Fire over Sicily is a set of campaigns by Von and Lars. The campaigns focus on Italian fighter aircraft during the battle of Sicily and were developed using the BAT Modpack. Each separate campaign will highlight a Regia Aeronautica aircraft used in the Sicilian theatre in 1943, as Allied forces approach and threaten the Italian homeland. The campaigns vary in length based upon historical circumstances. Part 1, showcasing the Reggiane Re2005 Sagittario in a fighter role is finished and will be posted first. Other parts are in work.
Introduction and History by LarsIn early 1941 the Italian authorities knew they would have to develop more advanced aircraft if they were to compete with the Allied forces. The Germans were starting to work on the Daimler-Benz DB605 engine and the Italians sought and won a licence production for this powerful aero-engine.
In the interim period they used the licence built DB601 which was successfully used in the Bf109E. This engine powered the Re2001 and MC202.
The companies Reggiane, Macchi-Castoldi, and Fiat were considered for producing the new fighters, soon to be called ‘The 5 Series’ (named after the DB605). The new fighters were to be named after constellations. The numbered used are those of the Regia Aeronautica and do not include further aircraft used by the ANR or Co-Belligerent Air Forces:
• Macchi-Castoldi MC205V Veltro - 135 used
• Fiat G55 Centauro - 38 used
• Reggiane Re2005 Sagittario - 19 used
The Macchi contender was actually the MC205N Orione with a new wing layout but only two were built in time. The prototypes made a few sorties and claimed one or two enemy aircraft.
Due to delays and deliberations these potent fighters arrived too few in numbers and too late to affect the outcome of battle, although they individually had some successes and could match or even outclass both Allied and Axis fighters. There has been a debate ever since as to which was the more effective fighter.
The Re2005 prototype was built in ten months, the MC205V in 17 and the G55 in 36. The first flights were on 19th April 1942 (MC205V), 30th April 1942 (G55) and 9th May 1942 (Re2005). In December 1942 the Italian authorities examined the qualities of each type and judged the MC205V as the better performer, with the other two equally matched. Thus, a decision was made to produce all three types rather than concentrate on one. A German delegation attended an exhibition and flew their latest fighters against the prototypes. They felt the Re2005 was the best of all, outperforming the Bf109G6 and Fw190A5 at medium to high altitudes.
There was not much difference in the criteria of performance, handling, combat ability, armament, systems,and structures. The MC205V came top for ease of production, being a modification of the successful MC202. Next came the G55 which was a new design like the Re2005. The latter suffered initially from a weak undercarriage and fuselage damage at high speed, and took much longer to produce.
The idea behind these campaigns is for the player to judge which they prefer. Obviously, this depends on the accuracy of the FM for each type in the programme. We hope by playing several campaigns over the time period they will enjoy a comparison of what happened.
The player will, in addition to the three Italian designs mentioned, fly the other Italian flown defence fighters at that time. Namely, the French designed Dewoitine D520 (35 used) and the German designed Bf109G6 ( 91 used). They also received 15 Bf109F4, 6 Bf109G2 and ten Bf109G4. The other main fighters used, the MC202 and Re2001, may also be added as well as the fighter-bomber versions of the Re2001 and Re2002.
We hope you enjoy the contrast and get a feel for what it was like to defend against the overwhelming and never-ending numbers of Allied forces.
Lars
The Campaign DownloadsWe will be posting the campaigns as we complete them and adding links here to show the progress. The first campaign in our series is a fighter campaign for the Reggiane Re2005 Sagittario.
Part 1 - Re2005 Sagittario link here:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,66820.0.htmlPart 2 – Dewoitine 520 link here:
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php?board=269.0Part 3 - Fiat G55 Centauro link:
https://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads3&file=details&id=2967Part 4: the Re2001 Falco link:
https://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads3&file=details&id=2979Part 5: the Re2002 Ariete link
https://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads3&file=details&id=2983Part 6: the MC202 Folgore link
https://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads3&file=details&id=2992Part 7: the MC200 Saetta link
https://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads3&file=details&id=2997Part 8: the Fiat G50bis link
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/topic,68312.0.htmlPart 9: the Messerschmitt Bf-109G link
https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php?topic=68485.msg747094;topicseen#msg747094...MC205V is WIP
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Topic: Fire Over Sicily Campaign Set (Read 3849 times)
