Facing Spitfires in a Biplane takes a special type of courage.

Even with inferior aircraft, simply having radios would have improved their situation immensely. This series was very informative. Good job.

Under equipped, against all odds and severely out-matched. Poor guys didn't have a lot of chances and yet they tried their best. History tends to judge these situations too harshly, merely looking at the stats and often forgetting the other circumstances. Great video!

"If that bother you then please watch something else." 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Sozzi survived three bullets in his lungs and managed to land!

Can you cover the Japanese bombing raids on Australia and the spiritfire and p-40 squadrons that held the line against them

Great video! Thank you! Luigi Gorrini gets a mention! He became an ace! He described his career as "212 air combats, 24 solo air victories, 5 parachute jumps."

Radios would have helped the Italian fighters more than any performance gap between the Falcos and the Spitfires. What a waste of lives and men in this theatre. An excellent video.

This series has really shown me just how bad the Italian bullets were of all things. I had heard that the Breda machine guns were weak, but the light damage caused by the CR.42s combined with the small armament really puts this in perspective.

I'm not envy those Italian guys, flying clearly outdated technics against the era's bests. They were brave guys for sure.

It still blows my mind in the mists of the sleek Bf-109 Emils and Spitfires, the rugged Hurricanes. That the CR 42 shared the same skies as the rest and still managed a couple of kills themselves.

Great 3 part series on a topic that is rarely discussed . Thank You . - In context , Kieth Park's policy was to avoid fighter sweeps , and focus on the bombers . - RAF Fighter Command probably would not have known they were the Luftwaffe or the Regia Aeronautica unless they were seen by the Observer Corps or Fighter Command . - Dec 7th , 1940 - Park was pushed out by the Air Ministry , and replaced by the careerist Leigh Mallory . - Kieth Park would later be reassigned to be in charge of the RAF in the defense of Malta . .

The Fiat CR.42 are no match against the Spitfire and Hurricane over Britain but did have a match with the Gladiator over Malta and Africa in fact a Restored Fiat CR.42 is at duxford still waiting for it’s first test flight great video.

The CR.42 is a sesquiplane btw. A type of biplane which has one wing shorter than t'other.

It's interesting how little casualties there were in such large engagements, with about 40 planes involved you'd imagine more than 3 shot-downs and two damages.. I wonder if it was due to the low caliber guns used in the beginning of the war or something else.

Spitfires unable to get on their tails as the biplanes turned inside them. This a precursor to the defence of Malta by the three Gladiators Faith, Hope and Charity, which used the same maneuverability. Ironically, had the Italians stayed longer, it may well have been that the best aircraft to use against them were the Gladiators and possibly ex WW1 and 1920s biplanes. Noting the number of aborted missions and losses due to malfunctions, one must ask the standards of engineering and logistic support to the squadrons. Italy was not next door to France/Belgium and even if made available, it is unlikely the Luftwaffe had a wide range of suitable parts.

Top channel. Great historical research. The visuals are totally captivating. Overall, twelve out of ten.

Amazing work! Cr-42s dancing with arguably superior aircraft and not being massacred. Completely breath taking! what an amazing series!

When Fiat took on Rolls-Royce.

Is surprising how good are you getting at this, those last videos look very professional!

Great video! Those antiquated biplanes are not something to trifle with.

Interesting to see how the Italians had a huge numerical superiority but were unable to use it due to their lack of radios. Although the CR42 is usually rated as about equal with a Hurricane but definitely inferior to a Spitfire, the British planes weren't in much danger anyway due to the Italian's lack of firepower. The Germans gave the Italians some Me 109s before they went back to Italy.

Awesome as always!!!!

Great production value in your series. Very engaging to say the least. I learn something new in each episode. thank you.

It certainly appears as though the G50's did their utmost to AVOID any involvement. They knew only too well that the odds were stacked against them. No radios = Insanity!

Again you made it. Great video and another WW2 lesser known chapter was learnt

Thanks this is a really good history short. Lot of detail in a bite sized presentation.

Aaaah I love the FIAT G.50 Freccia (and the Macchi C. 200 Saetta). Unfortunately, all these aircraft were too lightly armed. With a CR. 42, maybe using his superior manoeuvrability to escape British fighters ? No victory but at least you can go home alive. Again a very interesting video ! Thanks a lot 👍 PS: if one day, if you have some time... 😜 Talking about the fights between Italians bombers and fighters and French fighters in the South of France (over the Var) in 1940... I know you have already a lot of projects for future videos..

I can't get over how good the graphics are in these videos. Interesting sight on the Falco. I wonder if those two dots on either side of the center dot were for deflection shots?

Italy drew all the wrong lessons from their time in Spain. They were sure the bi planes would be cutting edge for years. Unfortunately they were wrong.

Tienes toda la razón. Otro grave error de Mussolini y creo cómo tú que los pilotos italianos lo hicieron lo mejor posible que pudieron Gracias de nuevo por tu trabajo

Thanks! Outstanding job as always

Excellent work! Thank you!

There was a slight hiccup in the sound, so the Boulton-Paul Defiant came out as the Paul Defiant, apart from that, very informative, well done!

Superb as always if you are looking for ideas -SAAF vs Regia Aeronautic in East Africa in 1940-41 might make an interesting and relatively unknown topic to cover

I don't know if you can do it,but can you cover the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse during the Pacific campaign?

Very watchable.

Thank you very much! Excellent video.

Thanks!

It's surprising how bad spits performed..

I absolutely love these three episodes ^w^ it really is nice to hear all of these stories, thank you for making these! I really appreciate this.

Love the videos my friend. Its cool to see battles. Thanks

TY 🙏🙏

Fantastic.!..This channel is amazing🇬🇧👍

The Italians went into battle with one hand tied behind their back, very little, if any radio comms and under gunned - out dated aircraft even for 1940/41 standards. Mussolini would have fared better by leaving his forces in North Africa.

Obožavam tvoje objave.

Imagine leaving the sunny Mediterranean to fly through rainy British skies in an open cockpit.

Excellent series. Thoroughly enjoyable. Well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Again, excellent video and series!

Can you cover the German excursion to Iraq in 1941?

There will always be nitpickers that nitpick. I always enjoy your videos. Ignore the self righteous critics.

I would go along with the idea of the Italian pilots taking part in the Battle of Britain when you look at the amount that did fly bombing missions against Britain and the massive fighter escorts . I would like to thank you for these three videos that have shone a light on this little known history of Italian involvement in Bombing Britain and technically taking part in the Battle of Britain.

Can you do a video on RAF South East Asia in 1945

Great video. Looking forward to seeing more about the Italians in the Balkan campaign later if you can produce something.

Great presentation as always. You're absolutely right - a dictator not using their resources correctly. We see it even today in modern conflicts. Thank you for all you do! Excellence by Showtime 112. ♠️🎩🎯🎱🇺🇲🏁🇮🇱🇺🇦🔱🌻🏵️🌸💮🌼🏴‍☠️🏹

Again an excellent video.

Great video 👍

Thank you.

On night-fighting; the exhaust pipes on the bombers glowed red. Center up underneath and pull up firing. Front to back.

The poor italians were not enought efficient at this period but their material was useless against the english planes which are more modern. But fot the english, it's very hard to shoot a plane which goes slower and more maneuverable than yours. It's like shooting an helicopter with jet plane using your cannons.

One more Masterpiece about the REGIA AERONAUTTCA . I never heard about that NIGHT OPERATION'S . ❤ Your Brilliant Channel !!!

Love your work, makes sense of lots we read, thankyou! The Italian aircraft looked amazing and I reckon a well handled G50 would give a Spit Mk.1 a proper battle.

It's still shock me that just 3 years earlier, Italian Air Force was considered the most feared Air Force in the world due to their huge presence in Spain and the efficiency of which they carry out their mission with high successful rate. By the time of Battle of Britain or even during the earlier Battle of France, Italian Air Force become a joke flying outdated aircrafts.

Wow, fighting in biplanes with fixed landing gear. Probably slower then a Stuka! Thanks for the history!

Very educational.

Showtime 112, the mark felton of aerial war

Great video as always. Next subject: The CR-32 operations in East Africa during WW2.

Great video, thanks for having described the poor equipment of italian pilots during codename "Operazione Cinzano". By the way, Hurricanes Spitfires and Fiat fighters had other encounters during the african campaign.

I agree with @trob, very informative series. Well done. Smoke graphics are much better.

Kao i do sada, Showtime na visini zadatka! Bravo! Za neki od sledećih klipova predlažem sukob italijana i britanaca iznad Grčke...

Were the Italians successful in anything during ww2??? Their courage was unmistakable but the level of amateurism in tactics and equipment is simply laughable.

I like to hear about more axis air forces like the Romanian's Hungarian's Slovakian Bulgarian or Croatian I got a book by Hans Warner Neulen called In the skies of Europe that talk about Air forces Allied to the luftwaffe

Biplane v Spitfire a bit like a rat v a lion.

Thinking about this 3 part series , everything presented about RAF Fighter Command , matches up with the strategic doctrine of Dowding and Park . At the Beginning of the BoB , the Luftwaffe out numbered RAF Fighter Command by 4 to 1 . As Hugh Dowding dictated in August 1941 " The destruction or paralysis of Fighter Command was therefore an essential prerequisite to the invasion of these Islands. Their immediate objective might be convoys, radio - location stations, fighter aerodromes, seaports, aircraft factories, or London itself. Always the underlying object was to bring Fighter Command continuously into battle, and to weaken its material resources and intelligence facilities. " Add to this , Park emphasized the importance of stopping the Luftwaffe before bombers reached their targets. So Dowding and Park understood the objective was for Fighter Command to continue to exist , in order to stop the Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority , which was a prerequisite for an invasion . Further , to bring fighter command continuously into battle ... and to stop the bombers before they reached their targets . Actually , Kieth Park was actually using a form of gorilla war fare - Vector 1 or 2 squadrons to attack the bombers from above, shoot for 15 seconds , get in and get out . Where as in 1938, Shoto Douglas wrote " It is immaterial in the long view whether the enemy bomber is shot down before or after he has dropped his bombs on his objective. Our object is not to prevent bombers from reaching their objectives, though it would be nice if we could, but to cause a high casualty rate among enemy bombers, with the result that the scale of the will dwindle rapidly to bearable proportions. " * Its clear from another writing on December 17th, 1940 that Douglas did not change his view. Leigh Mallory supported this view because he thought the objective was to knock out enemy planes " en mass. " However , on Nov 24th , Hugh Dowding was pushed out by Trenchard , Salmond , Portal , Sinclair and the Air Ministry replaced by Sholto Douglas . As part of the excuse to push Dowding out , was the political fall out from RAF Fighter Command of not being able to respond to night time Luftwaffe bombing raids . Dec 7th , 1940 - Park was pushed out by the Air Ministry , and replaced by the careerist Leigh Mallory . . * Recall in the scene from the movie " Battle of Britain " where Leigh Mallory and Keith Park are arguing in front of Dowding . In the movie , Leigh Mallory basically recites Sholto Douglas' strategic doctrine . .

Could you make some content on aerial Warfare during the civil war?

The wrong way of using air resource and poor Strategic by the Italian Air force.

Yes. Here you have things that were common else where. Faster fighters trying to dog fight biplanes have them turning inside them just like Allied Fighters going against A6M's in the pacific. The British had pilots with BoB experience, where they had engaged the Germans in Turning Dogfights and tried that with the Japanese to their displeasure. Pilots (or anyone else) without radios are at a severe disadvantage. Japanese radios were so bad - a lot of their pilots took them out to save weight - but at least they had them. This is all typical of the Italians efforts. They did have an Air Force just like the had a Navy - but - they were not the technological equals of the British, Germans and Americans - and suffered for it. Here - the Axis - really suffered in comparison to the Allies where the Americans could manufacture excellent equipment - with radios - for the use of their Allies - such as the French. The Germans couldn't equip their own forces to their own standards - much less anyone else. You have to respect the courage and dedication of the Italian military to continue to fight using equipment that was just behind the curve of their opponents. Also - their Government had the good sense to switch sides after removing Mussolini from power. For one thing - that removed the possibility of them having Soviet Occupation troops. Lack of Radios cost the Russians dearly as well. At least the Italians Fascist Government didn't hobble their troops with Political Commissars the way the Soviets did. The Fascists were bad but the Communists were worse. .

It's a classic case of taking part because you're part of an alliance & feel an obligation, rather because you should.

RAF pilots were warned not to follow enemy aircraft out over the English Channel because of the dangers of ending up in the Channel where they might not be found. What has to be one of the strangest deaths happened when one Italian pilot baled out of his aircraft and was killed when he landed on a statue. His body was pierced right through by the statues up raised.

I cannot understand why the RA did not send the MC 200 & the G-50? While they would still be obsolescent against the Spitfire Mk 1 & Mk 2 they would not be so bad against the Hurricane. Though of course their firepower would still be inadequate l.

I'd say that, given their equipment and their formidable enemies, the Italian pilots did pretty well.

How many mgs did the CR42 have?

Damn!! That was less than nothing!!

the Cr42 was a hell of a good Biplane, it could turn inside a Spit!!!

For political reasons, Italy began to rearm long before most other countries. They would have done better in the mid-30's, but ideas had moved on by the end of the decade, and they did not have industrial capacity to catch up with new developments.

I am interested in this, but I find them rather boring watching the same piece of CG over and over again. Also, I would like some sort of idea of the combat tactics used. What was the turning radius of the biplanes? Could they turn inside the turning radius of the Spitfires and hurricanes? How were they for speed and power compared to the Spitfires and Hurricanes? How did the experience of the Italian pilots compare to that of the British pilots? There are many more technical and tactical questions I am curious about that would make these videos much more interesting.

👏👏👏👏

❤

Some qualification needs to be added to all this "ah, those brave Italian pilots! commentary. They were flying for a fascist government, which helped drag the world into a war which claimed 55 million lives - and here they are flying in another nation's sovereign airspace. That's not brave - it's evil and stupid.

can you make a video about the air battles fought in northern Italy between the allied forces and the forces of the National Republican Air Force (ANR) ? 🇮🇹⚔️🇬🇧🇺🇲

The Fiat G-50's did kick some Spitfire ass later in the med theatre, those CR-42 were very nimble , under gunned and under powered but very nimble, the Spitfire a marvelous plane was of course very boosted in the British mind for propaganda purposes, but just to give some context the second most numerous aircraft killed by the Luftwaffe throughout the war was the much vaunted British Supermarine Spitfite somewhere between 5000 to 5500 falling to the guns of the Luftwaffe, the most numerous being the Ilyushen Il-2 Sturmovik numbering between 5500 and 6000!

An Italian, Guglielmo Marconi, invented the radio, but NO, Italian planes had no radio. FIAT corrupting the judjing commissions evaluating future Italian warplanes. No wonder we were no match. That said, pilots, sailormen and soldiers very often behaved as heroes, very often paying with their lives.

Italian figters and bombers had no chance against R.A.F. They were bad prepare to fight (not every pilot, but most of them).

Italians at the battle of Britain, did their aircraft fly backwards?

love the camo design of the italian aircraft - maybe not the best for northern europe but who cares - they look great. la moda :)

5:09 what could go wrong

I thought the CR42 was highly maneuverable. Either it wasn’t that good or the pilots were that bad.

Yes, obviously the fire could not classy planes but what is so pathetic is that every British citizen believes that the Spitfire is the greatest plane ever created and could defeat 7,000 su-27 and 10,000 f-15s all at the same time with one bullet

45 seconds into this video, and already a false statement beginning at 0:39 . The Battle of Britain lasted from 10 July 1940 to 31 October 1940. The The Corpo Aereo Italiano (C.A.E.) bmbed Harwich, England on 24 October 1940, and Deal, England on 29 October 1940. England was / is a constituent country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (U.K.).

Second😤, or how to turn inside your..turn radius😂 watch your vidéo inside...LIDL.... But replay on TV later PS: Are you aware about Air VG24???