Italian Aviation Units in the First World War, Volume 2
By Matt Bittner
Author: Roberto Gentilli
Publisher: Aeronaut Books
ISBN: 978-1-953201-91-1
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 260
Following up from my review of Volume 1, Volume 2 covers mostly the recconaisance and light bombing units and at the end of the book, starts dealing with the fighter squadrons. It is broken up thusly:
- Part 6: The Two Seater Squadriglie from 15 April 1916
- Part 7: The Fighter Squadriglie from 15 April 1916
There are two main take-aways brought out in this book. First and foremost is how the two major types of two-seaters - Farmans and Caudrons - brought back a lot of their crew safely after numerous enemy attacks and other issues in the air. They were strong airframes and took a lot of punishment, bringing back their crew mostly unscathed.
The second take-away is two of their replacement aircraft - the SIAs and Pomilios - were really poorly designed and manufacturered aircraft. Both were taken out of service early in their careers due to many accidents, resulting in a lot of loss of life. Not because of enemy action, but mainly because of items breaking apart and failing in the air.
At the end of the book, Roberto starts in on the fighter squadrons. They mostly started with French produced aircraft - Nieuports and eventually Hanriots - which were then licensed-manufacturered in Italy. In addition, toward the end of the war the Ansaldo A.1 and Spads were introduced. Famous aces like Barraca and Calabri are covered in this section, with more to follow in Volume 3.
There are color profiles through out the entire series, and this one is no exception. Plenty of coverage of the Farmans, Caudrons, SAMLs, SIAs, Pomilios and later in the book, Nieuports, Spads, Hanriots and an Ansaldo. Bob Pearson is at the top of his game and the profiles not only are excellent for modelers, but also help in visualizing the aircraft types and their markings.
My thanks goes to Aeronaut Books for sending this book for review. I am really looking forward to reading the other three volumes in this series. Contact them direct for ordering information.