The only prototype of the Savoia-Marchetti S.84 twin engine airliner on Munich Airport before the outbreak of the war. The S.84, designed by Alessandro Marchetti, was one of the two planes (the other was the Fiat G.18) which Italy proposed for respond to Douglas DC-2. But, on the contrary of the modern all metal DC-2 and G.18, the S.84, two French-made Gnome & Rhone K14 Mistral, retractable landing gear, cabin for 18 passengers, had still a mixed structure with wooden wing. After the flight tests, on October 1936, the S.84, construction number 30001, date of certificate of airworthiness 22 June 1936, owner SIAI Cameri Airport, civil registration I-SIAI, was employed for a presentation tour on Northern Europe, but without success. Returned in Italy and dismissed (in maintime the Avio Linee Italiane purchased a DC-2 and some G.18s) the S.84 was transferred on December 1942 to Military Administration and took up by the Italian Air Force with the military registration MM446. Afterward lose the track of this plane and the number 84 was assigned to the three-engine bomber SM.84 designed as successor of S.79. Victor Sierra

An airliner’s prototype

A pair of Italian Regia Aeronautica’s Fiat G.50bis “Freccia” (Arrow) fighters on servicing (note an air compressor on the right), on the chock and with split flaps down, on a Libyan airfield, perhaps Tripoli Castel Benito airfield. The planes are two different camouflage’s types and also the engine cowling’s camouflage of the aircraft Number 15, that in foreground (note the number over the chock and over the leading edge), is different from those of entire plane. Both are the propeller spinner painted in red and only the half of the engine cowling painted in yellow on the contrary of other G.50s in North Africa with had the entire engine cowling in yellow. Over the engine cowling is clearly visible the sand filter. Victor Sierra

Fiat G.50 in color

One of Avio Linee Italiane’s Fiat G.18 on Tirana Airfield, October 1940, committed in troops transport at beginning of the Italy’s war against the Greece. The plane, a classic airliner “DC-2 style”, has still the pre-war colors of Italian land airliners: all surface silver, large black I (I for Italy) on the fin and the tricolor strip on the fuselage adopted when, after September 1939, the Italy declared the status of non-belligerant Nation. After the entry of Italy in the war (10 June 1940) all the Italian airliners was embedded on the Nuclei Comunicazioni (Communications Unit), one for each airline. In the case of Avio Linee Italiane S.A. (Fiat Group) this was the Nucleo Comunicazione Avio Linee and the plane received a military code (MM for Matricola Militare). The plane of this photo is one of three G.18s produced by Fiat (I-ELIO, first flight 11 March 1937, I-ETNA and I-ETRA) afterwards followed by six G.18V (V for Veloce/Fast, civil registration I-ELCE, I-ELFO, I-EION, I-ENEA, I-EURE and I-ERME) with most powerful engine (1,030-HP Fiat A.80 RC.41 radial engines with compressor) and new tail with braced horizontal plan. The I-ELIO in flight from Tirana to Milan (military flight) crashed landing at Linate Airport, on 26 November 1940 while the I-ETRA was destroyed for ground collision on December 1940. After the Italy’s Armistice (8 September 1943) the G.18V I-ELFO, I-ERME and I-ENEA was commandeered by Germans and assigned to Deutsche Luft Hansa, with German civil registration, for the Milan-Munich-Berlin line, the I-ETRA was assigned to Avio Linee Italiane, under the control of air force of the Fascist Repubblica Sociale Italiana. At least G.18 was employed by the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force on Southern Italy. All this planes disappeared during the war years or immediately after. Victor Sierra