An Italian Air Force’s bomber Savoia-Marchetti S.79 “Sparviero” (Sparrowhawk) warm its engines on an Italian airport. Photo dated June 14, 1940, just after the Italy’s entry in the war (June 10, 1940). Victor Sierra

Sparviero

A reconnaissance maritime seaplane IMAM Ro.43 on the bow’s catapult of Italian Navy’s heavy cruiser Pola (Zara Class) on navigation with heavy sea. Note the red and white band over the upper wing of the plane and also over the cruiser’s bow. The photo, taken at beginning of the war, highlight also four of the eight Ansaldo 203/50 mm guns of the Pola built in the OTO shipyard at Livorno, entered service in 1932 and sunk in the battle of Cape Matapan, 29 March 1941. Victor Sierra

The seaplane of Pola cruiser

A pair of Italian seaplanes IMAM Ro.43, which still have the pre-war all silver finish, flying over Southern Italy, August 1940. The Ro.43 was the standard maritime recce plane launched by catapult on board of the Italian Navy’s warships. Early the Ro.43 had over the fuselage the name of its ship replaced after the outbreak of the war by a three digit number: in this case number 421 is the number 1 plane of the “Luigi Cadorna” cruiser while 432 is the number 2 plane of the “Alberto Di Giussano” cruiser, both “Condottieri class”. Victor Sierra