Rear view of a Macchi MC.202 “Folgore” of the Italian Air Force’s 154th Gruppo, 396th Squadriglia, at Gaduras Airport, Rhodes, late 1942 or beginning 1943. On July 1943 the 154th had a strength of nine “Folgore”, six of them full serviceable. The photo show the 1,700x60 meter macadam runway of the Gaduras Airport, or Kalathos Airfield (in Greek Αερολιμένας Κάλαθος), Italian war code Aeroporto Militare 806 (Military Airport 806), second airfield built by the Italians at Rhodes and near the sea. Gaduras (or Gadurrà for the Italians), under the control of Comando Aeronautica dell'Egeo (Aegean Air Command), HQ at Maritsa airfield, was used above all as advanced base of the torpedo bomber aircraft. Victor Sierra

“Folgore” at Rhodes

Italian battleship, "Vittorio Veneto" shows her teeth in the battle of Gavdos, first phase of the Battle of Cape Matapan, off the southern point of the Greek mainland coast, March 1941.  An Italian battle fleet consisting of the Vittorio Veneto (flagship), along with 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and supporting destroyers, were moving to intercept British troop convoys to Greece when their movements and intentions were discovered by British electronic intelligence (ULTRA intercepts).  This allowed the Royal Navy fleet in the eastern Med. to intercept them in the region of Cape Matapan with superior forces, including 3 updated WW1 battleships.  The Gavros action was rather a stand-off, in which Vittorio Veneto drove off a force of British cruisers, but at the expence of suffering significant damage from an airborne torpedo hit.  The second stage of the engagement - a night battle off Cape Matapan - proved disastrous for the Italians.  The British had radar capable of locating the Italian ships at night; the Italians had no similar capacity.  The result was that the Italians lost a whole heavy cruiser division - 3 heavy cruisers - to Royal Navy gunfire which they had no way of answering.  The Italians also lost two destroyers.  By contrast, the British lost one torpedo bomber - the one that had damaged Vittorio Veneto, but was shot down by the battleship's antiaircraft guns.  As a result of Cape Matapan, both sides became aware of each others' strengths and weaknesses, somewhat limiting the operations of both until the Med. war turned decisively against the Axis.  Best regards, JR.

Vittorio Veneto at Cape Matapan.

An US GI inspect the machine guns bay of a Macchi MC.202 “Folgore” of the Regia Aeronautica’s 4th Stormo abandoned on an Italian airfield likely after the Italy’s surrender on September 1943. Victor Sierra