Italian Forces

El Conde Rossi with Ramòn Franco

Luce/ facebook Gaio Mario - Familiari dei combattenti del CTV

One of the first SM 81 landed on Palma the Maiorca. In front of the aircraft, among others, el Conde Rossi and Ramòn Franco, brother of Francisco Franco and nominal leader of the Nationalist air force in the Baleares. Note the high visibility b/w stripes of the SM 81, 8 years before the "invasion stripes" of the allied aircrafts over Normandy. DVX