Regia Aeronautica '' service. During May 1939, the Fiat CR.42 entered operational service with the Regia Aeronautica; the 53°
Stormo, based at
Turin Caselle Airport, was the first unit to be equipped with the type. On 10 June 1940, the date on which Italy entered the Second World War on the side of Germany, roughly 300 aircraft had been delivered. Italy had delayed its entry into the war in order to better prepare itself for combat; through the period commonly known as the
Phoney War, the
Regia Aeronautica activated many new squadrons and did all that was possible to speed up aircraft deliveries, including of the CR.42. Accordingly, further orders for the type were placed as a part of this expansion effort. Upon Italy's entry into the conflict, the
Falchi were principally tasked with the defense of Italy's cities and military installations alike, such as Regia Aeronautica airbases and
Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) bases. To some extent, the CR.42 continued to be used in this capacity right up until the signing of the
Italian armistice with the
Allies. By 8 September 1943, the day on which Italy formally surrendered to the Allies, only around 60 of these aircraft were still in a flyable condition. By the end of the CR.42's production during 1942, a total of 1,784 fighters had been constructed. On numerous occasions, the
Falco was engaged in dogfights against the British Gloster Gladiator, another biplane fighter, over
Malta, and later against the British
Hawker Hurricane monoplane, sometimes resulting in unexpected successes. The maneuverability of the
Falco was an aspect of particular concern to the RAF pilots that faced them. Aviation author Haining observed that: "A RAF Intelligence report in late October 1940 circulated to all pilots and their squadrons, with copies to Prime Minister,
Winston Churchill, and the War Cabinet, declared: 'The manoeuvrability of the CR.42s, in particular their capacity to execute an extremely tight half roll, has caused considerable surprise to other pilots and undoubtedly saved many Italian fighters from destruction.'"
Battle of France On 13 June 1940, three days after entry of Italy into the war, 23 pilots from 23°
Gruppo of 3°
Stormo escorted a flight of ten
Fiat BR.20 bombers to bomb the French naval base of
Toulon. Later that day, they attacked French Air Force base of
Hyères, in the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France, hitting approximately 50 enemy aircraft on the ground and destroying at least 20 of them. Italian pilots from 151°
Gruppo claimed the shooting down of a French
Vought V.156F. On the same day, a CR.42 from 82a
Squadriglia (13°
Gruppo) took off to intercept a reconnaissance aircraft, but it failed to make contact and crashed during its landing, killing the pilot. On 15 of June, 67 CR.42s from the same units, plus 18°
Gruppo (from 3°
Stormo), attacked the airfields of Southern France. 27 biplanes from 150°
Gruppo strafed the airfield of Cuers-Pierrefeu, between
Cuers and Pierrefeu-du-
Var, with machine gun fire, causing around 15 V-156Fs to burst into flames. Seven of the Fiats giving top-cover were intercepted by
Bloch MB.152s (Bloch MB.151s, according to other sources) from A.C.-3 that shot down a
Falco and forced another to land. Italian pilots claimed four French fighters. Subsequently, Fiats attacked the airfields of
Le Cannet-des-Maures and Puert Pierrefin, close to the border. This time the French fighter units reacted and the Fiats were attacked by
Dewoitine 520s from G.C.III/6.
Regia Aeronautica aviators claimed 8–10 air victories and many aircraft destroyed on the ground. Fiat pilots were credited with the downing of three Bloch and five Dewoitine fighters, in exchange for the loss of five
Falchi. Following the Fall of France, an Italian air group of CR.42s and BR.20 bombers operated from Belgium during October and November 1940. This task force flew some offensive operations during the later stages of the
Battle of Britain, but incurred a high loss rate. Cattaneo speculated that the light losses experienced during the Battle of France had persuaded the
Regia Aeronautica that the type was considerably more effective than it was against the modern frontline fighter aircraft that it would be coming up against, and thus had encouraged this brief deployment. In the present day, the RAF Museum at Hendon, London has a CR.42 on static display from this time; this aircraft had reportedly force-landed in
Suffolk with a broken oil pipe, with the pilot surviving.
Malta Over the skies of
Malta, the CR.42 encountered British Hurricanes for the first time on 3 July 1940. That day, Flying Officer Waters (P2614) shot down an
SM.79 bomber five miles (eight kilometers) off Kalafrana, but he was soon attacked in turn by the escorting
Falchi, who badly shot up his aircraft. Waters crashed on landing and his Hurricane was written off. The Hurricane pilots soon discovered that the Italian biplanes could often outmaneuver their aircraft and that this was a crucial factor in any dogfight against them. Pilot Officer Jock Barber remembered: "On my first combat, the 9 of July, I attacked the leader of a
Squadriglia of Falcos, while [Flight Lieutenant] George Burges attacked an SM.79 bomber. When I shot the CR.42 at a range of , he did a flick-roll and went spinning down. I found myself engaged in dogfighting with the remaining CR.42s. This went down to about ; by then I had used up all my ammunition without much success, although I am convinced I got quite a few strikes on the leader in the initial combat. I realized pretty quickly that dogfighting with biplanes was just not on. They were so manoeuvrable that it was very difficult to get in a shot, and I had to keep diving and turning to keep myself from being shot down. George had by this time disappeared so I stuck my nose down and, with full throttle, was very thankful to get out of the way." A week later, a dozen CR.42s from 23°
Gruppo appeared in the sky over Malta for a reconnaissance. Flight Lieutenants Peter Keeble and Burges scrambled to intercept them, and the resulting action greatly impressed the Malta defenders with the CR.42s maneuvering capability. Keeble attacked one CR.42 – probably the aircraft (MM4368) flown by
Sottotenente Mario Benedetti of 74a
Squadriglia that crashed, killing its pilot, but then came under attack himself by the
Falchi of
Tenente Mario Pinna and
Tenente Oscar Abello. Keeble tried to dogfight with the Italians, but his engine was hit and his Hurricane dived into the ground at Wied-il-Ghajn, near
Fort Rinella, and blew up; he was the first pilot to be killed in action at Malta. This was the first recorded air victory in the Second World War of the CR.42 against the Hurricane. Shortly after Keebles loss, a meeting of all the pilots and senior staff was called to discuss the best ways of countering the agile CR.42. A suggestion was made that the Hurricane should put down a bit of flaps as this might enable it to turn with the CR.42, but the only realistic proposal was to climb above these aircraft to be in an advantageous position. Nevertheless, Cattaneo noted that the Hurricane gradually proved itself to be superior to the CR.42.
Night fighter operations As the war went on, the CR.42 had been superseded in the day fighter role by more advanced aircraft, but found a renewed niche performing the night fighter mission. The
Falco served as the main night fighter of the
Regia Aeronautica, even though it was not equipped with
radar and often lacked radio equipment. Some
Falco night fighters were equipped with extended exhaust pipes to hide the exhaust flame. Additionally, 2 spotlights were fitted under the wings of some of the night fighters. The first night interception was performed on the night of 13–14 August 1940 by
Capitano Giorgio Graffer, when he located and opened fire on a British
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber that had been sent to attack
Turin. When his guns jammed, Graffer rammed the bomber before bailing out. The bomber had been badly damaged and subsequently crashed into the English Channel whilst attempting to return to its base. One of the most successful night interceptions took place on the night of 25 August 1942. That day, in an attempt to oppose RAF night intruder missions that were hammering Italian airfields, the 4°
Stormo borrowed four radio-equipped CR.42s, by 208a and 238a
Squadriglie of the 101°
Gruppo Bombardamento a Tuffo, based at Abar Nimeir, to use them as night interceptors. According to Cattaneo, the CR.42 achieved a degree of success as a night fighter, proving itself to be effective against RAF bombers that were bombing industrial targets throughout northern Italy during 1942.
Corpo Aereo Italiano , but was forced down by a malfunction of his aircraft's
variable-pitch propeller In autumn 1940,
Regia Aeronautica sent 18°
Gruppo (of 56°
Stormo) in Belgium with 83a, 85a and 95a
Squadriglia equipped with CR.42s as part of the
Corpo Aereo Italiano, an independent air corps for operations against Great Britain. On 11 and 23 November 1940, multiple CR.42s flew two raids against England.
Luftwaffe aircraft frequently experienced difficulties in maintaining formation flight with the slower biplanes. Even though slower, with an open
cockpit, many units lacking radio, and armed with only a pair of machine guns (a pair of 12.7 mm/.5 in or a combination of former and a 7.7 mm/.303 in Breda-SAFAT), the
Falchi could easily outturn the Hurricanes and the Spitfires opposing it and usually proved difficult to hit. "The CR 42 turned to fight using all the aeroplane's manoeuvrability. The pilot could get on my tail in a single turn, so tightly was he able to pull round." As the RAF intelligence report stated, the
Falchi were hard targets. "As I fired he half rolled very tightly and I was completely unable to hold him, so rapid were his manoeuvres. I attacked two or three more and fired short bursts, in each case the enemy aircraft half-rolled very tightly and easily and completely out-turned me. In two cases as they came out of their rolls, they were able to turn in almost on my tail and opened fire on me." Against British monoplanes, the CR.42s were not always outclassed; one Italian pilot's account is as follows: "I engaged one of the British fighters from a range of between . Then I saw a Spitfire, which was chasing another CR.42, and I got in a shot at a range of . I realised that in a manoeuvered flight, the CR.42 could win or survive against Hurricanes and Spitfires, though we had to be careful of a sweep from behind. In my opinion, the English .303 bullet was not very effective. Italian aircraft received many hits which did no material damage and one pilot even found that his parachute pack had stopped a bullet." During the winter of 1940/1941, the CR.42s were transferred back to the Mediterranean theatre.
East Africa , September 1940 While flying the Falco in Africa Orientale Italiana (A.O.I),
Mario Visintini became the top biplane fighter ace of the Second World War (having achieved 16 kills) and Luigi Baron and Aroldo Soffritti became the second and third Fiat CR. 42 top scoring aces, having made 12 and 8 air victories respectively. Moreover, during that short and difficult campaign, the Fiat fighters were responsible for the destruction of a large number of RAF and
South African Air Force (SAAF) aircraft, both in the air and on the ground, including a number of Hurricanes. During 1940, three
squadriglie stationed in
Italian East Africa —
Ethiopia,
Italian Eritrea, and
Italian Somaliland — were equipped with CR.42s. The 412a – the most experienced
Squadriglia – was based in Gura (with the 414a
Squadriglia) and in
Massawa. The 413a
Squadriglia was in
Assab. Fighting there began in June 1940 and lasted until the autumn of 1941. The Italians met mostly British bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, destroying many of them. On 12 June 1940, 412a
Squadriglia attacked nine
Vickers Wellesley bombers from 47 Squadron above
Asmara, and
Tenente Carlo Canella claimed the first CR.42 victory in East Africa, a Wellesley that was heavily damaged and forced to crash-land. Two days later, the 412a
Squadriglia again intercepted a pair of Wellesleys, this time from 14 Squadron, that were trying to bomb Massawa.
Tenente Mario Visintini, for the first of his 16 air victories in East Africa, shot down the Wellesley flown by Pilot Officer Plunkett. Dogfights usually occurred when enemy airfields were being attacked. But fierce air battles took place at the beginning of November 1940, during the British offensive against the Italian forts of
Gallabat and
Metemma, along the Sudan border. The
Regia Aeronautica was dominant in these fights, sometimes even against more powerful opponents. The most successful day was on 6 November when the CR.42s achieved seven confirmed victories against the Gladiators, for no losses. In the air duels fought during 1940, losses however were also suffered: at least six Fiats were destroyed and about a dozen damaged. Operations involving the CR.42 were typically hampered by wider logistical issues; the Royal Navy had prevented Italian supplies reaching East Africa and aerial transportation alone proved to be insufficient.
North Africa It was on the
North African front that the CR.42 was most extensively used. At the beginning of the war in
Italian North Africa, there were 127 CR.42s from the 13°
Gruppo (2°
Stormo) at
Castel Benito and from the 10° and 9°
Gruppo of 4°
Stormo in
Benina, including reserve aircraft. According to some historians, it was in the North African theatre that the CR.42 performed at its best. On 8 August 1940, in an aerial duel between comparable rivals, a flight of 16 CR.42s from 9° and 10°
Gruppi of 4°
Stormo were "bounced" by 14 Gladiators of
No.80 Squadron RAF over Gabr Sàleh (about 65 kilometres southeast of
El Adem and 35 kilometres east of Bir El Gubi). Four of the CR.42s were shot down while four more were force-landed and later recovered. In return, the Italian pilots claimed to have downed five Gladiators in the
dogfight (three shared amongst the pilots of 10°
Gruppo and two shared by the 73a
Squadriglia pilots) along with two probables (the 90a
Squadriglia’s Diary reported six victories), with two Gladiators actually lost (one pilot for each side was killed in action), but the combat was a nasty day for the best unit fielded in North Africa. 4°
Stormo was the mainstay of Italian fighter force in Africa, and its 73a
Squadriglia was the best unit, yet that day lost five CR.42s (included the ones eventually recovered). That air combat highlighted the advantages of the Gladiator over the CR.42, especially radio equipment that could permit coordinated attacks, and the Gladiator's superior low altitude overall performance, with a markedly superior horizontal manoeuvrability over the
Falchi. The overall exchange ratio between CR.42 and Gladiator is difficult to assess, but Håkan Gustavsson and Slongo rated the Gladiator with an advantage about 1.2–1.9:1. ,
Tripoli,
Libya, early 1943 Eventually, on 31 October 1940, the
Falchi scored their first confirmed air victories in
North Africa against the Hawker Hurricane. During the air battle over
Mersa Matruh Sergente Maggiore Davide Colauzzi and
Sergente Mario Turchi from 368a
Squadriglia, while escorting SM.79 bombers, shot down the Hurricanes of
33 Squadron that were flown by 26-year-old Canadian Flying Officer Edmond Kidder Leveille (RAF no. 40837) – who was forced to bail out but was killed when his parachute failed to deploy completely – and Flying Officer Perry St Quintin (Hurricane P3724), who made a forced landing at
Qasaba with a holed fuel tank. Two days after the start of the war, on 30 October, there was the first air battle. Some
Henschel Hs126s of 3/2 Flight of 3 Observation
Mira took off to locate Italian Army columns. But they were intercepted and attacked by Fiat CR.42s of 393a
Squadriglia. A first Henschel was hit and crashed, killing its observer,
Pilot Officer Evanghelos Giannaris, the first Greek
aviator to die in the war. A second Hs 126 was downed over
Mount Smolikas, killing Pilot Officer Lazaros Papamichail and
Sergeant Constantine Yemenetzis. The first CR.42 victories were credited to Fernando Zanni and Walter Ratticchieri. On 4 November 1940, three CR.42s jumped three RHAF Breguet from 2
Mira, sent to attack the
3rd Julia Alpine Division retreating from a mountain pass near
Metsovo. A Breguet was shot down, one crash-landed and the third returned to base, though badly shot up. At the beginning of November, the Greeks received support by the Royal Air Force and on 4 November six
Vickers Wellingtons from
70 Squadron attacked
Valona. CR.42s pilots shot down two British bombers and damaged two more. Fortunes started to reverse, on 18 November, the first day of Greek army counter-attack. While a CR.42 shot down a Greek
Bristol Blenheim, during a dogfight with Greek fighters, 393a
Squadriglia damaged four PZL P.24s but lost three Fiats. On the same day, a flight of 20 Gladiators from RAF
80 Squadron landed in Athens. While deployed in North Africa, the CR.42 pilots had been able to achieve a clear superiority over the Gladiators but in Greece, they suffered more heavy losses. The superiority of the Gloster was achieved in part as a result of its enclosed cockpit, which was an advantage when operating in the cold winter sky, while the R/T radio allowed for the adoption of more effective tactics that made it possible to ambush the Italian CR.42 formations, as well as the superior quality of the British aces of 80 Squadron, commanded by
Marmaduke Pattle. The majority of the Italian pilots shot down and killed in Greece were new arrivals, fresh from flying schools; these pilots frequently insisted on direct engagements against the more manoeuvrable British biplanes, leading to unfavourable dogfights. In the Greco-Italian War, CR.42 pilots claimed 162 kills, for the loss of 29 aircraft. By July 1943, CR.42s were still equipped by 383a
Squadriglia Assalto (Ground Attack Squadron) based in Zara and in September 1943, by 392a (in Tirana) and 385a
Squadriglie Autonome.
Iraq During April 1941,
Rashid Ali led a
pro-Axis coup in Iraq. In response, British Army units began moving into the area to quell the rebellion, many of which made landfall near
Basra. Germany and Italy dispatched support to Ali's forces in the form of Messerschmitt Bf 110s, Savoia-Marchetti SM.79s and CR.42s, which were quickly put into action against the British. The
Regia Aeronautica sent 155a
Squadriglia (named
Squadriglia speciale Irak) equipped with the improved
CR.42 Egeo version, which was furnished with a radio set and a 100-litre auxiliary tank, the latter of which increased the fighter's operational range (typically 800 km at 380 km/h) up to 1,100 km at economical speed. In Iraq, the
Regia Aeronautica was only operational for four days (28–31 May 1941), during which their aircraft were reportedly painted in Iraqi colours.
Royal Hungarian Air Force The first foreign purchaser of the CR.42 was the
Royal Hungarian Air Force (MKHL), which placed orders for 52 aircraft during mid-1938. The
Hungarians, while aware that the CR.42 was conceptually outdated in comparison to the newer generation of monoplanes, had considered the rapid re-equipment of their fighter component to be of vital importance. Additionally, the Italian government had expressed its willingness to forgo CR.42 delivery positions in order to expedite the re-equipment of the Hungarian units. By the end of 1939, a total of 17 CR.42s had been delivered to Hungary, where they were promptly issued to 1.
Vadász Ezred (1st Fighter Wing), which began conversion from the earlier CR.32. Its two groups of two squadrons, 1./I
Vadász Osztály (Fighter Group) at Szolnok and the 1./II
Vadász Osztály at Mátyásföld, Budapest, received their full complement of fighters during mid-1940. Some of the CR.42s in Hungarian service were armed with a single Gebauer GKM Machine Gun 1940.M (
Gebauer Kenyszermeghajtasu Motorgeppuska, or "Gebauer Positive-Driven Motor-Machine Gun"); these were fixed twin-barrel guns that were driven via the crankshaft of the aircraft's engine. In total, the MKHL ordered 70 CR.42s but, through a barter which included the exchange of a captured
Yugoslavian
Savoia-Marchetti SM.79, they received an additional two CR.42s during 1941. The Hungarian CR.42s were first used in combat against neighbouring Yugoslavia during April 1941. During the short conflict in the Balkans, the MKHL reportedly lost two of their CR.42s. In mid-June, CR.42 fighters equipped several MKHL units: 1/3.'Kör ász'F.S. and 1/4. 'Szent György' F.S. both based in
Budapest-Mátyásföld; 2/3. 'Ricsi' F.S. (in Bustyaháza) and 2/4. 'Repülö tör' F.S. (in
Miskolc). On 27 June 1941, Hungary declared war on the Soviet Union and, on that same day, Hungarian CR.42s received their baptism of fire when 2/3. Squadron escorted bomber formations against
Stanislau, today Ivano-Frankivsk, in Ukraine. losing two planes to Soviet fighters. For a time, the surviving CR.42s were relegated to training roles. During spring 1944, a night assault CR.42 Squadron was formed. These aircraft were equipped with flame dampers and bomb racks for the carriage of four 50 kg bombs; however, these planes were reportedly not used operationally. The majority of Hungary's CR.42s were lost in training accidents and strafing attacks by U.S. aircraft during 1944. It is believed that a single Hungarian
Falco survived the war.
Belgian Air Force During 1939, a mission from the
Belgian Air Force purchased a batch of 40 CR.42s for a total price of 40 million francs. On 6 March 1940, the first of these arrived in Belgium but was destroyed in a landing accident. The CR.42s were mainly delivered to the ''Evere Établissements Généraux de l'Aéronautique Militaire
, which were responsible for their assembly. The first operational squadron, IIème Group de Chasse
(Fighter Group) based at Nivelles, received its full complement of 15 while other units still awaited further deliveries. The exact quantity of CR.42s delivered to Belgium prior to the German attack on 10 May 1940 has been estimated by historians to fall between 24 and 27 aircraft, the last of which having been transported to France and lost in the railway station at Amiens. However, photographic evidence suggests that the total number of CR.42s delivered was 30. On 9 May, squadrons operating the Falchi'' were the 3rd "Cocotte rouge", with 14, and the 4th, "Cocotte Blanche", with 11 aircraft. In addition to those, the planes of Major Lamarche and two others (R.21 and R.27) in a hangar at
Nivelles were not serviceable, while another was at Airfield Number 41 with mechanical trouble. The Fiat CR.42s were first to be blooded in
Belgium; after their initial encounters with the vastly superior Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters of the
Luftwaffe, the entire contingent of Fiats was quickly overwhelmed, although the Belgian pilots fought with great skill. The Belgian CR.42s fought from the first day of the invasion, when they attacked a formation of attacking Ju 52s (from 17/KGzbV 5) in the
Tongeren area, forcing one to crash-land near
Maastricht. After capitulation, the five surviving Fiat CR.42s were brought into a French Air Force depot in Fréjorques, where they were later found by the Germans. Their final fate is not known. The J 11s were initially assigned to the F 9 wing, responsible for the air defence of
Gothenburg, but were transferred to the newly established
Bråvalla Wing (F 13) in
Norrköping in 1943 when F 9 received more advanced
J 22 fighters. The J 11s operating from
Kiruna, in the north of
Sweden, were equipped with a ski undercarriage. During the spring of 1942, the J 11s of 1. Division were transferred to
Luleå airfield. The J 11s scrambled several times to intercept German aircraft that violated Sweden's borders, but usually failed to make contact with intruders. One of the German units to use the CR.42 was
Nachtschlachtgruppe (NSGr.) 9, based in
Udine. It was tasked with fighting against partisans in the region of the
Alps,
Istria and
Croatia. During November 1943, the 1.
Staffel received its
Falchi and, in January 1944, the unit was transferred to the airfield at
Caselle, near
Turin, to operate against partisan units in the vicinity of the Southern Alps. On 28 January, the 2. Staffel was also equipped with the CR.42. The training of German pilots took place at a school in
Venaria Reale. During February 1944, after news of the Allies' landing at
Anzio, 1.
Staffel and 2.
Staffel, based at
Centocelle Airport in Rome, attacked Allied units in southern
Latium, which were conducted mostly during moonlit night raids. NSGr9 attacked enemy troops in the
Monte Cassino area. The CR.42 proved to be useful as a light bomber at night, but subsequently NSGr9 began to be equipped with the Ju 87D. 2.
Staffel kept using the Fiat biplanes until mid-1944. On 31 May, the unit still had 18
Falchi, 15 of which were operational. As a consequence of Allied raids that damaged the Fiat factory in Turin, only 150 CR.42LWs were ultimately completed, of which 112 would reach operational condition. Another German unit that used the type, both in Southern Italy and the Balkans, was
Jagdgeschwader JG 107, which flew them as night fighters, fighter-bombers and fighter-trainers.
Last claimed biplane kill of history The CR.42LWs equipped to the newly formed 3./NSGr 7 in Zagreb, Croatia, in April 1944. By September 1944, 2.
Staffel was transferred in Croatia too (at
Pleso) and the Fiats later equipped 1.
Staffel also, in
Graz,
Austria. On 8 February 1945, ten
Luftwaffe CR.42LWs of Stab and 2.
Staffel of
Nachtschlachtgruppe 7, took off from their base in
Agram-
Gorica, Croatia, to strafe the airfield at Grabovica, used by partisan forces. At the last moment, they were diverted to attack partisans northwest of
Sisak, during which they were attacked by a flight of American
P-38 Lightnings of the 14th Fighter Group. The American fighters shot down three Fiat biplanes, but two of the P-38s did not return to base. One of them was claimed by a German pilot, but this kill was not confirmed. According to authors Håkan Gustavsson and Ludovico Slongo, the unidentified German pilot's claim is the last known claimed victory of a biplane to occur. There is doubt regarding the claim. The 14th Fighter Group's unit history does not record any losses on this date by the 37th Fighter Squadron, which reported the engagement with the biplanes. The two aircraft which failed to return to base were reported as lost to ground fire during a ground sweep near Vienna, and were in the 48th Fighter Squadron. == Variants ==