Macchi C.205 Veltro

The Macchi C.205 Veltro () (also known as MC.205, "MC" standing for "Macchi Castoldi") was a Second World War-era fighter aircraft designed and produced by the Italian aircraft manufacturer Aeronautica Macchi. Along with the Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario and Fiat G.55 Centauro, the Macchi C.205 was one of the three "Serie 5" Italian fighters built around the powerful German-sourced Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine.

The C.205 was a development of the earlier C.202 Folgore, work on which commenced in 1941. On 19 April 1942, the C.205V Veltro performed its maiden flight. During testing, the type proved that it could achieve a maximum speed of roughly . Due to a combination of design choices, including the DB 605 engine and a relatively high wing loading, it was capable of achieving comparable performance to contemporary frontline German fighter aircraft. Production aircraft were typically armed with a pair of 20 mm Mauser MG 151/20 cannon along with 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns; the type could also be equipped with underwing bomb racks when conducting ground-attack missions.

Entering squadron service with the Regia Aeronautica during February 1943, the C.205 soon garnered a strong reputation amongst both Allied and Axis pilots; it has been widely regarded as one of the best Italian aircraft of the Second World War. The C.205 proved to be extremely effective in aerial combat, being responsible for the destruction of a large number of Allied bombers. The C. 205 proved capable of engaging fighters such as the North American P-51D Mustang on equal terms; this performance reportedly encouraged the Luftwaffe to use a number of these aircraft to equip one Gruppe. The C.205 was allegedly capable of matching even the best Allied opponents in terms of both speed and maneuverability.

The C.205 saw only a relatively small production run prior to the end of the conflict, which was primarily the result of various limitations in place on the Italian war economy. Akin to the Supermarine Spitfire, the Veltro features some complex elements in its construction and was fairly slow to build. During the immediate postwar years, Macchi continued to refurbish and sell C.205s, often through the conversion of surplus C.202s. One key customer for the type during the late 1940s was the Egyptian Air Force, which ordered 62 C.205Vs. Several of these Egyptian fighters briefly saw action during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War against the Israeli Air Force; Israeli intelligence agents allegedly sought to damage C.205s in Italy before they could be delivered to Egypt. The C.205 was phased out of service during the mid 1950s in favour of jet-propelled fighter aircraft.

Design and development

Background

During 1941, seeking to further improve the performance of the C.202 fighter, the Regia Aeronautica decided to license-build the German Daimler-Benz DB 605 liquid-cooled supercharged inverted V-12 engine in Italy, which Fiat produced as the RA.1050 R.C.58 Tifone (Typhoon). Fighter manufacturers were invited to enter versions of their designs using this engine as the caccia della serie 5 ("series-5 fighter") and were provided with imported DB 605s for prototype use. All of the designs used the number 5 in the name, thus Macchi's submission became the C.205 (instead of C.202bis or C.203).

Macchi had adopted a licence-built DB 601 engine for the C.202, an engine which was closely comparable in size to the later, more powerful DB 605. This meant that the C.202 airframe could be easily adapted for the DB 605; accordingly, Macchi opted to have the fuselage remain identical aft of the firewall.

On 19 April 1942, the C.205V Veltro performed its maiden flight; much of the subsequent flight testing was conducted at Guidonia Airfield on the outskirts of Rome.

The first 100 Veltro Serie I were solely armed with machine guns, although many aircraft were also fitted with the 20 mm MG 151 cannon. There were no Serie II built, but 150 Serie III were ordered, which were fitted with wing cannons as a standard.

Design

The C.205, known initially as the C.202bis, was generally similar to the previous Folgore, While new-build C.205s were furnished with a more aerodynamic retractable tailwheel, converted C.202 airframes remained the fixed tailwheel arrangement instead.

Relative performance

The following are relative performance and characteristics data for the three versions of the C.205 (or MC.205, as the machines designed by Castoldi were often called): however, the speed of production was relatively slow (about 12 machines per month) in spite of these endeavours. This low production rate had been attributed to shortage of both engines and various strategic materials.

Operational history

thumb|An Italian C.205 at Catania airfield, Sicily, Italy

The C.205 entered production only five months after its maiden flight and began reaching front line units in February 1943. At the end of April, the 1° Stormo, based in Pantelleria, is the first unit to enter action with the C.205, on Mediterranean, escorting maritime and aerial convoys to and from Tunisia. During their first sortie, 22 C.205 clashed with very good results against more numerous formations of Curtiss P-40s and Supermarine Spitfires. During the next few months, C.205s of the Regia Aeronautica were involved in several major engagements with some of the 4,000 Allied aircraft that were stationed in the Mediterranean at that time.

At the end of May, because of the vulnerability of Pantelleria, the 1° Stormo was moved to Sigonella airfield in Sicily and the minor airstrip of Finocchiara, 15 km south-east of Ragusa. On 8 June 1943, 15 C.205s of 1° Stormo escorted three torpedo bombers attacking Allied ships which were shelling Pantelleria's defenses.

3° Stormo used the new type effectively to intercept American bombers and fighters in the skies over Latium.

One of the greatest British fighter pilots of the Second World War, Group Captain Duncan-Smith DSO DFC, respected both the C.205 and the Italian airmen who flew it:

Like its predecessors, the first Veltros were insufficiently armed, but the aircraft often performed well in combat. Guido Carestiato said the C.205 was the "best Italian fighter that he knew". The C.205 ace Luigi Gorrini scored 19 or 24 victories (in return, he was downed four or five times). Gorrini claimed 12 victories in July 1943, several of them with the Veltro.

Battle of Pantelleria

thumb|Regia Aeronautica C.205V with a North Africa dust filter.

1° Stormo received the first Veltros in time to fight over the southern Italian air base. In free-ranging patrols, the wing fielded 24 Veltros (around 1/10 of all those produced) and nine Folgores in an attempt to intercept enemy aircraft in the area.

While patrolling between Cap Bon and Cap Mustafà on 20 April 1943, Italian fighters spotted a large enemy formation west of Pantelleria. The Italians started to close in to the aircraft of Nos. 1, 92, 417, and 601 SAAF Squadrons, which were flying at low level, but were surprised by six Polish pilots of 145 Squadron flying high cover. These were joined by other Spitfires, and the 33 Macchis found themselves in combat with up to 60 Spitfires (mainly Mk VCs, and possibly Mk VIIIs and IXs). The Italian pilots claimed 15 victories (one by Maresciallo Baschirotto, who fired 500 rounds), with 14 Spitfires downed in the sea and another over African soil.

However, another analysis of this combat shows that the Regia Aeronautica pilots claimed a total of 17 aircraft on 20 April and claimed to have downed 15 Spitfires in this engagement; although Italian ground observers claimed to have seen 14 aircraft crash into the sea or onto land, only one Spitfire, flown by Flg Off Drecki of 145 Sqn, was heavily damaged. In return, three C.205Vs were lost. There is also a possibility that Bf 109s of I./JG77 were involved in this engagement.

Allied records report only two C.205Vs downed (Tenenti Andreoli and Fanelli), while another made an emergency landing near Cap Bon, and explains why some sources quote two losses and others three, but there is some doubt as to whether this aircraft, the only one to touch down on African soil, was a Veltro or a Folgore. At least one other Macchi was damaged, and the pilot wounded. Similarly, the Italian claims did not match any losses recorded in Allied squadron reports.

Battle of Capo Pula

On 2 August 1943, two British Beaufighters were downed and the Italians sent a CANT Z.506 Airone aircraft escorted by four C.205Vs on a search-and-rescue mission. A group of P-40s attacked the Z.506, but despite the defence put up by the Veltros, one American fighter crashed into the Z.506 and both fell into the sea.

A USAAF search and rescue PBY Catalina mission was also mounted, escorted by 12 P-38s. C.202 and C.205s of 51° Stormo, led by Ennio Tarantola, intercepted this flight. The Catalina was taken by surprise on the surface near the Sardinian coast, having broken a propeller blade in the heavy sea conditions. The Italians also claimed to have downed all 12 P-38s, whereas the Americans claimed three or four victories over the Axis fighters with no losses. Later records showed that only the Catalina and the C.202 of Maresciallo Bianchi, a close friend of Tarantola, had been shot down.

The two or three victories over P-38s claimed by Tarantola are not supported by any data available; however, no further SAR missions were made by Americans to search for the downed pilots. Except for a crewman killed by strafing, the crew of the Catalina was saved, thanks to a fast vessel of the Royal Navy whose captain was awarded the DSC for battling adverse sea conditions, coastal battery fire and enemy aircraft while rescuing the survivors.<!---On the 19 July 1943 shot down, during a single mission, a four-engined Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber and aLockheed P-38 Lightning fighter (with another P-38 damaged). On the 20 July, Gorrini downed another P-38 and damaged one.

On 13 August, while on a mission in defence of Rome, Gorrini downed a B-24 Liberator off the coast of Ostia but was hit and baled out over Sezze, in Latium. On 26 August, he shot down a Spitfire and, on 27 August, two B-24s attacking Cerveteri; one of the 20 mm MG 151 guns overheated and exploded in the wing, sending his aircraft into a steep dive and damaging it beyond repair. On 29 August, Gorrini shot down two P-38s and damaged two others. On 30 August, he destroyed another B-17, and he was mentioned in the Bollettino di Guerra (Bulletin of War). His last victory before the Armistice of Cassibile was a Spitfire shot down on 31 August, off the Gulf of Naples.

<----He continued under the aegis of the Italian Social Republic (RSI, the German puppet state in northern Italy), flying in combat sometimes with the G.55, but mainly with the C.205.---this is not a story about Gorrini---->

Given the shortage of modern aircraft, the more advanced combat aircraft, such as the Veltros, were usually given to the best flyers and most experienced pilots like Vittorio Minguzzi.

After the Armistice

At the time of the Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces on 8 September 1943, the Regia Aeronautica had received 177 Veltros, but only 66 were still usable. Six of these flew to Allied airfields to serve with the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force.

Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana

A total of 29 C.205s reached northern airfields and were used by the Italian Social Republic Air Force (ANR – Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana).

Macchi produced the remaining 72 aircraft of the third series for the ANR before production was shut down by Allied bombing in May 1944. Statistics on aircraft production post-Armistice are unclear and incomplete.

In general, C.205s fought well in RSI service: they were attached to units that had homogeneous equipment, or at least of comparable quality, and were guided by German radar stations. Though few in number, they achieved success in inflicting losses on Allied bombers and fighters.

1° Gruppo, based in Udine, was equipped with a few Veltros. According to one author:

A few Veltros were also delivered to 3° Gruppo, based in Vicenza, while further Veltros were scattered throughout other small units.

<!----Regia Aeronautica pilots were typically quite impressed by Veltros, which offered agility, speed and heavy armament at high levels. ANR pilots had mainly G.55s and Bf-109s, but still liked the plane.

Guido Carestiato (Macchi's chief test pilot), remembering Veltros said pleasant words: Personally I consider the Veltro one of the most successful fighters fielded by belligerents, surely the best Italian fighter that I know. I did not forget the outstanding characteristics of the Veltro, so docile, safe and beautiful. But he remarks some disappointment about Orione: With less satisfaction I remember the two versions of MC.205N, with more powerful weapons and bigger wing surface. Even if they were excellent aircraft, they did not have the brightness and the strong personality of the Veltro. ---peacock section--->

Regia Aeronautica also had a poor opinion about the C.205N, plagued by overheating in the climb.

The 1° Gruppo C.T. of the ANR, based at the Campoformido airfield, was equipped with C.205. Its first operation, on 3 January, began with a surprise blow right away: the Italian fighter pilots shot down four P-38 Lightnings. By 25 February, 1° Gruppo C.T. had reported 26 victories for nine losses. An extremely bitter aerial combat took place on 11 March. The Italians claimed 12 victories for themselves, but lost three of their own pilots, including 1st Lt Boscutti, who was killed by an American P-38 Lightning pilot after he had bailed out from his stricken fighter and was hanging from his parachute. On 18 March, 30 C.205s from 1° Gruppo C.T. and 60 Bf 109 from JG.77 joined combat with about 450 Allied bombers and their escorts, shooting down at least four enemy aircraft, but Corp. Zaccaria was killed while hanging from his parachute again by a P-38 pilot who fired at him from close range.

Allied bombing in April 1944 destroyed most of the Macchi and Fiat facilities bringing fighter production to an end. With the interruption of production, the Italians were forced to re-equip their three groups almost fully with Bf 109s, largely because the Germans were quick to offer some of their best models, including Bf 109G-6s and Bf 109K-4s. The Allies were less generous with the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (ICAF), and Veltros, including some upgraded C.202s, were slowly replaced with worn-out P-39s and Spitfires, but not before summer 1944.

In Luftwaffe service

Luftwaffe II.Gruppe of JG 77 operated with requisitioned C.205Vs for two months, from October until December 1943, when the German unit was re-equipped with new Bf 109s. Thus there are photos of C.205s with black crosses painted over the mid-fuselage Italian white stripe markings. The Germans were less enthusiastic about the C.205Vs, nor were they really impressed by the early evaluations in spring of 1943. There is mention in the KTB (History diary) on 25 November 1943 page: "the group has 23 Macchi, 11 are ready to fight. Macchi is fast and had a good flying characteristics, except for the tendency to lose control in sharp turns. The fighter is disadvantaged because its radio, while powerful, is far from reliable in action. Refueling and rearming process is slow and difficult, it takes much time to make the fighters ready. Today's mission was made with 17 Macchis, radio control problems caused delays, and the mission concluded without intercepting the enemy."

In the brief German use, Veltros had at least five losses by accidents, often caused by the inverted throttle used on Italian aircraft (In German and Allied fighters the "open throttle" position was forward, not back, and this was the source of several errors). The first losses occurred on 27 September 1943 near Albenga. Two German pilots were killed and other wounded in these accidents. On the other side, it was recorded only one aerial combat in which Germans claimed at least one P-38 and two probable (1 December 1943). and Feldwebel Bozidar "Bosko" Bartulovic), along with three inexperienced pilots in C.202s, took off to intercept USAAF Fifteenth Air force bombers heading to bomb Blechhammer, location of Nazi Germany chemical plants, prisoner of war (POW) camps, and forced labor camps. The Macchis attacked the USAAF bombers and their escorting fighters, 5th FS/52nd FG P-51 Mustangs over Bjelovar, but five of the Italian-built aircraft were shot down both by the bomber's defensive fire and by the Mustangs. Only Bencetic – an ace with a final score of 15 kills Helebrant and Bartulovic bailed out and survived the war, with a final score of, respectively, 11 and eight kills.

Postwar

thumb|C.205 Veltro in service with the postwar [[Aeronautica Militare, around 1960]]

Production of the C.205 continued in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War; the Aeronautica Militare Italiana (AMI) proceeded to take delivery of Macchi-built C.205s until late 1948. Nor would the AMI be the sole customer of the type.

During 1948–1949, Egypt received 62 refurbished C.205Vs, of which 41 were converted from C.202 airframes. In May 1948, eight C.205V and 16 C.202 were upgraded and in February 1949, three brand new and 15 ex-MC.202, and in May another 10 MC.205 and 10 MC.202 were upgraded. This last contract was not finalized and, given the end of the 1948 Arab Israeli War (1948–49), the fighters were delivered to the AMI instead. Egypt also ordered 19 G.55s and Syria another 16, all new-built.

The new Veltros were fully equipped, while the Folgore conversions were armed with only two 12.7 mm Breda machine guns. They were the lightest series of the entire production, and consequently had the best performance, but were seriously under-armed. A total of 15 Macchis were delivered to Egypt before the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, seeing brief combat against the Israeli Air Force. Some Veltros, equipped with underwing bomb racks were used in ground-attack sorties against Israeli targets. On 7 January 1949, a C.205 claimed an Israeli P-51D Mustang. In return, two or three Veltros had been claimed by IAF fighters by the end of the war in July, with another six under repair.

Israeli secret services reacted with a bombing in Italy, which at the time was supplying both Israel and the Arab states. On 15 February 1947, an SM.95 airliner was destroyed, possibly by sabotage, soon after takeoff from Rome. On board were an Egyptian princess, several politicians and an Italian intelligence officer. A subsequent bombing was at Venegono on 18 September 1948; one hangar was damaged by several explosive devices, destroying three MB.308 and one MC.205 in Macchi facilities. The hangar, not totally demolished, contained several Veltros destined for Egypt. All the G.55s ordered by Egypt were armed with four Breda (12.7 mm) machine-guns, and they were brand new; 16 were single-seaters and three were twin-seaters. Syria ordered 15 G.55A; all single-seaters.

The MM/Snc were: Macchi first batch: 1201–1224; second batch, 1225–1242. Fiat G.55A were 91214–91220, 91225–91229, 91221-91224 (G.55B two-seats).

During 1951, the final batch of Veltros were delivered, the fighter serving mainly with No.2 Sqn until the mid-1950s. The last batch, 20 Veltros (10 ex-MC.202, six Veltro sr.III and 4 sr.I) were assigned to AMI with deliveries continuing until 29 May 1951. The phasing out process was however swift, because the new Anglo-American jet fighters were available at a surprisingly low cost at the time of the official phasing out of the Veltro (around 1951), although the last MC.205 was phased out in 1955. The "Folgore" was stricken off register in 1948, with the exception of those C.202 airframes transformed into Veltros.

Variants

With limited production and service life, the C.205 saw only a few modifications. After the first 100 examples, the wing-mounted 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine guns were replaced with a couple of 20 mm MG 151 cannon.

;M.C.205

:One prototype armed with two 12.7 mm (0.5 in) and two 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns.

;M.C.205V

:Main production version.

;M.C.205S

:Long-range escort fighter with a 200 L (53 US gal) fuel tank replacing the fuselage machine guns; 18 converted from production aircraft.

;M.C.205N

:Proposed DB 605-powered fighter with a more significant design revision than the C.202-derived C.205V. The aircraft had a new wing with the wingspan increased to and wing area increased to , and a lengthened fuselage that brought the length to 9.65 m. Also, the fuselage was finally adapted for a 20 mm MG 151 cannon. The heavier weight resulted in decreased performance and handling.

;M.C.205N-1

:High-altitude interceptor fighter prototype. Armed with four 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns mounted in the fuselage, and one 20 mm cannon mounted in the engine.

;M.C.205N-2 Orione

:High-altitude interceptor fighter prototype. Armed with three 20 mm cannon and two 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns. The machine gun bulges were replaced by a streamlined fairing.

;M.C.206

:Similar armament to the C.205N/1 with a larger yet lighter wing (21  m2). Reduced weight resulting in performances similar to that of the C.205V again. The larger wing would have enabled it to fight at higher altitudes. Single prototype destroyed by Allied bombing before being completed.

;M.C.207

:Powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 603 engine. Other than that, similar to C.206 but with armament of four 20 mm cannon, none built.

Operators

thumb|A C.205 with German markings, 1943

;

Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske received 4 aircraft.

;

Royal Egyptian Air Force
No.2 Squadron REAF

;

Luftwaffe
II/JG 77 operated 25 aircraft.

;

Regia Aeronautica
Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force received 6 aircraft.

;

Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana received 101 aircraft.

;

Italian Air Force operated some Macchi C.205 until 1947

;

Royal Australian Air Force One Macchi MC.205V Serie 1 was captured intact by Australians on Pachino Airfield, in Sicily, Summer 1943. It was a MC.205 of First Series without the cannons in the wing, but armed with two 12,7mm machine guns in engine cowling synchronized with the propeller and two 7,7mm machine guns on the wings.

Surviving aircraft

thumb|C.205 at Vigna di Valle

thumb|C.205V at the [[Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci"|National Museum of Science and Technology]]

Three Veltros survive today, one of which was restored to flying condition and participated in numerous aerial displays until the end of 1986.

All C.205s that are preserved are hybrids made up of parts of C.202s mixed with those of C.205s.

One, MM.91818 (bearing the registration MM 9327), is on display at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan. Restoration was completed in 1981 by the Italian Air Force together with Fiat and Aermacchi.

Another two are on display at the Museo storico dell'Aeronautica Militare in Vigna di Valle.

MM.9546 is displayed as a MC.205 and MM.92166 is displayed as a MC.202.

In November 2006 the engine and cockpit of a crashed C.205 were found 8 meters underground, with the pilot still in his seat, in Correzzola.

A C.205 replica can be seen outside Rome's Palazzo dell'Aeronautica, and another in Volandia Park and Museum of Flight at Vizzola Ticino.

Macchi C.205 Veltro

Design and development

Background

Design

Relative performance

Operational history

Battle of Pantelleria

Battle of Capo Pula

After the Armistice

Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana

In Luftwaffe service

Postwar

Variants

Operators

Surviving aircraft

Specifications (C.205V)

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

Further reading

External links