Italian Forces

A new order of battle for the Italian Air Force

Stato Maggiore Aeronautica

On 15 September 1943, one month prior the war’s declaration of the Kingdom of Italy to III Reich, the Regia Aeronautica chief of staff, General Renato Sandalli, meet the Air Commodore Robert Foster, Head of the Air Commission in Italy, fixing structure, operational procedures and control by the Allies of the Italian air units. An important date for the beginning of the Regia Aeronautica’s operations alongside the Allies in the war against the Germany during the Co-belligerence and the Liberation War. The Italian Air Force, at the date of October 1943 with less than 300 aircraft, but only the half suitable for active duties, under the Air Ministry based at Brindisi, was completely reorganized with an Air Staff and a Comando Unità Aerea (Air Unit Command) re-grouping all the flight units. This latter was organized inside a series of Raggruppamenti (Groupings), each with a number of Stormi and Gruppi Autonomi (Autonomous Grups) plus a Squadriglia Autonoma Volo (Autonomous Flight) depending from the Air Staff and a Comando Aeronautica della Sardegna (Sardinia’s Air Force Command). The Raggruppamenti was: Raggruppamento Caccia (Fighter Grouping) which included also the Re.2002 dive bomber, plus the Scuola Addestramento Caccia; Raggruppamento Bombardamento e Siluranti (Bomber and Torpedo Aircraft Grouping) in reality never employed for this duties, but only for dropping supplies to Italian and Jugoslav partisan forces on the Balkans (the co-belligerent Regia Aeronautica will return to bomb missions only on half 1944 after the delivery of the Martin Baltimore) included also an Autonomous Maritime Recce Group equipped with seaplanes; Raggruppamento Bombardamento e Trasporti (Bomber and Transport Grouping) employed only for transport missions in particular over the Balkans; Raggruppamento Idrovolanti (Seaplanes Grouping) with seaplanes all based in Apulia. This structure remained unchanged until the Autumn 1944 when was revised also following the placement (June 1944) under the new Balkan Air Force of the Italian air units largely re-equipped with British and American planes. In the photo Bomber and Torpedo Aircraft Grouping’s planes (Cant-Z-1007ter of the 190th Squadriglia, 86th Gruppo) in mission over the Balkans escorted by Macchi fighters of the Fighter Grouping. Victor Sierra