Italian Forces

Regia Aeronautica and the Creta's conquest

On request of the German High Commands, the Italian Armed Forces of the Aegean sector procured support to the German conquest of Crete island. In particular, after a meeting at Rhodes on 17 May 1941 the Luftwaffe’s VIII Fliegerkorps requested to to Regia Aeronautica’s Aegean Air Command: early warning mission over the Karpathos island (in Italian Scarpanto) where Luftwaffe had already moved some its units by the Fiat CR.42 fighters of the 162nd Squadriglia; surveillance missions by the Italian aircrafts of the Aegean sector of the naval routes Caso-Alexandria and Caso-Port Said and the waters at South of Crete attacking spotted convoys and ships; raid against land target at Crete from time to time specified by the German commands depending on the situation’s evolution. The Italian air unites committed was: 92nd Gruppo Bombardamento Terrestre (Land Bombardment), Gadouras, Savoia-Marchetti S.79, average day 7 useful aircraft; 50nd Gruppo Bombardamento Terrestre, Maritsa, Cant-Z-1007bis, average day 7 useful aircraft; 41nd Gruppo Bombardamento Terrestre, Gadouras, Savoia-Marchetti SM.84 with three crew for torpedo aircraft, average day 7 useful aircraft; 281st Squadriglia Aerosiluranti (Torpedo aircraft), Gadouras, Savoia-Marchetti S.79, average day 4 useful aircraft; 161st Squadriglia Caccia Marittima (Maritime Fighter), IMAM Ro-44 seaplanes, Leros, average day 4 useful aircraft; 162nd Squadriglia Caccia Terrestre (Land Fighter), Fiat CR.42, Karpathos, average day 8 useful aircraft; 163nd Squadriglia Caccia Terrestre, Fiat CR.32 and CR.42, Gadouras, average day 17 useful aircraft; Sezione Soccorso (Rescue Flight), Cant-Z-506 seaplanes, Rhodes, average day 2 useful aircraft. As it is note, these was very scarce forces if compared with the German deployment above all that equipped with many, in particular the fighters, outdated planes. And, in effect, the contribution to Crete’s German conquest wasn’t surely crucial. The most successfully mission was the raid against British warship on 21 May 1941 when the 50st Gruppo’s bombers sunk the destroyer Juno, while some CR.42 armed with wing bombs flew some attack over harbor and airfield of the island. The Italian air deployment was also committed to cover, from 27 May, the landing at Crete of a Italian troops contingent. The lost was a CR.42 shot down by AA fire (pilot MIA) and two SM.84 landed in Turkey, through a deviation from the route cause adverse weather, and interned with the crews (11 men). The photo show a Cant-Z-1007bis “Alcione” of the 50th Stormo’s 210th Squadriglia, one of the Italian air units most committed on the Aegean theater, likely at Gadouras after the return from a mission. Note the personnel’s heterogeneous dress totally out ordinance. Victor Sierra