Italian Forces

The story of I-ALAN

Benghazi Airport, Libya, February-March 1941, Italian aircraft’s wrecks on this Libyan airport abandoned after the British conquest of Cyrenaica. In foreground a three engines transport aircraft with an unusual history. It’s in effect the I-ALAN, a special civil version of the bomber aircraft Savoia-Marchetti S.79. The plane was built like S.79C (“C” for Corsa/Race) for the race Istres-Damas-Paris, 20-21 August 1937, crew Tondi-Moscatelli, competition number I-6, civil registration I-TOMO, civilian certificate of airworthiness number 52, military code MM355, owner Ministero Aeronautica (Air Ministry). After the race, won by the S.79C I-CUPI (crew Cupini-Paradisi), the aircraft was converted in high speed long range passenger plane and re-registered by Italian Civil Aeronautical Register like Savoia-Marchetti SM.79P (“P” for Passeggeri/Passengers, the acronym SM was adopted on 1939), civil registration I-ALAN, certificate of airworthiness number 19052, certificate of registration (CoR) number 2346, CoR delivery 5 January 1939. The plane’s new owner was the Transatlantic Divisiob of the civil company Ala Littoria SA (Ala Littoria SA Linee Atlantiche) for transatlantic lines from Italy to Brazil. Afterwards the I-ALAN was transferred to new LATI-Linee Aeree Transatlantiche Italiane which replaced Ala Littoria on transatlantic flight. In this configuration the SM.79P was used by Attilio Biseo during the preparation flight in the attempt of obtaining the record on the Roma-Dakar-Natal-Rio de Janeiro race. After the entry the Italy on WW2 (10 June 1940) the I-ALAN was militarized and switched to Nucleo Comunicazioni LATI (LATI’s Communications Unit) for long range military transport flights in particular from Libya to Italian East Africa. Perhaps unserviceable at moment of the British advance, the I-ALAN was abandoned on Benghazi Airport together many others Italian aircraft (a Breda 65 is on the left of the picture). Victor Sierra