Tirana Airport, Albania, December 1940: the large Ala Littoria’s hangar with some Breda 44s (an Italian version of the British de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide) of the airline transferred, after the Italy’s entry in the war, to 611st Squadriglia Trasporto of the Comando Aeronautica Albania (Air Command Albania) for liaison and light transport within the Albania and from the Albania to South Eastern Italy. The planes are still the civil registration, but has the military registration, colors and markings. The fate of the I-ORSA, military registration MM 60426, the plane on the foreground, was tragic: on 9 March 1941 in flight to Tirana to Valona (Vlorë), with a load of 50 small oxygen cylinders, crashed after only 15 minutes from the take-off and burned on impact with the terrain. All the three people on board, pilot, air mechanic and a Carabinieri’s office was killed. Note in the photo, left, a Luftwaffe’s transport aircraft Junkers Ju 52. Victor Sierra



Tirana Airport

One of Avio Linee Italiane’s Fiat G.18 on Tirana Airfield, October 1940, committed in troops transport at beginning of the Italy’s war against the Greece. The plane, a classic airliner “DC-2 style”, has still the pre-war colors of Italian land airliners: all surface silver, large black I (I for Italy) on the fin and the tricolor strip on the fuselage adopted when, after September 1939, the Italy declared the status of non-belligerant Nation. After the entry of Italy in the war (10 June 1940) all the Italian airliners was embedded on the Nuclei Comunicazioni (Communications Unit), one for each airline. In the case of Avio Linee Italiane S.A. (Fiat Group) this was the Nucleo Comunicazione Avio Linee and the plane received a military code (MM for Matricola Militare). The plane of this photo is one of three G.18s produced by Fiat (I-ELIO, first flight 11 March 1937, I-ETNA and I-ETRA) afterwards followed by six G.18V (V for Veloce/Fast, civil registration I-ELCE, I-ELFO, I-EION, I-ENEA, I-EURE and I-ERME) with most powerful engine (1,030-HP Fiat A.80 RC.41 radial engines with compressor) and new tail with braced horizontal plan. The I-ELIO in flight from Tirana to Milan (military flight) crashed landing at Linate Airport, on 26 November 1940 while the I-ETRA was destroyed for ground collision on December 1940. After the Italy’s Armistice (8 September 1943) the G.18V I-ELFO, I-ERME and I-ENEA was commandeered by Germans and assigned to Deutsche Luft Hansa, with German civil registration, for the Milan-Munich-Berlin line, the I-ETRA was assigned to Avio Linee Italiane, under the control of air force of the Fascist Repubblica Sociale Italiana. At least G.18 was employed by the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force on Southern Italy. All this planes disappeared during the war years or immediately after. Victor Sierra

The Italian airliners going to war

The red baby elephant, the insignia of 10th Gruppo’s 90th Squadriglia, of the Italian Regia Aeronautica, on the engine cowling of a Macchi MC.202 “Folgore” of this unit, Libya 1942. The red is also the color of the propeller’s tip. Note the large anti-sand filter and the typical “African” camouflage. Victor Sierra