A fleet of 3,296 combat aircraft
On 1st November 1939, two months after the WW2 outbreak, the Italian Regia Aeronautica’s combat airplanes fleet (fighters, bombers, reconnaissance), excepted the small forces on the Italian East Africa, had a total of 2,479 airplanes, 1.525 of them completely serviceable in the operational units. At this time the aircraft numerically most important were the Fiat CR.32 fighter biplanes (total 342, serviceable 267) and the bomber Savoia-Marchetti S.79s (total 385, serviceable 287). During the “no-belligerence” period, from the WW2 outbreak to Italy’s entry in the war (10 June 1940), with remarkable effort, the Regia Aeronautica increased its force of almost 800 new airplane, phasing out in the same moment some obsolescent aircraft. The greatest increases was those of the bombers (S.79, BR.20, Cant-Z-506), 380 airplanes, and the fighters (CR.42, MC.200, G.50), 383 airplanes. So on 10 June 1940, Italy’s declaration of the war to France and Great Britain, the Regia Aeronautica, excluded Italian East Africa, deployed a total of 3,296 combat aircraft, them full serviceable 1,796 in the operational units: 1,332 Bombers (full serviceable 783) shared among (in brackets the full serviceable planes in the operational units) 234 S.81 (104), 594 S.79 (403), 219 BR.20 (132), 87 Cant-Z-1007bis (38), 95 Cant-Z-506 (61), 32 SM.85 (0), 71 Ca.310 (45); Fighters & Assault 1.160 (full serviceable in units 594) shared among: 156 MC.200 (77), 118 G.50 (89), 300 CR.42 (202), CR.32 294 (full serviceable in 177), 25 RO.44 (7), 154 Breda 65 (12), 113 Breda 88 (30); Reconnaissance/Air Observation 497 (268) shared among 145 Ca.311 (19), 328 Ro.37 (207), 69 Ca.309 Ghibli (42); Maritime Reconnaissance 307 (151) shared among 202 Cant-Z-501 (109) and 105 Ro.43 (42). Victor Sierra
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://ww2incolor.com/gallery/italian-forces/47535/a-fleet-of-3296-combat-aircraft