Piloted by the Lt. Giulio Reiner, the Reggiane Re.2000 MM8281 taking off through catapult from the Giuseppe Miraglia test ship. Likely this photo depict the first launch performed on 9 May 1942. Victor Sierra

Launched!

The Reggiane Re.2000 MM8281 (MM for Matricola Militare/military registration) during the launch’s through catapult tests on board of the ship Giuseppe Miraglia on May 1942. The aircraft is probably is the same plane discovered on the sea floor in front to Liguria’s coast an April 2012 during the test onboard to ship. Victor Sierra

The tests of the MM8281

One of the two prototypes of Savoia-Marchetti SM.95 likely at Vergiate where this four engines transport aircraft flew for first time on May 1943 with the test pilot Guglielmo Algarotti at controls (after the war Algarotti moved to civil airlines and on 18 December 1954 was killed in the LAI-Linee Aeree Italiane’s accident at New York when the DC-6B I-LINE, of which were the captain, approaching to Idlewild Airport, today New York-JFK Airport, crashed in the New York Bay). The SM.95 was designed by Alessandro Marchetti as a long range airliner with cabin for 18 passengers with the Marchetti’s typical mixed structure and four 860-HP Alfa Romeo 128 RC.18 radial engines. The design was embedded by the Regia Aeronautica which on September 1942 purchased one aircraft, besides the first built by Savoia-Marchetti on his own initiative, together with three aircraft in bomber version (SM.95B) never built. The test at Vergiate ended on 13 August 1943 and Algarotti transferred the SM.95 to Guidonia’s Flying Test Center for military test. The SM.95’s last flight at Guidonia date to 8 September 1943, the same day of announcement of the Italy’s Armistice. At Guidonia the two SM.95s built (NC.41001 and NC.41002) was seized by the German and transferred in Germany. At the time of Armistice the Savoia-Marchetti had the third SM.95 civil nearly finished (NC.41003) and the first pieces of the bomber SM.95B (NC.41004), both completed after the war on 1945. The SM.95B (MM.61635) was acquired by the Aeronautica Militare together other four planes built for the new air force born after Italian Republic’s proclamation. Some SM.95s with 1050-hp Bristol Pegasus type 48 or 1217-hp Pratt & Whitney SIC-6 Twin Wasp R-1830 engines was produced as commercial airliners for Alitalia, LATI and the Italo-Egyptian airline SAIDE The last SM.95 was completed on 18 November 1949. For the History: the last Italy’s King, Umberto II, took off from Rome, Ciampino Airport, to Portugal, country of his exile, after the referendum of 2 June 1946, end of the monarchy, on board of one SM.95. Victor Sierra