Fiat CR.42
| Fiat CR.42 | |
|---|---|
 Fiat CR.42 of Regia Aeronautica in the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon near London
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| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
May 23, 1938 |
| Commissioning: |
May 1939 |
| Number of pieces: |
1784 |
The Fiat CR.42 Falco (Falcon) was an Italian biplane - fighter of the late 1930s, which in the Second World War was used. In addition to its service with the Italian Air Force, the CR.42 was also used by the Air Force in several other European countries and, from 1943, also by the Italian Social Republic and was produced until 1944.
history
The Fiat CR.42 was further improved and enhanced performance of the successor to the Spanish Civil War used CR.32 , also a Jagdeinsitzer in conventional linen-covered biplane -design; However, in contrast to this, it had an air-cooled double radial engine . Like its predecessors, it was developed by the engineer Celestino Rosatelli , from which the model name CR results.
The biplane fighter was already out of date when it was introduced. It originated at a time when there were already modern monoplane monoplane fighters with retractable landing gear in the German Empire , Great Britain , France or the USA , such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 , Hawker Hurricane or the Morane-Saulnier MS406 fighters. Even in Italy there were more modern developments, such as the Fiat G.50 Freccia , Macchi MC.200 Saetta or the Reggiane Re.2000 Falco . The reason for this was that in the Regia Aeronautica ( Italian Air Force until 1943) there were many advocates of the idea of acrobatic aerial combat, as it could previously be practiced perfectly with the CR.32. It was believed that the pilot's determination and maneuverability were enough to win in aerial combat. This air combat tactic was also used by the Japanese military at the beginning of the Second World War. In addition, the great success of the agile hunting biplane CR.32 in the Spanish Civil War was conducive to this development, so that the Regia Aeronautica had not yet made a clear decision in favor of the monoplane at the time of the first flight of the CR.42 . However, this did not recognize their misjudgment until 1939 and therefore very late, which led to the fact that the Falco had to carry the brunt of the aerial battles at the beginning of the war.
The first flight of the CR.42 took place on May 23, 1938. The machine differed from its predecessor CR.32 by a more modern hull and an air-cooled double radial engine of the type Fiat A.74 RC.38 with an output of 840 hp. The "Falco" was one of the best fighter planes of its kind ever built; however, it was out of date by the time Fascist Italy entered the war in June 1940. Even so, it was very popular with the Italian federations, so some units even swapped their more modern Macchi MC.200 fighters for the CR.42.
Foreign armed forces also quickly found interest in the agile Fiat fighter, after all, the Italian Air Force was one of the front runners in air warfare in the 1930s, which also set numerous records for itself. The Belgian Air Force bought 42 “Falcos”, Hungary 68 aircraft and Sweden (as J11) 72 CR.42s .
commitment
When fascist Italy entered the Second World War on the German side in June 1940, the “Falcos” were able to hold their own against other fighter planes from enemy countries. In the hands of an experienced pilot, they could be dangerous for the Hawker Hurricane despite their lower speed with their superior maneuverability . Especially in the African theater of war, for example in Italian East Africa , the planes of the Regia Aeronautica were able to record great successes for themselves. So it happened that the CR.42 clearly dominated the airspace there in the aerial battles against the Gloster Gladiator double-deckers. In the further course of the war in Europe, where the more modern monoplane had long since dominated events, the disadvantages of the Fiat fighter quickly crystallized. The lack of speed in particular often became a problem, for example in the Battle of Britain .
The Hungarian Air Force initially used the Fiat CR.42 successfully in its campaign against the Soviet Union .
From 1942 onwards, the "Falco" was more and more relieved of the role of the hunter, as she had long since fallen behind in this role. It was increasingly used in flight schools, as a fighter-bomber or as an attack aircraft. The German Air Force also used this pattern in flight training schools (FFS) and as a night warplane until spring 1945.
Versions
- CR.42 “Falco” with a 7.7 mm MG and a 12.7 mm MG for Belgium, Hungary and Italy
- CR.42AS with bomb locks , as an attack aircraft and fighter-bomber
- CR.42bis with two 12.7 mm machine guns for Sweden (referred to there as J11)
- CR.42CN for night operations with spotlights
- CR.42B (also CR.42DB ) test model equipped with a Daimler-Benz DB 601 V-12 engine , fastest double-decker in the world (515 km / h)
- I.CR.42 (also ICR.42 or CR.42 Idro ) seaplane version with two floats
Countries of operation
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Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 8.26 m |
| span | 9.70 m |
| height | 3.57 m |
| Wing area | 22.4 m² |
| Empty mass | 1708 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 2295 kg |
| drive | a radial engine Fiat-A-74-RC-38 (830-840 HP) |
| Top speed | 450 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 10,200 m |
| Climbing time to 6000 m | 5.26 min |
| Range | 780 km |
| Armament | 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns from SAFAT with 400 rounds later variants + 2 × 12.7 mm machine guns |
Received aircraft
An aircraft is on display in the Italian Aviation Museum Vigna di Valle .
See also
literature
- Susan Harris (Editor): Encyclopedia of Airplanes. Weltbild, Augsburg 1994, ISBN 3-89350-055-3 .
- Carlo Lucchini, Enrico Leproni: The Italian and German Air Force over the Mediterranean 1940–43. Volume 1. Flugzeug-Publ.-GmbH, Illertissen 1998, ISBN 3-927132-37-3 .
- Hans Werner Neulen: In the sky of Europe. Universitas, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-8004-1366-3 .
- Michael Sharpe: biplanes, triple decks & seaplanes. Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1872-7 .
Web links
- Fiat CR.42 at "Comandosupremo"
- Fiat CR.42 at "Ww2 warbirds" ( Memento from May 7, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
- Fiat CR.42 at "jg27.de"
Individual evidence
- ↑ Aeronautica Militare: ITALIAN AIR FORCE MUSEUM. In: FIAT CR.42 FALCO. Ministero della Difesa, accessed June 16, 2009 (Italian).
Gabrielli series : G.2 | G.5 | G.8 | G.12 | G.18 | G.46 | G.49 | G.50 | G.55 | G.56 | G.59 | G.61 | G.80 | G.81 | G.82 | G.84 | G.91 | G.212 | G.222
Rosatelli series : R.2 | R.22 | R.700 | APR.2
Rosatelli Bomber Series : BR | BR1 | BR2 | BR3 | BR4 | BR20 | BRG
Rosatelli series of fighters : CR1 | CR2 | CR5 | CR10 | CR20 | CR25 | CR30 | CR32 | CR33 | CR40 | CR41 | CR42
Other aircraft: N.3 | R.2 | R.22 | R.700 | A.120 | AS1 | AS2 | TR1 | BRG | FC12 | FC20 | RS.14 | MF4 | C.29
Helicopter: 7002