Italian Forces

The “Artigliere”

A singular version of Italian strategic bomber aircraft was the P.108A (“A” for “Artigliere”, Gunner) developed in November 1942 for anti-shipping duties and armed with a 102 mm (4 in), a modified high velocity Ansaldo 90/53 mm gun, firing shells weighing 13 kg (30 lb), with a muzzle velocity of over 600 m/s. The gun was mounted longitudinally in a modified nose in the fuselage centreline, at a depressed angle, with a very strong recoil action which the 27 tonne (30 ton) airframe was nevertheless able to absorb. The load of ammunitions that could be carried was around 50-60 rounds for the main gun. Initial modifications were made to an existing airframe, aircraft MM.24318, which flew at Villanova d'Albenga airfield, near Savona, on 16 December 1942. The modifications were completed in February 1943 and testing, commenced on 3 March of the same year, was satisfactory, reaching a maximum speed of around 440 km/h due to the more aerodynamic redesigned nose. The P.108A flew to Furbara Test Range, North-West of Rome, on 19 March, and later to Pisa on 16 April, where it carried out a series of firing trials at altitudes between 1,500 and 4,500 meters to collect the ballistic data for negative angles of elevation that was required to allow the computing gunsight to be produced. After 24 hours and 40 minutes of flight and weapons trials, the aircraft returned to Albenga and later, 22 May 1943, was officially presented again at Furbara. The plans was to build five further P.108As, as well as convert another five or possibly all P.108Bs available was reduced, on 29 June 1943, at only five aircraft, and in July, the order was further limited to two planes, and eventually cancelled. On 6 and 8 September 1943, at moment of Armistice of Italy, the P.108A made other weapons tests over the sea, finally equipped with the San Giorgio calibration/aiming system. After the Armistice the German forces controlling Northern Italy seized the aircraft. Repaired after some damages from an Allied bombing and with the Luftwaffe’s marking the “Artigliere”, in April 1944, was moved to Rechlin Test Center in Germany where it was probably destroyed by an Allied raid. Victor Sierra