Gorizia airfield, North-East Italy, Autumn 1941: the first Macchi MC.202 “Folgore” just delivered to 4th Stormo’s IX Gruppo, Italian Air Force. Notice the plane in foreground with cowling removed for engine inspection and test. All the airplane, without anti-sand filter, have the “continental” camouflage. Victor Sierra

Just delivered

Macchi MC.202 “Folgore” of the Regia Aeronautica’s 153rd Gruppo in flight over the Sicily, Summer 1942. Victor Sierra

The "Folgore"

The nose of on Italian prototype fighter aircraft, today forgotten: the Caproni-Vizzola F.6M, one of the fighters designed by Fabrizio Fabrizi and of the which the only built in very few exemplars was the F.5. The F.6M was designed by Fabrizi coupling the airframe of the F.6, another prototype, with the German engine Daimler-Benz DB.605, produce in Italy under license and adopted by the “Series 5” fighters (MC.205, G.55 and Re.2005), and built late 1942 by Caproni-Vizzola (a Caproni Group company). On the contrary of its predecessors, the F.6M had an entirely metal structure and four 12.7mm machine-guns: two in the fuselage synchronized with the propeller and two in the wing. The photo show the first prototype’s version with the radiator under the nose, afterward under the fuselage’s belly. During the test the F.6M recorded a speed of 570 km/h at 5,000 meters and a climbing speed to 6,000 meters of 5 minutes and 40 seconds. Victor Sierra