Engines canvas and wings frozen of an Italian transport aircraft S.81 parked on a snow-capped Russian airport, Winter 1941/1942. Note some German aircrafts in background. An important mission of the S.81s, now reinforced by another Squadriglia, 247th based in Romania at Otopeni, was the evacuation of men and more 70 serious wounded by the airfield of Kantemirovka surrounded by Soviet armored troops carried out despite the hard difficult weather of this days (18-21 December 1941). Victor Sierra

Snow and ice

Russia, Winter 1941: with the help of one heater the aircraft airmen warm the engines, the right engine is still covert by canvas, of an Italian transport aircraft Savoia-Marchetti S.81. Already downgraded from bomber to transport role, the S.81s carried out a hard, but precious work supporting the Italian troops on the very difficult weather and environmental conditions of Russian Front. The air component of Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia, afterwards Italian Army in Russia, had a Sezione Trasporti (Transport Section) at the beginning with two Squadriglie: 245th Squadriglia (Capt Ernesto Caprioglio) and 246th Squadriglia (Capt Nicola Fattibene), both with about twenty S.81, based at Krivoi Rog. Victor Sierra

Russian winter

An Italian Regia Aeronautica’s S.81 landing on the runway just cleaned from the snow of a Russian airport. Between end 1941 and beginning 1942 six S.81s was lost in action, during the supply missions of the Italian frontline, three shot down by Soviet AA fire. During a difficult mission for supply of an Italo-German unit, 7,000 Italians and 4,000 Germans, encircled at Tscerkow, by Soviet troops, on 29 December 1941, was MIA the same leader of the Italian Air Corps in Russia, General Enrico Pezzi, took off from Woroscilovgrad with the plane loaded of food and drugs. The General Pezzi landed at Tscerkow where took off for Woroscilovgrad with some wounded on board but never arrived. With the General Pezzi, awarded of Gold Metal, was missed the entire S.81’s seven crewmen. The last S.81s still in flight conditions was retired by the Russian front at beginning of 1943. Victor Sierra