The aircraft in foreground of this photo taken by an Allied fighter-bomber strafing some German airplanes on an airport of Eastern Germany is a Savoia-Marchetti S.81 of Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana’s Gruppo “Terracciano” (“Terracciano” Group). The latter was a transport group equipped with former bomber S.81s downgraded to transport aircraft embedded by Luftwaffe for missions on North-East Europe during 1944. Victor Sierra

ANR’s S.81 under attack

Personnel of Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR), the Air Force of the Fascist Repubblica Sociale Italiana (RSI), on an airport of Northern Italy (Lonate Pozzolo?), Spring or Summer 1944. The serviceman in foreground whit a briefcase is an officer, precisely a lieutenant, notably from the ranks over the jacket’s sleeve, not of the flying personnel (is has a fine pair of glasses!), but of the ground services (technical or likely administrative). Note also a serviceman with a bicycle, at this time the mean of transport most widespread, a regular equipment of military units. The plane is a three engine bomber CRDA Cant-Z-1007ter, one of very few exemplars of the last version of well known “Alcione” on line with the ANR but never employed for combat duties by the RSI’s Air Force. As the other multi-engine aircraft of ANR, also this plane has the German crosses under the wing to avoid mistakes. Victor Sierra

ANR’s personnel 

As the other air forces also the Italian Regia Aeronautica has employed during the WW2 many types of motor vehicles for most varied duties whose some of civilian models or derived from civilian models. In this photo an exemplar of military version of pickup Fiat 1100, named by Armed Forces Camioncino Fiat 1100 Militare, of Regia Aeronautica in front of the 4th Stormo’s tents, Libya 1041. In particular this Fiat 1100, Fiat 1100 ALR Coloniale (Colonial) type, is on model Musone (Long Nose). The fighter aircrafts in background are Macchi MC.202 Folgores. Victor Sierra