

Breda 65’s weapons

One of the very few three engines bombers Cant-Z-1007bis “Alcione” of Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR), the Air Force of Repubblica Sociale Italiana (RSI), the Italian Fascist Republic founded by Benito Mussolini on late Autumn 1943 in the Italy not again occupied by Allies. The photo, taken in a Northern Italy’s airport on 1944 - in background a torpedo-bomber Savoia-Marchetti S.79 with the ANR’s colors - depict many particulars of the front of this elegant bomber designed by Filippo Zappata. Note, for example, the long exhaust pipe of central engine, and, under the fuselage, the bombardier’s station. Victor Sierra