Italian Forces
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
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4/26/2012