The Fiat G-55 Centauro: Italy's Little Known WWII Fighter

[@leeroyloke8415]

This video was a pleasant surprise as Italian WW2 combat aircraft were often derided as barely serviceable antiques. The fighter examples that were able to go toe-to-toe with their Allied counterparts, like the Fiat G.55 Centauro, Macchi C.205 Veltro and Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario, never got the wide attention for Axis fighters their German and Japanese counterparts got. Any chance you could also present videos covering the Macchi C.205 Veltro and Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario as well in the future?

[@giulioandreato744]

Macchi C 200 Freccia with its radial engine was more than a match for Huricanes,( If you have ever seen "Howl's Moving Castle" maybe you could be interst on the history behinde the "scarecrow") the successive model, Macchi C 202, was consider a very treathening by the Spitfire pilots. In general Macchi fighters were the spinal column of the italian fighter force. On the other side the more produced fighter of the Regia Aeronautica was the Fiat CR 42, a biplane. By the end of the '41 it was retired from the first line but still it was used widly. The reason on the continued production of the CR42, althougt was know it was outdated, was mainly political: Fiat did not invested in the prodution line of G 50 , because the CR 42 was cheaper and the fascit party was so corupt by industrialist's money, that Fiat could do what it wanted. CR42 "historical" adversair was the Gloster Gladiator.

[@MiG-31893]

Spitfires we’re still superior to the g.55, it was the Italian pilots that made it dangerous

[@Ezekiel903]

the Macchi 202 was alse very good, it as used by an Italian ace over nord africa, he shoot down many allied planes, after the civil war he joined the ally and fought against the Germans having another great success!kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5WbnaCuqMaKeMksi=segObaKEBq1iDfKu

[@samsignorelli]

The Macchi C.202 Folgore fighter had a left wing 8.5 inches longer than the right. This was to provide enough additional lift in that wing to counteract the left torque from the engine.

[@nmxsanchez]

That is fascinating. Reminds me of many solutions to software issues we use. Haha. If it works it works!

[@ignitionfrn2223]

2:15 - Chapter 1 - Design 4:00 - Chapter 2 - Development & trials 5:00 - Chapter 3 - German involvement 6:50 - Chapter 4 - Production 8:55 - Chapter 5 - Operational History 12:10 - Chapter 6 - Post war

[@tannermurphree8247]

I started using beardblaze and now I have 4 KZbin channels and a podcast.

[@Dr.RichardBanks]

I started using beard blaze and now I have 2 kids, lost all my hair and now have some guy named Danny in my basement

[@cleverusername9369]

@@Dr.RichardBanks blazement*

[@Dr.RichardBanks]

@@cleverusername9369 I legit love that

[@Intercaust]

🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

[@sandybarnes887]

Only 4? What about the other 9

[@KB-bf7qi]

The Italians proved themselves to be very capable engineers. Imagine if they had the resources to go along with their advanced designs.

[@MiG-31893]

it was a good plane, but it was difficult to build, and was only just a match for the spitfire make V

[@NoName-hg6cc]

​@@MiG-31893It was difficult to build because Italy didn't have resources

[@MiG-31893]

@@NoName-hg6cc well ok that’s a fair point, but it still was no match for the spitfire or the mustang. The Re.2005 and Ta-152 were better

[@wirelessone2986]

They had a large modern Navy and seemed to lack any prowess on how to use it.

[@NoName-hg6cc]

@@wirelessone2986 Lacked oil and spare part. Still dealt some blow to the English, who, despite having abundance of resources (easy that way), did little with theirs

[@omd6725]

Thank you for this video it was interesting to learn details about an Italian fighter of WWII. This is the first video I have ever seen about Italy's warplanes because we are inundated with the usual Allied and Axis aircraft.

[@haroldbradshaw5539]

Italy designed and built really good looking Aircraft.

[@cam4894]

Thank you for the cool info!! My dad and I went to the Military Aviation Museum outside of Virginia Beach in Virginia, USA. That place was SO cool for us plane nerds! We even got to see a Mustang Land! 😁

[@em1osmurf]

the sign advising motorists on the highway to watch out for low-flying warbirds always gave me a grin. i was working AAA wrecker during a blue angels air-show at Oceana, and got to see bombers and fighters of the ww2 confederate air force landing. nothing as awesome as the roar of 18 cylinder rotary engines overhead! eastern virginia ia a plane nerd paradise.

[@lukebarrow8807]

I went there with my dad also. I got to see a Spitfire, an avenger and a b-17 take off. It was awesome!

[@normbarrows]

Almost like watching "Wings" on the Discovery Channel back in the day... Why is listening to WW2 aircraft performance and production statistics so relaxing?

[@TommygunNG]

How about a video on the WW2 Italian CR42 fighter? It was the last biplane fighter seriously used in major combat. It would be a "Subproject."

[@12Deathcon]

Another project to look at is Bert Hinkler Extremely interesting man and inventor. He had some pretty big aviation combat break throughs.

[@bobjk3455]

actually some of those fiat biplanes were pretty damn agile in a dogfight and with a good pilot could engage spitfires and at least hurricanes on reasonable terms.

[@ellezzero]

You can kill a wole tank crew with a molotov but Is not a good idea, the same Is fight a spitfire with a biplane

[@rbilleaud]

I prefer the Macchi C.205 Veltro. Very similar aircraft.

[@ianhoag6675]

I think it would be really cool to see a side or megaprojects video about tomahawk cruise missiles

[@sopwithsnoopy8779]

From what I have read, the Reggiano 2005 had the best high-altitude performance of the three '5s', due to the shape of its wing 🤷‍♂️ All three seem like they had fairly similar performance, though.

[@neutronalchemist3241]

They had very similar performances. The G.55 was the easiest to manufacture, and the better armed (one 20mm gun more than the C.205 and same number than the Re.2005, but with more ammos).

[@georgewilliams8448]

Thank you information about an airplane that I had never heard of! If you are looking for a subject to do a video on please consider doing one on the United States Army National Training Center Fort Irwin, California. The fort has a long history with it being used by General Patton as a place to train tankers before the US entered World War 2. Indeed, I was stationed there in 1981-82 and was able to see places where I was told that the tanks had trained though I couldn't verify it. Then the Fort was transferred to the California National Guard after World War 2 ended who controlled it until the late 1970's when the US Army took the Fort back and it was redesigned as the National Training Center where units from other bases came to train in full size actions against the Forts Opposing Force unit. I think that Fort Irwin would be a good subject for either a Megaprojects or Side projects video.

[@michaelpipkin9942]

Can you do the history of The Thunderbirds,? It's a long story with tragedy and un-matched skill.

[@lehammsamm]

Simon didn't lose his hair. It just became new synapses in his brain.

[@alexbarclay6597]

Hmmm interesting, I believe all the random facts stored in his brain pushed out each hair one by one

[@SephirothRyu]

Specifically, in the parts of his brain involved with speech, talking, and rapidly memorizing the scripts the channel writers constantly pile on his desk.

[@fyve4321]

He is a presenter, so isn't necessarily a genius.

[@driftertravels928]

Like Japan’s Ki-100 and Ki-84, another great design that could have become one of the great fighters of WW2 if produced in enough numbers and developed and improved.

[@PatrickESpecht]

Simon, speaking of the Fiat G-55, how about a Sideprojects video about the Fiat S76 race car; aka the Beast of Turin. A car with a 28.5 Litre engine.

[@InquisMalleus]

A car with a 28.5 liter engine? That's a MegaProject!

[@PatrickESpecht]

@@InquisMalleus Yes!

[@dewiz9596]

Re the engine torque on takeoff. . . I believe it was the Rockwell Commander112 that the engine angled from the centerline to compensate. I’ll stand to be corrected on the aircraft type, but I definitely remember seeing a plane like that in the hangar, undergoing its annual inspection in the late 1990s

[@paoloviti6156]

Regarding the only negative assessment noted by G.55 pilots was the pronounced left-hand yawing at takeoff due to the powerful engine torque. This was partially remedied by a slight offset positioning of the vertical stabiliser to counteract engine torque but with powerful piston engined engines generally speaking those fighters was always a handful on takeoff. The Macchi C.205 and previous C.202 to counteract the torque of the engine, it was extended the left wing by 21 cm so that the left wing developed more lift, offsetting the tendency of the aircraft to roll to the left due to the rotation of the propeller...

[@TheEvilCommenter]

Good video 👍

[@annbjorn]

I didn’t realy need to know But now I do. Great

[@charlesfaure1189]

Wonderful airplane. Difficult to build. In wartime that's a big problem.

[@josephschultz3301]

Well-worded. A great aircraft can turn the tides in the sky, but if you've only got a few of them then you've also got a lot of problems.

[@basileerla]

With a proper industrial structure it might have been possible, man work hours are highly dependent on tools available in the end. Italy had little on terms of factories and instruments, any fighter would have been impossible to produce in reasonable numbers.

[@neutronalchemist3241]

The building man/hours required were perfectly comparable to those of contemporary US aircrafts.

[@jamespacheco7091]

I started using beard blaze love it

[@cleverusername9369]

How many KZbin channels, podcasts, and blazement dwelling writers do you have now?

[@stephenmeier4658]

There will come a day when all media will consist only of Simon

[@IrishMike22]

When Simon says "were capable" @2:45 my Samsung heard "OK Google" and kept switching over to the fkn assistant 🤣

[@DJXelto1997]

I would like a video on the Fiat G-91.

[@Simonsvids]

10:08 "...defected.....with an RAF officer sitting on his lap in the cramped cockpit" (Splutters out coffee) WHAT?

[@danielefabbro822]

You know... those was complicated years... 😅

[@fmartine2]

Fiat G56 was the best fighter of ww2

[@MiG-31893]

P-51: P-47: Spitfire:

[@capnstewy55]

I started using beardblaze and now I am finally cool enough to use a 3 wolves coffee mug.

[@Renotrigger]

Beard Blaze is awesome, I got a bottle for me and my mother in law...LOL

[@jsvenier]

Feel like there’s about a million Italian car manufacturer jokes to be made here

[@dakotahrickard]

I never even knew about this fighter. I'm kind of sad, in a way, that it never really went anywhere. Obviously, I'm pleased the Allied Powers won, but nothing drives development like competition, and this fighter obviously had great potential to drive development.

[@AndrewGivens]

All three 'Serie 5' fighters proved a surprise & a serious challenge to RAF & Commonwealth pilots who'd been used to tangling with Mc.202s and Bf 109s. I read an account of one Spit pilot who went up against the Sagittario in combat and reckoned it the best fighter he ever faced.

[@jacksavage4098]

Great again.

[@jonathanc.8424]

... Your mom, your grandma, anyone in your life who has a beard... 😅😅😅

[@biocybernaught3512]

Comercial ends at 00:56

[@cleverusername9369]

We've been gifted a Warographics video, a Geographics video, an Into the Shadows video, AND a Side Projects video, all in a single day. We're living in extraordinary times, people. I'm not saying we should start a religion based around Simon (called Whistlerism) but I'm not saying we shouldn't, either.

[@paulherman5822]

#hailLordSimon

[@stevenjennings197]

Fear the Beard!

[@InquisMalleus]

Simon wouldn't want a religion based on him - that would be silly. Then again, Brain Blaze is rather silly, and the Basement Crew is even more so. We need to worship The Beard, St. Simon of the Blaze, St. Danny of the Blaze, Sts. Samuel and Jen of the Meme, St. Katy of the Unknown, St. Calum of the Blood, and center it on the Basement of the Blessed.

[@anarchyantz1564]

Can you do one on the Jet powered Soviet trains please?

[@lucaorlandi289]

Also the SM79 was a great torpedo bomber

[@datasailor8132]

How many survive? What air museums have one or more?

[@paoloviti6156]

In theory one survived at the Museum of Vigna di Valle about 40 km south of Rome but it is more of a mockup of the Fiat G.55 with some original parts unfortunately....

[@pieroincani]

It is a lot more than a mockup. It is a not flyable downgrade from a G-59 that was firewall backwards 99% the same plane... Only few nerds (me included) can recognize diferences...

[@paoloviti6156]

@@pieroincani yes it does come from the G-59 that structurally was similar to the G-55 but the whole front was changed to accommodate the Rolls-Royce Merlin. When they modified this airplane they changed the front as close as possible to that of the G-55 and they did a very good job using few original blueprints and I think original propellers and possibly the hub and modified dashboard and other details...

[@pieroincani]

@@paoloviti6156 G-59 was not similar, It is the same aircraft... there are many more differences between a P-51A and a P-51B than between a G.55 and a G-59 whose first specimens were obtained with a retrofit of G.55 and which was originally called G.55M (Merlin)

[@beachboy0505]

Fiat Engineering The best After the war, probably went on to make , Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari Excellent video

[@GAMakin]

Quite true. I owned an Alpha Romeo 2600 Spider (1964 ragtop) with Cherry Red "soft lacquer" paint. Found it in a garage back East (USA) in 1984; where it had languished on blocks since 1964. The owner shipped out to Vietnam shortly after purchase. He was declared MIA and never returned. His mother held in her heart that he would return and kept it safe and clean for 20 years. It had about 3K original miles on it. A real CHERRY. It came with a nifty tool kit. True to Italian engineering, the screw threads in the construction were machined under-sized (slightly) to the threaded bore. Solved with thread-lock (for the most part). Otherwise, even the simplest maintenance was best left to the dealership (few and far between). After a summer-long affair (of the heart) I sold it off to a collector with a budget that could do the Girl justice. Sorry to see her go. Saw her once after that @ a Vegas Vintage Car Show... hadn't aged a day since she rolled off the line. Be still my heart...

[@AlessandroGenTLe]

@@GAMakin Mate, it's ALFA, not alpha. Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. Not a greek letter. And, if you miss it, get a Giulia, you'll get a great car with a far superior handling over ANY other sedan.

[@NoName-hg6cc]

FIAT did good car but Maserati, Ferrari and Alfa were originally different car companies

[@GoodVideos4]

A lesser known thing in WW2, like with the Mark Felton videos.

[@twocvbloke]

"Fix It Again Tony!!!" :P

[@antoniomatteocazzella915]

The final stage is fiat g.61

[@erikvan9582]

Japan and Germany might be the axis big shots of ww2 but Italians were,not completely incompetent at least

[@johnq5284]

Fiat should have stuck with planes ;-)

[@davidcool140]

So how many war thunder screenshots did you use in this episode Simon 😬

[@steventhorson4487]

Bravo Fiat!!

[@VINCEindaHOUSE]

That looks like some il2 1946

[@samy7013]

Fiats and Macchis served with the Royal Egyptian Air Force after World War 2, taking part in the 1948 Palestine War, fighting against the despised Israeli colonialist regime.

[@kaiserwilhelmshatner3156]

Mama Mia! That is a spicy fighter!

[@pamelamays4186]

Does Beard Blaze come in Rotting Turtle? 🐢

[@ledeyabaklykova]

That ‘Check Engine’ light greeting the pilot five minutes after takeoff tho .

[@EAcapuccino]

Me likes this 🛩️Bella! Bella! 🇮🇹 Bearded blaze looks tempting for my own 😃👌Given Simons thick iconic beard and charisma to his wife, he should have long since adorned a wallet chain and embrace being a hipster! 😂😁 Lol

[@em1osmurf]

TIL the fiat is an italian make. 70 years old. damm.

[@supersportzcom]

If you test cosmetics on Simon its still animal testing.

[@phylipitaglioni1970]

Resist he color that will make me blue

[@pauldouglasrivers]

probably better stop doing Athletic Greens sponsorships...it doesnt look very smart

[@cat-im4vv]

Many say the best in the world...

[@MiG-31893]

Spitfire is better though

[@cat-im4vv]

​@@MiG-31893 Fiat G55 had a nick name "spitfire killer" because it can win spit to it's own game

[@cat-im4vv]

@@MiG-31893 Germans tested G55 against spit it won every time,it was better at everything.. armament dipens on the use..in combat all dipens on the pilot.G55 newer got a chance it was way too late.germans never produced as planned..it was way better than everything they have ..

[@cat-im4vv]

As a fighter..

[@cat-im4vv]

@@MiG-31893 Germans had several spits to test on during the war..they even but DB engine one or two of them.."the G55 would be the best piston fighter if we would produced it"- Galland. Well trained 109 factories made 1 plane about 5000h ..G55 estimate was 9000h at first reducing about 7000h...

[@MarioVesco]

❤🤍💚

[@tkskagen]

Awkwardly enough, the G-55 looks very "similar" to the P-51 in the "Blueprint Diagram"... Which plane came first? 🤔

[@samsignorelli]

The G-55's first flight was April 30, 1942. The P-51's first flight was Oct 26, 1940.

[@pieroincani]

What I think looks similar to you actually isn't. The wing dihedral of the P-51 is simple while in the G.55 is "W". P-51 wing is tapered in relation to the wingspan while in the G.55 it is tapered in relation to the wingchord.

[@GimmieTheGaff]

Let me guess, like modern Italian supercars they needed a plane load of mechanics behind them.

[@giulianoilfilosofo7927]

No, but the allied fighters the systematically shot down needed a constant supply of coffins. And at least Italy HAS a car industry. Can't Say the same for most of the world.

[@donbrashsux]

Fiat ..god imagine the reliability ..I’d rather pass on it

[@maxsignori7660]

That was before FIAT was resurrected several times using government funding, rather than figure out where the problems were. Obviously this practice didn't help improve on quality and reliability...

[@danielefabbro822]

It's curious you used that nickname. Did you know that diesel engines are an Italian invention?

[@IlRyanWilsonlI]

Feeeerst!

[@melangellatc1718]

Trump fans (nazis) will love this video!

[@imyourdaddy5822]

Rent free

[@stinkstank5177]

Thats strange, Biden fans (kid sniffers) aren’t usually in forums with aviation and engineering and topics that require working brains, you must be lost melanhead!

[@NoName-hg6cc]

Two years later, care to explain your comment? No I am not American nor I like Trump

[@Pepsi_Addicted]

first

[@melangellatc1718]

99 percent of your viewers could care less for the metric system....

[@rickkennett3192]

Questionable. Americans wouldn't be 99% of Simon's viewers.

[@AlessandroGenTLe]

Americans are a small and quite insignificant portion of the worldwide population, except for their violence (and they are truly hated for that, anywhere). Deal with that.

[@TheMCD1989]

I'm American and I wish we had converted to the metric system back in the day. I think anyone that works with tools would agree, I'd rather dig through a pile of metric wrenches and sockets, or ask a helper to cut to a metric length. It just makes more sense.

[@essexginge9167]

Italian aircraft had a reverse gear just like their tanks that went faster than going forward

[@danioa9414]

Tell that to those Anglo-Saxon pilots who met him in the skies of Italy and who returned to the airport of departure on foot. Useless buffoon!

[@valiantredneck]

Oh. Look. Another promotional for some garbage.

[@timothyhouse1622]

Say what you will about the Italian military in WW2, but they knew how to make sexy planes and ships.

[@ltrns001]

Our pilots were and still are top notch, no suprise the highest k/d in any axis aircraft was italian.

[@MiG-31893]

@@ltrns001the British were better though