Fiat CR.32

přehled verzí
Hstory of the aircraft:


The Fiat CR.32 fighter aircraft would have been designed by engineer Celestino Rosatelli (hence CR-Caccia Rosatelli - fighter Rosatelli). It was developed from the older CR.30. Unlike its predecessor, the new CR.32 was smaller, faster and more agile.


In the original version, the CR.32 carried an armament of only two Breda-SAFAT machine guns of 7.7 mm calibre, these machine guns were mounted above the engine and fired through the propeller circuit. The production model for these weapons was the English Vickers machine gun. A total of 383 aircraft were built in this purely fighter version, 291 for the Italian Air Force, the CR.32 proved to be a good export item and so a further 76 aircraft were taken by Hungary and 16 by China, whose aircraft were among the best the Chinese Air Force could deploy against the Japanese, unfortunately the Chinese pilots and technicians of the CR.32 did not quite cope (for example, the fuel mixture of petrol, benzene and alcohol was still causing problems) and so after the fall of the capital they had no more CR.32.


The next version was a version for direct support of ground troops, the aircraft was designated CR-32bis. One of the fuselage machine guns was replaced by a 12.7 mm gun from the same manufacturer and two machine guns were added to the nacelles above the lower wing, 238 were produced for the Italian Air Force and 45 for export to Austria. These aircraft were incorporated into the Lufwaffe after the occupation of Austria by Germany.


The CR-32ter fighter version with two 12.7 mm machine guns in the fuselage and wing machine guns had already been completely dropped. In this version 103 aircraft were produced Part of them reached Spain and here they were successfully deployed in combat against Soviet and French types.


The last version was a lightweight version designated CR.32quater. The armament was similar to the previous ter version but the design was apparently strengthened, 105 were produced for the Italian legions in Spain, 27 for the Spanish nationalists, several machines for Venezuela (a total of 9 aircraft of different versions of bis, ter and quater went here) and 4 for Paraguay.


The total production according to Italian sources is 1212 units, according to other sources 1309 units were produced (this probably includes Spanish production machines). Efforts were made to further develop this aircraft, but only prototypes of the Fiat CR.33 powered by the 700hp Fiat A.33 RC.35 engine, the Fiat CR.40 with the 525hp Bristol Mercury IV radial engine, the Fiat CR.40bis (prototype with serial number MM.275) with the 700hp Fiat A.59R radial engine and finally the Fiat CR.41 (prototype with serial number MM.207) with the Gnome-Rhone 14Kfs radial engine were produced. These prototypes then led to another successful fighter, the Fiat CR.42 Falco.


The next version was the two-seat Fiat CR.32biposto, apparently a conversion from machines already built.


The machines were deployed in combat in the Spanish Civil War where they formed the backbone of the "Aviacione Legionaria" fighter air force and were flown by many Nationalist units. The biggest ace in the Fiat CR.32 was Joaquin Garcia-Morato y Castana with 18 kills. It was here that the Fiats got the nickname Chirras by which they are generally known. They were superior to any French or British fighter on the opposing side, and outclassed in many respects even machines supplied from the USSR, being at an advantage against the I-15 due to their greater ground speed, agility and climbability, the fast I-16s were able to outmaneuver and were extremely dangerous to the I-16s in a dogfight where the high speed of the I-16s did not apply, they also had superior armament and their long-range fire from 12.7 mm caliber weapons was well known (the Soviet PV-1 machine guns on the I-16s were inferior even to the 7.7 mm machine guns in the CR-32 wings). The Italians reportedly scored 300 kills while losing 132 machines, but only 73 aircraft were lost in combat.


The machines went on to take part in the defence of Shanghai, the War of the Grand Chaco, fighting on the Slovak-Hungarian border and, of course, WWII in Abyssinia (against the South African Air Force). In June 1940 the Italians still had 294 CR.32s on the front line (mainly in Africa) and also in Albania and Greece. After 1941 it remained as a trainer (that's how some of the original Austrian machines ended up with the Luftwaffe).
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Fiat-CR-32-t56019#83319 Version : 0
Italian Air Force armed with Fiat C.R.32 aircraft


Stormo
Gruppo
Squadriglie
Base
Year of introduction


79°
Campoformido
1936


81°
Campoformido
1936


88°
Campoformido
1936


73°
Gorizia
1936


96°
Gorizia
1936


97°
Gorizia
1936

10°
84°
Gorizia
1936

10°
90°
Gorizia
1936

10°
91°
Gorizia
1936

18°
83°
Milan
1937

18°
85°
Milan
1937

18°
95°
Milan
1937

23°
74°
Milan
1937


150°
Campoformido
1936


151°
Campoformido
1936


152°
Campoformido
1936


153°
Campoformido
1936


154°
Campoformido
1936


154°
Campoformido
1936
52°
22°
359°
Pontedera
1939
52°
22°
362°
Pontedera
1939
52°
22°
369°
Pontedera
1939
52°
22°
362°
Pontedera
1939
52°
24°
354°

1939
52°
24°
355°

1939
51°
20°
351°
Ciampino
1938
51°
20°
352°
Ciampino
1938
51°
20°
353°
Ciampino
1938
51°
160°
-
Tirana (Albania)
1940
51°
160°
163°
Rhodes
1940
51°
160°
410° (ex. 150°)
Dire-Dana (Italian East Africa)
1940
51°
160°
411°
AddisAbeba (Italian East Africa)
1940
51°
13°
167°

Castelbenito (Libya)
1940
51°

-
Tobruk (Libya)
1940



Source: The Fiat cR. 32, Profile Publication 22
URL : https://www.valka.cz/Fiat-CR-32-t56019#280376 Version : 0
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