Italian Forces

“Millepiedi”

Stato Maggiore Aeronautica

This unusual plane photographed in Libya (note a S.81 in background) is one of three four engines Savoia-Marchetti S.74, former Ala Littoria’s civil transport aircraft, transferred to Italian Regia Aeronautica after the Italy’s entry in the war and assigned (25 June 1940) to Sezione Autonoma Trasporto (Autonomous Transport Section) of Comando Servizi Aerei Speciali (Special Air Services Command) at Rome, Littorio airfield. On July of the same year the S.74s was deployed in Libya, at Benghazi. Afterwards the planes was assigned to 604th Squadriglia, leader Capt. Bruno Trocca, as 604-8 (former I-URBE), 604-9 (former I-ROMA) and 604-11 (former I-ALPE). For his strange shape the S.74 was nicknamed by the military crews “Millepiedi” (Millipede). The “Millepiedi” was largely employed for supplies delivery to Italian troops in Libya and medical evacuation. One “Millepiedi”, 604-11, was lost on 23 October 1941 for impact against an hill near Catania, Sicily, during a flight in adverse flight conditions killing all the thirty peoples (crew and 26 passenger, civil and military) on board. The 604-8 was lost on the night of 2 November 1941 for enemy air raid over Castel Benito airfield, Tripoli. The last “Millepiedi”, the 604-9, survived to many strafing and a ground collision, returned in Italy, at Rome, Centocelle airfield, on January 1943, and was damaged by the American bombardment of Littorio airfield, Rome, on 19 July 1943. Here was abandoned and disappeared after the Italy’s armistice on September 1943. Victor Sierra