Italy’s Macchi C.202 Folgore Was a Great WWII Plane. Why Has No One Ever Heard of It?
The Folgore’s lightweight construction (weighing around 5,500 pounds) and responsive handling earned it praise from its pilots and avowed respect from its adversaries.
Looking back on the Axis Powers of the Second World War, many observers—even today—feel a degree of trepidation. Rightly so. After all, the Axis Powers included the likes of Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Tojo’s Imperial Japan, two of the most brutal regimes to have ever existed. Ruled by fanatical, racialist ideology married to potent and innovative high technology (for the era), the Axis Powers swept their respective spheres of influence like a howling wind.
But most people tend to forget that the Axis Powers included a third primary member. That third member was Fascist Italy under the rule of autocrat Benito Mussolini. In fact, during the interwar years and even at the outbreak of WWII, the Italians were viewed by the Allies—notably the British Empire—to be as menacing as the Nazis.
Italy Had Some Powerful Moves In WWII
Remember, it was Mussolini’s Italy that, according to historians, precipitated the push toward world war when it attacked Ethiopia in a bid to create an Italian-controlled empire in Africa. During that war, the Italians brutalized the Ethiopians. Italy’s success in Africa—and the interwar order’s failure to respond—emboldened the Nazis to plan their dastardly reconquest of Europe.
And while the Italians completely lacked the manufacturing base of the Nazis or even the Japanese, they could design some unique platforms that evoked that initial wave of consternation in the minds of many British strategists. Notably, the Italian Navy, or Regia Marina,in 1940 was “probably the most potent force in the Mediterranean,” according to Naval Encyclopedia.
Even in terms of its air force, the Regia Aeronautica, the Italians were lightyears ahead of the Allies in terms of design.
The Macchi C.202 Folgore was a “Beautiful” Plane
Veteran Italian aeronautical engineers, such as famed designer Mario Castoldi—renowned for his Schneider Trophy-winning seaplanes—sought to create a competitive monoplane fighter for Italy’s Regia Aeronautica.
From this came the Macchi C.202 Folgore (“Thunderbolt”). Indeed, the Folgore is considered one of the most celebrated warplanes of WWII, having received acclaim from fighter aces the world over—on both sides of the war.
Introduced in 1941, the Macchi C.202 Folgore offered a significant improvement over earlier Italian warplane designs, combining elegant aesthetics with impressive performance. This should surprise no one. After all, Italy was to become the land of Ferrari and Gucci in the postwar era. Elegance and engineering prowess were always factors of Italian society, going back to the halcyon days of the old Roman Empire.
The key to the Macchi C.202 Folgore was the adoption of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601A engine, a liquid-cooled V-12-producing 1,175-horsepower engine that was licensed to Italy by Germany. Alfa Romeo produced the Italian version of this engine, calling it the RA.1000 Monsone, allowing the Folgore to achieve performance levels on par with contemporary Allied and German aircraft.
The C.202 featured a fully enclosed cockpit, as well as a refined aerodynamic profile. Its top speed was around 370 miles per hour, and its excellent maneuverability made it a formidable dogfighter.
By contrast, the plane’s armament was weak, at least at the start of its life. At the beginning of its service to the Regia Aeronautica, it was only armed with two 12.7 Breda-SAFAT machine guns mounted in the nose. Later variants, added two 7.7mm machine guns in the wings. Still, this was a key weakness of the plane, and it remained seriously under-gunned throughout its service to the Italian Armed Forces.
The Folgore’s lightweight construction (weighing around 5,500 pounds) and responsive handling earned it praise from its pilots and avowed respect from its adversaries. The first C.202 prototype flew on August 10, 1940, with mass production starting in mid-1941.
Of course, Italy was never able to mass produce these planes—and they never made the kind of impact their designers dreamed they would make on the war effort for Italy. Output of these planes reached just over 1,100 units by the time Italy ceased production in 1943—a fraction of the number of comparable aircraft produced by Germany (roughly 34,000 Messerschmitt Bf 109s) and Britain (roughly 20,000 Supermarine Spitfires).
The C.202 Goes to War
In terms of its combat service record, the C.202 Folgore saw action across all major theaters that Italy was engaged in. From North Africa to the Mediterranean to the Eastern Front, the birds dotted the skies. Its debut coincided with Italy’s efforts to bolster Axis operations following some early strategic setbacks, and it quickly proved its worth against Allied aircraft.
The C.202 became Italy’s mainstay fighting beside German General Erwin Rommel’s forces against the British in North Africa. Operating from desert airstrips, this bird clashed with Allied planes, such as the Hawker Hurricane, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, and the Supermarine Spitfire. Italian pilots used the Folgore’s agility to outmaneuver the heavier Allied fighters.
On October 7, 1942, C.202s escorted bombers over El Alamein and successfully fended off P-40s, downing several without a loss. As the Spitfire Mk V and later models entered the theater, though, the Folgore’s light armament and lack of armor became real liabilities (even though the Folgore remained a competitive warfighting element in this theater).
Over the Mediterranean, the C.202 played a crucial role in defending Axis convoys and attacking Allied shipping during the key battles for Malta. In 1942, it frequently engaged British fighters and bombers attempting to disrupt supplies to Rommel’s Afrika Korps. A significant clash took place on August 13, 1942, during Operation Pedestal, when C.202s intercepted a large formation of British aircraft protecting a convoy. The Folgores claimed several kills, including Hurricanes and Fairey Fulmars, though their limited firepower often prevented them from decisively impacting the heavily defended convoys.
As for its experience on the brutal Eastern Front, these planes supported the Nazi Luftwaffe and engaged Soviet fighters, like the Yakovlev Yak-1 and the Lavochkin LaGG-3. Their performance in the harsh Russian winter was commendable, with pilots reporting success in dogfights, though logistical challenges and the small number deployed (less than 20) restricted their overall contribution.
The Folgore’s Forgotten Legacy
The Macchi C.202 Folgore’s legacy lies in its demonstration of Italian engineering prowess within the constraints of a faltering war machine. Indeed, by most accounts, the Italians should have never entered the war at all. Yet, it was considered a “beautiful plane” by ace pilots such as Luftwaffe ace Adolf Galland, and British test pilots remarked on its superb handling—a testament to what might have been.
Some historians have speculated that, had the Second World War not commenced until 1945 or later, Mussolini might have even reformed Italy’s industrial base sufficiently enough to have made his country into a serious player in the bid to replace the British Empire’s control over the Mediterranean and Suez Canal Zone. But it was not meant to be. When the war began, Italy was utterly unprepared for it—and even well-designed systems such as the C.202 could not make a difference.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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