====== During the
Spanish Civil War, about twelve G.50s, were dispatched to the . The first of these were delivered to the theatre during January 1939. The value of its presence in the Spanish theatre is questionable as none of the fighters sent saw actual combat. After the war the G.50s were handed over to Spanish pilots and saw action in
Morocco. In 1967, Cattaneo wrote "Little seems to have been learnt as nothing was done to increase the armament". ====== During 1938, the first operational Fiat G.50 fighters were delivered to the . The G.5 was widely regarded as highly manoeuvrable and was often considered to be one of Italy's best fighters. By the Second World War, the type was considered to be under-powered and under-armed. Before Italy joined the war further units of the were equipped with G.50s; these were heavily used in various exercises and war-games from November 1939. In June 1940, the had 118 G.50s; of these, 97 were operational while others were under repair or awaiting delivery. Most G.50s were in 51° , (group) which was based at
Ciampino Airport (just outside
Rome) and at
Pontedera, with 22° (wing) of 52° . On 10 June, when Italy declared war on France and Great Britain, the 22° went into action, followed by the 48 aircraft of 20° . Operations were sporadic and varied, often escorting
Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers on raids against harbours and airfields on
Corsica.
The Battle of Britain During September 1940, the 351ª, 352ª, 353ª , 20° ( Bonzano) 56° CT, equipped with Fiat G.50s, formed to operate during the
Battle of Britain in the (CAI, Italian Air Corps) based in
Belgium, with the 18° flying Fiat CR.42s. The Italian government had decided to participate in the German air offensive against Britain out of political opportunism and in pursuit of prestige. The Air Staff would have preferred for the aircraft to be sent to Greece and North Africa where they were needed more. On the Channel coast, the G.50 was hampered by its relatively slow speed, open cockpits, short range and an endurance of one hour. Poor weather and the use of poorly-trained personnel also undermined the fighter's effectiveness. The G.50s were the early model with an open canopy, which was useful in a typical
Mediterranean climate but led to the pilots suffer in the colder weather of northern Europe. The aircraft were under-equipped, with a mediocre radio set (powered by batteries that were prone to freeze at altitude) and lacked armour protection. The provided a small armour plate for the pilot's seat, a life jacket and some other technical help. The G.50 bis, with larger fuel tanks, was already in production but it was not sent to 20° in time to participate. On 5 November 1940, 22 G.50s intercepted several
Hurricanes that escaped with ease. On 21 November 1940, when a
Blenheim attacked
Flugplatz Maldegem in Belgium, the G,50 base, a pair of G.50s were scrambled but they lost the bomber in the clouds. On 23 November, several G.50s chased four Hurricanes but were unable to close on them. On 31 January 1941, there was another fruitless interception attempt when several G.50s were evaded by a Blenheim that escaped into the clouds. At the beginning of 1941, the CAI returned to Italy, leaving behind the G.50s of 352ª, 353ª in Belgium, with 2 (Air Fleet 2) until April 1941. The G.50s flew 429 sorties, 34 escorts and 26 scrambles but failed to engage an aircraft. A G.50 was lost and seven more were damaged during the deployment. While operating with 2, 20° lost four other fighters and two pilots were killed. A pair of G.50s were recorded as having been damaged by
friendly fire from German fighters and flak. In Belgium, 20° had the opportunity to see the German
Messerschmitt Bf 109 in action; several G.50 pilots trained to fly the type. A pair of Bf 109E pilots were attached to the in mid-January 1941. On 8 April 1941, the last sighting of enemy aircraft by the G.50 occurred, during which the targets, identified as fighters, eluded them again. ====== On 27 December 1940, the first 27 G.50s, of 150ª and 152ª of 2° CT, arrived in
Libya to join 5. On 9 January 1941, the fighters flew their first operation in North Africa. (Flight Lieutenant) Tullio De Prato, commander of 150ª was attacked by a Hurricane, forcing him to crash-land his G.50 in the desert. On 31 January 1941, 155° CT, consisting of 351ª , 360ª and 378ª ( Luigi Bianchi) arrived in Libya. Caught up in the chaotic retreat of the
10th Army during the winter of 1940–1941, the G.50s saw relatively little action. On 9 April 1941, Carlo Cugnasca (an experienced pilot and the first to deliver a G.50 to Finland) attacked a flight of three Hurricanes of
73 Squadron and claimed one shot down, although this loss was not confirmed. On his return, he was force-landed his G.50, flipping the aircraft over on the airstrip but was unharmed. On 14 April when 66 Axis aircraft, including eight G.50s from 351ª , attacked British forces stationed near
Tobruk. The Hurricanes of 73 Squadron were outnumbered, resulting in the Hurricanes, which were only marginally faster than the G.50, having to ignore the Axis fighters and concentrate their efforts on the Italian bombers, which posed the greatest threat. Flying their G.50s Cugnasca and Marinelli attacked H.G. Webster's Hurricane while he was shooting at a
Stuka dive-bomber, shooting down and killing him over Tobruk. Flight Lieutenant James Duncan 'Smudger' Smith in P2652, saw the engagement, shot down and killed Cugnasca and Marinelli and damaged another G.50 before being shot down by the 351ª commander, Angelo Fanello. On 27 May, the 20° was reinforced by 151ª , which was equipped with the new Fiat G.50 bis. This new version had almost two hours of flight endurance, due to an extra fuel tank in the internal fuselage section (originally a bomb bay. The normal tactic with the G.50 was to dive from but they never flew very high over North Africa, usually keeping below . The aircraft still lacked radio sets and despite
air filters, the desert sand could reduce engine life to only 70–80 hours. Although the G.50s were mainly outperformed by Desert Air Force fighters, their pilots sometimes managed to shoot down the faster and better-armed Hurricanes and P-40s. In the hands of expert pilots, the G.50 was even capable of scoring multiple kills during a single sortie. For instance, on the evening of 9 July 1941, Aldo Buvoli of 378ª , 155° , took off from
Castel Benito airfield to patrol
Tripoli harbour and intercepted a flight of seven Blenheim light bombers, which had been engaged in a low-level attack on the ships. Two Fiat CR.42 biplanes from 151° were already pursuing the Blenheims when Buvoli attacked, shooting at each bomber in sequence. One Blenheim ditched in the sea while another was shot down a few miles north of Tripoli. Two Blenheims failed to return to
Luqa airfield in
Malta and were posted missing. For these successes, Buvoli was awarded the
Silver Medal of Military Valor and subsequently credited with four kills.
110 Squadron reported the loss of a similar number of Blenheim IVs on its first mission since arriving in Malta from the British mainland during early July. During the
Battle of Sidi Barrani, the first major British offensive of the
Western Desert Campaign, a number of G.50s operating from
Martuba Airbase,
Derna District, attacked the British-held airfield at
Sidi Barrani. On 18 November 1941, during
Operation Crusader, the Desert Air Force was responsible for destroying 13 aircraft during the
Battle of Gazala at the Ain el Gazala airfields, 10 of these being G.50s. On 19 November 20° , based at Sid el Rezegh, suffered many losses when British armoured forces suddenly attacked the airfield. Of the 19 G.50s, only three escaped, with 80 pilots and ground crew taken prisoner. Altogether, 26 G.50s were lost and 20° was left with only 36 G.50s, of which 27 were serviceable. Several G.50s were captured almost intact, and at least one was taken by 260 Squadron and later passed to 272 Squadron. After 1941, the G.50 played only a minor role in the . During June 1942, British intelligence estimated that 12 had a total of 26 G.50s (10 of these being of a serviceable condition), while the backbone of 5a was estimated to have comprised a mixture of 104 C.202s, 63 C.200s, 32 Z.1007 and 31 S.79s. ====== During the
Greco-Italian War (28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941) the of 395ª , 160° CT commenced offensive operations from
Berat against Greek and Allied forces over the
Balkans and the
Aegean Sea. From 1 to 5 November, the 24° CT with 354ª, 355ª and 361ª flew to Tirana to reinforce the Italian fighter force. By 5 April 1941 the 154° CT was operating from
Devoli with two of Fiat G.50s. Early on 20 February 1941, a flight of Hurricane fighters were engaged in their first aerial combat over the Balkans when seven G.50s of 154 were scrambled from Devoli to intercept a formation of RAF Blenheims with their Hurricane escorts but the did not engage. That afternoon, 15 G.50s engaged more Blenheims and
Gladiator fighters, claiming ten aircraft for the loss of one G.50, the RAF claimed three G.50s, for no loss. Post war records showed the loss of one Blenheim and a G.50. On 28 February 1941, RAF units intercepted Italian bombers and escorts, claiming 27 aircraft shot down and several others damaged in the ensuing battle. The Italians claimed six Gladiators and a
Spitfire. The recorded losses were one Gladiator and eight Italian aircraft; many more were damaged. On 4 March 1941, a G.50 bis was responsible for the shooting down of Hurricane
V7288, piloted by Australian ace Flight Lieutenant
Nigel Cullen RAF (who was credited with 15 or 16 victories) off
Valona on the Albanian coast, while he was flying as wing-man for
Pat Pattle. During the Greek campaign, a flight of ten G.50 fighters were recorded as having been lost, including both combat losses and others that had been destroyed by a combination of accidents and as a consequence of Allied bombing of Italian airfields.
Sicilian and Italian campaigns During the second half of the war, the G.50 was typically operated as a multi-role fighter and ground attack aircraft, equipped only with external bombs. During the opening phase of the
Allied invasion of Sicily, the G.50 was the most numerous aircraft used by the against the Allied landings. Just prior to the start of the invasion, a specialised ground attack unit of the , 50° , was transferred to southern Italy, with G.50 bis fighter-bombers. When the invasion began on 10 July 1943, additional units were rushed to the area. With other Italian and German ground attack units, 45 G.50 bis of 158° and 159° from Pistoia attacked Allied shipping, landing craft and troops. Ten G.50 bis saw action on 11 July with several Re.2002s, escorted by five Re.2005s of 362a , when they were intercepted by an overwhelming fighter "umbrella". Three G.50s were shot down, including (Wing Commander) Guido Nobili, commander of 5° . The remainder of the Italian aircraft returned to their base where the fighters were mostly destroyed on the ground by a follow-up air attack. By the time of the
Armistice of Cassibile with the Allies, 48 G.50s were left in Italy, 17 being serviceable. Several G.50s continued to be operated as part of the (ACI, Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force) while at least four G.50s were used by the (National Republican Air Force) as fighter
trainers.
Finnish service The G.50 saw its longest and most successful service in the two Finnish wars against the Soviet Union, the
Winter War of 1939–1940 and the
Continuation War of 1941–1944. At the end of 1939, before the outbreak of hostilities, Finland ordered 35 Fiat G.50s. The first 10 aircraft were to be delivered before February 1940 and a group of Finnish pilots attended a 10-hour training course at
Guidonia airport and later at Fiat Aviazione in Turin. On a training flight, during a dive from , Lieutenant Tapani Harmaja reached an estimated speed of , which was considered excessive for the structural integrity of the aircraft but only the windscreen was damaged. Germany hindered the transit of the aircraft, because of its treaties with the
Soviet Union, that left Finland inside the Soviet sphere of influence. The G.50s were dismantled and embarked in
La Spezia on the Norwegian ship
Braga, which set sail for
Turku, Finland, on 20 January. Deliveries took place from December 1939 to June 1940; because of this delay, the first G.50s did not reach
26 (26 Squadron [LeLv 26]) at
Utti until February 1940. The G.50s were given serial numbers from FA-1 to FA-35 but only 33 were delivered to Finland and sent to LeLv 26. A day before the truce after the Winter War, they had received 30 Fiat G.50s of the 35 ordered. On 7 February, Fiat G.50 (FA-7) was lost when being ferried to Finland by a
Hungarian volunteer, Second Lieutenant Vilmos Békássy who crashed into the sea. On 11 March, Diego Manocchi was killed in FA-22 making an emergency landing on a frozen lake and turned over. The Italian fighters had arrived too late to affect the course of the winter battles and most of them were soon sent to the front. The Fiat pilots fought over the bay of Vyborg in late February and early March. According to some sources, the first kill was achieved on 26 February. The Fiat bases were under constant attack. The
Utti airfield was bombed by the Soviet air force. Consequently, the Fiats were transferred to the north-west of Utti proper, onto the ice at Haukkajärvi (Falcon Lake). As Haukkajärvi came under attack, another shore base was established near the city of
Lahti,
Hollola, also on the ice of
Vesijärvi near Pyhäniemi manor. LeLv 26 achieved 11 kills, against one loss in combat and one pilot killed in an accident (the aircraft was repaired and returned to service in 1941). The Finnish G.50y was taken from the 235 built by CMASA, both and but all but seven had the open cockpit of the , that Finnish pilots disliked, especially in winter. There were some attempts to improve the aircraft, one was tested with an enclosed cockpit, another with a D.XXI ski-undercarriage but none of the modifications were put into service. Better protection for the propeller, which had problems at extremely low temperatures, and a few other changes were introduced. Finnish pilots preferred the Hurricane, the French
M.S. 406 and the
Buffalo to the G.50.
Victories, February–March 1940 The first demonstration of the Finnish Air Force's effectiveness came on 25 June 1941, when the G.50s from
HLeLv 26 shot down 13 out of 15 Soviet SB bombers. Thirteen aerial victories were achieved altogether. During the Continuation War, the G.50s had most success during the Finnish offensive of 1941, after which they became ever less impressive. In 1941,
HLeLv 26 claimed 52 victories for the loss of only two fighters. The Soviets brought better, newer types of fighter to the front line in 1942 and 1943, while the Fiats were wearing out and the lack of spare parts meant that pilots were restricted to a minimal number of sorties. Between 30 November 1939 and 4 September 1944, the G.50s of
HLeLv 26 shot down 99 enemy aircraft, including more modern aircraft like the British fighters sent to the USSR. In the same period, Finnish squadrons lost 41 aircraft of several types. Three G.50s were lost in combat, a victory−loss ratio of 33/1. The most successful Finnish G.50 pilots were
Oiva Tuominen (23 victories),
Olli Puhakka 11 (or 13 according to other sources) Nils Trontti (6), Onni Paronen (4), Unto Nieminen (4) and Lasse Lautamäki (4). The Finnish G.50s were withdrawn from front-line duty in the summer of 1944. There were no more than 10 or 12, and even as trainers, they did not last long, since they lacked spare parts. Unlike the slightly older
MS.406, there was no effort to change their engine to make them better and faster. The last G.50 was struck off the inventory on 13 December 1946, at the FAF flight academy in Kauhava.
Croatian service In October 1941, the
Croatian Air Force Legion requested military aid from Italy and the Italians agreed to deliver ten Fiat G.50s (nine single-seaters and one two-seater), along with ancillary equipment. On 12 June 1942, the Fiat G.50 bis fighters took off from Fiat in Turin for Croatia but before they reached the border, they were stopped on the orders of
Ugo Cavallero, Chief of (Italian High Command) who feared that the Croatian pilots would defect. The G.50s had to wait until 25 June before being delivered to the Croatian Air Force, which assigned them to the 16th (squadron) at Banja Luka. The Fiats were intensively used until 1945 against
Yugoslav Partisans, at first in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, then in
Serbia,
Croatia and
Dalmatia. During 1942, a Croatian G.50 bis squadron was transferred from Northern
Yugoslavia to the Ukrainian front, flanking . On 25 June 1943, the (Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia, ZNDH), received nine G.50 bis fighters and one G.50B. In October, while based at Zalužani airfield,
Banja Luka, they flew many strafing missions against partisans for nearly a year. After the Italian armistice of 8 September 1943, the
Luftwaffe supplied the ZNDH with 20–25 Fiat G.50s captured on airfields in the Balkans. These equipped two Croatian fighter units but by the end of 1943 only 10 aircraft remained. Three G.50s captured after the Armistice were loaned to (Croatian fighter Wing 1, Kro JGr 1) at the beginning of 1944. In 1944 some of the G.50s were operated at the
Brežice training school. In January 1945 ZNDH had seven Fiat G.50s but only two were operational. On 10 March 1945, six of the Fiats were based in Lucko, operated by 2.
LJ (
Lovacka Grupa, Fighter Group). Three were damaged by RAF Mustangs of
213 Squadron and
249 Squadron attacking Lucko airfield with
napalm bombs, on 25 March, and the following day one of the last serviceable was flown to a RAF-held airfield by
Yodnik (
Corporal) Ivan Misulin that defected, together with
vodnik Korhut (flying a Bf 109 G-10). The last G.50s were captured by Yugoslav Partisans. After the war, the G.50s were used for some time by the new
Yugoslav Air Force, the last G.50s on active service. ==Variants==