Macchi C.205

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_C.205

The Macchi C.205 (also known as MC.205, "MC" standing for "Macchi Castoldi")
Veltro (Italian: Greyhound) was an Italian World War II fighter aircraft built
by the Aeronautica Macchi. Along with the Reggiane Re.2005 and Fiat G.55, the
Macchi C.205 was one of the three "Serie 5" Italian fighters built around the
powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The C.205 was a development of the earlier
C.202 Folgore. With a top speed of some 640 km/h (400 mph) and equipped with a
pair of 20 mm cannon as well as 12.7 mm Breda machine guns, the Macchi C.205
Veltro was highly respected by Allied and Axis pilots alike. Widely regarded as
one of the best Italian aircraft of World War II, in action it proved to be
extremely effective, destroying a large number of Allied bombers and capable of
successfully clashing on equal terms with fighters such as the North American
P-51D Mustang, a capability which encouraged the Luftwaffe to use a number of
these aircraft to equip one Gruppe.

However, while the C.205 was able to match the best Allied opponents in speed
and maneuverability, it was introduced late in the conflict. Moreover, due to
the poor Italian industrial capacity of the time, only a small production run
was delivered before the end of the war. Like the Spitfire, the Veltro was
tricky in its construction and thus slow to build. Italy's highest scoring ace,
Adriano Visconti, achieved 11 of his 26 credited victories in the few weeks he
was able to fly the Veltro, with the top scoring Sergente Maggiore pilota Luigi
Gorrini shooting down 14 enemy aircraft plus six damaged with the C.205.

The C.205, known initially as the C.202bis, was generally similar to the
previous Folgore, although there were numerous differences in the fuselage: the
tail was larger, the cockpit and its hump were redesigned, the antenna mast was
bigger and some modifications were made to the wings.

The C.205 was a single-seat, all-metal, monoplane fighter, intended primarily as
an interceptor but with ground attack and escort capabilities. The long nose
housed the DB605 engine which drove a three-blade, constant-speed metal
propeller, with the main fuel tank situated between the engine and the cockpit.
The radiator was located under the centre section of the fuselage beneath the
cockpit while the short rear section housed the radio equipment, oxygen cylinder
and an 80 L (20 US gal) reserve fuel tank. The wings were made of light
aluminium alloys and steel, having two spars and three sections, housing two
additional fuel tanks, and the fully retractable wide-set main undercarriage
gear. Apart from the all-metal flaps in the inner wing, all the other control
surfaces were metal-framed and fabric-covered. Veltros had self-sealing fuel
tanks, an armoured seat, and armoured windscreen as standard. The cramped
cockpit possessed a limited field-of-view, but some examples were fitted with a
rear-view mirror.

The 827 kg/1,823 lb (normal) payload consisted of the fully equipped pilot (85
kg/187 lb), fuel (307 kg/677 lb), two Breda machine guns and two Mauser MG
151/20 cannon (60 and 84 kg/130 and 185 lb respectively), 740 rounds of 12.7 mm
(.5 in) ammunition (76 kg/168 lb), 500 rounds of 20 mm ammunition (100 kg/220
lb), and other sundry items such as oil (33 kg/73 lb), oxygen cylinder (12 kg/26
lb) and radio equipment. Additionally, 100 L (30 US gal) fuel tanks or 160 kg
(350 lb) of bombs could be carried on two underwing hardpoints. Due to a lack of
passenger transport aircraft, modifications were made to a C.205 to enable it to
carry eight passengers in the belly of the fuselage and, among others, three
pilots of 51° Wing (including Adriano Visconti) made the journey from Sardinia
to Italy after the Armistice in this manner.


Role
Fighter

Manufacturer
Aeronautica Macchi

Designer
Mario Castoldi

First flight
19 April 1942

Introduction
February 1943

Retired
1947 (Italy)
1950 (Egypt)

Primary users
Regia Aeronautica
Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana
Luftwaffe

Produced
September 1942 - May 1944

Number built
262

Developed from
Macchi C.202

The C.205 entered production only five months after its maiden flight and began
reaching front line units in February 1943. At the end of April, the 1° Stormo,
based in Pantelleria, is the first unit to enter action with the C.205, on
Mediterranean, escorting maritime and aerial convoys to and from Tunisia. During
their first sortie, 22 C.205 clashed with very good results against more
numerous formations of Curtiss P-40s and Supermarine Spitfires. During the next
few months, C.205s of the Regia Aeronautica were involved in several major
engagements with some of the 4,000 Allied aircraft that were stationed in the
Mediterranean at that time. At the end of May, because of the vulnerability of
Pantelleria, the 1° Stormo was moved to Sigonella airfield in Sicily and the
minor airstrip of Finocchiara, 15 km south-east of Ragusa. On 8 June 1943, 15
C.205s of 1° Stormo escorted three torpedo bombers attacking Allied ships which
were shelling Pantelleria's defenses. At the end of June, the Stormo had no more
serviceable Veltros. On 24 June, 1° Stormo left Sicily for Osoppo, then later
Ronchi dei Legionari, and was replaced by 4° Stormo. Few pilots returned to
Udine, while the remaining aircraft joined other units. 4° Stormo, which had
left Africa in January 1943, was re-equipped with Macchi C.202s and C.205s on
the airfields of Campoformido (10° Gruppo) and Bresso (9° Gruppo). It was then
moved to Rome-Ciampino airport. On 9 July 1943 (the eve of the Allied invasion
of Sicily), 4° Stormo was based on the Catania plain, with a complement of 10
Veltros and 38 Folgores (no Italian unit was equipped with Veltros alone). Later
it received a batch of a further 10 C.205s. The Italian pilots flew as many as
six sorties per day, but on 14 July, with the first Allied paratroopers landing
on the Catania plain, 4° Stormo was forced to retreat to Crotone airfield in
Calabria after setting fire to four or five damaged C.205s that could not be
repaired in time.

"The Macchi fighter possessed some excellent qualities, and the Italian pilots
made optimum use of the aircraft which had a maximum speed of 644 km/h (400
mph)."

One of the greatest British fighter pilots of World War II, Group Captain
Duncan-Smith DSO DFC respected both the Macchi and the Italian airmen:

"In general the standard of flying of the Italian pilots was very high indeed,
and in encounters with Macchi 205s particularly we were up against aircraft that
could turn and dog-fight with our Spitfires extremely well.

Specifications

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 8.85 m (29 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 10.58 m (34 ft 9 in)
Height: 3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 16.80 m² (180.8 ft²)
Empty weight: 2,581 kg (5,690 lb)
Loaded weight: 3,408 kg (7,513 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 3,900 kg (8,600 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Fiat RA.1050 R.C.58 Tifone liquid-cooled supercharged inverted
V12 engine, 1,475 hp (1,100 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 640 km/h (345 kn, 400 mph) at 7,500 m (24,600 ft)
Range: 950 km (515 nmi, 590 mi)
Service ceiling: 11,500 m (37,730 ft)
Wing loading: 202.9 kg/m² (41.55 lb/ft²)

Armament

Guns: 2 × 12.7 mm (.5 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns, 400 rpg, in the nose
2 × 20 mm MG 151 cannon, 250 rpg, in the wings

Bombs: 2 × 160 kg (350 lb) bombs




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