North Africa, 1942: British soldiers looking at an abandoned wreck of an Italian fighter Fiat CR.42. Note the Savoia’s emblem on the rudder taken away by a souvenir hunter. Victor Sierra

Wrecked plane in the desert

A Sicilian airfield, spring 1941, busy by a large number of Macchi MC.200s “Saetta” of Italian Regia Aeronautica. The planes are of two different series of this Italian fighter. The majority are MC.200s of first series with enclosed cockpit and sliding canopy, all of 1st Stormo Caccia, but the plane in foreground, a fighter of 90th Squadriglia, 10th Gruppo of 4st Stormo, is a second series with open cockpit. This plane already has the white band on fuselage, with the "Prancing Horse", emblem of 10th Gruppo, superimposed, while under the cockpit, behind the Fascio Littorio, is visible the red elephant in white disk, emblem of 90th Squadriglia. The airfield is also busy by many ground crewmen assisting the pilots and aircraft to ready for the pending mission certainly over Malta. Note at the border of airfield some biplane fighter Fiat CR.42s. Victor Sierra

A busy airfield

Armorer loading the bombs onboard of an Italian bomber Savoia-Marchetti S.79 of 32nd Stormo on Decimomannu, Sardinia, 13 September 1940. Victor Sierra