Second World War aviation art prints of the Fiat CR42 aircraft. Our collection of prints and original paintings of the Fiat CR42 aircraft of World War Two.
Fiat CR.42 Aces of World War Two.
The Fiat CR.42, a logical development of the Fiat CR.32, was the last single-seat fighter biplane to be produced. It entered service with the Italian Regia Aeronautica in May 1939 before being exported to Belgium, Hungary and Sweden. Its combat debut came when the Belgian air force threw its fleet into action during the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10th May 1940. Despite being quickly overwhelmed, the Belgian pilots managed to make a number of aerial claims. The CR.42 became heavily involved in the fighting in North Africa and although it was gradually replaced by more modern fighters, it continued in a point defence and ground support role until the end of the war. Drawing on research from a range of sources, this book examines the extensive employment of the Italian fighter plane during the course of World War II.
Item Code : OSAA0090
Fiat CR.42 Aces of World War Two. - Editions Available
With Italys entry into WW II on June 10, 1940, the epic two-and-one-half-year siege of Malta began. Symbolizing the defiant resistance of the people and defenders of that tiny island, the legend of Faith, Hope, and Charity grew from a handful of Gloster Sea Gladiators which initially comprised Maltas sole aerial defense. Until the arrival of the more modern Hawker Hurricanes, these obsolescent biplanes fought the Regia Aeronautica alone in the skies above Malta. Only six or seven Gladiators were assembled from the shipment of eighteen crated aircraft which had been delivered by the HMS Glorious. Others were utilized for spare parts, and three had been dispatched, still crated, to Egypt. Though hugely outnumbered, the defenders fought on, raising the morale of the citizens of Malta, and denying the Italians mastery of the sky. Suffering from a constant shortage of spare parts, tools and equipment, the devoted ground support crews were never able to keep more than three Gladiators opera.........
