Italian Forces

The first ANR’s Centauro

Venaria Reale, Turin, Autumn 1943. Line-up of the first Fiat G.55s Centauro of Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR) the air force of the Repubblica Sociale Italiana (RSI), the Republic founded by Benito Mussolini after the Italian Armistice. The photo has many reasons of interest. The aircraft, in force to Squadriglia Complementare d'Allarme, afterwards Squadriglia “Montefusco” and finally Squadriglia “Montefusco-Bonet”, are G.55s Sottoserie 0 (Sub-Series Zero) with weapons: four 12,7 mm machine guns and on engine-mounted MG151 20 mm cannon, on the nose and without wings cannons. At least two planes, the aircrafts in foreground, number 8 and 13 are former Luftwaffe and afterwards handed over by ANR. Notice in effect the swastika on the tail summarily cancelled: the Number 8 has even the color’s rudder different from olive drab airplane’s livery. Because all production’s G.55 were olive drab, the rudder seem coming by another plane and prior of final painting. Two possibilities: or they are two of G.55s purchased by Luftwaffe on 1943, one transferred in Germany for evaluation test, the other remained in Italy (the military codes are illegible) or they are of airplane’s batch commandeered by Germans and afterwards switched to ANR. The planes have already the ANR’s insignia, the little Italian tricolor with fringed borders, on the fuselage and on the fin, but, at least the aircraft number 8 (“Yellow 8”), without the wing insignia. Victor Sierra