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Xilon_x
01-22-2011, 02:15 PM
during the second world war the air and Maritime Forces have made quite a few Italian special missions: actions that, for technical implications, military and political, have taken on the characteristics of actual records. However, these operations-almost all conducted with happy-little is known. A bit because some documentation top secret was destroyed or lost after the surrender of Italy (September 8, 1943), a little because the nature of the Italian people forget quickly wars and suffering related to them.
After the Japanese attack on us base of Pearl Harbour (December 7, 1941), the aggressive Empire of the rising sun is found, in fact, paradoxically, isolated from partners of its axis.Following the forced interruption of the normal and regular air and sea linksbetween italy,Germany and Japan (remember that these Nations on 26 September 1940 had signed an agreement of mutual military and economic assistance: the "Tripartite") both the Germany and Italy began to devise alternative systems for breaking the Anglo-American bloc that prevented their means of reaching the Far East. The needs of the supply and interchange of rare raw materials (also for other needs shared by the Japanese) and to coordinate (through exchanges of military advisors, military plans and codes encrypted) operations against Allied forces greatly stimulated the imagination and design capacity of technicians of the axis.Between the various operations of link designed and implemented to rebuild relations between Europe and Japan, occupies a special place belongs to raid the aeronautical Rome-Tokyo. In January 1942, the Italian Air Force Command-called by the Ministry of war-start planning a project of non-stop flight between Italy and Japan. Given the enormous distance that separated the two Nations, the General Fourgier (Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Airforce) turned to a group of specialists of long-distance raid: drivers who, in part, in 1940, had already participated, on board special transport trijets Savoia Marchetti SM83, many transatlantic flights in the South America and, in 1940/41, refueling missions to isolated Italian strongholds in East Africa (Jimma and Gondar). The men chosen to equip the special plane that was chosen (a very modified version of the famous three-engined transport Savoia Marchetti SM75 (close relative of the famous SM82 equally that had a higher load capacity but significantly less autonomy). The SM75 was a robust monoplane, designed before the war for civil and military transport over long distances, equipped with three engines Alfa Romeo 128 RC 18 750 hp, heavy 11200 kg unladen and over 22,000 full load.http://www.storiain.net/arret/num84/big/tokyo841.jpg
aircraft, which had a crew of 4 men and a payload of a few hundred kilograms was able to travel to over 8,000 kilometers (without stopovers) at a cruising speed of approximately 300 kilometres per hour and at an altitude of between 3,500 and 5,000 metres. Initially, the crew selected by Command aeronautical Rome was composed of pilots, Lieutenant Colonel Amedeo Havens (partecip Grand Prix 1937 Istres-Damascus-Paris and Rome in 1938 to raid-Dakar-Rio De Janeiro) and Captain Publius Magini (pioneer of the "blind instrument flight"), by Radioman Ezio Vaschetto and coaster engineer Vittorio are. This same crew carried out the 9 May 1942 an experimental flight 28 hours of duration up to Asmara (former Italian colony of Eritrea) to make patriotic manifestini "(Italian Eritrea: forget the Homeland there. return! "). The bold mission succeeds and the enthusiasm to make the time for the great leap up to Japan. May 11, 1942, after returning from the Mission in Eritrea, long after the last tests made by the company, the SM75 GA (Large Autonomy) comes from its hangar to Rome-Ciampino. Unfortunately, ironically, during his short Ciampino Airport transfer to Guidonia (slightly more than 50 kilometres!), the Middle has a fault simultaneously on all three engines and rushes like a stone. The Commander can Havens to take a dire emergency landing, but the plane is crasced to the ground and the same Paradises loses his right leg in an accident.
miraculously, the rest of the crew live their droopy leaves but from disaster. Shock the Ripresisi and the Italian military engineers start working feverishly. Rome-Tokyo Raid cannot be resent. With an enormous effort of mechanics are able to prepare in record time a second copy of SM75 GA and 9 June the crew which includes now the pilot Captain Mario Curto and sublieutenant radio-aerologista Ernesto Mazzotti. Coordination of the operation is entrusted to Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Triple.
On 29 June 1942, 05,30, l ' SM75 "RT" (Rome-Tokyo) to the command of triple-takes off from Guidonia (Rome) and after a flight of 2030 km land in Zaporoskje (in Ukraine was occupied by German forces), actual base of departure. 30 June, at 18.00, after the last checks and after loading some crates containing valuable top secret ciphers and documents intended for the Italian Embassy in Tokyo, the Italian Air, overhead of petrol (10,300 litres) manages to take off on a runway just 700 metres away. In case of emergency landing in the Soviet zone, the crew ordered to burn the plane and of course the sealed envelope containing the new secret ciphers and nautical charts. To meet the wishes of the Japanese, who don't want to compromise their relations with Moscow, Italians don't bring any documents officially intended to personality of Tokyo.
http://www.storiain.net/arret/num84/big/tokyo842.jpg
(MUSSOLINI and japanese general)


in spite of all precautions and the absolute radio silence, during the overflight of Stalino Volga delta and the SM75 identified by artillery and antiaircraft Soviet heavy is even caught by a hunting (probably one "Yaks") which, fortunately, fails to demolish it. In his memoirs, the master will write Triple in this regard: "we had the distinct feeling that our route was known to the Russians". The SM75 continues its long journey still flying over the northern coast of Lake Aral, cutting the Baikal and the Tarbagatai mountain chain until it reaches the heavens of the vast desert of the Gobi. The cartography of edge proves to inaccurate in particular as regards the altitude and the dislocation of mountain ranges, and at the same time the possibility to fly to safety dimensions exceeding 5,000 meters very limited by the quantity of oxygen cylinder (approximately 4/5 hours). The weather then gets tough as the plane moves in direction East, IOC toward the area of the planet affected by winds and rainfall accumulations and typical of the summer monsoon. The crew, in this context, fatigue in the calculation of celestial navigation. Not to mention that the final flight in proximity of the border between China and Mongolia SM75, gets hit by a severe sandstorm that pursued up to over 3000 metres.
, the Commander Us despite Triple takes tough and from 22.00 on June 30, pit the clouds and begins the descent along the wide river yellow. At 15.30 on July 1, 1942, the three-engined Italian, almost to the limit of its autonomy, identifies the field landing Japanese Pao Tow Chen (located in Inner Mongolia has long occupied by the troops of Tokyo) and Lands happily on a pretty good track of 1,300 meters. The crew is greeted by a Japanese aviation, General Manager of Hansi, accompanied by a delegation from official military and two Italians come added by Japanese capital (the captain Roberto De Leonardis and Captain Henry Smith). After having rested a day, the aircraft again in the direction of Japan which is still 2,700 miles, not before you have changed the Italian insignia recognition with those of Allied (to avoid being killed by mistake and hunting friend) and have taken on board a Japanese pilot captain in quality of interpreter. To 8: 00 p.m. on July 1, the Italian aircraft lands at Tokyo airport, between the enthusiasm of the lush Italian representation. The Japanese, for their part, you show yours but nothing more. The fear of annoy the USSR very strong, as well the regretted not yet managed to develop an adequate means to make an air raid in the opposite direction.
The German military attaché in Tokyo also this ritual celebrations taking place at the Airport (and later at the Italian Embassy) and notify me immediately, in encrypted, the amazing result of Italian mission to the command of Marshal Herman Goering. The latter sends then a warm congratulatory message to the General Fourgier and then if the takes with his staff by accusing his good technical of not being able to emulate the gesta de those "damned comrades maccaroni". Actually, the flight of SM75 "RT" was a great success, the data timing and contingencies. 16 July (after two weeks of dense technical meetings with peers, and superiors of Japanese, Italians and Germans, and of merriment) the Italian crew reports without problems the aircraft to Pao Tow Chen. Here, after having cancelled for good Japanese and their insignia replaced again with those of Italy, the aircraft was inspected and replenished 21,000 litres of fuel. And 21.45 on July 18, takes off, not without problems given the overhead and the altitude of the field (1020 m), in the direction of the West. The return route winds on the same "routing" the round trip takes place between several drawbacks: frequent showers clumps of clouds, violent changes in temperature, ice formations on the wings.
Reached the Caspian Sea in Sultanahmet with, the Commander Triple tries to get in touch with the Italian base radio of Stalino but there is successful, perhaps to a fault to the unit. Fortunately, the Soviets didn't notice and thanks to the astronomical calculations carried out by the Navigator the SM75 Magini succeeds, at 02,10 on July 20, 1942, to landing happily on the reserve of Odessa (Black Sea), after a flight of 6350 kilometres travelled on 29 hours and 25 minutes of flight. A few days later, Guidonia (Roma), triple-and his men will be decorated to value by Mussolini in person. Given the scarcity of resources and money and political impediments, the Supreme English Command decided not to make any other flight in the direction of the Far East. However, the important observations and lessons arising from the Mission of the ' SM75 "RT" allowed the Germans to inaugurate, starting from the beginning of 1944, a plane of air links with Japan, to perform certain raid with four-engine aircraft to transport special Junker 290.
http://www.storiain.net/arret/num84/big/tokyo843.jpg
(especial italian squadron trips in japan whit a secrets documents)

SAVOIA MARCHETTI SM 75
The SM75 was a civil transport aircraft and military 6,283 cantilever construction, three-engined, mixed. The aircraft was designed by engineer Alessandro Marchetti in 1936 and the first prototype (freshman n/c. 32001) decoll by field test of Cameri (Novara), commands of Alessandro Passaleva, test in November 1937. The SM75 was designed to equip the Ala Littoria (Italian national airline) of a modern and capable means capable to cover medium and long distances with loads of passengers and freight. Immediately after the entry of Italy into the war (10 June 1940), aerodays ' event in Rome, on the basis of the excellent services provided by the few operating models, civilian gi decided to militarise SM75 gi the available and to encourage the production of a new lot intended, with appropriate modifications, to special missions at long range. The great distances that separated the Italy from its colonial possessions in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia) and the isolation of these regions, surrounded by the enemy, required the urgent availability of an aircraft capable of covering paths of no less than 2,500 miles one-way. The SM75 and, thanks to its good quality and features, well you paying for this purpose. The civil version of the aircraft could carry, normally, 17 passengers pi baggage at a distance of 1720 kilometres and a maximum speed of 360 kilometers per hour at 4000 metres. The military version (equipped with a defensive machine-gun dorsal Breda Safat machine gun 12.7 mm turret Caproni-Lanciani) carrying 24 soldiers instead, with the same performance of the base model. The SM75 was equipped with three radial engines Alfa Romeo 126 RC 34 750 HP at 3400 meters or three engines Alfa Romeo 128 RC Inc 860 HP at 1,800 metres above sea level. The prototype had an aperture of 29,68 meters, a total length of 21,60 m, a height of 5 metres, a wing area of 118,80 meters, eun empty weight of 9500 kg and a maximum load of 13,000 kilograms. The SM75 could climb to 4000 feet in 5 minutes and 42 seconds and had a share of up to 6250 meters tangency. The medium was able to take off in 337 metres of land in just 280: characteristics that made it suitable to work on secondary airports. The crew of the model civil was 4 men that increased to 5 (the gunner) for the military.
[2] on board the aircraft, in addition to the five crew members, armed with handguns 7.65 Beretta and with a 6.5-inch rifle Carcano, are loaded approximately 10 kilograms of food and medicine and ten litres of water and coffee. In accordance with the commitments previously given by the Japanese Embassy in Rome, the Italians waive any correspondence or evidence that may embarrass the Government in Tokyo. For security, also the personal message of Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano, addressed to the Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo, War is left on the ground (it will be transmitted via radio only mission completed)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Savoia-Marchetti_SM.75_GA_RT_in_East_Asia.jpg
this is SAVOIA MARCHETTI SM75 in JAPAN loock the japanese military in the photo
http://www.warbirds.jp/data/ita/phto/sm75i.jpg
http://www.warbirds.jp/data/ita/phto/sm75.jpg

Xilon_x
01-22-2011, 04:20 PM
example of italian project export to japan this is a japanese FIAT BR-20
http://www.stormomagazine.com/Kits/ClassicAirframes/Br20.jpg
this is art immagine.
http://www.hyperscale.com/images/ca4131reviewse_2.jpg
this is real photo

Meusli
01-22-2011, 05:15 PM
Looks like a two engined Liberator.

Xilon_x
01-23-2011, 11:22 AM
ROMA-------TOKIO and TOKIO------ROMA whit SAVOIA MARCHETTI SM75 GA
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Savoia-Marchetti_SM.75_GA_RT_in_East_Asia.jpg
Imagine if BENITO MUSSOLINI escape in japan during the end of ww2 in italy 1943.

Xilon_x
08-07-2011, 08:59 AM
ROMA TOKIO is a fantastic story this is example of italian long range flight.