Corpo Aereo Italiano
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The "Italian Air Corps" (Corpo Aereo Italiano, or CAI) was an Italian expeditionary force that participated in the Battle of Britain during the final months of 1940 during World War II. The CAI supported the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) and flew against the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The CAI achieved limited success during its brief existence. In general, the corps was hampered by the inadequacy of its equipment.
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[edit] Formation
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini insisted on providing an element of the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) to assist his German ally during the Battle of Britain. On September 10, 1940, under the aegis of "1a Squadra Aerea di Milano," the CAI was formed. Air Marshal (Generale sa ) Rino Corso-Fougier was the CAI's Air Officer Commanding.
[edit] Aircraft
- Fiat CR.42 of 18° Gruppo, 56° Stormo. The Italian CR.42 was a manoeuvrable and fast biplane fighter. Despite its good manoeuvrability and speed (440+ km/h) it was outclassed by the faster Hurricane and Spitfire of the British Royal Air Force (RAF).
- Fiat G.50 of 20° Gruppo, 56° Stormo. The Italian G.50 monoplane fighter was restricted by its short range of barely 400 miles (640 km) and the lack of a radio unit in most participating aircraft.
- Fiat BR.20 bombers of 13° and 43° Stormo. The Italian BR.20 was a twin engined bomber capable of carrying 1600 kg (3,528 lb) of bombs.
Supporting aircraft included the Italian CANT Z.1007 used for reconnaissance and Caproni Ca.133 transport planes.
On September 25, the bombers arrived at their airfield, Melsbroek in Belgium. They arrived after an eventful journey which saw several planes force landed or even crashed due to malfunctions and poor weather. The fighter element arrived later at Ursel, also in Belgium.
[edit] Operations
On the night of 24 October, the first raid conducted by the CAI took place when eighteen BR.20s took off to attack Harwich and Felixstowe. Not all aircraft found their targets and three were lost in accidents or after becoming lost.
The next major operation of the CAI was on 29 October. This date is regarded by some historians as the last day of the Battle of Britain. In response to a raid on several northerm Italian cities, fifteen BR.20s with a strong fighter escort bombed Ramsgate by day. The Italian bombers were sighted crossing the Kent at a relatively low level. The bombers flew in formation, wing tip to wing tip. The open-cockpit, fixed uncarriage fighter escorts accompanied them in a similar immaculate order. The Italian aircraft were painted pale green and bright blue. This was camouflage more suitable for a more exotic climate than that found in Britain in late October. [1] Five Italian aircraft suffered damage due to flak. The next few days saw several small raids.
On 11 November 1940, the day before the battle fleet of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina Italia) was attacked at Taranto, the CAI saw its first major combat against the RAF. Ten bombers were escorted by forty-two CR.42s, the G.50s, and some German Messerschmitt Bf 109s assigned to them. The mission was aborted due to bad weather. However, Hurricanes from 257, 46, and 17 Squadrons intercepted the aircraft from the aborted mission and destroyed three bombers and three fighters. In addition, four bombers eventually force landed, two fighters were destroyed on landing, and another eight fighters landed with damage. British losses were two fighters damaged. One of the Fiats was repaired by the British and subsequently evaluated. Of the Italian fighter aircraft, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill later wrote: "They might have found better employment defending the fleet at Taranto."[2]
Fighter to fighter combat was no more successful for the CAI. On 23 November, the Italian biplanes were "bounced" by Spitfire Mk.IIs and two were lost with several damaged, in return for one Spitfire damaged.
Further bombing raids were carried out by the CAI, mainly on the Ipswich and Harwich areas. But, near the beginning of January 1941, all of the bombers and biplanes were redeployed. This left the CAI with only the Fiat G.50s which remained until mid-April 1941 when they too were redeployed.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Hough, Richard, and Richards, Denis, The Battle of Britain, W.W. Norton Company, New York and London, 1989, ISBN 0-393-02766-X, page 305
- ^ Hough, Richard, and Richards, Denis, The Battle of Britain, W.W. Norton Company, New York and London, 1989, ISBN 0-393-02766-X, page 304
[edit] Bibliography
- Gunston, Bill (2001), The Illustrated Directory of Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Salamander, ISBN 1 84065 092 3
- Mondey, David (1984), The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II, Chancellor Press, ISBN 1 85152 966 7
- Townshend Bickers, Richard (1990, The Battle of Britain, Salamander, ISBN 0 86101 477 4
