Macchi C.202/C.205V Units in Combat

Description

A study of the Macchi Folgore and Veltro, the most successful Italian fighters in World War II. With specially commissioned profiles, the book examines how these fighters were conceived, their performance and the fascinating stories of their pilots. Italian fighters, such as the Fiat G.50 and Macchi C.200, had always struggled with their straight-line speed and restricted armament when engaging their Allied counterparts. To solve these problems, Macchi initially designed the C.202 Folgore using German engines, which contributed to create a faster aircraft, with a superior rate of climb and reachable altitude. Folgore's success in various North African engagements then paved the way for the development of Macchi's most successful fighter, the C.205V Veltro, which managed to combine increased speed and increased power. Packed with specially commissioned artwork and original photos, and written by Italian military aviation specialist Marco Mattioli, this fascinating book explores how the premier Italian fighter of the war came to life and the historical circumstances that prevented it from becoming one of the most dreaded aircraft in the Mediterranean.

A native of Rome, Marco Mattioli has been interested in military history since he was a teenager. A contributor to many Italian history and defence magazines, and the author of several books on Italian military aviation, he has written Osprey AEU 38, COM 106 and COM 122. Richard Caruana is a Malta-based artist whose profile artwork is well known in aviation modelling periodicals such as Scale Aviation Modelling and Scale Models. He has illustrated all of Osprey's Italian WWII aviation titles.

Plenty of personal accounts from pilots talking about their experiences throughout the war, sprinkled throughout the book. There are also plenty of archive photos, along with a section colour artwork with 10 pages of beautiful colour profiles plus another 3 pages of squadron and more personal insignias. -- Robin Buckland * Military Model Scene * This is another in the outstanding Combat Aircraft series and it follows the same successful format of previous Osprey volumes. It is filled with photographs and personal accounts. The colour profile section is notable for the variety of schemes the Folgores and Veltros wore in various air arms. There is also a colour art section on the gruppo and stormo insignia painted on the sides of many Macchi fighters. The level of editing is superb and the book reads in a logical and easy to understand format. I highly recommend this latest volume on a lesser known subject known as the Macchi C.202 and C.205V. It's a worthy addition to any military aviation historian or enthusiast's shelves. -- Todd Shugart * The Aviation Enthusiast Book Club *