Instructor, in rear seat, and student, in forward seat, at one of Fighter Schools of Italian Regia Aeronautica in time immediately near or soon after the entry of Italy in the war. The aircraft is a Fiat CR.30B, two-seat version of fighter CR.30, the immediate precursor of CR.32. Victor Sierra

Instructor and student

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 I-LAVO, military registration MM60389, of the Nucleo Comunicazioni Ala Littoria (Ala Littoria’s Communications Unit) on a Russian airfield (likely Saporoshje or Voroscilovgrad), late 1943-early 1943 with, in background, another aircraft of the same type. The Nucleo Comunicazioni Ala Littoria was one of two Nuclei Comunicazione – the other was the Nucleo Comunicazioni LATI for long range lines – established inside the Comando Servizi Aerei Speciali (Special Air Services Command) in turn founded on 4 June 1940, for guarantee the continuation of some civil air services with allied or neutral countries as well as the transport of mail to the front. The distinction from the other component of the Special Air Services Command, the Reparti T (Reparti T/Air Transport Units) with exclusive military transport’s goal was retained upon during the entire conflict, but often Nuclei Comunicazione and Reparti T accomplished same missions as the troop transportation. I-LAVO, an 1st series SM.75 with 1,000 HP Fiat A.80RC-41 radial engines delivered to Ala Littoria on 1939, was one of three Nucleo Comunicazioni Ala Littoria’s SM.75 - militarized with military registration and marking (MM/Matricola Militare, MM60389 for the I-LAVO) but retaining the original civil registration – committed to a line from Italy to Russian front along the route Rome/Ciampino-Belgrade-Bucharest-Saporoshje-Voroscilovgrad in attendance of the Italian troops. I-LAVO was already committed in many missions as, from 18 to 23 November 1940, the troops transport from Italy (Brindisi) to Albania(Tirana), together the I-LAOS, I-LIAN, I-TINA and I-TITO. On 20 December 1940, during a mission in Libya, I-LAVO was damaged at Castel Benito airfield, Tripoli, by an enemy raid. On 19 April 1942 I-LAVO is one of 19 SM.75 in strength to Nucleo Comunicazioni Ala Littoria. One year later, on 14 May 1943, I-LAVO was destroyed in Sardinia, on Alghero airfield, by an enemy raid. Victor Sierra

On a Russian airfield 

A ground crewman aid a pilot of an Italian fighter aircraft Fiat CR.42 to get ready for the flight. Note the very few military dress of ground crewman and the pilot in shorts but wearing the Marus, the classic flying jacket of Italian pilots during the WW2, and also after the war, and the back parachute Salvator, standard in Italian Air Force of WW2 and used also in the years soon after for the propeller planes. The dress, and also the white helmet, indicate a location very hot, like the Libya, Summer 1940. Victor Sierra