The Piaggio P.108B of 274th Squadriglia seized by Americans just after his arrival in Apulia from Foligno. In the photo the aircraft, at Grottaglie airfield, during the affixing of USAAF’s insignias. In this moment the aircraft isn’t ready for the flight because the troubles with the hydraulic system experienced during the flight from Foligno and the ferry from Foggia to Grottaglie and the loss of the hydraulic fluid. Victor Sierra

Italian strategic bomber: beginning of the end

The only Italian Air Force’s Piaggio P.108B strategic bomber which reached the Southern Italy just after the Italy’s armistice, 8 September 1943, photographed by a pilot of USAAF’s 57th Fighter Group at Foggia Airfield. In background two Messerschmitt Bf 109 captured and already with the American star and some P.40 of the 57th FG. The aircraft were one of three (only two in flying conditions, the other unserviceable) four engines Piaggio of Regia Aeronautica’s 274th Squadriglia BGR (BGR for Bombardamento Grande Raggio/Long Range Bombardment) from 9 August 1943 based at Foligno, near Perugia, Umbria, leader lieut. col. Castellani. On 9 September 1943, the unit received the order of transfer the P.108s at Lecce-Galatina Airfield, at this time occupied by Allied air forces. In the afternoon of 10 September, the two four engines took off from Foligno, but only the plane of lt. Gmeiner, with some mechanic on board, headed to Lecce with a stop at Foggia. During the flight the aircraft experienced troubles to hydraulic system and the pilot flew with undercarriage down. Instead the other P.108B, pilot lt. Mulas (with another pilot and a flight engineer on board), never arrived at Lecce. Mulas, refusing the surrender and the delivery of the plane to Allied, just after the takeoff intentionally precluded the lubrication of engine number 3 bringing the engine’s seizure and damaging the propeller, and returned back to Foligno. The aircraft was repaired and on December 1943 was switched to Pontedera. Surely seized by the Germans, his fate is unknown. Victor Sierra

Italian strategic bomber: last days

Grottaglie, Apulia, Southern Italy, September 1943: despite the Italian mechanics warnings, hydraulic system off, lack of hydraulic fluid, airplane unserviceable, an USAAF’s officer want same to test the Piaggio P.108 during a flight from Grottaglie to Gioia del Colle. The issue is predictable: after twenty minutes of flight from the takeoff, landing at Gioia del Colle, at the moment of the runway touch, the landing gear, likely not locked, collapsed causing serious damages to the aircraft. The plane was declared damaged beyond repair, cancelled from Italian Air Force’s register and scrapped: a sad and inglorious fate for an aircraft he would have deserved a different history. Victor Sierra