How many Italian fighters achieved a 33/1 kill loss ratio during the Second World War? If your answer to the second question is 'none': well, you're half right - as we shall see. Designed by Guiseppe Gabrielli, who would later rustle up the pretty G.91 jet for NATO use, the Fiat G.50 was the first Italian monoplane fighter and was fitted with such amazing novelties as a retractable undercarriage and an enclosed cockpit. The latter feature was discarded fairly rapidly, though not, as has often been suggested, due to the highly conservative nature of Italian fighter pilots but rather because it was virtually impossible to open in flight. Even the most forward-thinking and radical fighter pilot is generally in favour of the idea of being able to escape the aircraft in the event of, say, a massive fire. Dangerous canopy notwithstanding, 12 examples of the G.50 were sent to Spain to be evaluated under combat conditions although none actually took part in any fighting so this evaluation could be considered inconclusive at best. Gifted to Spain at the end of the conflict these G.50s would later see combat in Morocco but by that time the
The record of this airplane, like that of the Hawk-75 and the Brewster B-239 has everything to do with the quality of the pilots - and of course the training - of the Finnish AF far more than the actual airplane. It also helped that the Finnish front was considered "secondary" by the USSR and thus the "A-team" squadrons with the best aircraft were not the majority there. I-16s were still in front-line service on the Leningrad front in late 1942, thus both aircraft quality and pilot quality of the Red Air Force opposition wasn't overwhelming. When that changed in1944, Finland was quickly out of the war. Thanks for the thought-provoking article.
The record of this airplane, like that of the Hawk-75 and the Brewster B-239 has everything to do with the quality of the pilots - and of course the training - of the Finnish AF far more than the actual airplane. It also helped that the Finnish front was considered "secondary" by the USSR and thus the "A-team" squadrons with the best aircraft were not the majority there. I-16s were still in front-line service on the Leningrad front in late 1942, thus both aircraft quality and pilot quality of the Red Air Force opposition wasn't overwhelming. When that changed in1944, Finland was quickly out of the war. Thanks for the thought-provoking article.