TWE-009 ENG

FIAT C.R. 42 “FALCO”

the weapons enciclopædia
EDITORIAL STAFF
Luca Cristini, Paolo Crippa.
CONTRIBUTORS
Massimiliano Afiero, Ruggero Calò, Luigi Carretta, Flavio Chistè, Anna Cristini, Carlo Cucut, Enrico Finnazzer,
Björn Huber, Aymeric Lopez, Luigi Manes, Giovanni Maressi, Federico Peirani, Alberto Peruffo, Maurizio Raggi,
Andrea Alberto Tallillo, Antonio Tallillo, Massimo Zorza.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to institutions such as: Stato Maggiore dell’esercito, Archivio di Stato, Bundesarchiv, Nara, Library of Congress
ecc. Agli archivi P.Crippa, A.Lopez, L.Manes, C.Cucut, archivi Tallillo. Model Victoria (www.modelvictoria.it). The photos were
recoloured by Anna Cristini.

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publishing

Title: FIAT C.R. 42 “FALCO” Code.: TWE-009 EN SERIES by L. S. Cristini

ISBN code: 978-88-93279208. First Edition December 2022
THE WEAPONS ENCICLOPAEDIA (SOLDIERSHOP) is a trademark of Luca Cristini Editore
FIAT C.R. 42
“FALCO”

LUCA STEFANO CRISTINI

BOOK SERIES FOR MODELERS & COLLECTORS

contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 5
- Development and history .............................................................................. 6
Operational campaigns ...................................................................................................... 7
-Attack on France .................................................................................................... 7
-First clashes with the British - the attacks on Malta ................................................... 11
-1940 the battle of Britain .................................................................................. 13
-1940-41 in the Greek-Albanian skies .......................................................................... 18
-1940-43 the air war in Africa .............................................................................. 21
-The “falco” as a night hunter .................................................................................. 25
Versions of the vehicle ...................................................................................................... 27
Export of the aircraft ................................................................................................. 49
Data sheet ................................................................................................................. 55
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 57

▼ War postcard Fiat C.R.42 “Falco” Regia Aeronautica, 23rd squadron of the 70th Group in Sicily, aircraft of Major Com-
mander Tito Falconi (see profile 6) Licence CC0 1.0 PD.

4 TWE FIAT CR 42 “FALCO”

 introduCTION
T he Fiat C.R.42 Falco was a famous Italian sesquiplane-type, single-seat, single-engine fighter
and night fighter biplane with a fixed undercarriage and mixed (part metal and part canvas)
metal structure, made by the famous Turin-based manufacturer in the late 1930s to a design by
engineer Celestino Rosatelli. It was used in the Second World War mainly by the Regia Aero-
nautica, but it was also purchased by countries such as Belgium, Hungary, Finland and Sweden.
The ‘Falco’ (hawk), as the Italian aircraft was nicknamed, was the last biplane fighter in history
to be built in series. Together with the British Gloster Gladiator and the Soviet Polikarpov I-15,
(to which it was superior) it was also the last biplane fighter to fight in the Second World War
and the last biplane in history to shoot down an enemy aircraft in 1945.
The C.R.42 was produced until 1944 and still holds the record for the largest number of Italian
aircraft built (around 1,800). The C.R.42 was an evolution of Fiat’s earlier C.R.32 fighter (au-
thor of major successes in Spain in 1936), with a Fiat A.74R1C.38 air-cooled radial engine. The
aircraft immediately proved to be very agile in the air, a factor due to its very low wing loading,
which ended up being an often decisive tactical advantage.
RAF intelligence praised its exceptional manoeuvrability, also noting that ‘the aircraft was tre-
mendously strong’, although it stood little chance against faster and more heavily armed mono-
planes. Its best performance came with the Hungarian Air Force on the Eastern Front, where
the casualty ratio was 12 to 1. Although used primarily as a fighter, several other roles were
adopted for some variants of the type, such as the C.R.42CN night fighter, the C.R.42AS ground
attack aircraft and the C.R.42B two-seater trainer.

▼ Diagram of C.R. 42 ‘Falco’. PD work, released under CC0 1.0 licence.

FIAT CR 42 “FALCO” TWE 5

 1 - 1939 FIAT C.R.42 “FALCO” ITALIA
FIAT CR 42 “FALCO”
TWE

▲ 1939 Fiat C.R.42 “Falco” 5 of the 83rd squadron 18th group Mondovì Italy
9
 bibliograPHY
• Apostolo, Giorgio. Fiat C.R. 42, Ali e Colori 1 (in Italian/English). Torino, Italy: La Bancarella Aero-
nautica, 1999. No ISBN.
• Apostolo, Giorgio. Fiat C.R. 42, Ali d’Italia 1 (in Italian/English). Torino, Italy: La Bancarella Aero-
nautica, 1998. No ISBN.
• AA.VV. Caccia Assalto - Dimensione Cielo. Edizioni Bizzarri, Roma 1973
• Avions militaires 1919–1939 – Profils et Histoire (in French). Paris: Hachette, Connaissance de
l’histoire, 1979.
• Bernàd, Denes, Dmitriy Karlenko and Jean-Lous Roba. From Barbarossa to Odessa – The Luftwaffe
and Axis Allies strike South-East: June–October 1941 – Volume 1 Hinckley, Ian Allan Publishing,
2007. ISBN 978-1-85780-273-3.
• Beale, Nick, Ferdinando D’Amico and Gabriele Valentini. War Italy: 1944–45. Shrewsbury, UK: Air-
life Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-85310-252-0.
• Boyne, Walter J. Scontro di Ali (in Italian). Milano: Mursia, 1997. ISBN 88-425-2256-2.
• Carr, John, On Spartan Wings, Barnsley, SY: Pens & Sword Military, 2012. ISBN 978-1-84884-798-9.
• Cattaneo, Gianni. The Fiat C.R.42 (Aircraft in Profile no. 170). Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile
Publications Ltd., 1967. No ISBN.
• Cull, Brian and Frederick Galea. Gladiators over Malta: The Story of Faith, Hope and Charity. Malta:
Wise Owl Publication, 2008. ISBN 978-99932-92-78-4.
• De Marchi, Italo. Fiat C.R.42 Falco (in Italian). Modena, Italy: Stem Mucchi, 1994. No ISBN.
• Domange, Yves (March 1999). “Quand les démocraties occidentales achetaient des avions dans
l’Italie fasciste... (2ème partie: la Belgique et l’Angleterre)” [When Western Democracies Bought
Their Aircraft from Fascist Italy... (Part 2: Belgium and England)]. Avions: Toute l’aéronautique et
son histoire (in French) (72): 40–47. ISSN 1243-8650.
• Forslund, Mikael. J 11, Fiat C.R. 42 (in Swedish with English summary). Falun, Sweden: Mikael
Forslund Production, 2001. ISBN 91-631-1669-3.
• Garello, Giancarlo (May 2001). “La chasse de nuit italienne (1ère partie: les débuts)” [Italian Night
Fighters: The Beginning]. Avions: Toute l’Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (98): 10–13.
ISSN 1243-8650.
• Garello, Giancarlo (June 2001). “La chasse de nuit italienne (1ère partie: les débuts)” [Italian Night
Fighters: The Beginning]. Avions: Toute l’Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (99): 19–24.
ISSN 1243-8650.
• Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. “Fighter Biplane Finale...The Falco”. Air Enthusiast, No.
20, December 1982–March 1983. pp. 1–14. ISSN 0143-5450.
• Gustavsson, Håkan and Ludovico Slongo. Fiat C.R.42 Aces of World War 2. Midland House, West
Way, Botley, Oxford /New York, Osprey Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-1-84603-427-5.
• Gustavsson, Håkan and Ludovico Slongo. GLADIATOR vs. C.R.42 FALCO 1940–41. Midland
House, West Way, Botley, Oxford /New York, Osprey Publishing, 2012. ISBN 978-1-84908-708-7.
• Gustavsson, Håkan. “South African Air Force use of the Fiat C.R.32 and C.R.42 during the Second
World War.” Håkans aviation page, 9 April 2009. Retrieved: 13 April 2009.
• Haining, Peter. The Chianti Raiders: The Extraordinary Story Of The Italian Air Force in The Battle
Of Britain. London: Robson Books, 2005. ISBN 1-86105-829-2.
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1987. ISBN 3-344-00162-0.
• Lambert, John W. “The 14th Fighter Group in World War II”. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military
History, 2008. ISBN 0-76432-921-9.
• Lucas, Laddie, ed. Wings of War: Airmen of All Nations Tell their Stories 1939–1945. London:
Hutchinson, 1983. ISBN 0-09-154280-4.

FIAT CR 42 “FALCO” TWE 57

• Massimello, Giovanni and Giorgio Apostolo. Italian Aces of World War 2. Oxford / New York: Os-
prey Publishing, 2000. ISBN 978-1-84176-078-0.
• Neulen, Hans Werner. In the skies of Europe – Air Forces allied to the Luftwaffe 1939–1945. Rams-
bury, Marlborough, UK: The Crowood Press, 2000. ISBN 1-86126-799-1.
• Pacco, John. “Fiat C.R.42” Belgisch Leger/Armee Belge: Het militair Vliegwezen/l’Aeronautique
militaire 1930–1940 (in French). Artselaar, Belgium, 2003, pp. 66–69. ISBN 90-801136-6-2.
• Pagani, Flaminio. Ali d’aquila Duelli Aerei nei Cieli d’Europa 1936–1943 (in Italian). Milano: Mur-
sia, 2007.
• Punka, George. Fiat C.R. 32/C.R. 42 in Action (Aircraft Number 172). Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/
Signal, 2000. ISBN 0-89747-411-2.
• “S.C.” (in Italian). Il Messaggero Roma, 12 July 1984.
• Sgarlato, Nico. Fiat C.R.42 (in Italian). Parma, Italy: Delta Editrice, 2005.
• Skulski, Przemysław. Fiat C.R.42 Falco. Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2007.
ISBN 83-89450-34-8.
• Sutherland, Jon and Diane Canwell. Air War East Africa 1940–41 The RAF versus the Italian Air
Force. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen and Sword Aviation, 2009. ISBN 978-1-84415-816-4.
• Taghon, Peter (December 1998). “Les FIAT C.R.-42 de l’Aéronautique militaire belge (1)” [The FIAT
C.R.-42s of the Belgian Air Force]. Avions: Toute l’aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (69):
2–11. ISSN 1243-8650.
• Taghon, Peter (January 1999). “Les FIAT C.R.-42 de l’Aéronautique militaire belge (fin)” [The FIAT
C.R.-42s of the Belgian Air Force]. Avions: Toute l’aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (70):
12–17. ISSN 1243-8650.
• Taylor, John W.R. “Fiat C.R.42.” Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York:
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
• Thomas, Andrew. Gloster Gladiator Aces. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-289-X.
• Vossilla, Maggiore. “Pilota Ferruccio, comandante 18° Gruppo C.A.I (in Italian).” Prima Battaglia
Aerea Relazione giornaliera Ministero dell’Aeronautica, 11 Novembre 1940.
• Wheeler, Barry C. The Hamlyn Guide to Military Aircraft Markings. London: Chancellor Press,
1992. ISBN 1-85152-582-3.
• Winchester, Jim. “Fiat C.R.42.” Aircraft of World War II (The Aviation Factfile). Kent, UK: Grange
Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-639-1.
• Rivistea JP4 - Mensile di Aeronautica, 6, anno XXXIV, giugno 2005.
• Rivista Aeronautica, maggio 1997, giugno 2001, marzo 2005.

▲ Fiat C.R.42 preserved by USAF - National Museum of the U.S. Air Force PD

58 TWE FIAT CR 42 “FALCO”

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TWE-009 EN