Macchi MC.200 Saetta

Production

The most serious handicap was the low production rate of the type at over 22,000 hours in production time due to antiquated construction technology.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien][Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}
A total of 1,153 Saettas were eventually produced, but almost all were gone by the time of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in September 1943.

In an attempt to improve performance, a C.201 prototype was created with a 750 kW (1,000 hp) [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] engine, but this was abandoned in favour of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-powered [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The Saetta was to have been replaced outright by the C.202 after only one year in production, but the C.200's service life was extended because [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] could not produce enough of the RA.1000 (license-built DB 601) engines, and more C.200s were built using C.202 parts while waiting for production to increase.

Operational history

In August 1939 about 30 C.200s, by then nicknamed Saetta ("Arrow"), were delivered to 10° Gruppo of 4° Stormo, stationed in North Africa. Pilots of this "'elite" unit of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] opposed the adoption of the C.200, preferring the more manouvrable [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

These Saettas were then transferred to 6° Gruppo of 1° Stormo in Sicily (enthusiastic supporters of the new fighter) and Gruppo 152° of 54° Stormo in Vergiate.

When Italy entered the war on 10 June 1940, 144 Macchis were operational, half of which serviceable.

^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]} Although the first 240 aircraft had fully-enclosed cockpits, the subsequent variants were given open cockpits at the request of the Italian pilots.[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

The first Macchi C.200s to make their combat debut were those of the 6° Gruppo Autonomo C.T. led by Tenente Colonnello (Wing Commander) Armando Francois.

This Squadron was based at the Sicilian airport of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

A Saetta from this unit was the first C.200 to be lost in combat when on 23 June 1940 14 Macchis (eight from 88a Squadriglia, five from 79^a Squadriglia and one from 81^a Squadriglia) that were escorting 10 SM.79s from 11° Stormo were intercepted by two [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Gladiator N5519, piloted by Flt Lt George Burges, attacked the bombers but was in turn attacked by a C.200 flown by Sergente Maggiore Lamberto Molinelli of 71^a Squadriglia over the sea off [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The Macchi overshot four or five times the more agile Gladiator which eventually shot down the Saetta.

Only on 1 November were the C.200s credited with their first kill.

A [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on a reconnaissance mission was sighted and attacked just outside [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] by a flight of Saettas on patrol.

^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}With the arrival towards the end of December 1940 of X Fliegerkorps in Sicily, the C.200s were assigned escort duty for I/StG.1 and II/StG.2 Ju 87 bombers attacking Malta, as the Stukas did not have adequate fighter cover until the arrival of 7./JG26's Bf 109s.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}

On 6 February 1941, the elite unit 4° Stormo received C.200s from 54° Stormo.

With the autorotation problems solved, the Macchis were regarded as "very good machines, fast, manoeuvrable and strong" by Italian pilots.

^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]} After intense training, on 1 April 1941, the 10° Gruppo (4° Stormo) moved to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] airport and started active service.


^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]} In combat with the less manoueverable Hurricane, it proved effective, with outstanding dogfight performance and no vices.


^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]} When it entered service, the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] was the only Allied fighter that it faced, which could outclimb the Saetta.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}

Yugoslavia

C.200s from 4° Stormo took part in operations against Yugoslavia right from the start of hostilities.

On the dawn of 6 April 1941, four C.200s from 73^a Squadriglia flew over [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] fortress and attacked an oil tanker ship, setting it on fire.

The 4° Stormo flew its last mission against Yugoslavia on 14 April: on that day, 20 C.200s from 10° Gruppo flew up to 100 km south of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] without meeting any enemy aircraft. Operations ended on 17 April.

During those 11 days, the 4° Stormo had not lost a single C.200.

Its pilots destroyed 20 seaplanes and flying boats, damaging 10 more.

In total, they had set on fire an oil tanker, a fuel truck, several other vehicles and destroyed port installations.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}

North Africa

Fitted with dust filters and designated C.200AS, Saettas saw extensive use in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The Macchi's introduction was not well received by pilots when in 1940, the first C.200 unit, 4° Stormo replaced the type with the C.R.42.

The first combat missions were flown as escorts for [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] bombers attacking [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in June 1940, where one C.200 was claimed by a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

On 11 June 1940, second day of war for Italy, the C.200s of 79^a Squadriglia encountered one of the Sea Gladiators which had been scrambled from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], Malta. Officer W.J. Wood claimed Tenente Giuseppe Pesola had been shot down, but the Italian pilot came back unscathed to his base

The Saetta with its sturdy construction, and its agility permitted skilled pilots to effectively fight against more modern designs like the British [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and the American [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Its greatest weakness was the light armament of two 12.7 mm (.5 in) [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

While the Hurricane was faster at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (450 km/h/280 mph vs the C.200's 430 km/h/270 mph), the Saetta could reach more than 500 km/h (310 mph) at 4,500 m (14,800 ft), although speed dropped off at altitude: 490 km/h (300 mph) at 6,000 m (19,700 ft) and 350 km/h (220 mph) at 7,000 m (23,000 ft) with a maximum ceiling of 8,800 m (29,000 ft).

Comparative speeds of the Hurricane Mk I was 505 km/h (314 mph) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft) and 528 km/h (328 mph) at 6,000 m (19,700 ft).


^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]} Over 5,000 m (16,400 ft) and at very low levels, only the huge Vokes (anti-sand) air filter fitted to the "tropical" variants slowed the Hurricane Mk II to Macchi levels.


Although the Macchi C.200 was more agile than the Hurricane, it was lightly armed, its windshield and pilot's seat were not normally armoured nor was a radio fitted as standard, while its flight characteristics, even if better than the G.50, were not easily mastered by the average Italian pilot.

On 8 December 1941, Macchi MC.200s of the 153° Gruppo engaged Hurricanes from 94 Squadron.

A violent dogfight developed with the commanding officer, Squadron Leader Linnard attempting to intercept a Macchi attacking a Hurricane.

Both aircraft were making steep turns and losing height, but Linnard was too late and the Macchi, turning inside the Hurricane, had already hit the cockpit area.

The stricken aircraft turned over at low level and dived into the ground, bursting into flames.


Its pilot, the New Zealand born RAF "ace" (six enemy aircraft destroyed and many more probably destroyed) Flight Lieutenant Owen Vincent Tracey was killed.

In same areas, C.200s operated as fighter-bombers against land and naval objectives, and sank the British destroyers [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien],and HMS Sikh near Tobruk, September 1942.

The C.200 subsequently saw action over [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and the Balkans, frequently engaged in dogfights with British Hurricanes and Gladiators on the Balkans.

Eastern Front

Main articles:

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]


In August 1941, 51 C.200s were sent to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] with the Italian Air Force Expeditionary Corps in Russia (Corpo Italiano di Spedizione in Russia). Together with C.202s, they claimed 88 to 15 victory/loss ratio.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien][Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}

The first Macchis arrived in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], near [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], on 13 August 1941, commanded by [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (Maggior) Borzoni and deployed in 359^a, 362^a, 369^a and 371^a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (Squadriglias).


Taking part in the September offensive on [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] River, as the offensive went on, they operated sporadically from airstrips in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and the most eastern location, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

During February 1942, the C.200 was employed in attacking Russian airfields at Kranyi Liman, Luskotova and Leninski Bomdardir.