Macchi C-200 bomber who belonged to the 356th.
Squadron 21 Fighter Group operated in Terrestrial
the Russian front,
==================== ====================================
Macchi C.205 V with logos (the "angry bee" because of
3rd. Wing of the Royal Air Force) of the 2nd. Squadron, 1 Group of the Aviation
Italian Social Republic. The fighter aircraft
aviation RSI retained the
mimetic coloration characteristic of the period immediately preceding
the armistice of 8 September 1943.
=========================================== ====
If there is a series of Italian aircraft deserves a place in the foreground box aircraft production World War II it is undoubtedly the family of the engineer hunting Mario Castoldi Macchi made for Aeronautics from 1937 to 1943.
The introduction of new generation aircraft represented a modification of the doctrine of military aviation Italian. For the first time since the birth of the fighter aircraft, that is, since the First World War, the renewal of the apparatus coincided with the extinction of a formula in the specific case of the biplane with fixed landing gear. The switch to low-wing monoplane with a cantilever and retractable landing gear resulted in the introduction of new techniques for driving, employment and conduct in combat inevitably sucite some initial hesitation, soon chased by the superior qualities of the aircraft.
The project proposals for the new fighter designated Macchi c.200 date back to 1935, but the prototype was revised and corrected, flew Just two years later, on the eve of Christmas 1937, led by Giuseppe Burei, test pilot of the firm.
The c.200 was subjected to an intense round of tests that revealed the outset the characteristics of exceptional maneuverability and rugged construction, qualities that were appreciated especially after a few years later, the plane had to face enemy planes better armed. It was also exceptional speed minced during official testing at the Center Guidonia experimental Macchi aircraft came to 800 km / h and found no significant aeroelastic phenomena. In this series of tests also participated Adriano Mantelli commander, and in this phase of change, the plane autorotation revealed problems were resolved then taken in a timely equipment change over the span of the wing profiles.
Macchi busters, though outwardly they were quite different, were on the contrary, extremely similar in its construction, leading to small variations of Macchi c.200 "Saetta". Thus the wing, the empennage, landing gear and, at least in part, the fuselage, were virtually unchanged in the course of evolution that led from c.200 to C.205 V.
The wing of Macchi fighter had double rail structure entirely of metal, based on a total of 54 ribs and was subdivided into a central plane attached to the fuselage and two wing, of which the right size and surface was slightly lower than the left, to offset the reaction torque of the propeller. The leading edge of the wing, on the outside of the sections in which the posts were articulated landing gear, could be removed completely because it was linked to previous rail with screws. The trailing edge, however, was occupied by the soffit and flaps the wings, aerodynamically compensated. The
stabilizers were more or less elliptical plant with double rail structure for all metal surfaces and coated fabric fixed to mobile. The adjustable stabilizer was adjustable in flight. In all hunting Macchi, the rudder was offset by peak aerodynamic tip and the same technique was adopted even for the lift of only 205, which was the only game Castoldi which provided a counterweight to the surface. The ailerons and rudder, however, were not balanced by 200, or the 202, or 205, with subsequent demonstration apparatus of a series of flutter in the maximum flight speed, often were wrongly attributed to the phenomena of compressibility.
The fuselage had a strong structure based on four U-section beams, many longitudinal stringers and a total of 19 frames, of which the first, arranged in correspondence with the previous wing spar, functioning as bulkhead flame and carried the bed joints, corresponding to the intersection of four beams with the same frame. However, while in the Macchi 200 the back of the fuselage had the characteristic "hump", performed to increase the visibility of enjoyed the cockpit (open after the first 240 copies), the airframe of the 205 202 and were much better aerodynamically shaped, bearing the characteristic tapered trunk and cab, with a roof attached by hinges to the right side of Detachable fuselage in an emergency.
The tricycle landing gear after the two studs had earlier provided with air / oil shocks, retractable in the belly of a rotating wing toward the midline of the plane and the free tail wheel (with locking center), shrink the prototypes 200 and 202 and the first 200 series, semirretractil in the 205 and fixed instead on the 202 and 200 series.
The cockpit was rather small self-adjustable seat, protected by a dorsal shield of 44 kg and in flight, ensure good visibility. This, however, was quite problematic on the ground, especially at 202 and 205, given the long trunk of the two planes. Only in the last series of 202 and 205 the windshield was conducted in a proper bulletproof glass thickness.
The engine 200 was the fourteen-cylinder double star Fiat A.74 RC38, centrifugal compressor supercharger, NACA contained in a small diameter, with characteristic projections covering the rocker boxes and which valve edge worked as a radiator for the lubricant, the propeller was a three-bladed constant speed Piaggio P.1001. In 202 it was the installation of a distinctly more modern motor and powerful German Daimler-Benz DB 601 A-1 twelve-cylinder inverted V Injection manufactured under license by the Alfa Romeo, which also power a three bladed propeller Piaggio P.1001 constant speed of 3.05 m in diameter, with the oil cooler located under the nose of the aircraft and the coolant radiator located under the belly of the fuselage, at the height of the cockpit. The 205 was, however, the Daimler Benz DB 605 A-1, twelve-cylinder inverted V, manufactured under license by the Fiat and Piaggio P.2001 power a three-bladed propeller constant speed of 3.05 m in diameter.
200 standard armament consisted of two 12.7 mm machine guns Safat, installed in the tube and firing through the propeller disk, with 370 missiles each. The same weapon was also installed in the 202, but with 400 rounds per gun and was completed in the last series, with two 7.7-mm wing guns with 500 rounds each. The first 205 weapons that led the latter, however, soon went to one in which machine guns 7.7 mm wing had been replaced with double-barreled Mauser MG 151 20 mm, located in the wing with 250 rounds per weapon. The 200, 202 and 205, when they were used in attack missions could carry a weapon consisting drop two bombs of 160 Kg maximum.
Macchi The three hunting team were equipped with hydraulic retraction and lowering the landing gear, the operation of the flaps and fins for regulating the flow of air into the radiators of equipment for inhalation oxygen on the flight height, pneumatic equipment for the rearmament of the guns (the guns was electric) and the drive brake on the wheels, and a radio receiver, only in the 200, and transceiver in the 202 and 205, which were also fitted with direction finder.
The first series of 99 copies of the Macchi c.200 left from the summer of 1939. All were of the type with hood up (as the first Fiat G.50) and from 241 single issue (December 1940) became the preferred solution-pilots-in the open cockpit. In addition to the Macchi, the c.200 was also manufactured by Breda and SAI-Ambrosini, totaling of 1,153 individuals between 1939 and 1943.
The most important development was the elegant C.202 aircraft, in the history of the Italian game, was an aircraft of paramount importance. The new plane was a private initiative of the Macchi, in fact, the German online motor Daimler Benz DB 601 had been formally requested by the firm, because of the suggestion and insistence of its technical director and designer. Based on the well proven c.200 cell, the prototype first flew on August 10, 1940 in Lonate Pozzolo, piloted by Commander Guido Carestiano. The test results immediately threw extremely encouraging values: in fact, the 202 was en condiciones de llegar a los 6.000 metros en menos de seis minutos y de volar a 600 Km/h.
El avión entró en producción en serie en setiembre de 1940 utilizando lineas de montaje en la Macchi, la Breda y la SAI-Ambrosini. Los primeros ejemplares fueron entregados en mayo de 1941, en un principio con el motor original alemán, luego con los motores fabricados bajo licencia Alfa Romeo (R.A.100 R.C.41).
El C.205V, que se valía de la mayor potencia suministrada por el Daimler Benz DB 605, efectuó su primer vuelo el 19 de abril de 1942 y las pruebas que siguieron en Guidonia fueron todas positivas. Seis meses más tarde, la Macchi estaba en condiciones de entregar los primeros specimens of series.
The c.200 began its long operational activity in the skies of Malta in the Mediterranean, participating in numerous meetings aeronavales between 1941 and 1942, and also developing an intense activity as escorting convoys between Sicily and Libya. The operating theater was important, however, North Africa, the first unit used on that front was the 374th. Squadron, which was followed in July 1941, 153 and 157 group. The Italian game is often faced with Hurricane and P-40 and, despite the difficult environmental conditions behaved very well, thanks to the strength requirements and its ability to operate from the sandy paths. He remained in North Africa with the 2nd. Hang up the battle of El Alamein and during the withdrawal to the threshold of Tunisia.
Even after September 8, 1943, C.202 continued flying south with the aviation co-belligerent, developing operational activity in Albania, Greece and Yugoslavia against German forces. In the north, in aviation the Italian Social Republic was also retained some C.202 that operated alongside the C.205 V. The operational release of the last game Macchi was in the spring of 1943 in Sicily, when it was too late for the excellent qualities of the aircraft could have significant operations progress.
Information obtained from the work Storia dell 'Aviazione.
0 comments:
Post a Comment