Aviation - Italie : beaux livres - histoire et avions

Souvent mal connus et sous-estimés, les chasseurs italiens ayant combattu lors de la Seconde Guerre mondiale n'ont pas démérité. C'est oublier que l'industrie aéronautique italienne est une des premières du monde dans l'entre-deux-guerres et que les productions de ses grands noms comme Fiat ou Caproni s'exportent avec succès.
Très présents en Amérique du Sud, les chasseurs de fabrication italienne y sont unanimement appréciés pour leur robustesse et leur fiabilité... ressenti qui ne se démentira pas avec les premiers combats en Europe.

Le célèbre CR 42, adoré pour sa maniabilité, sera de tous les combats malgré sa qualité de biplan ; la gamme des Macchi, aux courbes si élégantes, se couvrira de gloire lors des combats en Afrique du Nord puis en Italie. Sans oublier les appareils de Reggiane, plus ou moins appréciés en Italie mais un véritable succès d'export (les Britanniques commanderont, en janvier 1940, 300 exemplaires avant que le contrat ne soit cassé), qui affichent des caractéristiques techniques n'ayant rien à envier à leurs homologues alliés et allemands.

L'ouvrage fera un détour par les forces aériennes de la république de Salo (ANR), ultime sursaut de Mussolini, et son emploi d'excellents appareils comme le G.55 Centauro. Rehaussée de photographies inédites et de nombreux profils couleurs, voici l'encyclopédie indispensable pour enfin (re)découvrir et connaître les chasseurs italiens du second conflit mondial !

The authors have assembled over 600 images from private photo albums and individual groupings offering a unique perspective on the Royal Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) from 1923-1945.
There are period photos of the everyday life, and adventures of pilots and personnel on a variety of war fronts and campaigns.

In addition, there are images of Regia Aeronautica, Aviazione Legionaria and Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana aircraft in detail as well as candid photos of aces such as, Italo Balbo and high profile figures such as German Knight's Cross recipient Italian General Giovanni Messe.
Furthermore, the color gallery contains heretofore unpublished images of period headdress, uniforms, and accoutrements from private collections.

This book is a highly detailed look at World War II era Italian flight gear. Much of the information appears here for the first time in English. Covering flight suits, flight helmets, goggles, parachutes, life vests, oxygen masks, boots, gloves, and more, in over 600 images, offering full coverage of this long overlooked topic.

Color photography shows full views of actual period clothing and equipment, as well as close-up details of manufacturers' marks and labels, zippers, buttons and snaps, and insignia.
War era images, including rare period color, show Italian aircrews wearing a variety of Italian and German flight gear.

Following World War I, Germany and Italy began to develop their aviation industry and seek new opportunities to expand their global presence. At the same time, Latin America was a region with an under developed transport system and difficult terrain, while their air power was virtually none existent.

Helped by German and Italian immigrants, the aviation industry of Latin America soon found a fertile terrain to sell their products, developing the first airlines in the region together with an increasing local military aviation interest.
Commercial aviation, including Scadta, the world's second airline, was greatly influenced by the German aviation industry with a legacy stretching over 40 years, while the military focused on Italian aircraft.
These warplanes featured heavily during the Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia along with the 1941 war between Peru and Ecuador. Ironically, both German and Italian types were employed against their makers during World War II in patrolling the seas in search for German and Italian submarines.

Famous types including the Junkers F13, W34, K43, Ju52/3m, Ju86, Fiat CR.20, CR.32, BR.20, G-46, G-55, Dornier Wal, Focke Wulf Fw58 Weihe, Fw200 Condor and the only Japanese type, the Mitsubishi Betty are all featured.
Interestingly, several of these examples still survive today, including the world's last Dornier Wal and the Weihe.
Also includes the story of the German and Italian technicians and pilots that went to work to Argentina and Brazil after the war and developed many projects, some of them started in their countries before the end of the war.

This book is a meticulously researched review of the many German, Italian and Japanese aircraft taken to Allied countries or flown by the Allies during or after the Second World War. The hsitory of these captured aircraft has been extensively researched and the book is copiously illustrated by an unrivalled selection of around 500 photographs, gleaned from around the world.

The book's chapters are devoted to chronological themes describing the individual histories of each aircraft and the units which flew them in the USA or France or in specific theatres of war, with a final chapter covering the use made of aircraft in other countries.
Coverage includes civilian aircraft and sailplanes as well as military types; post-war production of German designs and details of surviving aircraft in museums. Appendices and indexes cover designation and marking systems, information sources and other useful background.

The UK chapters include coverage of RAF Farnborough, 1426 (EA) Flight, individual squadrons, experimental organisations and manufacturers, the ATAIU in Malaya and the little-known Gremlin Task Force.
US chapters deal with evaluation at Wright Field, Freeman Field and in Europe by Watson's Whizzers, by the US Navy TAIC at Anacostia, ATAIUs in Australia and the Phillippines and many individual units.
The book also includes the most complete record published of British 'Air Min' and USAAF 'FE' and 'T2' aircraft numbering systems.

This new edition of an acclaimed title first published nearly thirty years ago has been fully revised and updated. The opportunity has been taken to use modern technology to improve the quality of the images and many new photos uncovered since the original publication have been included.

Die italienische Luftwaffe erlitt 1940/41 im Kampf gegen die Royal Air Force über Ägypten und der Cyrenaika eine schwere Niederlage und verlor 90 % ihres dortigen Bestandes. Aber statt des Zusammenbruchs erfolgte die Wiedergeburt.

Erstarkte Jagdverbände der Regia Aeronautica gingen in Luftkämpfe wie in mittelalterliche Duelle und Elite-Torpedobomberverbände wilderten erfolgreich vor den nordafrikanischen Küsten. Die Transportflieger wiederum opferten sich auf bei dem Versuch, die Verbindung zwischen dem Mutterland und dem libyschen Kriegsschauplatz aufrechtzuerhalten. Für viele der italienischen Piloten war Fliegen eine Art Obsession, eine Leidenschaft, für deren Ausleben sie extreme Gefahren und Risiken in Kauf nahmen.

Bis heute aber wird das Bild der Regia Aeronautica im Kampf über den nordafrikanischen Wüsten mit geprägt durch eine nachwirkende alliierte Kriegspropaganda, die den Italienern die Rolle von militärischen Dilettanten zuweist.
Mit der hier vorgelegten Untersuchung, der ersten im deutschsprachigen Raum, die sich exklusiv mit den Einsätzen, Erfolgen und Verlusten der italienischen Luftwaffe über Libyen, Ägypten, Tunesien und Algerien auseinandersetzt, korrigiert der Autor nach jahrelangen Recherchen viele Vorurteile und Fehlinformationen und zeichnet ein realistisches Bild der italienischen Wüstenluftwaffe.
Seine ausgewogene Analyse kommt zu dem Schluss, dass die Regia Aeronautica trotz einer ungenügenden Ausstattung und daraus resultierenden materiellen Unterlegenheit wesentlich mehr geleistet hat, als man von ihr erwarten konnte. Einige ihrer Aktionen waren, was Kühnheit und Leistungsfähigkeit anbetrifft, einzigartig.

L'autore ha volutamente dato un taglio conciso ed esaustivo a questo libro, che ripercorre la storia dell'aviazione italiana dai tempi delle mongolfiere fino ai giorni nostri.

Le cose, le informazioni, i fatti e persino alcune delle analisi che ci presenta l'Autore si possono anche trovare in altre pubblicazioni, ma slegate da un filo conduttore unico, mai tutte assieme, mai presentate con la chiarezza e la precisione, anche terminologica, di chi tutto ciò ha assimilato davvero attraverso il filtro di una professionalità a tutto campo, acquisita e maturata attraverso le esperienze aeronautiche ed interforze più diversificate, sia in Italia che all'estero.

La vicenda dell'aviazione italiana va ben oltre la pur affascinante saga degli assi della caccia o il racconto di imprese diventate leggendarie come il raid dannunziano su Vienna che caratterizzarono gli anni del Primo conflitto mondiale. È una storia di uomini e di macchine in cui tecnologia e dottrina si rincorrono per creare una forza aerea bilanciata in tutte le componenti, in grado di svolgere al meglio i compiti nello scenario bellico.

Mentre si delineavano le teorie sul bombardamento nell'ambito di un dibattito dottrinale che ebbe protagonisti di eccezione come Douhet e Caproni, i comandi la utilizzarono alla luce di un concreto pragmatismo. L'azione dei bombardieri fu finalizzata a contrastare le capacità operative delle forze contrapposte, mentre la maggior parte delle squadriglie operava a diretto supporto delle forze di terra con compiti di ricognizione, osservazione, collegamento e attacco al suolo, sotto la protezione di una caccia le cui tattiche cominciavano a superare l'individualismo del cavaliere alato.

Per lunghi e sanguinosi anni, aerei ed equipaggi italiani hanno affrontato nemici troppo potenti, sostenendo uno sforzo disumano grazie a un coraggio e a un senso del dovere che paiono oggi incredibili: uniche risorse capaci di sopperire all'arretratezza dell'Italia al confronto con colossi come Impero Britannico, Stati Uniti e Unione Sovietica.
Gli aviatori italiani fecero miracoli con vecchi biplani Fiat contro gli Hurricane della RAF, si lanciarono con improvvisati ma efficaci aerosiluranti Siai-Marchetti contro massicce navi da guerra. E a un passo dal crollo finale, seppero affrontare con sparuti caccia Macchi e Reggiane le possenti Fortezze Volanti americane che demolivano le città del Belpaese.

Dopo il maldestro armistizio dell'8 settembre 1943, un nuovo dramma: la divisione dell'aviazione sui due versanti della penisola. La Regia al Sud, a fianco degli anglo-americani, e al Nord l'effimera Aeronautica Repubblicana, a seguire le sorti ormai segnate di Mussolini. Commilitoni divisi da una diversa valutazione degli eventi, ma tutti accomunati da un sincero amore per il proprio Paese.

Durante la Seconda guerra mondiale l'Italia poté costruire poco più di 10.000 aerei, una piccola flotta rispetto ai 100.000 degli alleati tedeschi, ai 120.000 britannici e ai ben 280.000 americani. Pochi furono quelli di tipo moderno, arrivati al fronte troppo tardi per sperare di mutare le sorti.
Dalle desolazioni sabbiose della Libia alle vallate dell'Albania, dalle steppe innevate della Russia ai cieli familiari di casa, l'aviazione italiana si sacrificò oltre i limiti del possibile, stretta in una morsa senza scampo.

Con questo grosso volume l'Autore narra le azioni giornaliere su tutti i fronti in cui operarono gli aviatori italiani, senza la presunzione d'aver rintracciato tutti i documenti di guerra, tanti andati distrutti o perduti durante il periodo più amaro della 2a G.M., per noi italiani soprattutto il caotico 1943, non disgiunti dai momenti delle nostre ritirate, soprattutto sui fronti africani e nel periodo post-armistiziale.
I fatti sono stati ricostruiti tenendo conto anche dei documenti della fazione opposta, tentando di rimanere il più obiettivi possibile.

On the events of the Second World War there is a series of real legends that have transformed the history of that war into a sort of fairy tale. Many still believe today that the Blue Army took part in the Second World War with a set of aircraft dating back to the Great War. The reality is quite different: in those years, aeronautical experimentation in Italy, while not reaching the levels and results of its ally Germany, gave some significant results.

The Italian aviation industry, despite some flaws, first of all the inability to produce a powerful engine of original entirely national design and construction, made various attempts to provide aircraft and weapons that were suitable to compete with those in enemy use.
This volume investigates precisely those that were "the secret weapons of the Regia Aeronautica", that is to what extent experimentation in the aeronautical military field reached Italy.

Text in Italian.

The Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale, one of the most popular symbols of Italian national unity, celebrates its 60 years of history with a spectacular volume born out of the collaboration between Giunti and the Italian Air Force, thus closing the 'Big Embrace' that took it flying over Italian cities in the year of the pandemic.
The extraordinary spectacle of its performance stems from unparalleled technical expertise, that esprit de corps, that generosity and deep understanding without which there is no victory.

Pilots, technicians and officers have chosen to celebrate the 60th anniversary with Giunti, passing the baton from hand to hand and making us relive, alongside them, the development of the most spectacular sequences, the training process and the sessions of daily training.
With the preface by Federico Buffa, here is a work of great scenographic impact and deeply authentic in the live testimonies, in the analysis of the incredible acrobatic maneuvers, in the description of the aircraft, in the historical re-enactment of these incomparable 60 years.

Text in Italian.