"Regia Aeronautica in the East African Campaign 1940-1941" Topic

"When Mussolini declared war on France and Britain in June 1940, the (the territories of modern Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea) became immediately isolated from the motherland, unable to receive any supplies or reinforcements by sea. The only hope for Italian forces in the theatre was a rapid end of the war or an Italian breakthrough from Libya into Egypt and Sudan. None of these events materialized, and the land, air and forces deployed in the empire fought a hopeless battle, until their full exhaustion. At the start of the hostilities, the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) had slightly more than 300 aircraft in the area: 147 outdated medium bombers, a mix of Ca 133 and , 9 recognizance aircraft, 18 fighters, 18 fighters, a few transport aircraft and 12 bombers. This heterogeneous force faced the aircraft of the British Royal Air Force (RAF), but also the South African (SAAF). The Commonwealth air forces counted a slightly superior number of aircraft, deployed between Sudan, Somaliland, and Kenya. These aircraft were mostly outdated types, like the Hawker Hartebeest, Fairy Battle, Vickers Wellesley, imported Junkers Ju-86 and Gloster Gladiator, with only a handful of Blenheim bombers and Hurricane fighters being the most advanced in the region…"

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Armand

Nice. Glad I stumbled across this older posting.

Happy for that…

Armand