Italian fighters Fiat CR.42 on backlight. At beginning of the war this Italian fighter biplane was the natural contender of Gloster Gladiator which was comparable. But when come the British forces fighter monoplanes, like Hurricanes and P-40s, the CR.42 was immediately outdated. Victor Sierra

The Gladiator’s contender

Two Italian officers walking in front of a Regia Aeronautica’s airplane line on Addis Ababa airport after the conquest, 1936, of Ethiopian capital. The aircraft in foreground is a Caproni Ca.111 reconnaissance/light bombardment plane, in background observation biplanes IMAM Ro.37. Victor Sierra

Addis Ababa airport in Italian hands

The second prototype of the Fiat G.55 “Centauro” (military code MM492) damaged in a forced landing at Guidonia on Summer 1943, but prior the Mussolini’s fall (the Fascist emblem on fuselage is still present). The "lizard" camouflage schema of the aircraft was used only by the prototypes while the picture’s “white” background is perhaps an effect of military censorship. The MM492 mounted an original German engine Daimler-Benz DB605 engine and a German paddle-blade VDM propeller. The first “Centauro” with the Italian-built RA1050 “Tifone” (the DB605 produced by Fiat under license) and Piaggio P2001 propeller, standard for the production series, was the third prototype (MM493). The G.55 was one of three fighters of Series 5, the other were the Macchi MC.205V “Veltro” and the Reggiane Re.2005 “Sagittario”, and its first prototype (MM491). flew on 30 April 1942.The evaluations were excellent for all the three aircrafts, but the G.55 was the best average performer and won the tender set by the Italian Regia Aeronautica. In December 1942 was planned one first batch of 1800 G.55 in three series and on February 1943 the production plans raised to 3600 units. Victor Sierra