From the first day of World War II, the Italian Air Force gave serious thought to the defense of the country’s territory, as it was clear that many Italian cities were within range of enemy bombers. However, without any night fighter units established before the war, the Italian military could only order a few main daytime combat units to be stationed in the suburbs of major cities and train some of their members accordingly to deal with possible night attacks.
Turin is such an example. From the first day of the war, it was attacked by British Royal Air Force bombers. The 53rd Fighter Squadron stationed in Kassel was responsible for protecting Turin. The squadron was equipped with standard Fiat CR.42 daytime fighters, which had not been modified or equipped with special night equipment. However, the anti-aircraft fighter units of Rome and Naples (which were within the attack range of the French Air Force stationed in Corsica and Tunisia respectively) organized special night fighter units (Sezioni Caccia Notturna, abbreviated as "CN"), which used modified CR.32 fighters equipped with longer flame-retardant exhaust pipes. Before the war, the military had studied this night fighter modification at the Guidonia Test Center, and it can be said that Italian night fighters throughout World War II were developed on this basis.
The short-lived first night fighter unit - the 171st Night Fighter Group
However, it was obvious that these early night fighters were unable to stop the Royal Air Force’s night invaders due to the complete lack of suitable night fighter types, specialized night combat training, and night flying instruments. In any case, after the above exploration, in the spring of 1941, the Italian army formed many new night fighter units at many important airports, including those in Albania, Rhodes and Libya. Usually, these night fighter units were formed by ordinary daytime fighter units stationed at the above airports. They were equipped with only three CR.42 fighters, and the pilots on duty occasionally performed some night patrol operations. However, by this time, the night combat equipment equipped with the CR.42 fighter had become very mature. On October 1, 1941, in Gela, Sicily, the Italian Air Force formed its first systematic night fighter unit-the 171st Night Fighter Group (under the 301st and 302nd Squadrons), but the group was still equipped with ordinary CR.42 fighters.
Later, the 171st Night Fighter Group was disbanded in December of that year (the base was taken over by the German Air Force), and their aircraft and pilots were assigned to many other night fighter units, and they were present at all major airports in Sicily.
The first full-time night fighter unit--167th Night Fighter Group
At the same time, the military established another systematic night fighter unit in Ciampino, which was responsible for defending the night sky of Rome and Naples. This is the 167th Night Fighter Group (under the 300th and 303rd Squadrons). At the beginning of its establishment (May 10, 1942), the group was equipped with a very complex model, which could be said to be a nightmare for logistics officers. Including 10 Fiat CR.42, 13 Caproni-Vizzola CV F.5 and 1 CV F.6 fighters, as well as 4 Ca.164 and 1 Ca.313 transport aircraft. It is worth mentioning that the aircraft used by the squadron was still CR.42, but it was equipped with underwing searchlights and more night instruments, so it was called CR.42CN.
Soon after, in addition to the initial CR.42CN fighters, the 300th Squadron was supplemented with several Caproni-Vizzola CV F.5, Macchi MC.200 daytime fighters and Fiat G.50 daytime fighters. The latter was used to strengthen Rome’s daytime defense. While conducting test flights based in Capua and Capodichino, the 303rd Squadron received another Caproni-Vizzola CVF.4 fighter.
In November 1942, the 167th Night Fighter Group received the improved B5/B30 radio, which solved the previous problem of poor communication with the ground. On December 6, the 303 Squadron transferred its only CV F.6M fighter to the 157th Squadron. In January 1943, the squadron performed 23 night combat missions over Naples and Rome, but did not achieve any results. On February 26, it finally shot down an enemy plane south of Caprice. In the following month, although the 303 Squadron performed 33 emergency take-offs and interception missions of enemy aircraft, due to the lack of well-trained pilots in the unit-there were only 12 pilots in the entire squadron, the performance was not very good. By April, the military found that the CR.42CN was almost useless in intercepting Allied four-engine bombers, and only seven pilots had received comprehensive night flying training. In May, the 303rd Squadron moved from Capua to Ciampino del Sur. After arriving at the new base, the squadron encountered a bigger problem-a serious lack of oil. In the summer of 1943, a French D.520 fighter equipped by the Italian Air Force was tested for night combat. It proved to be more practical than the CR.42CN in some aspects, especially its weaponry (equipped with a 20mm cannon: while the Italian fighters only had machine guns). By June, all Italian night fighter pilots had learned to fly the D.520. However, a chronic disease of the Italian Air Force broke out again at this time-the supply of D.520 was seriously insufficient, so both squadrons eventually chose the Reggiani Re.2001CN as the standard night fighter-it was a dedicated night fighter equipped with a powerful DB601 engine. Soon after, Re.2001CN completely replaced the above-mentioned "part-time" fighters. On June 9, six of the Re.2001CNs were based in Ciampino South and began to defend the night sky of Rome. The 167th Night Fighter Squadron was also incorporated into the 42nd Wing between May 10 and June 24.
In April 1943, Maggiore Ricci flew a twin-engine FC20bis prototype from Guidonia to Capua. But it only performed one night interception mission and was found to be too slow to catch up with the US B-24 bomber it was chasing. After that, it was transferred to Fulbara.
On June 21, four MC200 daytime fighters from the 167th Night Fighter Group flew from Grottaglie to Paramicia for an escort mission and returned on July 11. However, on September 8, the day Italy surrendered, the group had only seven Re.2001CN fighters available.
Defending the Sicilian Night Sky--377th Independent Night Fighter Squadron
Another relatively active night combat unit is the 377th Independent Night Fighter Squadron, which is based in Sicily. In August 1941, the 377th Squadron, as an experimental flight unit of the 23rd Fighter Group, was equipped with the first batch of Re.2000I fighters deployed to the front line. In the 1939 fighter selection, the Italian Air Force selected the MC.200 and G.50 as replacements for the CR.32 and CR.42, and the Re.2000 was eliminated. Despite this, the fighter was still favored by the Italian Royal Navy and put into service as a modern carrier-based aircraft (generally using catapult takeoff). However, despite the Navy’s favor for this fighter, most Re.2000s were delivered to the land-based Luftwaffe 377 Squadron. This unit operated over Malta for most of the early war, with its main bases being Sicily and Sardinia. In December 1941, when the 23rd Fighter Group was sent to Libya, the squadron became an independent squadron and remained in Sicily. Throughout 1942, the unit was re-equipped with the newer Re.2000 III fighter until the spring of 1943. Subsequently, the 377th Squadron began to receive some CR.42CN night fighters. Lieutenant Torchio of the squadron flew this old Fiat biplane and achieved 5 victories, becoming the number one night fighter ace of the Italian Air Force. At the end of 1942, the spare parts of the limited-production Re.2000 fighters had run out, so the military was forced to provide the 377th Squadron with 12 MC.200 fighters. Finally, in February 1943, the squadron also received 3 MC.202 fighters. Throughout April, the unit shot down a total of 3 Allied four-engine heavy bombers. The following month, the 377th Squadron was disbanded, and its few remaining aircraft and crews were transferred to the 53rd Wing.
59th Bomber Brigade
In addition, some bomber units also began to be equipped with night fighters and perform night interception missions. Among them: the 59th Bomber Brigade (affiliated with the 41st Wing). This unit was established on July 1, 1939, composed of veterans of the Spanish Civil War, and under the command of the 232nd and 233rd Squadrons. On September 16, the brigade began to receive SM.79 bombers and carried out combat missions on June 21 and 23, 1940, namely, attacking French positions northeast of the Alps from Bresso, but the bad weather conditions made the bombing of the Italian Air Force ineffective. The unit then returned to Sicily and turned to attacking Allied shipping, especially on July 10 and 11, in the famous "Battle of Cape Stilo".
In September, the Italian Air Force suffered heavy losses in the Libyan Campaign, and the 59th Bombardment Group was transferred to desert bases to reinforce the Italian forces in North Africa. In December, the group received 12 brand new SM.79 bombers and began to perform close ground support missions (mainly attacking the Egyptian port of Matruh). By mid-December, the unit was exhausted in the disorganized retreat, and both equipment and personnel had suffered serious losses.
In April 1941, the 59th Bombardment Group was re-equipped with Ca313 reconnaissance/bombers, and the crews of the group only thought that these were temporary transition models. However, it was not until December of that year that the squadron began to receive ground attack and night combat models of the CR.42. Subsequently, the crews began intensive training for the ground attack role. However, just after the squadron moved to Treviso, the military realized that it was impossible to build a truly solid night defense system to resist the increasingly frequent night raids of the British Royal Air Force with Italy’s weak industrial base. Therefore, the Italian Air Force planned to purchase cutting-edge night fighters from the Nazi German Air Force and let the 59th and 60th Bomber Groups play the role of "Night Interceptors (Intercettori)", whose main task would be to protect central and northern Italy from British night raids. In 1942, the crews of the above two groups were sent to Germany for training in Dornier and Messerschmitt night fighters.
However, as the Germans were not very enthusiastic about the Italian army’s request for help, until January 1943, the main equipment of the 59th Bomber Group was still CR.42CN, as well as a small number of D0217J-1 and a captured "Handsome Fighter" fighter that the German army had transported in advance. The latter (unidentified, but equipped with daytime camouflage paint) mistakenly landed at the Magnesi Airport in Syracuse on January 7, 1942, and was subsequently captured by the Italian army. It was then handed over to the 41st Wing for flight tests, but on January 29, 1943, it was damaged due to engine failure during landing during training.
In January 1943, due to the bad winter weather, the Italian Air Force reduced its sortie frequency. Even the newly added FN305 liaison aircraft were restricted in their activities. The local air defense forces also caused trouble - the nervous anti-aircraft gunners often fired at anything flying. Therefore, the 59th Bombardment Group sent its pilots to Salon, France to train to fly MS.406 and D520 fighters, and took this opportunity to strengthen the IFF training of the air defense forces.
In May, the 59th Bombardment Group received an additional 10 Re.2001CN, mixed with Fiat and Dornier night fighters from Metoto, and sent a detachment to Littoria. Between May 20 and June 21, the group carried out a total of 26 interception and 19 patrol missions, but only 3 of them successfully made contact with the enemy. Due to the limited life of the Dornier fighter engine, the group specially transferred a BR 20 bomber for night flight training.
It is worth mentioning that in order to deal with the night attacks launched by the Allies from all directions, the main force of the 59th Bomber Group was often dispersed in many bases. This reduced combat efficiency. By July, the group had only 7 fighters that could be put into combat. In early August, the various detachments reunited in Venegono. At this time, the superior unit of the 59th Bomber Group, the 41st Wing, had already been disbanded on June 24, so the group had become an independent unit. By September 7 (the day before Italy surrendered), the group had 4 available Re.2001CN and 2 CR.42CN night fighters left.
Equipped with German night fighters--the 60th Bomber Group
The 60th Bomber Group (affiliated to the 41st Wing), under which are the 234th and 235th Squadrons. This unit raided the port of Biceta in June 1940, and then began to attack Allied shipping, participating in the "Battle of Cape Stilo" with the 59th Bomber Group. These veterans of the Spanish Civil War were very skilled in flying aircraft, and as the situation in Libya deteriorated, they were transferred to the African front. Horizontal bombing operations against the Egyptian port of Matruh began, but the ground forces requested more close support from the air force-people had already seen its powerful power during the German conquest of Europe. Therefore, by mid-December, the unit was exhausted and they used the aircraft for purposes other than its original design. In February 1941, the group carried out limited anti-ship combat missions and then withdrew to Italy. Soon after, the 60th Bombardment Group began to receive Ca313 bombers as a reliable replacement for the SM79. In order to replace the new model, the crew of the group trained until December of that year, but they were re-equipped with CR.42CN night fighters. Previously, the crews trained hard to play the ground attack role, but now they were transferred to perform night interception missions, more precisely, to assist the 59th Bombardment Group to defend the country’s important industrial areas against the increasingly frequent night attacks of the Royal Air Force. On February 18, 1942, the 60th Bombardment Group began to play a new role of night interception, and its crews were sent to Germany for night combat training-mainly flying Dornier and Messerschmitt night fighters, thus laying the foundation for the replacement of these two models.
On October 21, the crews that had gone to Germany for training returned to Lonate Pozzolo, Italy, with a small number of the first new night fighters: three Bf110Cs (for training), together with 12 D0217J-1s. Four days later, these German fighters made their first combat patrol - two of each type patrolled over Venegono Difeng. However, their combat capabilities were very limited due to the lack of radar.
In January 1943, the pilots of the 60th Bombardment Group received an order to transfer a batch of D.520s and an MS.406 fighter from France to Lonate Pozzolo. These aircraft were equipped to fill the gaps in the defense of southern Italy, because in actual combat, the military found that the existing single-seat fighters had serious insufficient firepower. In April of that year, 9 D.520s were assigned to the unit for daytime interception. The crew also tested them for night flight, and the pilots generally believed that the D.520 was more suitable for night flight than the CR.42.
On February 5, the 60th Bomber Group received the first D0217J-2. Unlike the J-1, the J-2 was equipped with radar equipment. It was not until this time that the Italian night fighter unit first used radar-assisted operation technology (previously it relied entirely on visual observation), which was provided by the Germans. Most of the German aircraft were assigned to the 235th Squadron. However, the Dornier night fighter had few spare parts, problems with the landing gear, and poor crew training, so it was rarely deployed. Throughout February, the crews of the 235th Squadron were forced to take turns to Germany for further training. At the same time, when the weather permitted, the remaining crews flew the daytime model of the Re.2001 fighter to intercept Allied bombers during the day.
In May of that year, the 60th Bombardment Group received another batch of Re.2001CN fighters to expand its forces. In addition, it also received 4 BR.20M bombers for night flight training.
From May to July, the crews of the 60th Bombardment Group mainly flew Re.2001CN fighters to protect the night sky over Metoto and Littoria. The 41st Wing was disbanded on June 24, and the group then became an independent unit. In July, the 59th Brigade provided the 60th Brigade with some modified heavy firepower Re.2001CN, which were equipped with three cannons and two machine guns, for night patrols in Lagnasco and Venegono.
On the night of July 16, a Dornier D0217J-2 of the 235th Squadron shot down a British Royal Air Force Lancaster heavy bomber over Cislago. At this time, the defense range of the 60th Bombardment Group covered Liguria, Piedmont, Lombardy and Emilia. This meant that it had to disperse its limited forces throughout Italy - a problem that had existed in the Italian Air Force since 1941. Subsequently, the 60th Bombardment Group had to invite German engineers to help it repair its severely aging Dornier night fighters. In August, the group received three MC205V fighters in Lonate Pozzolo to carry out interception operations during the day. Since July 9, 1943, the 234th Squadron had been stationed in Venegono, and since October of the previous year, the 235th Squadron had been stationed in Lonate Pozzolo. By September 7, 1943, the day before the Italian armistice, the 235th Squadron had 2 Bf110C, 2 D0217J, 2 CR.42CN and 7 Re.2001CN capable of taking to the air.
In summary, the number of professional night fighters equipped with radar was too small and too late to really play a role in the war. With the Italian armistice in 1943, most of the above equipment was captured by the Germans and re-filled into their own troops. The Apennines "Night Watch" was thus destroyed.
