Fiat G.12

Fiat G.12
Type:	Airliner , transport aircraft
Design country:	Italy
Manufacturer:	Fiat Aviazione
First flight:	October 14, 1940
Production time:	1940-1949
Number of pieces:	104

The Fiat G.12 was a three-engine Italian transport and passenger aircraft . 14 passengers could be carried in single seats or 24 paratroopers on benches. A total of 104 aircraft were built between 1940 and 1949.

history

The aircraft had been developed since the beginning of 1939 on the basis of experience with the Fiat G.18 and represented a considerable leap in development with higher speed, range and peak altitude. The first flight of the prototype (I-ALIA) took place on October 14, 1940. The first series was 21 passenger aircraft for the Aviolinee and Ala Littoria . Since Italy had meanwhile entered the war, the first aircraft were delivered to the Regia Aeronautica from June 1941 .

use

Military use

As the first season, the 601 ° Squadriglia of the Servizi Aerei Speziali (SAS) was equipped with the G.12, which was followed by the 606 ° Squadriglia. A large number of G.12s were lost when supplying the bridgehead in Tunisia .

After the first series had been delivered, the Italian Ministry of Aviation placed an order for a further 100 aircraft of the transport version. A total of 52 aircraft had been delivered by the Italian armistice on September 8, 1943 .

On August 1, 1943, 28 aircraft were still available: 5 on the Aviolinee, 18 on the 601 ° and 606 ° Squadriglia and 5 in the overhaul at Fiat in Turin . Two of these aircraft (W. No. 40 and 47) flew on the Allied side with Aeronautica Cobelligerante Italiana until the end of the war . Three Aviolinee aircraft (W. No. 7, 9, 13) were confiscated by Deutsche Lufthansa (DLH) in January 1944 and delivered to the Air Force (Transport Squadron 4) in February or April 1944. Apparently a significant number of the aircraft were destroyed after the armistice, as the Luftwaffe only had 15 aircraft (including one from DLH) in its inventory on February 29, 1944. At least four aircraft had been delivered from the new production by this time.

At the instruction of the German troops, production of the G.12 continued in Turin until it was stopped in August 1944. During this period the W.-No. 53 to 70 built. However, the Luftwaffe only took over 12 aircraft by June 30, 1944 and another in July / August, so that it can be assumed that five aircraft were destroyed by bombing.

The construction was continued because the Luftwaffe equipped the Air Transport Squadron 4 with the G.12, which previously flew the Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 . In December 1943, the first eight aircraft were delivered. The maximum number was 22 aircraft on April 30, 1944. However, the squadron was rarely used and suffered a total of five losses, only two of them by enemy action. In September 1944, the last 18 aircraft were sold to the Hungarian Air Force . The last Hungarian G.12 were then self-destroyed on March 22, 1945.

The Italian post-war air force used the G.12 until the 1950s and took over the last four aircraft built in 1948/49 (W.-Nr. 101-104).

Civil use

In November 1941 the Aviolinee received the W.-Nr. 7 I-ALIC, in March 1942 the W.-Nr. 9 I-ALID and in April 1942 the W.-Nr. 13 I-ALIG, and used them on their civil routes to Eastern Europe. In June and July 1943 the company received two new aircraft: W.-Nr. 44 I-ALIR and W.-Nr. 46 I-ALIS.

The airline LATI was also interested in the aircraft in 1941 in order to be able to replace the Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 and SM.83 on the South Atlantic route . The G.12 had the advantage that it could fly at an altitude of 6,500 to 7,000 m and thus leave a large part of the weather below it. In addition, unlike the other two, it was an all-metal aircraft with an autopilot and powerful de-icing devices.

After the LATI had to stop its South American traffic on December 19, 1941, it received the W.-Nr. 14 I-FOLG and in July 1942 two other aircraft of this type: W.-Nr. 17 I-FAUN and W.-Nr. 18 I-FELI. The aircraft were mainly used on the Rome - Seville - Lisbon route until they were assigned to supply the Italian troops in Tunisia in November 1942. The I-FELI had during a flight of Tobruk by Athens before Crete from gasoline shortage notwassern , said aircraft lost. The other two aircraft had to be assigned to the 48 ° Stormo Trasporti of the SAS on February 2, 1943.

In 1942 the development of a G.12 with a very long range was started. It was intended as an alternative to the Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 for the Rome – Tokyo flight , but was not used because the SM.75 was brought forward. Two versions were built: G.12 RT with a range of 8,000 km and the G.12 RT with a range of 9,000 km.

In 1942, the Hungarian MALERT became interested in the civilian version of the G.12 after it had to hand over its Junkers Ju 52 / 3m to the Hungarian Air Force. She ordered a total of 14 G.12. The first aircraft was delivered on September 15, 1942, followed by five more until the Italian armistice (W. No. 25, 35, 36, 43, 48, 51). However, it can be assumed that these aircraft did not fly with the MALERT either, but with the Hungarian Air Force, since no civil registrations can be found for these aircraft.

In 1947 the Aviolinee had the following aircraft in stock: W.-Nr. 40 I-VIDA, material no. 72 I-VIDI, W.-No. 71 I-VIDO.

In the same year the Alitalia flew the W.-Nr. 81 I-DALI, material no. 83 I-DALF, material no. 84 I-DALG and material no. 86 I-DALH, all of which were equipped with 18 passenger seats. From the end of 1947 to 1948, Alitalia received another five aircraft: W.-Nr. 95-99, I-DALA to I-DALE. In 1950 the planes were withdrawn from service.

Versions

• TR / CR : W.-No. 1–21, first series of civil aircraft and vans, range 1,740 km
• GA “Gondar”: W.-Nr. 8, range 4,500 km, takeoff weight 17,600 kg
• GA : W.-Nr. 15, 19, 20, range 6,000 km
• GA up to: from mat. 45, 8,130 liters of fuel
• LGA : for LATI for Atlantic traffic, engines Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34, takeoff weight 20,000 kg, payload 9 passengers and cargo, range up to 7,400 km
• RT : W.-Nr. 23, developed for the flight to Tokyo, engines Alfa Romeo 128 RC.18, range 8,000 km, take-off weight 21,050 kg
• RT to : W.-Nr. 29, engines Alfa Romeo 128 RC.18, range 9,000 km, takeoff weight 22,250 kg
• T : from material no. 22, transporter with 22 seats on benches, takeoff weight 14,000 kg
• CA / TA : Post-war versions (from W. No. 74) passenger aircraft or transporter, engines Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34
• LB : W.-Nr. 95–99, longer hull, Bristol engines

Technical data (Fiat G.12 first series)

Parameter	Data
crew	4 (captain, copilot, radio operator, on-board mechanic)
Passengers	14th
length	20.16 m
span	28.60 m
height	4.90 m
Wing area	113.50 m²
Wing extension	7.2
Empty mass	8,890 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	12,800 kg
Top speed	396 km / h at an altitude of 4,900 m
Service ceiling	8,000 m
Range	1,740 km
Engines	three Fiat A.74 RC.42
power	575 kW (770 PS) each

See also

• List of aircraft types

Web links

Commons : Fiat G.12  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Securing the aircraft of the Italian airlines , Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft, November 28, 1944, in: Acktun, Andreas: Luftverkehr in Deutschland und Great Britain 1924 to 1946, Marburg 2006
2. ^ BA / MA Freiburg, inventory RL 3, production programs
3. ↑ Karl Kössler : The aircraft type Fiat G 12 in the service of the Air Force , in: Flugzeug 2/87, pp. 12-14
4. ↑ The article is based on: E. Brotzu, G. Cosolo: Dimensione Cielo No. 9 : Trasporto, Roma 1976, pp. 37-56