Italian Forces

Italian Bf 109s in Sicily

Stato Maggiore Aeronautica

The emblem of “Diavoli Rossi” (Red Devils) over the nose of a Messerschmitt Bf 109G/Trop (notice the anti-sand filter) of the Italian Regia Aeronautica’s 3rd Gruppo Caccia (3rd Fighter Group). This plane is one of 122 Messerschmitt Bf 109 (15 F-4, 6 G-2, 10 G-4 and 91 G-6) delivered directly by the German Air Force to Regia Aeronautica from April 1943 thanks to the Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesserling’s approval in answer to a compelling request of modern material by the Italian Air Force desperately short of aircraft in prospect of the impending Allied attack to Italy. Of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the F-4, coming from the Greek theater, was old and tatty airplanes and was employed for pilots familiarization while the G-series, it to former Luftwaffe’s units, was modern and in better conditions. The first Italian air unit switched to German fighter was the 150th Gruppo (Squadriglie 363rd, 364th and 365th), followed by 4th Stormo, but only for a month because was in transit to Macchi MC.205, by the 70th Squadriglia, based at Cerveteri, North of Rome, for the Italian Capital’s defence, and finally the 3rd Gruppo (Squadriglie 153rd, 154th and 155th). On the eve of the Allied landing in Sicily the 3rd and the 150th Gruppo was moved in the Island respectively at Comiso and Sciacca. A great difficult for the Italians was the lack of spare parts supplied by the Luftwaffe, equally with some logistic problems, slowly and in small amount. The result was an operational availability very reduced: on the evening of 9 July 1943 the strength of the 3rd Gruppo was 17 Bf 109G but only seven full serviceable, the strength of the 150th Gruppo was 25 aircraft, full serviceable only six, and to lack of spare parts the two units added the gradual shortage of fuel and ammunitions. Despite this situation the Italian Bf 109s flew 323 operational sorties from April to late July 1943. In the same time the Bf 109’s Italian pilots claimed 23 enemies aircraft down, while the planes lost in aerial combat against the predominant Allied air forces was 13. But the greatest number of losses was caused by the Allied raids against the Sicilian airports which completely destroyed or heavy damaged on the ground many aircraft. On 12 July 1943 Superaereo, the Italian Air Force’s Staff, signaled to Comando Supremo (the Italian Force’s High Command) the destruction or the heavy damage caused by the air raids of the almost quantity of the 3rd and 150th Gruppo’s airplanes and the lack of any technical-logistic support because the lack of spare parts. Another dispatch from Superaereo to Comando Supremo, date 14 July 1943, notified the movement from the Sicily to Ciampino airfield, Rome, of the 150th Gruppo’s personnel remained with only three Bf 109 flyable and the possibility of repair of the other still at Sciacca expecting of rebuilding up a lone Squadriglia of the same Gruppo. A possibility never accomplished: at this date almost the aircrafts was destroyed on the ground or abandoned because the total lack of fuel and spare parts. The only unity still with the Bf 109 were, at Cerveteri, the 70th Squadriglia: but on 8 September 1943 evening, date of the Italian armistice’s announcement, only one airplane is still existing of the twelve airplanes at July. The following forenoon this lone airplane was destroyed by the same personnel of the unit. And this was the end of the brief use of the Bf 109 by the Regia Aeronautica. Victor Sierra