Aircraft Books (up to 1945) - Italy - Regia Aeronautica (2/2)

Rommels italienische Flieger - Die Regia Aeronautica in Nordafrika 1940-1943

The Italian Air Force suffered a heavy defeat in 1940/41 in battle against the Royal Air Force over Egypt and Cyrenaica, losing 90% of its personnel there. But instead of collapsing, it was reborn.

Strengthened fighter units of the Regia Aeronautica engaged in aerial combat like medieval duels, and elite torpedo bomber units successfully poached off the North African coast. The transport pilots, in turn, sacrificed themselves in an attempt to maintain the connection between the motherland and the Libyan theater of war. For many of the Italian pilots, flying was a kind of obsession, a passion that they accepted extreme dangers and risks to pursue.

To this day, however, the image of the Regia Aeronautica in combat over the North African deserts is shaped by lingering Allied war propaganda that casts the Italians as military dilettantes.
With the study presented here, the first in the German-speaking world to deal exclusively with the missions, successes and losses of the Italian Air Force over Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, the author corrects many prejudices and misinformation after years of research and paints a realistic picture of the Italian desert air force.
His balanced analysis comes to the conclusion that the Regia Aeronautica achieved much more than could have been expected of it, despite inadequate equipment and the resulting material inferiority. Some of its actions were unique in terms of boldness and performance.

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L'aviazione italiana 1940-1945 - Azioni belliche e scelte operative

As this book chronicles, Italian aircraft and crews faced overwhelmingly powerful enemies for many years, sustaining inhuman efforts with incredible courage and a sense of duty. These qualities were the only resources to compensate for Italy's comparative weakness against giants like the British Empire, United States, and Soviet Union.

Italian aviators performed miracles with old Fiat biplanes against RAF Hurricanes and launched improvised but effective Siai-Marchetti torpedo bombers against massive warships. Even on the brink of collapse, they bravely confronted American Flying Fortresses with scarce Macchi and Reggiane fighters, defending their homeland from devastating attacks.

Following the ill-fated armistice of September 8, 1943, a new tragedy unfolded: the division of aviation on both sides of the peninsula. The Royal Air Force in the South, alongside the Anglo-Americans, and the short-lived Republican Air Force in the North, following Mussolini's doomed fate. Despite differing views on events, all comrades were united by a sincere love for their country.

During World War II, Italy produced just over 10,000 aircraft, a small fleet compared to the 100,000 German, 120,000 British, and 280,000 American planes. Few were modern types, arriving too late to change the course of the war.
From the deserts of Libya to the valleys of Albania, the snowy steppes of Russia to the familiar skies at home, Italian aviation sacrificed beyond limits, caught in an unwinnable struggle.

Text in Italian.

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La Regia Aeronautica nella 2 Guerra Mondiale

In this extensive volume, the author recounts the daily actions across all fronts where Italian aviators operated during World War II. The author acknowledges the challenge of tracking down all war documents, many of which were destroyed or lost during the tumultuous period, particularly in 1943.

This book includes moments of Italian retreat, notably in African fronts and the post-armistice period. The events are reconstructed while considering documents from opposing factions, aiming to maintain objectivity throughout.

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