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Hasegawa 1/48 Macchi C.202 Italian Ace - Adriano Visconti by Richard Davenport |
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One of the best fighters of World War II, this classic fighter possessed a great rate of climb, high speed and maneuvreability and was a first-rate aircraft on all counts. The Macchi C.202 was the contemporary of the Bf.109F and the Spitfire Mk.V and in certain aspects the aircraft was superior to both, such as in the rate of climb, dive speed and agility. Both the Macchi and the Sptifire shared a common lineage in the Schneider Trophy racers. In fact the Supermarine (Spitfire) designs were largely influenced by the Macchi M.39. The C.202 was used extensively in North Africa, the Soviet Union and in defense of the homeland and was Italy’s best fighter of WWII, although more powerful fighters had been produced later in the war. Over 1,150 C.202s were built in little over two years. Although often overlooked, the two Breda 0.50in caliber SAFATs provided adequate firepower and had double the range of contemporary English fighter 0.303 MGs as well as greater hitting power. In fact no formal request for heavier armament was made until the appearance of the American four-engine heavy bombers. The Folgore was well liked by its pilots and its only shortcoming was that too few were built. Over Malta During the second half of 1941, the only force attacking Malta was the RA, all Luftwaffe units having been withdrawn for the attack on the USSR. At the beginning of 1942, when it became obvious that Barbarossa wouldn't be a quick success, the Germans returned to Sicily intent on reducing Malta by air assault. Up against not just Hurricanes but now Spitfires as well, Italian fighters previously committed, such as the C.2OO were now outclassed. Until C.202s and Re.2001s could be transferred to Sicily, the Italian participation in the new aerial offensive, which began on 20 March 1943, was limited. During this time period 4° Stormo had been at Campoformido re-equipping again with C.202s. On 15 April, the Stormo moved to Sicily, 9° Gruppo at Castelvetrano and 10° at Sciacca where it operated briefly over Malta in a short but intense operational cycle before moving to Libya where it was replaced in Sicily by the C.202s of 51° Stormo 155° Gruppo, a young unit that had been formed only in 1939. After fighting in North Africa in G.50s, 51° Stormo had been recalled to Italy to re-equip with Folgores in March of 1942. 155° Gruppo reached Gela with a full complement of C.202s at the end of May. On 2 June, it claimed its first Spitfire over Malta, beginning a long and arduous tour of duty. At the end of June, 20° Gruppo, the other half of 51° Stormo, now also flying C.202s, joined its mate at Gela. Throughout the summer C.202s fought over Malta escorting small formations of Cant Z.1007s, SM.84s and Ju88s which mainly served to lure up the RAF defenders. No effective attack on Malta's strength was possible with the forces available. The fighting subsided in August and September, then flared up again only after 53° Stormo's 153° Gruppo ('Ace of Clubs') arrived at San Pietro Caltagirone with a full complement of Folgores. The final air assault came in October. The three available Gruppi mustering a total of 74 C.202s kept up the pressure for 10 days before attrition brought the action to a halt. During the long summer of 1942, the RA flew 10,070 sorties over Malta (18,718 by the Luftwaffe). Of these, nearly 4000 were fighter sweeps by C.202s. The brunt of the action was borne by 51° Stormo which claimed 100 RAF fighters for the loss of 27 of its own. Reference: Macchi C.202 in Action, Aircraft No.41, 1980, Squadron/Signal Publications |
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This is the Hasegawa 1/48th Macchi C.202 Folgore (Jt32-2200), representing MM.7944 flown by Adriano Visconti, 86a Squadriglia, 7° Gruppo, 54° Stormo, Pantelleria, June 1942. This continues my project of exemplifying combatants in the Battle of Malta. The kit was built pretty much straight from the box, except for the addtion of Ultracast seat (48173), Ultracast wheels (48176) and Ultracast exhausts (48119). The build was quite easy, with parts almost falling into place on their own, with almost no seam issues. After priming with ALCLAD II Grey Primer & Microfiller (ALC 302), I added a coat of ALCLAD II White Aluminum (ALC 106) where wear was anticipated. Then the plane was painted in Schema D2A, with a base of LifeColor Noccola 4 (UA 526) and snake-like blotches of LifeColor Verde Oliva Scuro 4 (UA 527) added. The underside is LifeColor Grigio Azzuro Chiaro 1 (UA 525). Decals are from Stormo Decals Battle of Malta – Macchi C.202 Italian Aces (48-007) Adriano Visconti was the son of Count Galeazzo Visconti and Cecilia Dall'Aglio, born in Tripoli, Italian Libya. He joined the Regia Aeronautica in October 1936. Tenente Visconti was detached to the 54º Stormo, 7º Gruppo, 76ª Squadriglia, where he learned to fly the Macchi C.200. He then flew the superior Macchi C.202 from the end of 1941 until the Italian Armistice of September 8, 1943. On 22 December 1941, in a dogfight over Malta, he was credited with a "probable" Hawker Hurricane. His first official air victory was on the 15 June 1942, when he shot down a Bristol Blenheim near the island of Pantelleria. On 13 August 1942 while flying with a wingman in a formation of two C.202s on a reconnaissance flight over Malta looking for a shipping convoy, the Italian aircraft were bounced by four Supermarine Spitfires escorting the ships. Visconti, only flying the Macchi for the second time, was able to shoot down two Spitfires and damage the other two, allowing the other Macchi to complete the reconnaissance mission. For this double air victory, Visconti was awarded a Medaglia d'Argento al Valor Militare (Silver Medal of Military valour). Although he never claimed more than ten kills, some later source credited him with 26. |
Aircraft: Macchi MC.202 Manufacturer: Aeronautica Macchi S.p.A. Type: Fighter Year: 1941 Engine: Daimler Benz DB 601A-1, 12-cylinder V, liquid-cooled, 1,175hp Wingspan: 34 ft 8 1/2 in (10.57m) Length: 29 ft 1 in (8.85 m) Height: 9 ft 11 1/2 in (3.02 m) Weight: 6,480 lb (2,937 kg) (Loaded) Maximum Speed: 372 mph (600 km/h) at 18,050 ft (5,500 m) Ceiling: 37,700 ft (11,500 m) Range: 475 miles (765 km) Armament: 2 x 12.7 mm SAFATs (0.5 in) Crew: 1 |
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