Fiat G.55 colours help

[Mainly28s]

I'm planning to build a model of a Fiat G.55, and need a little help with colour schemes. I'm looking for an aeroplane based at Turin in October 1943, as a specific pilot who's career I follow would have flown a G.55 from there as part of a series of test flights.

Could anyone help with this?

[Giorgio N]

Do you know any more detail on this G.55 ? Since you mention test flights I guess it was a machine not yet assigned to any unit. 

The first ANR unit equipped with the G.55 was the Squadriglia Complementare Caccia Montefusco, that started operating in late '43 from Venaria, just outside Turin. I doubt that the unit would have been operational in October though, reason why I suspect that that pilot flew one of the machines built by Fiat but not yet delivered to anyone and taken over by the Lufwaffe.

The most likely colour scheme would have been the "continental" scheme of Verde Oliva Scuro 2 (dark olive green) over Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1 (light blue grey). This was the scheme applied to almost if not all G.55 at the factory, at least until mid 1944. All pictures of early ANR G.55s show this scheme and really I'd consider such scheme as 99% probably on your aircraft.

Any aircraft produced in the first few months after the German invasion of Northern italy would have carried Luftwaffe markings, ANR markings were applied starting in January 1944. Again, since you mention october '43, your aircraft would have most likely carried these markings. There are a few variations recorded of these markings, with or without white bands and with different sizes for the crosses.

If the pilot you're interested in flew one of these aircraft in October '43, it's likely that the machine

Anyway, if you have any more detail on these flight, I'll see if I can find better information.

Edited April 26, 2019 by Giorgio N

[Mainly28s]

1 hour ago, Giorgio N said:

Do you know any more detail on this G.55 ? Since you mention test flights I guess it was a machine not yet assigned to any unit. 

The first ANR unit equipped with the G.55 was the Squadriglia Complementare Caccia Montefusco, that started operating in late '43 from Venaria, just outside Turin. I doubt that the unit would have been operational in October though, reason why I suspect that that pilot flew one of the machines built by Fiat but not yet delivered to anyone and taken over by the Lufwaffe.

The most likely colour scheme would have been the "continental" scheme of Verde Oliva Scuro 2 (dark olive green) over Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1 (light blue grey). This was the scheme applied to almost if not all G.55 at the factory, at least until mid 1944. All pictures of early ANR G.55s show this scheme and really I'd consider such scheme as 99% probably on your aircraft.

Any aircraft produced in the first few months after the German invasion of Northern italy would have carried Luftwaffe markings, ANR markings were applied starting in January 1944. Again, since you mention october '43, your aircraft would have most likely carried these markings

If the pilot you're interested in flew one of these aircraft in October '43, it's likely that the machine

Anyway, if you have any more detail on these flight, I'll see if I can find better information.

Hi Giorgio, thank you- that seems a very good deduction. Unfortunately I don't have anything beyond the fact that it was around the 6th of October, and at or near Turin. The reference in his book "Luftwaffe Test Pilot" by Hans-Werner Lerche unfortunately doesn't give me more information, nor does the German version of the book. What he states is that he was performing a set of comparison tests on the G.55, as it has a German engine, to see if it offered any improvements over the standard German aircraft of the period (which it did not, according to his report). The Italian throttle system was back-to-front when compared to the German system, so it would have required extra training, or re-training of pilots to use it confidently.

 

 

[Giorgio N]

The fact that it was a flight from a German pilot is enough to try and guess the colour scheme. According to D'Amico and Valentini book on the camo scheme of the ANR, 22 machines were in various stage of assembly at the Aeritalia division of Fiat outside Turi.- Whatever machine was flown by Lerche was likely one of these. 3 machines were completed in October and delivered directly to the Luftwaffe, all finished in the dark green over grey scheme I mentioned in my previous post. His G.55 may have been completed earlier, in any case the scheme would have been the same.

The original scheme seems to have retained the Italian 600 mm wide white band on the rear fuselage, see for example this picture:

 

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Fiat-G55/Fiat-G55-Centauro/pages/Fiat-G.55-Centauro-in-Luftwaffe-markings-MM91068-left-abandoned-01.html

 

Crosses on wing and fuselage were thinner than the standard used by the Luftwaffe but later at least the fuselage ones became closer in style to the ones used by the Germans. Size was 700X700 mm for wing and fuselage while the swastika on the tail was 580X580.

Later aircraft had no white band, so looking like the machine below:

 

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Fiat-G55/Fiat-G55-Centauro/pages/Fiat-G.55-Centauro-in-Luftwaffe-markings-01.html

 

My guess, based on the info in the book and the dates you give, is that this specific G.55 would have been in green over grey (practically 100% sure) with the white band (90% sure). Regarding the serial number, can only be between MM 91054 and 91070. The aircraft with serials MM 91066, 91067 and 91068 were the 3 completed for the Luftwaffe in October, so the aircraft flown by Lerche may be an earlier one. IIRC 91066 was flown to Germany, the other two were tested in Italy and then sent back to Fiat to be refurbished and used by the ANR (the fascist republican air force).

The prototype was also used for flight tests after the armistice and of course there is the possibility that this was flown by German pilots. The prototype carried a different scheme, with Nocciola 4 (hazelnut) splotches on the upper green surfaces, as seen in this picture of the second prototype:

 

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_G.55#/media/File:Fiat_G.55.jpg

 

 

[Mainly28s]

1 hour ago, Giorgio N said:

The fact that it was a flight from a German pilot is enough to try and guess the colour scheme. According to D'Amico and Valentini book on the camo scheme of the ANR, 22 machines were in various stage of assembly at the Aeritalia division of Fiat outside Turi.- Whatever machine was flown by Lerche was likely one of these. 3 machines were completed in October and delivered directly to the Luftwaffe, all finished in the dark green over grey scheme I mentioned in my previous post. His G.55 may have been completed earlier, in any case the scheme would have been the same.

The original scheme seems to have retained the Italian 600 mm wide white band on the rear fuselage, see for example this picture:

 

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Fiat-G55/Fiat-G55-Centauro/pages/Fiat-G.55-Centauro-in-Luftwaffe-markings-MM91068-left-abandoned-01.html

 

Crosses on wing and fuselage were thinner than the standard used by the Luftwaffe but later at least the fuselage ones became closer in style to the ones used by the Germans. Size was 700X700 mm for wing and fuselage while the swastika on the tail was 580X580.

Later aircraft had no white band, so looking like the machine below:

 

https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Fiat-G55/Fiat-G55-Centauro/pages/Fiat-G.55-Centauro-in-Luftwaffe-markings-01.html

 

My guess, based on the info in the book and the dates you give, is that this specific G.55 would have been in green over grey (practically 100% sure) with the white band (90% sure). Regarding the serial number, can only be between MM 91054 and 91070. The aircraft with serials MM 91066, 91067 and 91068 were the 3 completed for the Luftwaffe in October, so the aircraft flown by Lerche may be an earlier one. IIRC 91066 was flown to Germany, the other two were tested in Italy and then sent back to Fiat to be refurbished and used by the ANR (the fascist republican air force).

The prototype was also used for flight tests after the armistice and of course there is the possibility that this was flown by German pilots. The prototype carried a different scheme, with Nocciola 4 (hazelnut) splotches on the upper green surfaces, as seen in this picture of the second prototype:

 

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_G.55#/media/File:Fiat_G.55.jpg

 

 

Wow! That's brilliant information! I know absolutely nothing about Italian aircraft, so this is an absolute godsend. I'll make a point of posting some pictures when I eventually get it built.

 

Thank you very much!