Savoia-Marchetti SM.87

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.87 is the floatplane version of the SM 75 .

development

The aircraft was developed for the Argentine-Italian Corporacion Sud-Americana de Transportes Aereos in 1938; the first flight took place in autumn 1939. Since there were difficulties with the Argentine government, which feared a fascist infiltration of Argentina, the Italian staff of the CSATA left the country in August 1939.

The Ala Littoria showed little interest in the model as it had a suitable aircraft in its class with the Cant Z.506 C. After the Italian entry into the war, three more aircraft that had already been launched were completed and assigned to the Nucleo Ala. The mission took place in the Mediterranean area without any losses. It turned out that the SM.87 was inferior to the Z.506 in almost all respects. Therefore, all four SM.87s built were used on the Rome – Sardinia route from 1942. On May 20, 1943, the I-INNO was attacked and damaged by Beaufighters on this route . She stayed in Sardinia for repairs and was taken over by Aeronautica Co-Belligerante after the Italian armistice . The other three aircraft were confiscated by Lufthansa in Vigna di Valle . The planes were probably transferred to Lake Constance in December 1943 and scrapped there.

swell

• Brotzu / Cosolo: Dimensione Cielo 8, Roma 1975;
• Documents from the Federal Archives / Military Archives Freiburg