Macchi C.205

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C.205 Veltro / C.205N Orione
Regia Aeronautica C.205V, Serie I from 352a Squadriglia, 51° Stormo, photographed at Capoterra, Sardinia, summer 1943
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Aeronautica Macchi
Designed by	Mario Castoldi
Maiden flight	19 April 1942
Introduced	February 1943
Retired	1947 (Italy) 1950 (Egypt)
Primary users	Regia Aeronautica Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana Luftwaffe
Produced	September 1942 - May 1944
Number built	262 [1]
Developed from	Macchi C.202

The Macchi C.205 (also known as the MC[Macchi Castoldi].205) Veltro (Italian: Greyhound) was an Italian World War II fighter aircraft built by the Aeronautica Macchi. Along with the Reggiane Re.2005 and Fiat G.55, the Macchi C.205 was one of the three "Serie 5" Italian fighters built around the powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The C.205 was a development of the earlier C.202 Folgore.

Although the definitive Macchi fighter, able to match the best Allied opponents in speed and maneuverability, the C.205 Veltro was introduced late in the conflict. Due to poor industrial capability, only a small production run of the C.205 fighter was delivered before the end of the war.^[1]

Contents 1 Design and development 1.1 Technical details 1.2 Relative performance 2 Operational history 2.1 Battle of Pantelleria 2.2 Battle of Capo Pula 2.3 Battle of Rome 2.4 General operations in Regia Aereonautica 2.5 After the Armistice 2.6 Postwar 3 Variants 4 Operators 5 Survivors 6 Specifications 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Bibliography

[edit] Design and development

In 1941, seeking to further improve the performance of the C.202 fighter, the Regia Aeronautica decided to license-build the German DB 605 1,100 kW (1,475 hp) liquid-cooled supercharged inverted V-12 engine in Italy, which Fiat produced as the RA.1050 R.C.58 Tifone (Typhoon). Fighter manufacturers were invited to enter versions of their designs with this engine as the caccia della serie 5 ("series-5 fighter") and were provided with imported DB 605s for prototype use. All of the designs used the number 5 in the name, with the Macchi becoming the C.205 (instead of C.202bis or C.203).

Macchi used the DB 601 engine in the C.202 which was comparable to the DB 605. The C.205V Veltro first flew on 19 April 1942, and was considered a stop-gap with the definitive variant being the 205N Orione (N stood for "new").^[2] In testing, the Fiat G.55 Centauro and Re.2005 Sagittario proved to be better performers at high altitude due to their larger wings. In fact, the Veltro used the same wing as the earlier Folgore but its weight had increased from 2,350 to 3,408 kg (5,180 to 7,515 lb) and the wing loading from 142 to 203 kg/m² (29 to 41 lb/ft²). The Veltro's performance was similar to German designs with their higher wing loading, and was at its best at medium altitudes where it could reach 642 km/h (347 knots, 399 mph). The C.205 Veltro was placed in production until the G.55 and the Re.2005 would become available.^[2]

The first 100 Veltro Serie I were only machine gun-armed, but many were also fitted with the MG 151 cannon. There were no Serie II built, but 150 Serie III examples were ordered, which were fitted with guns in the wings as standard.^[2]

The necessity to re-engineer the forward fuselage was time-consuming, but after several months of delays, the "205N" was ready. The C.205N1 first flew on 1 November 1942, with armament consisting of a 20 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub, and four cowling-mounted 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns for which it carried 300-400 and 1,400 rounds of ammunition respectively. This configuration allowed a higher ceiling, but less speed (629 km/h), however, the better aerodynamics (with a longer and more streamlined rear fuselage) provided an overall advantage over the Macchi C.205V/MG151 (620 km/h).^[2]

The maiden flight of the second aircraft, the C.205N2, took place on 19 May 1943, and in testing reached 628 km/h (340 knots, 390 mph) which was only marginally slower than the C.205N1 with a correspondingly longer time to reach its operational altitude. It was equipped with one engine-mounted 20 mm cannon, two wing-mounted 20 mm cannon, and two fuselage-mounted 12.7 mm machine guns. The ammunition load comprised 600 or more rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition, and a maximum of around 900 x 20 mm rounds which was much heavier than that carried by the C.205N1, and to a lesser extent that of the Reggiane and the Fiat which carried 490-550 and 650 x 20 mm rounds respectively. Although 1,200 aircraft were initially ordered, the design was abandoned due to the Armistice.

The N-series aircraft should have performed better than the C.205V, but Macchi test pilot Carestiano noted that their flying characteristics were inferior to the lighter and more agile C.205 Veltro. The later series also experienced overheating while in climbs.^[3]

[edit] Technical details

The C.205, also known initially as the C.202bis, was similar to the previous Folgore, but there were many differences in the fuselage: the tail was larger, the cockpit and its hump redesigned, the antenna mast was bigger and some modifications were made to the wings.

The C.205 was a single-seat, all-metal, monoplane fighter, intended primarily as an interceptor but with ground attack and escort capabilities. The long nose housed the DB605 engine which drove a three-blade, constant-speed metal propeller, with the main fuel tank situated between the engine and the cockpit. The engine cooling system radiator was located under the centre section of the fuselage beneath the cockpit while the short rear section housed the radio equipment, oxygen cylinder and an 80 l reserve fuel tank. The wings were made of light alloys and steel, having two spars and three sections, housing two additional fuel tanks, in addition to the fully retractable wide-set main undercarriage gear. Apart from the all-metal flaps in the inner wing, all the other control surfaces were metal-framed and fabric covered. Veltros had self-sealing tanks, armoured seat and armoured windscreen as standard. The cramped cockpit possessed a limited field-of-view, but some examples were fitted with a rear-view mirror.

The 827 kg (normal) payload was comprised of the equipped pilot (85 kg), fuel (307 kg), two Breda machine guns and two Mauser cannon (60 and 84 kg respectvely), 740 rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition (76 kg), 500 rounds of 20 mm ammunition (100 kg), and other sundry items such as oil (33 kg), oxygen cylinder (12 kg) and radio equipment. Additionally, 100 l fuel tanks or 160 kg of bombs could be carried on two underwing hardpoints.^[2] Due to a lack of passenger transport aircraft, modifications were made to a C.205 to enable it to carry eight passengers in the belly of the fuselage, and among others, three pilots of 51° Wing (including Adriano Visconti) made the journey from Sardinia to Italy after the Armistice in this manner.

[edit] Relative performance

The following are relative performance and characteristics data for the three versions of the C.205 (or MC.205, as the machines designed by Castoldi were often called):^[3]

		C.205V	C.205N/1	C.205N/2
Minimum weight (kg)		2,581	2,695	2,759
Maximum weight (kg)		3,408	3,621	3,794
Payload (kg)		827	926	935
Ceiling (m)		11,200	11,500	11,800
Range (km)		950	1,020	950
Maximum speed (km/h)		642/620 (at 7,500 m) [1]	629 (at 6,500 m)	628 (at 6,500 m)
Time to 5,000 m altitude		4 min 47 sec	5 min 46 sec	6 min 14 sec
Time to 6,000 m altitude		5 min 53 sec [2]	6 min 07 sec	7 min 38 sec
Time to 7,000 m altitude		7 min 06 sec [2]	7 min 45 sec	9 min 07 sec
Time to 8,000 m altitude		9 min 09 sec [2]	9 min 25 sec	10 min 47 sec

Notes:
1. Series I/III
2. Under ideal conditions

Although these figures provide an indication of the relative performance of each variant, and showed that the Orione, especially the N2, suffered as a result of the weight increase (particularly in the climbs), they are not truly representative as they were obtained under different test conditions. As opposed to the two N versions, the Veltro was tested under ideal conditions, ie. at light weight (3,250 kg) and with full emergency power (2,750 rpm). In a climb to 6,000 m, a Veltro III series, fully equipped and using combat (not emergency) power at 2,600 rpm needed 7 minutes.^[3]

[edit] Operational history

The C.205 entered production only five months after its maiden flight and began reaching front line units in February 1943. During the next few months, C.205s of the Regia Aeronautica were involved in several major engagements with units from the 4,000 Allied aircraft that were stationed in the Mediterranean at that time.

[edit] Battle of Pantelleria

1° Stormo received the first Veltros in time to fight over the southern Italian air base. In free-ranging patrols, this wing fielded 24 Veltros (around a tenth of all those produced) and nine Folgores in an attempt to intercept all enemy aircraft in the area. While patrolling between Cap Bon and Cap Mustafà on 20 April 1943, a large enemy formation was spotted 35 km west of Pantelleria. The Italian fighters started to close with the aircraft of Nos. 1, 92, 417, and 601 SAAF squadrons which were flying at low level, but were surprised by the Polish pilots of 145 Squadron, flying at high altitude. These were joined by other Spitfires, and eventually, the 33 Macchis found themselves in combat with up to 60 Spitfires (mainly Mk Vs, and possibly Mk VIIIs and IXs). The Italian pilots claimed 15 victories (one by Mars. Baschirotto who fired 500 rounds), with 14 Spitfires downed in the sea and another over African soil. The Polish pilots, on the other hand claimed seven victories, another three were claimed by 92 Squadron and one by a pilot of 601.

However, the actual numbers were different, as confirmed by Allied records. Only two MC.205Vs were downed (Lts. Andreoli and Fanelli), while another made an emergency landing near Cap Bon, and explains why some sources quote two losses and others three, but there is some doubt as to whether this aircraft, the only one to fall on African soil, was a Veltro or a Folgore. At least one other Macchi was damaged, and the pilot wounded. Similarly, the Italian claims didn't match any losses recorded in Allied squadron reports, consequently turning the apparent Italian "victory" into a defeat. On 24 June, 1° Stormo left Sicily and the few pilots returned to Udine, while the remaining aircraft joined other units.^[4]

[edit] Battle of Capo Pula

On 2 August 1943, two Beaufighters were downed and the Italians sent a Cant C.506 Airone aircraft escorted by four C.205Vs on a search and rescue mission. A group of P-40s attacked the Cant, but despite the defence put up by the few Veltros, one American fighter crashed into the C.506 and both fell into the sea.^[5]

A USAAF search and rescue PBY Catalina mission was also mounted, escorted by 12 P-38s. C.202 and C.205s of 51° Stormo, led by Ennio Tarantola, intercepted this flight. The Catalina was surprised on the surface near the Sardinian coast having broken a propeller blade in the heavy sea conditions. The Italians claimed to have also downed all 12 P-38s, whereas the Americans claimed three-four victories over the Axis fighters with no losses. Later records showed that only the Catalina and the C.202 of Marshall Bianchi, a close friend of Tarantola, were shot down.^[5]

The two or three victories over P-38s claimed by Tarantola are not supported by any data available; however, no further SAR missions were made by Americans to search for downed pilots, while the Italians claimed as many P-38s downed as all those available in the theatre. Except for a crewman killed by strafing, the crew of the Catalina was saved, thanks to a fast vessel of the Royal Navy whose captain was awarded with the DSC for battling adverse sea conditions, coastal battery fire and eventually enemy aircraft while rescuing the survivors.^[5]

Like its predecessors, the first Veltros were insufficiently armed (without the MG 151 cannons later installed in the wings), but the aircraft often performed well in combat. Guido Carestiano said about the C.205, that it was the best Italian fighter that "he knew" and many pilots like the C.205 "ace" Luigi Gorrini,^[6] scored 19 or 24 victories (in return, he was downed four or five times).^[3]

[edit] Battle of Rome

Gorrini claimed 12 victories in July 1943 and several of them were with the Veltro. On 13 August in defending Rome, he downed one B-17, then a P-38 and finally another B-17. His Veltro was wrecked by the damage sustained in the mission (an MG 151 gun exploded in the wing sending his aircraft into a steep dive and damaged it beyond repair). Gorrini avoided a crash, but five days after, crashed into another C.205V, and sustained serious injuries. He continued under the aegis of the Italian Social Republic (RSI, the German puppet state in northern Italy), flying in combat sometimes with the G.55 but mainly with the C.205. Given the shortage of modern aircraft, it was natural that more advanced combat aircraft like Veltros were usually given to the best flyers and most experienced pilots, like Vittorio Minguzzi, an "ace" as well , who formerly used the MM.494, the Re.2005 prototype, in the defence of Naples.^[7]

[edit] General operations in Regia Aereonautica

Veltros fought mainly over Sicily, 4° Stormo started operations on 9 July 1943, replacing 1° Stormo, that had no Veltros still flyable. 4° Stormo initially had a complement of ten Veltros and 38 Folgores (no Italian unit was equipped with Veltros alone) and later received a delivery of a further ten of these new fighters. 51° Stormo fought with some success over Sardinia, (apart from the battle of 2 August) but sustained many losses, especially at the end of July and the beginning of August. 21° Gruppo, of 3° Stormo, was partially re-equipped with Veltros with the task of Rome's defence.

In wartime colours and markings, Veltros originally had "tropical" patterns, with orange-like schemes, and irregular black-green lines all over their surface. Those in service in RSI aviation were painted an overall dark green (nearly black).

[edit] After the Armistice

At the time of the Armistice with Italy, 8 September 1943, the Regia Aeronautica had received 177 Veltros but only 66 were still usable. Six of these flew to Allied airfields to serve with the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, while another 29 reached northern airfields and were used by the Italian Social Republic Air Force (ANR - Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana).

Macchi produced the remaining 72 aircraft of the third series for the ANR before production was shut down by Allied bombing in May 1944. Statistics on aircraft production post-Armistice are unclear and incomplete.^[8] 1° Gruppo, based in Udine, was equipped with a few Veltros, as was 3° Gruppo, based in Vicenza, while further Veltros were scattered throughout other small units. Overall, around 100 Veltros were taken on charge, surviving partially during the re-equipment of the groups to Bf 109s. The "ace" Torresi was killed in a fierce battle, 1 July 1944, when three C.205s and two G.55s of 1° Gruppo were attacked by P-47s. The Italians claimed two P-47s, but three USAF machines were only damaged. All five Italian aircraft were lost, with two pilots killed and one wounded.^[9]

Apart these unfortunate combat losses, in general, C.205s fought well in RSI service: they were attached to units that had similar equipment, or at least of comparable quality, and were guided by German radar stations. Though few in number, they achieved some success in inflicting losses on Allied bombers and fighters,^[10] with anti-aircraft guns accounting for even more, but this still didn't prevent the Allies bombing even the most defended targets in Northern Italy. Together with the overall availability of many of the best pilots (Gorrini and Visconti among others), around 100 Veltros, 160 G.55s and almost 200 Bf 109G/Ks constituted a considerable fighting force.

The Luftwaffe's 77 JDG, for some time, used a number of Veltros as interim equipment, their first non-German aircraft, while waiting for more Bf 109s. The Germans had a mixed opinion of these aircraft, and in 1943 rated them as "mediocre", while the Re. 2005 Sagittario was "good" and the G.55 "excellent". German pilots wrote in their flight reports that the aircraft was fast (described by Italians as "the fastest fighter in the world") and had good flying characteristics, but tended to close too much in turns and would enter into a spin. Also, the engine throttle operated in the opposite manner to that on German aircraft, so pilots often made the mistake of closing the throttle instead of opening it (and vice versa) which led to many errors; some of them fatal. Other shortcomings were noted, such as the unreliable Italian radios, and a very slow time to reload fuel and ammunition on the ground.

After a few months, on 31 December 1943 they gave their Veltros back to Italian units. German pilots had claimed at least one victory, on 1 December 1943, against one of their "classic" enemies, the P-38 Lightning. At least five Veltros were destroyed in accidents, apart from two lost during ferryng operations by 51JDG pilots.^[11]

With the interruption of production, the Italians were forced to re-equip their three groups almost fully with Bf 109s, largely because the Germans were quick to offer some of their best models, including Bf 109G-6s and Bf 109K-4s. The Allies were less generous with the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (ICAF), and Veltros, including some upgraded C.202s, were slowly replaced with worn-out P-39s and Spitfires, but not before summer 1944.

[edit] Postwar

During 1948-1949, Egypt received 62 refurbished C.205Vs, of which 41 were converted from C.202 airframes. The new Veltros were fully equipped, while the Folgore conversions were armed with only 2 x 12.7 mm Breda guns. They were the lightest series of the entire production, and consequently had the best performance, but were seriously under-gunned. These briefly saw combat against the Israeli Air Force in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

[edit] Variants

With limited production and service-life, the C.205 saw only a few modifications. After the first 100 examples, the wing-mounted 7.7 mm machine guns were replaced with a pair of 20 mm MG 151 cannon.

M.C.205

One prototype armed with two 12.7-mm (0.50-inch) and two 7.7-mm (0.303-inch) machine-guns.

M.C.205V

Main production version.

M.C.205S

Long-range escort fighter with a 200 litre (52.8 US gal) fuel tank replacing the fuselage machine guns; 18 converted from production aircraft.

M.C.205N Orione

Proposed DB 605-powered fighter with a more significant design revision than the C.202-derived C.205V. The aircraft had a new wing with the wingspan increased to 11.25 m (36 ft 11 in) and wing area increased to 19 m² (204.5 ft²), and new forward fuselage that brought the length to 9.65 m. This made the shape in general much slimmer, instead of being a "big nose" design. Also, the fuselage was finally adapted for an MG 151 cannon.

M.C.205N-1

High-altitude interceptor fighter prototype. Armed with four 12.7-mm (0.50-inch) machine-guns mounted in the fuselage, and one 20-mm cannon mounted in the engine.

M.C.205N-2

High-altitude interceptor fighter prototype. Armed with three 20-mm cannons and two 12.7-mm (0.50-inch) machine-guns.

M.C.206

Similar armament to the C.205N/1 with a larger wing and a Daimler-Benz DB 603 engine. Single prototype destroyed by Allied bombing before being completed.

M.C.207

Similar to C.206 but with armament of four 20 mm cannon, none built.

[edit] Operators

 Egypt

• Royal Egyptian Air Force
  • No.2 Squadron REAF

 Germany

• Luftwaffe
  • II/JG 77 operated 25 aircraft.

 Italy

• Regia Aeronautica
• Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force received 6 aircraft.

Italian Social Republic

• Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana received 101 aircraft.

[edit] Survivors

There are three C.205s survivors, one is stored in Udine, another C.205 is stored in the Air & Sea Transport Building of the National Museum of Science and Technology "Leonardo da Vinci", in Milan. The Italian Air Force, together with Fiat and Aermacchi, restored the C.205 stored at the Museo della Scienza (Science Museum of Milan). The museum's "Veltro", after painstaking restoration work, was put back in the air in 1981. The third C.205 is stored in the Museo dell'Aeronautica Militare Italiana (Italian Military Aircraft Museum) in Vigna di Valle, Italy.

A Macchi C.205 wreck recovery was undertaken near Bologna for future restoration and display at Museo Caproni di Trento (Caproni Museum of Trento).

[edit] Specifications

Data from The Great Book of Fighters ^[12]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 8.85 m (29 ft 0 in)
• Wingspan: 10.58 m (34 ft 9 in)
• Height: 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)
• Wing area: 16.80 m² (180.8 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,581 kg (5,690 lb)
• Loaded weight: 3,408 kg (7,513 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 3,900 kg (8,600 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Fiat RA.1050 R.C.58 Tifone liquid-cooled supercharged inverted V12 engine, 1,475 hp (1,100 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 640 km/h (345 knots, 400 mph) at 7,500 m (24,600 ft)
• Range: 950 km (515 nm, 590 mi)
• Service ceiling 11,500 m (37,730 ft)
• Wing loading: 202.9 kg/m² (41.55 lb/ft²)

Armament

• Guns:
  
  • 2× 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, 400 rounds/gun, in the nose
  • 2× 20 mm MG 151 cannon, 250 rounds/gun, in the wings
• Bombs: 2× 160 kg bombs

[edit] See also

• Italian aircraft production 1935 to 1945
  

Related development

• Macchi C.200 Saetta
• Macchi C.202 Folgore
  

Comparable aircraft

• Fiat G.55
• Reggiane Re.2005
• Kawasaki Ki-61-II
• Messerschmitt Bf 109G
• Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX
• Yakovlev Yak-9D
  

Related lists

• List of fighter aircraft
  

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

v • d • e Aircraft produced by Macchi L.1 • L.2 • M.3 • M.4 • M.5 • M.6 • M.7 • M.8 • M.9 • M.12 • M.14 • M.15 • M.16 • M.17 • M.18 • M.19 • M.20 • M.24 • M.26 • M.33 • M.39 • M.40 • M.41 • M.52 • M.53 • M.67 • M.70 • M.71 • M.C.72 • M.C.73 • M.C.77 • M.C.94 • M.C.99 • M.C.100 • M.C.200 • M.C.202 • M.C.205 • M.B.308 • M.B.320 • M.B.323

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