Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana

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The National Republican Air Force (Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, or ANR) was the air force of the Italian Social Republic during World War II, closely linked with the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) in northern Italy.

This air force was tasked with defending the industrial areas of the region, intercepting Allied bombers en route to southern Germany and the allied and occupied territories of the Axis, and giving close support to German and Italian land forces. Later during the war various units served with German forces based at Spilve near Riga (Reichskommissariat Ostland) on the northern Russian Front, amongst others in the central and south area (Crimea) on the front.

The ANR, after the 1943 armistice that divided Italy, received numbers of Italian aircraft, later augmented with their own local production, and further aircraft from Germany. This force was opposed to the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana, or ACI, or Aeronautica Cobelligerante del Sud), the Italian pro-Allied air force, though they never actually met in combat.

[edit] Units of the ANR

  • Squadriglia Asso di Bastoni, 1°Stormo di Caccia, Mirafiori, Northern Italy
  • 1°Gruppo Aerotrasporti "Terraciano"; Riga—Spilve, Latvia, June 1944, under leadership of 1°Staffeln Transportfliegergruppe 10, Luftwaffe in Northern Area, Russian Front.

[edit] Aircraft used by the ANR

[edit] See also

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