In front to a destroyed hangar a young man and a kid, likely of the German retreat, end May 1944, studying the wreck of an abandoned German aircraft on Lyon-Bron airport. The aircraft is an Italian-built Reggiane Re.2002 fighter-bomber used by the Luftwaffe’s Stab/Geschwader Bongart for anti-partisan role flying from many French airports where some airplanes of this type was destroyed on the ground by Allied air raids. Lyon-Bron was one of them. Victor Sierra

German Re.2002 at Lyon

Close-up of the running Piaggio P.XIX RC45 1,160 HP engine of one of the Reggiane Re.2002s employed in 1944/45 by Luftwaffe’s in France in the anti-partisan role. After the Italy’s surrender on September 1943, the German Air Force seized some 40 Regia Aeronautica’s Re.2002 (nicknamed in Italy “Ariete”. Ram) while the Reichluftfahrtministerium (RLM) demanded to Officine Reggiane (Caproni Group) the completion of two former Italian batches, total 83 aircraft, and the preparation of a production of 500 airplanes. But the Reggiane’s factory, at Reggio Emilia, was destroyed by allied air raids on 7 and 8 January 1944 and the aircraft really manufactured was only 14 a part other already existing airframes completed according the Luftwaffe’s requirements. In all, during 1944, the Reggiane produced for RLM 60 news Re.2002 Series 2, but only 25 was really delivered to Luftwaffe. Victor Sierra

German Re.2002

Rot 5 (Red Five), WNr 1256, an Italian-built Reggiane Re.2002 of the Luftwaffe’s Geschwader Bongart, hit by the French partisans and crashed on Amboiras, 30 km SE Limoges. The fuselage of this aircraft is today exposed inside the Musée de la Resistance at Limoges. For the complete history of this aircraft and of the Geschwader Bongart see http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/661496-3/RE2002LW. Victor Sierra