ITALIAN AIR FORCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 November 1940, Page 3

ITALIAN AIR FORCE

ESTIMATE W j IN MEN AND MACHINES. STAGE OF RECONSTRUCTION NOT OVER. Though no survey or estimate of the air strength of. a foreign Power is likely, under war conditions, to be correct, the upper and lower figures and the limitations of production are pretty wed established for each Power. In a recent issue of “The Aeroplane” an outline of the Italian air force, based in part upon official records and in part upon surmise by those “on the inside," is given of the Italian air force as it was at the date of Italy's entry into the war. "The Aeroplane” states that despite great efforts during the past years the Regia Aeronautica is still in a stage of reconstruction. Last March, General Priccolo promised that during the coming financial year most of the obsolete machines would be replaced and that the total strength, of the air force would be increase* WOO per cent. •v.. SEPARATE COMMANDS. Fighting units and grounds organisation are under separate commands, the first under that of the General Staff, the second under the Air Ministry. The ground organisation is divided into 10 aid zones. Six are responsible for the protection of the metropolitan area, the remaining four for that of Albania, the Aegean Islands, Libya, and East Africa. The first-line strength consists of four groups, the Independent' Air Force, the Army Co-operation units, the Naval Air Service, and the Colonial Air Force. Three “air armies” cf 300 to 400 machines each, and two smaller and separate groups form the Independent Air Force. Half are bomber units. German authorities have put Italy’s first-line strength at about 4000 aeroplanes. of which 2500 are in active service. The remaining 1500 are training machines of first-line quality, and transport and reserve aircraft. NUMBER OF PILOTS. The personnel of the Regia Aeronautica is said to consist of 60,000 officers and men, the number of pilots hardly exceeding 6,500. Expert opinion on the quality of the flying personnel is divided. While some rate highly the efficiency of Italian pilots, the Luftwaffe does not seem to share this opinion. as a number of Italian pilots have been undergoing courses in German training centres. Few Italian types of aircraft are of metal construction. The official explanation is that as front-line machines have to be replaced often this can be achieved only if they are built in mixed construction. The rate of output of bombers of mixed construction is said to be one and a half times that, of the j metal machine. The authorities argue also that the metal types cannot so J easily be repaired. This seems plausible, but the real reason is the shortage ' of raw rfiatcrials and of skilled metal j workers. I OUTPUT OF PLANES. The Italian aircraft industry consists of about 69 airframe and motor firms, with 80 forge and small plants, most of which are situated around Milan and Turin. A number of shadow factories are being built in the south. The labour force is estimated at between 45,000 and GO.OOO people, but may easily be increased to 100 000. The output at the date of Italy's entry into the war on military orders was unlikely to exceed 250 fuselages and 400 engines a month. The capacity of the existing plants allowed for an increase by one-third. When the shadow factories are in production a 100 per cent increase in output is estimated. Great efforts are being made to produce sufficient quantities of fuel, but most of this still has to be imported.