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 With a warning and alert system still outdated and with aircraft without airborne radar, with an armament too weak for contrast the heavy bombers, the night fighter’s units of the Regia Aeronautica never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

Close-up of an actually little known Italian plane, the Caproni-Fabrizi F.5 prior a night takeoff from Ciampino Airfield, Rome, 1942. Built by Caproni-Vizzola, at Vizzola Ticino, near the Malpensa airfield, the F.5 was designed by Fabrizio Fabrizi, an officer of the Italian Air Force’s Engineer Corps, as answer to Regia Aeronautica’s requirement for a new monoplane fighter (Program R). After the Fabrizi’s death for flight accident with a Breda 28, the development of F.5 was carried forward by on other Air Force’s engineer, the Lt. Riparbelli. But the project knew some delay and when the prototype flew for first time, 18 February 1939, the Italian Air Ministry had already select the Macchi MC.200. In addition to two prototypes, with cockpit close and sliding canopy, Caproni-Vizzola built only eleven F.5s - The F.5 – metal fuselage and wooden wing, Fiat A74RC38 840-HP radial engine, two Breda-SAFAT 12.7 mm machine guns - with some modification as an open cockpit. This planes was assigned as night fighters to 300th Squadriglia at Ciampino airfield for the Rome’s defence and afterwards, 1942, to 167th Gruppo, always at Ciampino, equipped also with CR.42CN (Caccia Notturna-Night Fighter), without relevant result. On half 1942 the F.5 was phased out. From some sources the F.5 is named also Caproni-Vizzola F.5, but the name Caproni-Fabrizi F.5 is most correct (note the name Fabrizi beyond the engine cowling and ahead the cockpit. Victor Sierra

A little known plane

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