Breda Ba.88

Breda Ba.88
Type:	Ground attack aircraft
Design country:	Italy
Manufacturer:	Breda
First flight:	October 1936
Commissioning:	1938
Production time:	1936-1940
Number of pieces:	149

The Breda Ba.88 Lince (Luchs) was a twin-engine Italian all-metal mid - decker with a double vertical tail and a retractable tail wheel landing gear made by Breda , which was used in World War II . The first flight took place in 1936. The two-seater aircraft was for use as a long-range spotter , heavy fighter and ground attack aircraft designed, but could not meet the expectations set and was withdrawn from use after a short time.

history

The prototype originally developed by engineers Antonio Parano and Giuseppe Panzeri initially had a tail unit with only one tail fin. The maiden flight of the two 900 HP (671 kW) radial engines Gnôme-Rhône 14K , manufactured under license by Isotta Fraschini, took place in October 1936. It turned out that the machine had great performance potential and in April 1937 it was able to secure two world records , one 517 km / h over 100 km and 475 km / h over the closed 1000 km course. In December of the same year, the values could be increased again to 554 km / h and 524 km / h respectively.

Production orders were placed immediately. However, through the installation of the planned armament and military equipment, the performance collapsed dramatically. Then a program was started that was supposed to lead to weight loss. At the same time, more powerful Piaggio P.XI RC.40 engines with an output of 746 kW each were installed. Breda manufactured eighty machines of this type between May and October 1939. There were also eight more machines with double control for training. Immediately after Italy entered the Second World War , aircraft of this type launched an attack on Corsica from July 16, 1940 . This showed the low combat value of the machines.

For use in Libya against English associations, special air filters had to be used because of the sand . These reduced the performance of the engines to such an extent that sometimes they could not even be started. Overheating and engine damage were commonplace. The machines barely reached half the speed promised by the manufacturer. In spite of everything, a second batch of 67 machines (19 from Breda and 48 from IMAM ) has been worked on. However, the machines could hardly be used and so from November 1940 most of the remaining aircraft in the first batch were retired from active service. They were used - cannibalized - as dummies at airports. The completed cells of the second construction lot were scrapped immediately after their completion.

In 1942, Agusta tried again with the Breda 88M to rehabilitate the type. So at three preserved Ba.88 the wings were extended by two meters, Fiat A.74 installed engines with 870 hp and the frontal armament to four 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT - machine guns reinforced. In addition, a dive brake was installed. From September 7, 1943, the type was evaluated by pilots from the German Air Force . The results were also inadequate.

The Breda Ba.88 can therefore be regarded as the biggest mistake in the Italian aircraft industry of the 1940s.

A total of 149 copies of the Ba.88 were made.

commitment

The first missions in World War II took place from June 16, 1940, when various machines of this type from Sardinia ( Terranova and Alghero ) flew repeated attacks on the French airfields in Corsica such as Bonifacio , Porto Vecchio , Ghisonaccia and Travo . Three days later it was also the turn of the airfields of Propriano and Ajaccio to the west . It was possible to destroy numerous - albeit mostly obsolete - enemy aircraft on the ground with bombs and on-board weapons , as virtually no French aircraft managed to get on the ground and take up combat because of the surprise effect. Nevertheless, the overall low combat value of the Ba.88 was already evident at this point. The machines showed inadequate speed and maneuverability, which would have given them poor chances in the event of a dogfight with contemporary enemy fighters.

A few more quite successful missions as an attack aircraft followed, especially against buildings and troop concentrations, whereby the performance was ultimately unsatisfactory.

The slight victories of the first few months prompted the Regia Aeronautica to send the 7th group with 32 Ba.88 to North Africa. However, the deployment in Libya against British associations quickly turned into a debacle, as special air filters first had to be installed due to the desert sand , which reduced the performance of the engines to such an extent that lift-off was only possible with greatly reduced fuel and / or weapon loads Extreme case became impossible in the first place. A few missions as an attack aircraft against British columns and some reconnaissance missions have been flown, but the performance has been disappointing. In addition, engine overheating or engine damage was a constant risk, which also resulted in some emergency and crash landings. Since the Ba.88 barely reached half the speed promised by the manufacturer, some machines were easy prey for enemy hunters of the Hawker Hurricane and Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk types. From November 1940, most of the remaining aircraft were withdrawn from active service and, after all usable parts had been dismantled, left behind as dummies for deception at the company's own airfields, most of which were again destroyed in the subsequent enemy air raids.

Military use

Italy 1861 Italy

Aeronautica Regia

Technical specifications

Radial engine Piaggio-P.XI

Parameter	Data
crew	2
length	10.79 m
span	15.6 m
height	3.1 m
Wing area	33.34 m²
Empty mass	4650 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	6750 kg
Top speed	490 km / h
Service ceiling	8000 m
Range	1640 km
Engines	2 × 14-cylinder double radial engines Piaggio P.XI RC.40 with 746 kW each
Armament	3 × 12.7 mm MG Breda SAFAT 1 × 7.7 mm MG Breda SAFAT 1000 kg drop armament in the bomb bay or 3 × 200 kg loads in special suspensions half-sunk under the fuselage

literature

Enzo Angelucci, Paolo Matricardi: World Aircraft. World War II. Volume I. Sampson Low Guides, Maidenhead 1978.
David Donald (Ed.): Breda Ba.88. In: The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Prospero Books, Etobicoke 1997, ISBN 1-85605-375-X .
Daniele Lembo: Breda 88 Lince. In: Aerei Nella Storia n.44. West-ward Edizioni, October 2005, Parma (Italian).
David Mondey: The Hamlyn Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II. Bounty Books, London 2006, ISBN 0-7537-1460-4 .

Web links

Commons : Breda Ba.88 - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Breda Ba.88 (Italian)
Breda Ba.88 (Russian)