Italian Forces

The Fiat CR.25

Two Fiat CR.25s of Italian Regia Aeronautica’s 173rd Squadriglia Ricognizione Strategica flying over Palermo. Originally conceived by Ing. Celestino Rosatelli like heavy-assault fighter plane (CR=Caccia Rosatelli=Fighter Rosatelli), powered by two Fiat A74-RC38s radial engines, 840 HP each, and ordered in 40 exemplars, was changed in reconnaissance strategic aircraft on orders by military authorities. But, after the first flight of the prototype, 22 July 1937, the original purchase was reduced to ten aircrafts of series. Eight of ten aircraft produced, armed with two Breda-SAFAT 12,7 mm machine guns on the nose of the fuselage and another single 12,7 mm on a dorsal turret plus a maximum bombs load of 300 kg, were assigned to 173rd Squadriglia Ricognizione Strategica based at Palermo-Boccadifalco Airport and active also on other Sicilian airfields. An aircraft, modified in VIP transport, was assigned to Italian Air Attaché at Berlin. The first mission of the Squadriglia date back to 24 July 1941. Any CR.25 was lost in combat mission. Only a CR.25 of 173rd Squadriglia was lost in a land accident. On beginning of 1943 only four aircrafts of 173rd Squadriglia were still in flight conditions and on February were transferred and stocked at Cameri, in Northern Italy. Victor Sierra