Christopher Shores, Giovanni Massimello, Russell Guest, Frank Olynyk, Winfried Bock, Andy Thomas "A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940-1945 - Volume 1: North Africa"
tricci57, e-mail, 31.03.2024 00:03
Franz ...... the domestic translation by the aircraft crews was: the cursed hunchback. Maledetto in English is "cursed". The g word you used is cursing word even in Italian, and you misspelled "hunchback" you missed the "H".
maybe some Italian language classes would come in handy.
tricci57, e-mail, 30.03.2024 23:56
Could you provide the source of this information? Thanks
GrahamClayton, e-mail, 18.02.2024 02:25
The first two SM.79s lost in the Western Desert campaign occurred on the 20th of 1940, during an evening raid against Mersa Matrush by 12 15 Stormo aircraft. One plane was hit by AA fire, before colliding with another SM.79. The first SM.79 hit the ground, killing all the crew, while the second crashed landed near Mersa Matruh, with the crew bring captured.
Ravenscroft, 24.02.2012 03:48
Interesting this sleeker plane came before the older-looking S.M.81
Naga, 09.08.2011 21:31
Most likely the Axis, since most Axis-supplied aircraft were flown as part of the insurgency against the British, although I was led to believe the crews were either Italian or German.
Naga, 19.04.2011 21:49
I'm not exactly sure about the Sparviero but some text books call the Pipistrello the Kanguru and vise versa. Heard the Iraqis flew the older model twin-engine variants, which side were they on?
Ben Beekman, e-mail, 19.03.2011 03:13
For those who are interested, You Tube has some interesting newsreel films of Italian aircraft in combat during the war in the Mediterranean. The SM.79 is shown during a torpedo attack, for example. It looks like it was capable of carrying not one but two torpedos! Very interesting films, they show the great enthusiasm and esprit d'corps of the much maligned Italian military.
Barry, 03.12.2010 17:50
The lower profile in the 3 view drawing shows the two engined SM79B which came in various sub-types such as the SM79-JR. This model was powered by two Junkers Jumo 211Da inverted vee 12 liquid cooled engines which were rated at 1,220h.p. It was license built in Romania and served with the Royal Air Forces of Romania on the Eastern Front.
almac, e-mail, 18.09.2010 22:44
I have suspected for many years that the SM79 was one of two tri-motor suspects (the other the JU52)accused by Albania of overflying that Communist Balkan nation in the early 1950s. The Albanians filed several complaints with the United Nations, naming both Italy and Yugoslavia as mounting the operations with three-engined aircraft. An anticommunist agent who was airdropped intothe Albanian mountains in 1950 also said he parachuted out of an Italian trimotor.
antonio valentim, e-mail, 02.01.2010 19:09
E um dos avioes mais bonitos em desiner...e foi uma verdadeira maquina de matar..gostaria de receber mais informacos e fotos deste aviao, fotos do interior da aeronave....e fotos de bat
FRANZ, 11.11.2008 18:37
Its nickname was "Il gobbo maledetto" = "the goddam unchback"
edik154, 18.07.2007 19:34
You can see it in "Museo Storico dell'Aeronautica Militare", Vigna di Valle - Rome).
