The Italian air force was given a considerable amount of negative press during the war and for decades afterwards. It is only somewhat recently that writers have been able to sift through the propaganda left over from the war to look into truth of history, stripping away decades of misinformation. What they have uncovered is that the Reggia Aeronautica was not full of incompetent aircrew, though some of its leadership was questionable.

In fact, one branch was a considerable concern to the British and later the Allies in the Mediterranean during WWII. That was the Italian torpedo bomber squadrons. These were the most successful aerial torpedo units in the European/Mediterranean side of the war. When WWII started, the Italians were still building up their military and so did not have any torpedo carrying units. It was soon decided that the tri-motor SM.79 would be the best plane to take on this task. Though designed to carry two torpedoes, the additional weight and drag of the second torpedo so degraded the performance of the aircraft that only one was used during operations.

The Italians had the best torpedo in the theater and many consider it the second best aerial torpedo of the war after that carried by the Japanese. So successful was this weapon that it was used by the Germans for their torpedo planes.

As is often the case, these units had their ups and downs. Initial operations showed some flaws and once those were cured, these crews had a goodly amount of success. As with every weapon, one doesn't get a hit every time and it seems like the success rate in terms of hitting a ship was under 10% with even fewer actually sinking. The early war would be considered the time of greatest success with these units, especially since there were convoys headed towards Malta that were well within the range of the torpedo units. Attacks on Port Said were also successful as were the occasional forays to Gibralter.

As the war continued, the abilities of the torpedo units to get through the ever increasing defenses decreased until finally it became nigh near impossible, especially once the US got into the war in late 1942. After the Italian Armistice in September 1943, some units operated with the Germans and others with the Allies. Those with the Allies became transport units while those in the ANR continued the role, but with very little success.

In this book, we look at the development of the torpedo units as well as their many missions. This includes quite a few aircrew stories as well as a more accurate look at their successes, something that the hindsight of history can provide. While not as deadly as the Italians had thought at the time, the SM.79

Included in the book are the usual great pilot stories, excellent period photos, and a goodly number of full color profiles, covering all of the intricate camouflage schemes carried by these aircraft. It makes for a great read and is a mush have book for those who are truly into Italian WWII aviation.

November 2014

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