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Fiat CR.42
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The Fiat CR.42 Falco ("Falcon") was a sesquiplane which served as the primary fighter aircraft of Italy's Regia Aeronautica at the outbreak of World War II. Although outdated by monoplane fighters, it still acquitted itself well in North Africa until the advent of more advanced Allied fighters. The Fiat CR.42 was the last of the Fiat biplane fighters to enter frontline service as a fighter, and represented the epitome of the type.
CR.42 was a design evolution of the earlier Fiat CR.32, which was in turn derived from the Fiat CR.30 series of 1932.
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The Fiat CR.42 Falco ("Falcon") was a sesquiplane which served as the primary fighter aircraft of Italy's Regia Aeronautica at the outbreak of World War II. Although outdated by monoplane fighters, it still acquitted itself well in North Africa until the advent of more advanced Allied fighters. The Fiat CR.42 was the last of the Fiat biplane fighters to enter frontline service as a fighter, and represented the epitome of the type.
Design and development
The CR.42 was a design evolution of the earlier Fiat CR.32, which was in turn derived from the Fiat CR.30 series of 1932. The Regia Aeronautica had employed the CR.32 during the Spanish Civil War with great success, which led to Fiat proposing a more modern fighter based around the Fiat A.74R1C.38 radial air-cooled, geared and supercharged engine and a robust, clean biplane design. Although technically a sesquiplane with unequal span, smaller lower wings, the rigidly-braced wings covered with fabric were constructed from light duraluminum alloy and steel.
In spite of the biplane configuration, the CR.42 was a modern, "sleek-looking" design based around a strong steel and alloy frame incorporating a NACA cowling housing the radial engine and streamlined fairings for the fixed main landing gear. At the same time, the CR.42 lacked armour and radio equipment. The aircraft proved exceptionally agile thanks to its very low wing loading.
During evaluation, the CR.42 was tested against the Caproni Ca.165, another biplane, and was judged to be superior, although the Ca.165 was a much sleeker, more modern design which boasted a higher speed at the cost of maneuverability. The age of the biplane was coming to an end when the Ministero dell'Aeronautica ordered the CR.42 in 1939 for the Regia Aeronautica, but even so, a number of other air forces expressed interest in the new fighter and a number of early Falcos were delivered to foreign customers.
Soon after its combat introduction, Fiat developed a number of variants, the CR.42bis and CR.42ter with increased firepower, the CR.42N night fighter and CR.42AS ground-attack and two-seat trainer.Experimental configurations included the I.CR.42 (Idrovolante= seaplane) and the CR.42B, an attempt to improve the type's performance by installing a Daimler-Benz DB601A in-line engine of 1,010 hp. Although this variant reached a top speed of 323 mph (518 km/h), the project was cancelled as the biplane configuration did not offer any advantages over contemporary fighter designs.
Operational history
In spring 1939, the first Fiat CR.42 operational squadron was the 53 Stormo in the Regia Aeronautica. By the time Italy entered the Second World War on 10 June 1940, the Regia Aeronautica had 143 CR.42s in service. The Italian aircraft first saw combat during the Italian campaign against Southern France, flying bomber escort for Fiat BR.20 twin-engined bombers, as well as performing strike missions against French airfields. On 15 June 1940, CR.42s shot down three Bloch MB.152 and five Dewoitine D.520 monoplane fighters for the loss of five aircraft.
On 11 November 1940, CR.42s flew their first raid against Great Britain as part of the Corpo Aereo Italiano. However, German Luftwaffe aircraft had difficulty flying in formation with the slow biplanes, which also proved to be poor match for more modern British fighters, and the CR.42s were transferred back to the Mediterranean theatre. The fighter was widely used in North Africa, although largely in the ground attack role. When production was stopped in 1942, a total of 1,784 CR.42s were built. By 1943, when Italy surrendered, only around 60 of the aircraft were in flying condition.
Royal Hungarian Air Force
The first foreign customer for the Fiat CR.42 was Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légiero (MKHL; the Royal Hungarian Air Force), which placed orders for 52 aircraft during mid-1938. The Hungarians,while aware that the CR.42 was conceptually outdated, considered the rapid re-equipment of their fighter component vital, the Italian government having expressed its willingness to forgo CR.42 delivery positions in order to expedite the re-equipment of Hungarian units. By the end of 1939, 17 CR.42s had reached Hungary, issued to 1. Vadász Ezred (1st Fighter Wing) which began conversion from the 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 in mid-1940.
Some CR.42s in Hungarian service were fitted with 12.7mm Gebauer GKM (Gebauer Kenyszermeghajtasu Motorgeppuska, or "Gebauer Positive-Driven Motor-Machine Gun"); these were fixed twin-barrel guns driven from the aircraft engine's crankshaft.
In total, MKHL ordered 70 CR.42s but through a barter which included a captured Yugoslavian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79, they received two additional CR.42s in 1941. The Hungarian aircraft were used in the ground attack role against Soviet forces until December 1941. Although typically outclassed by more modern types, the Hungarian CR.42s scored 25 destroyed, one probable, one damaged and one aircraft destroyed on the ground. The surviving CR.42s were relegated to training roles.
Belgian Air Force
Belgium's Aéronautique Militaire ordered 34 CR.42s in 1939, with only 25 delivered before 6 March 1940 (one aircraft was destroyed in a landing accident). The CR.42s were mainly sent to the Evere Établissements Généraux de l'Aéronautique Militaire for assembly. The first operational squadron, IIčme Group de Chasse (Fighter Group) based at Nivelles, south of Brussels had their complete complement of 15 while other units had awaited further deliveries. The Fiat CR.42s were first to be blooded in Belgium but after encountering the vastly superior Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters of the Luftwaffe, the entire contingent of Fiats was soon overwhelmed although the Belgian pilots fought with great skill. In the 35 missions flown, Fiat CR.42s downed at least five and probably even eight enemy aircraft including a Dornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 52 and the vaunted Bf 109 for a loss of two of their own. After capitulation, the five surviving Fiat CR.42s were brought into depot of the French Air Force in Fréjorques, where they were found by the Germans. Their final fate is not known.
Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force purchases of various types of Italian war planes in 1939-41 were an emergency measure caused by the outbreak of war. There were no other nations willing to supply planes to a small neutral country and domestic production would be insufficient until 1943. From 1940 to 1941, Sweden received 72 CR.42s, which were equipped with radios, 20 mm (0.8 in) armor plate behind the pilot and ski landing gear. The Swedish aircraft were designated J 11.
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 F 13 wing in Norrköping in 1943 when F 9 received more advanced J 22 fighters. Pilots appreciated the J 11's formidable close-in dogfighting abilities, however, the airframes were of substandard quality and fared poorly in the harsh conditions of the war years. By 1943, 31 aircraft had already been scrapped or retired for various reasons.
The remaining J 11s of the F 13 wing were decommissioned for good by the Air Force by 14 March 1945. Nineteen aircraft were sold to a civilian contractor, Svensk Flygtjänst AB, who used 13 of them as target tugs for one season, although the type was not well suited for the role. One surviving J 11 was stored at the F 3 wing in Linköping; the aircraft was "hidden away" for a future museum and today is on a permanent static display with the Flygvapenmuseum.
Luftwaffe
After the Italian armistice of 8 September 1943, the German Rüstungs-und-Kriegsproduktion Stab took control of Italy's northern aircraft industry, and ordered 200 CR.42LW (LW=Luftwaffe) from Fiat for the Luftwaffe, to use for night harassment and anti-partisan roles. Due to the allied raids over the Fiat factory in Turin, only 150 CR.42LWs were completed, and 112 accepted into service. They were used in Southern Italy and the Balkans by Nachtschlachtgruppe (NSGr.) 9 and 7 and Jagdgeschwader (JG) 107 as night-fighters, fighter-bombers and fighter-trainers (nicknamed "Die Pressluftorgel" or "the Pneumatic Organ" by the Luftwaffe trainee pilots).
Variants
CR.42: CR.42s were usually armed with 2x 12.7 mm machine guns; in order to save weight and improve dogfighting ability, often a field modification was carried out, replacing one of the 12.7 mm machine guns with a 7.62 mm machine gun.
CR.42AS: Modified for desert conditions in North Africa (AS - Africa Settentrionale; North Africa); additional engine filter to prevent damage from sand. The filter caused a limited loss in power, but this was a common occurrence in North Africa, since filter-less engines could be expected to be damaged after only a few hours.
CR.42B: One aircraft equipped with the Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine, estimated maximum speed 520 km/h (323 mph). Also known as the CR.42DB.
CR.42bis: 4x 12.7 mm machine guns with two additional guns mounted in blisters under the wings.
CR.42CN: Night fighter version with spotlights in gondolas under the wings and prolonged engine exhausts.
ICR.42: Experimental floatplane version designed by CMASA, top speed decreased by only 8 km/h (5 mph) in spite of the 124 kg (273 lb) increase in weight.
CR.42LW: Night harassment, anti-partisan aircraft for the German Luftwaffe.
CR.42 Bombe Alari: (not an official production name, but a widely used one) Modification carried out at SRAMs (repair centers), to allow outdated fighters to be used in ground attack roles. Underwing pylons for 2x50 kg bombs were added; often these pylons were even loaded with 100 kg bombs. The same modification was carried out on Fiat G.50s and Macchi C.200s.
CR.42 two-seaters: Several Italian CR.42s were converted into two-seat communications aircraft.
Operators
Survivors
Four CR.42s are known to exist:
- The Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon has a Regia Aeronautica machine (MM5701) on display. This was captured on 11 November 1940 when it suffered an overheated engine and was forced to land on the shingle beach at Orfordness, Suffolk.
- At the Swedish Air Force Museum near Linköping is a J 11, Fv2543.
- The Fighter Collection at Duxford are restoring another Swedish J 11 to fly - formerly Fv2542; now civil-registered as G-CBLS.
- At the Italian Air Force Museum, Vigna di Valle is a CR.42 in Italian colours as "MM4653", which in fact is a composite built up with the help of parts recovered in Sweden, Italy and France.
Specifications (CR.42)
Bibliography
- Apostolo, Giorgio. Fiat CR 42, Ali e Colori 1 (in Italian/English). Torino, Italy: La Bancarella Aeronautica, 1999. No ISBN.
- Apostolo, Giorgio. Fiat CR 42, Ali d'Italia 1 (in Italian/English). Torino, Italy: La Bancarella Aeronautica, 1998. No ISBN.
- Beale, Nick, D'Amico, Ferdinando and Valentini, Gabriele. War Italy: 1944-45. Shrewbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-85310-252-0.
- Forslund, Mikael. J 11, Fiat CR 42 (in Swedish with English summary). Falun, Sweden: Mikael Forslund Production, 2001. ISBN 91-631-1669-3.
- Kopenhagen, W. Das große Flugzeug-Typenbuch (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Transpress, 1987. ISBN 3-344-00162-0.
- De Marchi, Italo. Fiat CR.42 Falco (in Italian). Modena, Italy: Stem Mucchi. No ISBN.
- Pacco, John. "Fiat CR.42" Belgisch Leger/Armee Belge: Het militair Vliegwezen/l'Aeronautique militaire 1930-1940. Artselaar, Belgium, 2003, pp. 66-69. ISBN 90-801136-6-2.
- Punka, George. Fiat CR 32/CR 42 in Action (Aircraft Number 172). Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal, 2000. ISBN 0-89747-411-2.
- Skulski, Przemyslaw. Fiat CR.42 Falco. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2007. ISBN 83-89450-34-8.
- Taylor, John W.R. "Fiat CR.42." Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
- Winchester, Jim. "Fiat CR.42." Aircraft of World War II (The Aviation Factfile). Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-639-1.
External links
See also
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