How Did Italian Air Force Do in the USSR? Part 1

In August 1941, Mussolini decided to join the German invasion of the USSR and Italy deployed ground and air units to the theater. The air component initially consisted of a strengthened fighter group, plus a light bomber/recon group and some transport aircraft. Macchi MC.200 was their main fighter plane and the Italian pilots, some of them Spanish Civil War veterans did well against Soviet I-15s and I-16s, the planes they knew quite well from that conflict. But weather and increasing quality of Soviet Air Force would soon make things more challenging. In the first part, you can see the analysis of the period between August 1941 and May 1942.
Check out Patrick Cloutier's book - Mussolini's War in the East
www.amazon.com/dp/B0923WJ4K8
Main sources:
- Gianni Cattaneo - Aircraft Profile No. 64: The Macchi C.200
amzn.to/44Rz6z9
- Christopher Shores - Regia Aeronautica, Vol. 1: A Pictorial History of the Italian Air Force 1940-1943
- BREVE STORIA DEL CORPO AEREO ITALIANO IN RUSSIA 1941-1943 - di Alberto Rosselli
web.tiscali.it/warbirds/warbir...
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The Ice Giants by Kevin MacLeod
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License: filmmusic.io/standard-license
#militaryaviationhistory #militaryaviation

[@stironeceno]

My Father was a member of the 'Regia Aeronautica ' .Served the Italian Air Force from 1939 to 1943 .First in Albania , than Greece, Ukraine and Russia .Stalino was one of the airfields where he was based . HIs Captain after the war became a General in the Italian Air Force ,

[@showtime112]

Thank you for sharing your personal experience!

[@stironeceno]

@@showtime112 , My Father told me few story about his times in the Eastern front ,and they weren't to pleasant , same with his times from September of1943 to April of 1945 as a member of the Italian Partisan .A total horror show .

[@showtime112]

@@stironeceno That generation had a very challenging life indeed!

[@stironeceno]

True@@showtime112

[@marcomarcon5802]

Excellent content as usual. It looks like the Italian expeditionary corps didn't have effective fighter-bombers to support them on the ground, fitting Saettas with small bombs was an afterthought. But I feel for military personnel from the Mediterranean having to fight in the Russian winter, it must have been so incredibly tough

[@showtime112]

Yes, both combat aircraft types they deployed were only carrying light load so CAS wasn't exactly their strong side. As for the winter, I freeze after spending a couple hours outside when the temperature is around zero. I can't even imagine how it must have been for them back then.

[@stevenotch7324]

My great grandfather was an Alpino in the armir (italian army in russia). My grandmother recalls that when he came back home she hid behind her mother crying “that’s not my father” since the condition on that front had rendered him completely unrecognizable

[@cocodog85]

@@stevenotch7324 the commies weren't doing their job properly, he should have come back in box.

[@82zerox]

​@@stevenotch7324indeed it was said in northern italy at the time "Mussolini assassino degli Alpini", that means Mussolini killer of the Alpini soldiers

[@thomassmith7374]

Italy can be all cold wet and snowy place in winter. The russian front was a horrible place in winter no matter where you were from.

[@patrickcloutier6801]

Outstanding video graphic portrayal of Italian aviation on the Eastern Front. And your college background with Italian language does justice to Italian military terminology.

[@showtime112]

Thanks for noticing 😊

[@cosmodetriti4440]

I must say. One of the few channels where my beautiful language is not raped.

[@xsrrr]

Impressed by the perfect italian pronunciation which you don't see so often in KZbin videos

[@showtime112]

Thanks! I used to learn Italian, years ago. Besides, English speakers are usually absolutely awful in pronouncing Italian words so this might only seem better than it actually is :)

[@wintersbattleofbands1144]

The word is "pronunciation."

[@xsrrr]

@@wintersbattleofbands1144 cool thanks

[@wobblybobengland]

@@showtime112 you want to hear Italians trying to speak L'inglese

[@rudeone4life]

SM Sanson and Lt Biron told me a lot about their Russian experience. Despite all the problems encountered they actually did quite well during this expedition. Unfortunately western historians spin a different story. Thank you for your post.

[@rsacchi100]

Aviation historian Christopher Shores, in his book Air Aces, states "Regia Aeronautica claims bore very little resemblance to the reality of the situation." This may account for western historians giving a low assessment of Italian claims on the Russian Front, where claims couldn't be verified.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for this feedback! There is probably some overclaiming there but it's not unthinkable that Italian pilots could have done well against the Soviets early in the war with all those purges and idiotic leadership.

[@i.setyawan]

Excellent video, as always. I don't think I have ever learned about how the Italian air force conducted itself in the eastern front. Much of the information in this series is new to me.

[@showtime112]

Thanks! I have to admit I didn't have any deep knowledge about it until recently.

[@stironeceno]

My Father was one of the members of the Italian Air Force ,serving on the Eastern front ,mostly in Ukraine .

[@ariannescharfi9366]

Great Video of one of the most interesting "unknown" airbattles in ww2.😸

[@showtime112]

Thanks! I agree these obscure involvements can be exceptionally interesting.

[@donparker1823]

This was a fascinating episode. I like the looks of the Macchi. Particularly when juxtaposed by the Polikarpov I-16. If possible those were even uglier than the Brewster Buffalo.

[@showtime112]

Thanks! Yeah, I-16 was no beauty contest winner :)

[@PauloPereira-jj4jv]

Sorry, the Buffalo was far from "ugly".

[@michaeltelson9798]

One of the issues with Italian aviation was the lack of effective engines for their planes. Many were license built versions.

[@PauloPereira-jj4jv]

Buffalos were not ugly.

[@SovietUnion100]

The I-16 is sexy af, no taste

[@matteohetzy7599]

the scarecraw symbol of the 22nd group was created in the days following one of these encounters, the number of stars (red stars not by coincidence) represent the downed enemy planes in one occasion, in the next days the soviets were not flying and the symbol represents the unit scaring the enemies out of the skyes. (weirdly The Scarecrow(Turnip-Head) in the anime "Howl's Moving Castle" took inspiration from this symbol).

[@showtime112]

Thanks for providing additional info!

[@MXB2001]

Just occurred to me that those open cockpits the Italian pilots insisted upon must have been really cosy in the Russian blizzards...

[@showtime112]

Oh yea, they look really appealing :)

[@Thermopylae2007]

Interestingly enough the Soviet I-16s originally came with enclosed cockpits but the pilots took them off as they were unreliable. I wonder what they felt about doing that when winter came!

[@External2737]

​@@Thermopylae2007The I-16 glass prevented a clear view (low quality). They would also jam shut...

[@rednax6955]

the 22nd Fighter group's insignia unironically looks cool

[@showtime112]

It actually does, thanks for the comment!

[@Jin-uu5he]

He is the scarecrow from Howl's Moving Castle, Miyazaki's anime

[@Artiglio1977]

Grazie per la condivisione

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching!

[@RealDarko]

Great video of a very interesting subject, looking forward to part 2!

[@showtime112]

Thanka a lot, part 2 coming up soon!

[@lorenzodelfino5894]

EXCELLENT video: well researched and accurate. The insigna of the 22nd Fighter Autonomous Group (22o Gruppo Autonomo Caccia) was a scarecrow on a white trangle (see frame1:34). The eight red stars simbolized the eight russian planes shot down on 8/27/41 (ref. 4:46). The 22nd Fighter Group was comprised of the 359th, 362nd, 369th and 371st Squadrons. With few exceptions the numerals closer to the cockpit identified the Squadron: the video shows a C.200 Saetta of the 369th Squadron.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for this feedback and for sharing additional information! There were only a couple of C.299 skins I could find that refer to the groups which fought in the USSR. Another one will make an appearance in part two.

[@lorenzodelfino5894]

@@showtime112 looking forward to the second part dealing with the 21st Group, equipped with C.202 and C.200

[@yeetboi911]

Another masterpiece of a video. Great work! Also, could you cover what happened on operation Tidal Wave? It is a pretty important operation that is kind of foreshadowed by some bigger ones

[@showtime112]

Thanks! Well, this particular operation was recently covered by Solo Cinematics so it probably wouldn't make sense for me to repeat the same subject.

[@groucho1080p]

get dat peppa off dere camon ladd

[@cannonfodder4376]

Flying in sub zero temps in open cockpits... man that just sucks. A good starter video into a part of the air war in the east that is never really talked about.

[@showtime112]

Makes you shiver just thinking about it :) Thanks for the feedback!

[@MH-fb5kr]

Thank you… obscure (to me) subject…. I’m always interested in all aspects of Italia aviation

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching! This won't be the last video on the subject.

[@bodonluiz7518]

22 Gruppo (Giovanni Borzoni) was 359 Squadriglia (Vittorio Minguzi), 362 Squadriglia (Germano La Ferla), 369 Squadriglia (Giorgio Jannicelli) and 371 Squadriglia (Enrico Meille).

[@showtime112]

Thanka for adding details!

[@MImlac]

Excellent / rare archival footage! Thanks

[@showtime112]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@biffphuddle6581]

Great graphics and naration. Thanks. Keep up the good work !!!!

[@showtime112]

I sure will, thank you!

[@juancarlosperezcortes9259]

Great video, I wasnt aware of rhe Italian AF contribution in Operation Barbarossa. I kept them mostly in North Africa. Excellent story

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot! Yes, they are best known for fighting in Africa but they were all over the place. They even fought in the Battle of Britain.

[@leonardogregoratti386]

@@showtime112 actually Italians were cut off after Stalingrad sovietic advance and were forced to fight back for days in winter to join the main army. 1 up to 3 never got back. those who made back to Italy after haven seen the real face of Fascism became later the military elements of Italian partisans.

[@bravo2zeroCAN]

Well done covering the lesser known history of air warfare Top notch 👍

[@showtime112]

I'm glad you liked it, thanks!

[@edmundodantes6866]

Hi, another great video as common with your excellent channel. 🎉

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for the positive feedback!

[@malickfan7461]

Fascinating video. Glad I found this channel.

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for the positive feedback! I'm happy when people discover older videos. Don't miss part two!

[@tramlink8544]

its crazy hearing modern battlefield names being mentioned here. like Horlivka, and Donetsk. The airfield the Italians operated out of in Stalino is the current day Donestk airport which is has seen a lot of heavy fighting since 2014

[@showtime112]

Exactly. As I was researching this story, the familiar names just kept popping up. Some parts of the Earth tend to be less stable than others, I guess.

[@andrewmorke]

I appreciate your investigating less well-known history. Good videos.

[@showtime112]

Glad you like them! Thank you!

[@angriff69]

Beautiful and very interesting! As always (Hvala)

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for appreciating it!

[@MrGreatGeorge]

Great work!

[@showtime112]

Glad you liked it, thanks!

[@eduardodeandres3864]

Buenísimo. Me ha encantado. Muchas gracias

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot!

[@sergiopiparo4084]

Great video 👍

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much!

[@steventhorson4487]

Excellent video

[@showtime112]

Thanks for the comment!

[@Miko19691]

Very good video.

[@showtime112]

Glad you liked it, thanks!

[@sohrabroozbahani4700]

This kind of info is what I really like this channel for, others never pay attention to this kind of stuff... BTW, just for the ease of narration you may want to consider the American style of number reading... perhaps if you are not familiar with it, for the number ABCD, instead of A thousand B hundred CD, goes like AB hundred CD, it's a bit easier to work with when you get used to it, my opinion tho... I personally adopted it a long time ago over the standard version...

[@showtime112]

Maybe that's why others get more views 😁 I sometimes use that pronunciation you mention. It makes sense for nice, round figures such as 1400. Perhaps a little less for something like 2995. Thanks for the comment!

[@romanbrough]

I have wondered why Germany didn't allow the Italians to produce under licence the engines being used for the Luftwaffe. ? These Macchi fighters with more powerful engines and increased armament would have been an formidable aircraft.

[@showtime112]

They did and that resulted in Macchi C.202. It will be mentioned in part two of the video in a couple of days.

[@romanbrough]

@@showtime112 Yes, I know of this fighter. My point was that these high power Macchis and Fiats could have been flying in 1940. Against the Hurricane and Gladiator, they might have just turned the campaigns in North Africa and Malta. One of those "what if" alternative history scenarios.

[@peregrinemccauley5010]

Fantastic rare military history, with visuals to match.

[@showtime112]

Thank you, I'm glad you appreciate the content!

[@kalui96]

Your sponsor for this video is such a W. Not Squarespace, not Manscaped or any of those dumbahh VPNs. A Proper Sponsor befitting the video content.

[@showtime112]

That is very rare. Usually, you grab what you can find.

[@LucaZ283]

Wow, what a great Italian pronunciation! Well done!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the feedback!

[@viper2148]

The Italians pulled the Germans into North Africa. The Germans pulled the Italians into Russia. The Italians were right. The key to winning WW2 in the European Theater was North Africa. If Germany had not waged war on the Soviet Union and instead concentrated on defeating Britian in the Mediterranean/North Africa and on the U-Boat war in the Atlantic the British would have never recovered.

[@showtime112]

Well, the attack on the USSR was definitely overambitious.

[@viper2148]

@@showtime112 great video. Heroic Italian efforts to defeat the Bolsheviks has been embarrassingly absent.

[@wobblybobengland]

The Jerry never reached air superiority, the spider's web could never be accomplished over water. We British ruled the waves, Dolfy had no oil, and no chance of getting it other than through the Romanian drips. That is why he went for Stalingrad. Also if the British and French had have had a pot at the Ruhrpot in 1940 instead of having a time on the Majinot Line, things would have been much different.

[@viper2148]

@@wobblybobengland the spider web was accomplished under water. Churchill famously stated that his greatest fear were the German U-Boats. The ONLY reason the Germans didn't walk right over the Brits in North Africa was because Hitler diverted MASSIVE amounts of resources to fight his stupid war against the Soviets. In 1941 when Germany pulled resources to fight the Soviets Egypt produced about 1 million barrels of oil a year. Iraq produced 4.5 million barrels of oil, and Iran produced 8 million barrels. If Hitler had done two simple things 1) secure his enigma encryption and 2) CANX Barbarossa and double down on the North African campaign (that he was winning at the time). Hitler would've been fighting a one-front war and would have had all the oil he needed to do it.

[@ladieskingdom5959]

The main mistake during the battle of England was the change of strategy. If the Germans had kept attacking air bases the Raf would not been able to stop a naval invasion.

[@user-vj8vs8yn1d]

I am the first to comment you are one of my favorite KZbinrs

[@showtime112]

Congratulations, thanks for commenting!

[@shwarz442]

Il secondo conflitto mondiale, per l'Italia, è stato un periodo grave ma almeno i nostri soldati hanno combattuto con profondo senso del dovere, è a Loro che spetta il merito della gloria per il loro sacrificio e ciò che di buono resta in questo paese corroso dalla corruzione e dal cancro della mafia! Memento audere semper, semper fidelis!

[@showtime112]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@shwarz442]

​@@showtime112a Voi. 👍🍀

[@deino117]

Great as always! But you sound like you had a cold when you recorded this...?

[@showtime112]

Thanks for the feedback! It is some kind of a viral infection that has been quite persistent. But it's getting better, thanks for your concern!

[@pirucho33]

Excellent report. You have a good pronunciation of the Italian language.

[@showtime112]

Thanks! It's a pretty easy language to pronounce. Unlike English :)

[@jnalhn1188]

Bel video, grazie!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for commenting!

[@mohabatkhanmalak1161]

I think the Italians did well on the various theaters they were deployed in during WW2. And, they had some of the best equipment too. Here, their airforce planes were second to none, much also depended on the pilots and the tactics they adopted in a particular battle situation. At 6.28 you say "Their planes were built for warmer climate", meaning they were not suited to the Russian theater. This is a misconception, climatisation is one of the areas the engineers look at in the design stage, and the technical brief calls for it. The Italians had colonies in North Africa, where in some regions conditions can get freezing cold in winter, and then there was the Sahara desert and Somalia with warm to hot climate. When deploying armies it would be obvious to equip them with the appropriate hardware.

[@Britlurker]

Also overlooked now are the Italian raids on Britain. Sometimes alone, sometimes in concert with the Luftwaffe.

[@showtime112]

Yes, the Italian involvement in the Battle of Britain is usually just a footnote. I might cover it someday.

[@Britlurker]

@@showtime112 Great! A friend of mine used to tell me how his grandma was hit by a piece of Italian shrapnel in a raid on, I think, Portsmouth. (she was a WREN). He never believed her, not knowing that there had been any Italian raids. But I was able to confirm her story. Or at least that it was possible.

[@jimsaintamour2]

Thanks!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for yet another donation!

[@damienmaynard8892]

C.200 kill:loss in Russia 88:15 - pretty good! Savoia cavalry wins late in the war too!

[@showtime112]

It does sound good. On the other hand, there was probably some over claiming and most kills were achieved in the first ten months or so.

[@MDsteeler1]

GOOD ONE!!! First time I’ve heard anything about the Italian contribution to the air war on the Eastern Front.

[@showtime112]

Thanks! Nothing like a nice, obscure part of history that deserves to be given some attention.

[@MiG-31893]

Hey, just a suggestion, you should do the encounters between Romanian IAR-80s and P-38s, as well as Yak-1s, I heard the IARs actually beat the 38s and yaks in a couple battles

[@showtime112]

Yes, the Royal Romanian Air Force had some success fighting against American formations. It is definitely in my plans to cover some of those stories.

[@Armored_Ariete]

my great uncles fought on the don defending stalingrad and our aviators did everything they could

[@showtime112]

Thanks for sharing!

[@tonykeith76]

Nice video! Planes comes from IL-2? Thank you

[@showtime112]

Thanks. No, this was done with War Thunder.

[@welshpete12]

The depiction of aircraft in this series is excellent . But I think the Italians , would find it very hard dealing with Russian winters .

[@showtime112]

Thank you very much for the feedback! Indeed, there were challenges with operating the fighters under such conditions.

[@Riccardo_Silva]

It could be stated that italian defeats in Russia and elsewhere were often humiliating. What saves us from that conclusion is the valour and courage displayed by my fellow citizens italian soldiers and pilots. No humiliation in there! All the same i find it gut-wrenching the waste of skill, determination and utter heroism of those men at the hands of the most STUPID dictatorship in history. Here i'm repeating myself, Showtime, but i find it a pleasure to hear a foreigner uttering italian names in a flawless italian pronounciation. Thank you!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for this elaborate reply!

[@jacobhill3302]

Im a weirdo so G.50 and MC.200 are some of my favorite aircraft of the whole war, no idea why, I dig em

[@showtime112]

No need to make excuses 😁 Check out the second video about Oiva Tuominen if you haven't already.

[@philoaviaticus]

They are graceful a/c😊

[@jeannezehner9450]

It's not a well known story, but very interesting events, which have taken place in the same area of the ukrainian conflict nowdays. It's was the beginning of the aerial russian campaign, I think that it will be more harder during the next part because we will met more modern planes. We see that the materials and equipment were not adapted to the East winter, like today, the fights decreased in this period, nothing has changed.

[@showtime112]

Thanks for another comment! It was quite interesting doing research for this video when familiar names of places kept popping up. Some of them had different names back then so it's not so easy to make the connection right away.

[@jeannezehner9450]

@@showtime112 During the conflict of Suez on 1956, there are some victories, some israeli DASSAULT OURAGAN KILLED egytian vampire and MIG-15. I think that it will be a great story for your site.

[@showtime112]

@@jeannezehner9450 I've been exploring the 1956 Suez War a bit. There are quite a few interesting topics to cover in the future.

[@jeannezehner9450]

@@showtime112 I'm very happy to know that. There's something to do with this short conflict.

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

Salut Jeanne. Après une après midi passe aux urgences et rebelote le soir. Je vois enfin cette vidéo. Je ne connais pas le sujet de la présence italienne, j'avais lu que des espagnols y avait participé aux commandes de Me 109. Les Italiens avait aussi envoyé un corps expéditionnaire en septembre 1940 en Belgique pour participer à la bataille de Angleterre mais se sont fait tailler en pièce par Spit et Hurricane

[@tetraxis3011]

Crazy How the Soviets managed to survive the onslaught of the Axis. The Regia Aeronautica was by a longshot the best arm of the Italian Military.

[@showtime112]

Russia (or the USSR) is like a boxer who lacks skill, speed or technique. He only has a huge mass and he wins by letting his opponents wear themselves down by punching him :)

[@towgod7985]

Great video. The Italians had no reason joining the war, their economy was far too limited, and the British were handing them their asses in the Med! Russia just made the situation worse!

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot for the comment! Yes, their ambitions were way, way too big for their capacity.

[@xmaniac99]

Such a waste of men and equipment. Thank you for the excellent video!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching it! Yes, the whole campaign was quite tragic.

[@MiG-31893]

The Italians definitely did better fighting the USSR than they did fighting Britain or the US. And they still won despite inferior planes

[@showtime112]

A lot better for sure. Although I suppose the Italian engagement in the Battle of Britain would make an interesting video.

[@MiG-31893]

@@showtime112 yeah I mean the Italian pilots must’ve been brave going up against spitfires in biplanes. Nearly all were shot down and Hermann goring was raging

[@antoniotommasini5501]

But what you're saying ? The Regia Aeronautica fought against RAF from 1940 to 1943 in North Africa. And from october 1941 with the entry into service of the Macchi MC 202, finally on par with RAF except for number. The Macchi MC 202 fought also in Russia.

[@MiG-31893]

@@antoniotommasini5501 I’m saying that they had inferior planes to the raf. The macchi 202 was way better than the biplanes that they had, and was a good match for the hurricane, however it was poorly armed and didn’t turn as quick as a spitfire. In North Africa polish divisions using the spitfire mk IX stacked up 7 macchi 202s and 3 German bf-109s shot down

[@antoniotommasini5501]

​@@MiG-31893are you polish ? From a country with an unfortunate past, but with heroic fighter. Thank for answer.

[@alejandrocasalegno1657]

In Russia the "Climb rate" was really secondary, most of the fight was to medium and low level.....is the reason than the P-39 Aircobra was bad for the USAAF....disastrous for the RAF.....and very good for the VVS!!!!

[@showtime112]

True but I was experimenting a bit with such technical presentation.

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

2:31 You are gonna need to be a but more specific about that, they were a *shit-load* of I-16 variants and I doubt the C.200 could outclimb the I-16 Type 24, at least at low attitudes. I reckon it is probably impossible to match the Italian claims with actual Soviet combat losses since I doubt such data could be properly recorded and archieved during the generalized Soviet retreat.

[@eric-wb7gj]

TY 🙏🙏

[@showtime112]

I appreciate your comments!

[@ratagris21]

Excellent coverage of little known aviational history. ♠️🎩🎱🇺🇲🏁🇺🇦🔱🌻💮🌸🌼🌺🏴‍☠️🏹

[@showtime112]

I'm glad you are still enjoying it, thanks!

[@ivanhicks887]

Veery Good

[@showtime112]

Thanks for the comment!

[@eduardo163]

Some time ago I saw an interview with an italian veteran of the eastern front, and he said they put diesel in place of water in the cooling system of planes and trucks. Was this a common thing?

[@guaporeturns9472]

Italian planes of this period were so pretty

[@showtime112]

Thank you for commenting!

[@janmale7767]

Bashing the Italians for their martial achievements during WW- 2 has been common place ,but i have come across some cases of remarkable capable and brave soldiers in the Italian war effort!,achieving a lot under difficult conditions , the mayor one being a relative unpreparedness for such a large scale conflict and an economy woefully lacking in production capacity to match. And of course Allied propaganda had a field time exploiting those weaknesses!

[@showtime112]

There was a huge gap between the ambitions of the leadership and true capabilities of the society. But it doesn't mean that units or individuals weren't brave or competent.

[@bert8373]

And the Italian Navy's frogmen were great too and several competent generals such as Giovanni Messe

[@Wolf-hh4rv]

Italy was almost a third world country. Much of their technology was laughable, their aircraft and tanks in particular. I wouldn’t put my hand up for a suicide mission either.

[@giancarlogarlaschi4388]

So ... - Disaster at Dunkirk - Loss of Prince of Wales and Repulse , Malaysia. - Fall of Singapore - PQ 17 Convoy Disaster - Operations Crusader & Battle Axe Failures. - Arnhem , a Bridge too Far Disaster . - Greece and Crete Disasters. And so on ...

[@giancarlogarlaschi4388]

@@showtime112 - Italian Torpedo Bombers - Italian Combat Frog men. - Ariete Sacrifice at El Alamein. - Folgore Airborne Division Sacrifice at El Alamein. - Giovanni Facisti sacrifice at Bir El Gobi. - Reggia Aeronautica fighter bombers sacrifice at Sicily. - Italian Submarines - Savoia Cavalleria charge in Russia - Alpini charge at Nikolawieska - Italian Republican Air Force Desperate fight in Northern Italy - Italian Marines Sacrifice defending the Istria peninsula against Tito Murderous Communists Partisans ...

[@robertmiller2173]

Go Italy and anybody else that verses Russia.......Love to Italy from New Zealand

[@constantinsamuelbirtas84]

Hi For what I reed, about figts on estern front in WW II, the bolshevics had nothing to trow against until after the winter of 43. The romanian esquadrillas having victories almost allways vith 1 to 3 or 4 targets down in almost all theyr outs. They fly in 109 or 80 even en Juricane s

[@showtime112]

I'd say things began to change already in 1942 but it was all gradual. In 1943, the situation became really tough for the Axis powers in every way. Romanian air force is a rather interesting subject that I hope to cover some day.

[@user-ym7sq5lc7b]

How can I get in contact with Patrick Coultier?

[@showtime112]

Well, I communicate with him by email, I might ask him. What do you want to contact him for?

[@branka4226]

👍

[@showtime112]

Hvala!

[@trevorsutherland5263]

WOW! This is not well known at all, even among Italians. Here in US, 99% of people you would meet in daily life would stare at you blankly if you brought up the subject of Italy's performance in WW2.

[@showtime112]

WWII is a bit of a niche subject. My viewers generally are in the 35+ category but with WWII videos, it's mostly 55+. Young people don't seem to be interested in it at all.

[@generalmalaise458]

With only two machine guns and limited ammo (owing to them being mounted in the cowling and shooting through the prop,) that Italian plane would have been seriously outgunned in WW2! Some I16s had MGs AND cannons and those with only MGs had over 3000 rounds of ammunition. Spitfires and Hurricanes both carried eight MGs, four in each wing. I believe they would all easily out turn the Italian plane as well. That just leaves hit and run tactics for the Italians and for that you need effective firepower. American planes for example (with very few exceptions) were armed with at least six .50 cal MGs. They beat the more nimble Japanese planes they faced in the pacific by attacking with a big speed advantage, hitting them hard and then just flying away to reset and repeat. Also, even the smallest Russian bombers the Italians would have to shoot down had a rear gunner, that’s half of the firepower they possess shooting back at them during their attack! I don’t envy those pilots.

[@showtime112]

Yes, fighting in those airplanes was a challenge and it mostly came out of a lack of a good engine.

[@giancarlogarlaschi4388]

The Macchi Saetta did Very well against the Hurricane - P 40 s - Tropical Spitfires. The Fiat CR 42 Falco could also get a Hawker Hurricane when being attacked. Please find British intelligence reports in Wikipedia. Greetings from Vina del Mar . First Lieutenant ( Ret ). Air Force of Chile USAF Trained. T- 37 , A 37 , DH - 115 " Vampire " ( at age 19/22 ). Lufthansa Cargo China B 747 , Qatar Airways B 777 , Latam B 767 , Douglas DC 8 Commander ( Ret ).

[@danhubert-hx4ss]

Believing is good, knowing is better...

[@duncanrichardson5306]

Very interesting. I don't suppose Mussolini ever made the trip to see what his men were facing.

[@showtime112]

Not as far as I know. Thanks for the comment!

[@JesterEric]

He made at least one visit to the eastern front in August 1941 jointly with Hitler. kzbin.info/www/bejne/raS3laRjic2Bb80

[@johndorilag4129]

Mussolini visited the eastern front a few times

[@luispinedo8566]

Brillante! ,👏🇪🇦

[@showtime112]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@jaws666]

Just recived 2 notifications from you...1 was for this video but the other 1 is from that other chanel that i belive is NOT you and uses a stupid robot voice which i can not watch...i absloutley HATE chanels like this that use stupid robot voices.....great video btw (i mean THIS video)

[@showtime112]

Hi! Can you tell me what is the exact title of that video from the other channel?

[@jaws848]

​@@showtime112the chanel is called "awl you need to know" and the video short is " how the Mig-29 became a nato fighter"

[@showtime112]

@@jaws848 I've checked it but they don't seem to use anything from me.

[@jaws848]

@@showtime112 defo getting notifications from them claiming to be you..have recived 3 so far

[@nobbytang]

Some of the Italian Alpine troops actually fought extremely well in and around Stalingrad and the long retreat from Russia….

[@showtime112]

Yes, thay actually achieved some offensive success too.

[@JohnSmith-un9jm]

They were crushed by the Russians

[@captainhurricane5705]

There were no Italians at Stalingrad.

[@user-wi9rf1zx5b]

Viva l'Italia

[@JoeHinojosa-bd9hu]

Hey Francesco! There's a somebody behinda your a tail!!!

[@commandingjudgedredd1841]

It's interesting to hear the stories of Germany's European allies, such as the Italian contribution to the Eastern Front.

[@showtime112]

Glad you think so! In the future, I hope to cover the involvement of some other Axis countries such as Romania and Hungary.

[@tomhaskett5161]

Had no idea thst the Italian Airforce was in Russis furing WW2

[@showtime112]

Yes, Mussolini wanted to be omnipresent :)

[@steventhorson4487]

🇮🇹👍👌

[@showtime112]

Thanks!

[@itorca]

Which il2 mod is that

[@showtime112]

It's not Il-2, it's War Thunder.

[@itorca]

@@showtime112 ohh nice can hardly tell them apart nowadays

[@X1in]

what game is it? IL-2?

[@showtime112]

It's War Thunder.

[@nembokid19]

Grazie di esistere show

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@kangaroohybrid5633]

Without watching the vid....as History goes....the Italians weren't much chop in the Desert

[@showtime112]

Thanks for commenting

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

Hello mate, after a day spent in Emergency room hospital for my wife. I watched the vidéo now. Sorry i didnot know the Italian air force( regia aeronautica) was in ... Ukrainian war😱. But now belligérants are différents. I have read many years ago that Spanish pilots volunteers have fly with german Me 109 to fight Russia. Italians volunteers have fighted also from Belgium septembre 1940 during battle of britain.But cutting in pieces by Spit and Hurricane

[@showtime112]

Hello! I'm sorry to hear that, I hope she is alright. Yes, Italians fought mostly in Ukraine, in many places we hear in news today. Yes, there were Spanish volunteers fighting there as well. I might have to research that.

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

@@showtime112 Hello mate, good news but my wife have several stitches at right ear. Cut by broken glass.

[@antoniotommasini5501]

The italian planes "cutting in pieces" in Belgium were the obsolete biplanes Fiat CR 42, with only two machine guns. A real feat by the RAF ! They can boast ! P.S. How Is your wife ?

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

@@antoniotommasini5501 And add also Fiat BR20 M. My wife is OK now after thé fall in to glass . 30 stitches at right ear Will be removed today by surgeon

[@antoniotommasini5501]

Yes, also Fiat BR 20, medium bomber.

[@Hjqjsdhhshhsj-nz1dm]

Why germans didn t let italians made bf109

[@domsvet6414]

CAI means Corpo aereo italiano not Comanda Aviazione

[@showtime112]

Corpo Aereo Italiano refers to the unit sent to Belgium to fight in the Battle of Britain. Comando Aviazione del C.S.I.R. (not ComandA as you spell it) was the official initial name for the airplane component in the USSR and every source I could find calls it that.

[@domsvet6414]

@@showtime112 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZ3CXoyEqJ2Xrtk

[@user-wi9rf1zx5b]

Italians where underestimate, in Russia they fight like lions unfortunately the Italians received little or no help from the Axis

[@luteroblau6955]

excuse , what is the name of the game?

[@showtime112]

It's War Thunder

[@luteroblau6955]

@@showtime112 thank you , i belived it was , stormovick I-2

[@MrOlgrumpy]

Thank you for another very good production.You still sound sick,😷may I recommend a " medicinal "dose of good whisky to help the cure if you are able ? It helped me recover from the covid virus 👍🙃

[@showtime112]

Well, I still haven't fully recovered. Thanks for the suggestion, I might as well try it :) This actually might be some mutated covid variant. They tested me and it came out negative but perhaps the test couldn't recognize it.

[@MrOlgrumpy]

@@showtime112 Well,try the whisky anyway,alcohol kills germs 🙃🙃 and it helps me sleep,[ just a small amount ]

[@r.ladaria135]

I wonder how different WWII would have been if Franco was Mussolini and vice versa.

[@showtime112]

You mean, Italy staying out of the war and Spain joining it? The end result would have been similar but we would've had some different theaters and amphibious landing sites I guess.

[@r.ladaria135]

Yes of course. The final result of the war would be the same but not for Mussolini and Italy. @@showtime112

[@r.ladaria135]

Neither for Iberia and Franco: The war would had costed Spain the death of starvation of btw 1 or 2 million people.

[@r.ladaria135]

The idea was to emphasize how stupid Mussolini was.

[@Britlurker]

@@showtime112 Germany might have benefited from Mussolini doing a Franco. Keeping Italy neutral but friendly to Germany. Also Mussolini dragged Germany into pointless fighting in Greece and the Balkans.

[@bjornsmith9431]

The Italian Air force perform well than the Army in World War 2.

[@showtime112]

Well, the ground troops deployed to the USSR were relatively successful too in the first year or so. They were steadily advancing and gaining ground. But things changed for the worse in late 1942.

[@samnigam3451]

Russian Mig 3 n 5 the most shot down fighter in the Russian Front 😂. Both Nazi n Italian pilots did fairly well flying their Me109 FW190 Me210s while Italians flew Aermachhi Folgore C-200 and Fiat G5. But from 1943 to 1945 Russians started fighting well in Hurricanes Spitfires n Soviet Illyushin fighters. Hello from India 🇮🇳

[@showtime112]

Hallo and thanks for commenting!

[@danhubert-hx4ss]

Russian pilots actually disliked Hurricanes and Spitfires. Bell Airacobra was their favourite.

[@antares7719]

Ma sei italiano?

[@showtime112]

No. Ma studiavo la lingua molti anni fa'.

[@lllordllloyd]

comment for algorithm

[@showtime112]

I appreciate it!

[@lllordllloyd]

@@showtime112 I normally dislike the use of video game footage for historical documentaries. But you are explaining seriously interesting events for which there is no footage, little footage, or obtaining it would be extremely difficult (and make your work much harder for no real improvement). And you use thoughtful and well-edited digital video. Your attention to detail and willingness to cover the obscure should be appreciated by as many as possible.

[@showtime112]

@@lllordllloyd Thanks for the feedback! It would be great to have real footage but generally speaking, it mostly doesn't exist so CGI is really the only way to go.

[@lllordllloyd]

@@showtime112 I must admit I avoided your videos for a while because of it. Then realised the nature of your content... if I wanted to find out about Indian or Iranian or Pakistani dogfights, I'd have to click (these battles are really fascinating... the equipment, the limitations on support and technology, the political situations...). Then I realised that you don't just slap it together... the footage illustrates the narrative perfectly.

[@ifried91]

How are you feeling?? Did you have a cold?

[@showtime112]

Thanks for your concern. It's some kind of a viral infection but a pretty persistent one. I'm getting better, just not as quickly as I would want.

[@davidatrakchi2707]

The Regia Aeronatica did excel in one thing: on September 10th 1940 3 Italian SM107 bombers bombed Tel Aviv, a purely civilian target without any military presence and by that time ruled by the British. This stupid , unnecessary attack killed around 130 civilians, mostly Jews but also 7 Arabs. I know that in ww2 terms this is a very small number of casualties but I recently participated in a ceremony in the graveyard were these victims are buried, a fact that made me bring this up. As far as know the Italians never assumed responsibility for this carnage and never apologized for it

[@lucas82]

Italian WW2 aircraft designs look cool as hell, but they kind of sucked.