Leros, Aegean Sea: Italian flying boats at Portolago, today Lakki, the large naval base with annexed air harbor built during the Italian domination began on 1912 after the Italian-Turkish War and ended with the German attack on September 1943. The two all silver seaplanes in foreground of this photo, taken on 1937, three years before the Italy’s entry in the World War 2, are modern, for this time, CRDRA Cant-Z-501. In background some Savoia-Marchetti S.55 (the version X was chosen by Italo Balbo for his famous mass cruise Italy-United States-Italy on 1933) at this time still in service as maritime reconnaissance and bombardment seaplane but already obsolescent and being replaced by the Cant-Z-501. The “501” of the photo are in service with the 185th Squadriglia (as indicated by the black number 185 over the fuselage), one of two Squadriglie (the other were the 147th) of the 84th Gruppo Ricognizione Marittima (Maritime Reconnaissance Group). Three year later, at the moment of Italy’s entry in the WW2 (10 June 1940) the 84th Gruppo is still at Leros with a strength of a dozen of Cant-Z-501. Victor Sierra

The war is still far away

Mooring operation on an Italian air harbor (Vigna di Valle?) of a Regia Aeronautica’s maritime reconnaissance floatplane Fiat-CMASA RS.14. Designed by Manlio Stiavelli and Lucio Lazzarino, this modern all metal twin engines floatplane (two Fiat A74 RC38 each 840 HP) with all glazed nose, first flight of the prototype May 1939, was produced, 150 aircraft plus two prototypes, by CMASA (Costruzioni Meccaniche Aeronautiche Società Anonima), a company of Fiat Group, at Marina di Pisa. The performance of this aircraft, designed upon Italian Navy’s requirements for a replacement of the obsolescent CRDA Cant-Z-501, was well satisfactory, but during the tests was observed some structural problems above all with the float’s struts subject to failures during the splash down. This delayed the entry in the service of the aircraft and the first deliveries of the Reconnaissance Maritime units happened only late 1941-early 1942. The majority of the RS.14 (RS for Ricognizione Stiavelli/Reconnaissance Stiavelli) was deployed in Central and Southern Italy and in Sicily and Sardinia for maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare and convoy escort over the Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean Seas and allocated to Gruppi and Squadriglie Ricognizione Marittima (Maritime Reconnaissance Units) under the control of the Comando Aviazione Ausiliaria Regia Marina (Auxiliary Royal Navy Air Command), the Italian Air Force’s high command for the naval aviation, and effectively depending for the operations from the Comandi Militari Marittimi (Militaries Maritime Commands). After the 8 September 1943, Kingdom of Italy’s armistice with the Allies, about ten RS.14 was captured by Luftwaffe and moved to Marseilles Their fate is unknown. A dozen was employed by the Regia Aeronautica co-belligerent with the Allies in Sardinia (Cagliari-Elmas) and Apulia (Taranto) nine of them still in service at the end of the war in Europe (May 1945). The last seven survivors RS.14 was phased out in 1948 and scrapped. Victor Sierra

The RS.14

An Italian Air Force’s Sottotenente (Pilot Officer/2nd Lieutenant), likely an Aeronautic Academy’s student in a fighter school on the Italian Mainland during the war years. The aircraft, completely camouflaged and with the large white bands over the wings and the fuselage adopted by the Italian school planes, is a Fiat CR.30B, tandem two seats version of the CR.30, the immediately predecessor of the well-known CR.32. The first CR.30B (B for Biposto/Two-seat) was in reality a sport aircraft built, modifying on 1933 the CR.30 NC3 (Construction Number 3), military registration MM166, for the Coppa Bibescu (Bibescu Trophy), a speed contest for Italian and Rumanian militaries crew along the route Rome-Bucharest. With the CR.30B the Capt. Baldi and the Lieut. Buffa won the Bibescu Contest on 26 September 1933: average speed over the 1,140 km of the route 356 km/h. Later when the CR.30 was superseded from 1935 by the CR.32, many of them was transformed in dual control two-seat for the fighter school airplane role. In the same time, on 1934, four CR.30B was built ex-novo from the Regia Aeronautica and delivered on 1945, plus three for Austria and ten for Hungary. The CR.30B was employed until 1943 and the Regia Aeronautica, clearly pleased by this plane, in full war asked Fiat for the construction of an additional number of CR.30B built indeed at Cameri by Fiat-CANSA between 1941 and 1943. Victor Sierra