Macchi MC.202 “Folgore” of the Italian Regia Aeronautica’s 22° Gruppo Caccia (22nd Fighter Group), commissioned for the Naples defence, in flight in the face of the Vesuvius, Summer 1943. Victor Sierra

In face to Vesuvius

Under the floodlights two Caproni-Fabrizi F.5 (the aircraft in background seem a CR.42) of the Regia Aeronautica’s 300th Squadriglia warming up the engines at Ciampino, Rome. The F.5, as the CR.42CN and, to some degree, also the Re.2001CN, was another second best taken by the Italian Air Force to compensate for the lack of an authentic night fighter. With a warning and alert system still outdated and with aircraft without airborne radar, with an armament too weak for contrast the heavy bombers, the night fighter’s units of the Regia Aeronautica never performed a serious danger for the RAF’s Bomber Command. When the Regia Aeronautica had few Dornier 217Js was too late. Victor Sierra

Second best

While two ground crew men bustling about a compressor, likely used for the start of the fighter’s engine, an Italian Air Force’s fighter pilot going to taxying for takeoff. Note the elevator “all to pitch”. The aircraft is a Macchi MC.202 “Folgore” (Lightning) of the 4th Stormo “Francesco Baracca”, 90th Squadriglia, a famous Italian fighter unit during WW2 (still existing as 4th Stormo “Duca d’Aosta” with Eurofighter Typhoon at Grosseto Air Base). The plane has the “African camouflage”, but likely this photo was taken in Italy (Sicily?) on 1942. Victor Sierra