Three-fourths view of an Italian Dewoitine D 520, surely the same aircraft of the previous picture. The photo highlight many details of this famous French fighter airplane however not in “fresh-fabric” conditions. In effect the French Vichy Air Force D 520s seized on November 1942 by the Italians on the Southern France airports, in particular Montélimar, Orange, Istres and Aix-en-Provence, were aircraft dating back to 1940 and a long time used before by the Armée de l’Air and after by the Vichy’s Air Force. The Italian Regia Aeronautica seized almost seventy D 520 included thirty aircraft exchanged, 21 May 1943, with the 39 Lioré-et-Olivier Le0.451 bombers captured by the Italian troops and requested by the Luftwaffe. Victor Sierra


Italian Dewoitine D 520

Unusual rear-view of a Regia Aeronautica’s Dewoitine D 520 after its transfer from the France to Italy, early 1943. The aircraft keeping the original French Vichy Air Force’s camouflages with the addition of the standard Italian Air Force’s marking (white cross, but without the transfer with the House of Savoy’s emblem, over the tail, white band over the fuselage) plus two white strips on the wings, this latter affixed on all French aircrafts seized after the invasion of the Vichy’s France. Photo taken, perhaps at Guidonia’s Flight Test Center, before the aircraft’s assignment to an active combat unit. Victor Sierra



Dewoitine fighter in Italy

One of the few Fieseler Fi.156 Storch employed by the Italian Regia Aeronautica during the WW2 photographed in Libya. The first Italian Storch was the plane given by Hermann Göring to Air Marshal Italo Balbo, at this time, early 1939, Governor of the Libya, late Thirties, construction number 719, registered on 2 January 1939 as civil aircraft with the registration I-ULIA (Iulia was the surname of Balbo’s daughter Giuliana), former D-IGZN. After the Balbo’s death (28 June 1940) the I-ULIA was switched to Regia Aeronautica and registered as military aircraft. An Italian Storch was in the fleet of the co-belligerent Regia Aeronautica and employed by Lt. Furio Lauri behind the German lines for “cover missions”. It’s the same Storch today exhibit in the Italian Air Force Museum. Victor Sierra