Fiat G.50

infobox Aircraft
name =G.50 "Freccia"
type =Fighter aircraft
manufacturer =Fiat

---

caption =(Finnish markings)
designer =
first flight = 26 February 1937
introduced = 1938
retired = 1945
status =
primary user = "Regia Aeronautica"
more users = "Finnish Air Force" "Ejército del Aire" "Luftwaffe"
produced =
number built = 791
unit cost =
variants with their own articles = Fiat G.55

The FIAT G.50 "Freccia" (Italian: "Arrow") was an Italian fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first Italian low-wing monoplane fighter with enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production (without the enclosed cockpit though, as Italian pilots felt uncomfortable with it). It was also used in small numbers by the Finnish Air Force.

Design and development

The Fiat G.50 was designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli starting from 1935. The prototype first flew on 26 February 1937. The G.50 was the first front line Italian fighter with retractable undercarriage, but despite these improvements, its maximum speed was only 33 km/h faster than its predecessor, the Fiat CR.42. Both types were powered by the 840 hp Fiat A.74 RC38, 14-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine.

In September 1940 a slightly improved version, the G.50 bis, appeared. Its main advantage was the extended combat range.

Operational history

The first operative aircraft were delivered to the "Regia Aeronautica" in 1938. Extremely maneuverable, it was one of the best fighters during the Spanish Civil War, yet by the time World War II began it was considered to be underpowered and underarmed. About 780 were built, 35 of which were exported to Finland.

There were 118 G.50s available when Italy entered World War II, most assigned to the 51° Stormo and part of the 52°. 48 aircraft saw limited action during the Battle of Britain as part of the "Corpo Aereo Italiano" based in Belgium, but their use was hampered by their short range. The remaining aircraft saw action in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Appreciated mainly for their strength, they were used primarily for attack roles in the second half of the war. By the time of the Italian Armistice, only a few G.50s were left in Italian service; some were used as part of the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, while four others were used by the "Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana" as fighter trainers.

The G.50 saw its longest and most successful operations in the two Finnish wars, the Winter War 1939-1940 and the Continuation War 1941-1944 against the Soviet Union. They arrived too late to affect the course of the winter battles of 1940, but 13 aerial victories were achieved, with Captain O. Ehrnrooth, Lieutenant O. Puhakka and Sergeant L. Aaltonen being the most successful Fiat pilots with two victories each. [Keskinen 1977, inside back cover]

During the Continuation War, the Fiat fighters were most successful during the Finnish offensive of 1941, after that they became increasingly less effective. [ [http://modelingmadness.com/reviews/axis/ity/hasg50.htm Finnish Fiat G.50] ] The Soviets were able to bring better, newer fighter types into the front lines during 1942 and 1943, while the Fiats were becoming old and run-down, and the lack of spare parts meant that pilots were restricted to only a minimal number of sorties. In 1941 the FIAT squadron, LLv 26, claimed 52 victories against the loss of only two fighters. The most successful Fiat G.50 fighter pilots were O. Tuominen (23 victories with G.50s), O. Puhakka (11), N. Trontti (six), O. Paronen (four), U. Nieminen (four) and L. Lautamäki (four). [Keskinen 1977, inside back cover] The Finnish Fiats were finally phased out of front line duty in summer 1944.

Variants

;G.50:First production version.;G.50 bis:Development of the G.50 version with extended range, 421 built.;G.50ter:One aircraft powered by a 1,000-hp (746-kW) Fiat A.76 engine, one built.;G.50V:One aircraft powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine, one built.;G.50bis A/N:Two-seat fighter-bomber prototype, one built.;G.50B:Two-seat trainer version.

Operators

;flag|Croatia|1941;
*Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia received 15+ aircraft.;FIN
*"Finnish Air Force" received 35 aircraft.
**No. 26 Squadron, Finnish Air Force;flag|Germany|Nazi
*"Luftwaffe";flag|Italy|1861
*"Regia Aeronautica";flagicon|Italy Italian Social Republic
*"Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana";flag|Spain|1939
*"Ejército del Aire";YUG
*SFR Yugoslav Air Force 1 ex-Croatian.

urvivors

Currently, the only known G.50 bis still in existence is undergoing restoration in the Museum_of_Aviation_in_Belgrade, in Surčin, at Nikola Tesla Airport, Serbia.

pecifications (G.50)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=One
length main=7.79 m
length alt=25 ft 7 in
span main=10.96 m
span alt=35 ft 11 in
height main=2.96 m
height alt=9 ft 9 in
area main=18.2 m²
area alt=196 ft²
empty weight main=1,975 kg
empty weight alt=4,354 lb
loaded weight main=2,706 kg
loaded weight alt=5,965 lb
max takeoff weight main=2,415 kg
max takeoff weight alt=5,324 lb
engine (prop)=Fiat A.74 RC38
type of prop=radial engine
number of props=1
power main=625 kW
power alt=838 hp
max speed main=472 km/h
max speed alt=294 mph
range main=670 km
range alt=418 miles
ceiling main=9,835 m
ceiling alt=32,258 ft
climb rate main=13.7 m/s
climb rate alt= 44.9 ft/sec
loading main=148.7 kg/m²
loading alt= 327.9 lb/ft²
power/mass main=230 W/kg
power/mass alt= .30 hp/lb
armament=
*2x 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns

ee also

aircontent
related=
*Fiat G.55

similar aircraft=

*Bloch MB.150
*Curtiss P-36
*Nakajima Ki-43
*Macchi C.200
*Polikarpov I-16
*Seversky P-35
sequence=
G.30 -
G.46 -
G.49 - G.50 -
G.51 -
G.52 -
G.55

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Cattaneo, Gianni. "The Fiat G.50 (Aircraft in Profile Number 188)". Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967. No ISBN.
* Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari and Niska, Klaus. "Fiat G.50, Suomen Ilmavoimien Historia 8" (in Finnish). Espoo, Finland: Tietoteos, 1977. ISBN 951-9035-26-5.
* Malizia, Nicola. "Fiat G-50 (Aviolibri Records No. 2)" (in Italian/English). Roma-Nomentano, Italy: Istituto Bibliografico Napoleone, 2005. ISBN 88-7565-002-0.
* Mondey, David. "The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II". New York: Bounty Books, 1996. ISBN 1-85152-966-7.
* Taylor, John W. R. "Fiat G.50 Freccia (Arrow)". Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
* Tonizzo, Pietro. "Fiat G.50 Freccia (Le Macchine e la Storia 9)" (in Italian). Modena, Italy: Editore Stem-Mucchi. No ISBN.
* Waldis, Paolo. "Fiat G 50, Ali e Colori 3" (in Italian/English). Torino, Italy: La Bancarella Aeronautica, 2000.

External links

* [http://www.comandosupremo.com/G50.html Fiat G.50 Freccia]
* [http://www.xs4all.nl/~fbonne/warbirds/ww2htmls/fiatg50.html The Fiat G.50 Freccia]
* [http://www.lasecondaguerramondiale.it/mezzi2.asp?tipo_aereo=8 World War II aircraft page] it icon