Unit: 352 Squadriglia, 20 Gruppo at Pantelleria 1941 - later transferred to Libya
The FIAT G.50 Freccia (Freccia means Arrow in English) was first flown in February 1937. The G.50 was Italy's first single-seat, all-metal monoplane with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production. Pilots disliked the sliding cockpit canopy, which was not easy to open quickly. So, in later production series, an open cockpit was adopted.
The first operative aircraft were delivered to the Regia Aeronautica in 1938. Very maneuverable, it was one of the best fighters during the Spanish Civil War. But by the time World War II began it was becoming obsolescent, being too slow because it was underpowered and underarmed with only two Breda-SAFAT 12,7mm machine guns.
The G.50 bis version was developed in 1940, but the changes were mostly to improve ease of maintenance and performance was unchanged.
It was employed in all the Regia Aeronautica area operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa for fighter defense, convoy escort and bomber escort missions. In the Greek campaign, it performed adequately against opposing obsolescent types like the Gladiator and Blenheim. After that it was clear it was not a match for more modern Allied aircraft and was eventually used more for ground attack.
About 780 were built, 35 of which were exported to Finland where they served with success against the Russians. Ten Fiat G.50's were also transferred to the Croatian Air Force.
The idea to produce a new fighter for the Red Army Air Force went as far back as 1941. It was then that the Yakovlev Design Bureau presented the I-30 prototype, intended as an alternative to the earlier Yak-1 design. However, the German invasion of the USSR, as well as aluminum shortages, meant that the project had to be put on hold. Yakovlev resumed the development in 1943 while working on an upgraded version of the Yak-1 fighter. This time, it was decided that a new aircraft should be produced to completely replace the Yak-1 and Yak-7 models. The wings and rear fuselage were skinned with plywood for a smooth finish. The new machine was dubbed as the Yak-3 and entered service with the Red Army Air Force in June, 1944.
The Yak-3 fighter quickly became very popular with Soviet pilots. They highly praised its ease of piloting and superb low-altitude performance. As a small. light, fast and highly-maneuverable aircraft up to 12,000 feet with limited range ( 1 hour duration) and firepower, the Yak-3 was used almost exclusively as low-altitude tactical fighter. Escort missions for bombers and ground-attack aircraft were reserved for the Yak-3’s big brother: The Yak-9D. By mid-1946 4,848 had been built.
1 x 20 mm ShVAK cannon, nose-mounted (120 rpg)
2 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine guns, nose-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)
Unit: Reparto Sperimentale G.50, Aviazione Legionaria, Escalona Spain May 1939
The FIAT G.50 Freccia (Freccia means Arrow in English) was first flown in February 1937. The G.50 was Italy's first single-seat, all-metal monoplane with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production. Pilots disliked the sliding cockpit canopy, which was not easy to open quickly. So, in later production series, an open cockpit was adopted.
The first series I aircraft were delivered to the Regia Aeronautica in 1938. An experimental unit, the Reparto Sperimentale G.50, was formed for operational evaluation of the G.50. In January 1939, the unit flew to Spain with 12 G.50's. For some reason, none of the aircraft had landing gear doors. By that time, most of the air war there was finished and the G.50s never met enemy aircraft. Very maneuverable, it was one of the best fighters during the Spanish Civil War. But by the time World War II began it was becoming obsolescent, being too slow because it was underpowered and underarmed with only two Breda-SAFAT 12,7mm machine guns.
Credits: Captain Kurt:
Aircraft model, VC, paint textures, aircraft flight files, and .dp.
Kelticheart: Prop blurred texture.
Gauges, as far as I know, credit goes to kelticheart, mvg3d, Chalachew, Beepee, and Gius for their WWII Italian gauges.
The panel, much modified, is based on an IL-2 panel.
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