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The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna (Italian: "stork") was a twin engined World War II bomber in the Italian Regia Aeronautica. Although the Br.20 was the standard medium bomber in the mid-1930s and had proven effective in the Spanish Civil War, it was already obsolescent by the time Italy entered the war. Image File history File links Acap. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... Fiat S.p. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Insignia applied with a decal on the tail of the Règia Aeronautica aircraft (reconstruction). ... Genera See text. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The B-17 Flying Fortress is one of the most recognizable and famous bombers of World War II. A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... Insignia applied with a decal on the tail of the Règia Aeronautica aircraft (reconstruction). ... It has been suggested that Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War be merged into this article or section. ...

Design and development

In 1934, when the Regia Aeronautica requested Italian aviation manufacturers to submit proposals for a new medium bomber, the specifications called for speeds of 330 km/h at 4,500 m and 385 km/h at 5,000 m, a 1,000 km range and 1,200 kg bombload^[1]. Although Piaggio, Macchi, Breda, Caproni and Fiat offered aircraft that mainly exceeded the speed requirements (but not range), not all were satisfactory in flight qualities or reliability. Accepted among the successful proposals, including the tri-motor Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 and Cant Z.1007, was the BR.20 Cicogna designed by Celestino Rosatelli, who acquired the name "Bombardiere Rosatelli"^[1]. The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Italian: Sparrowhawk) was an Italian bomber of World War II. The three-engined airplane served well as torpedo and medium bomber. ... The CANT Z.1007 Alcione was a three engine medium bomber used by the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II. // The first prototype flew in March 1937 and the CANT Z.1007bis went into production in 1938. ...

The BR.20 was first flown at Turin on 10 February 1936. “Torino” redirects here. ... is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Technical description

The B.R.20 was a conventional bomber, that vaguely resembled the B-25 Mitchell, with its double tail, twin engines and a nose separated into cockpit and navigator stations. It was a twin engined medium bomber, of classic monoplane design, with a robust main structure, mainly metal but partially fabric covered with both on wings and fuselage and featured a retractable undercarriage. Lt. ...

The aircraft structure originally had 54 m square meters covered by metal, and 13 by fabric, aluminium painted. The wings were even more fabric-covered. The structure of the wings was monoplane, with undercarriage elements retractable in the engine's nacelles. The structure itself was more complex than the relatively simple and light fuselage. They had two spars and 50 cantilevers each, and a thick structure. Also the chord was noceable (sicsic), and the surface total was 74 square meters^[1]. There weren't slats or flaps, different from the SM 79s, but the take-off and landing was quite quick, thanks to the low wingload, and the speed was not much compromised by the thickness of the wing, probably thanks to the long chord of the structure. The command of the tail were dobled (sicsic) and with fabric-covering. The double tail was useful for many purpuses, especially with the help done to the defence dorsal turret, both to fire and, first of all, to see the incoming fighters^[1].

The engines were two Fiat A.80 RC 41, so the aircraft was both projected and powered by Fiat factories. They yielded 1000 cv at 4,100 m and assured a maximum speed, full loaded, of:

• 394 km/h/2,000 m
• 423 km/h/3,000 m
• 430 km/h/4,000 m
• 421 km/h/5,000 m
• 394 km/h/6,000 m.

Thanks to 3,54 m 3-blade, metal propellers, variable pitch propellers, the power of these engines can be used at its best, and the maximum and the cruise speed as well where very high for these times^[1].

The fuel tanks, self sealing type ('Semapizzati') where 2x725l. inside the fuselage, while 2x546L and 2x540L were in the wings (that were built with tree parts, only the inner had the fuel tanks). The two oil tanks had 107 kg capacity, but the total load of oil was meant, normally, in 150 kg. All this gave for the bomber, full loaded (3,600 kg of payload and 6,500 kg of empty weight, total 10,100 kg) a range of 5,5 hours at 350 km/h, and 5,000m. altitude. The space of take-off and landing was indeed on 350 and 380m. The theorical ceiling was 7,600m^[1].

As armament, the aircraft had both defensive and offensive accommodations. The nose turret was model H, a 7,7 mm turret, while DR was the dorsal turret, with two, later one 7,7 mm. Breda. This turret was characteristic because it was semi-retractable: the gunner saw outside from the small crystal-roof, and in case of danger extracted all the turret. This knew an evolution, because later was adopted an M.I with a 12,7 mm Breda, and finally this Fiat turret was replaced with a Breda R, armed with a 12,7 mm Scotti; it was a much better system, that didn't need a recractable system when not istalled, because the induced drag was low, but the Scotti was an awful weapon, with low reliability. The position of the ventral weapon, 7,7 mm, was particular: it was placed in a sort of air-brake, extractable when was the need to use it. All the original weaponry weighed 220 kg^[1].

Various sub-systems were available on BR.20: there was a hydraulic system for the undercarriage, a 12 liter cylinder for the brakes, a CO2 SILMA, a 9 liters cylinder for oxygen, a radio-trasmitter R.A. 350-I, a receiver A.R.5, a radiogonyometer P.3N, a photograpic, vertical machine (18 kg), and a interphone. The main wheels were 106x375x406 mm^[1].

Offensive weapons, the purpose of any bomber, were placed only in the bomb bay, commanded by the pointer in the nose, and it was possible to carry the following combinations: two 800 kg bombs as maximum load (very rare, if ever happened), 2x500 kg, 4x250, 4x160, 12x100, 12x50, 12x20, 12x15 kg. Combination of different types were possible, like 1x800 and 6x100 kg, or 1x800 and 6x15/20 kg, or 2x250 and 6x50 or 100 kg. Very interesting weapons were 4 dispenser, armed with up to 720 bomblets, 1 or 2 kg, HE or incendiary, to make an aerial detruction effect, like happened later with the MW-1 or JP-223 of Tornado^[1]. Take present that the bombs, real weighted differently: 2(1,7)kg, 50(69)kg, 100(129)kg, 250(259)kg. All the bombs were loaded and released horizontally, improving the accuracy of the launch. No torpedoes were taken in consideration as payload, even if there were aircraft like the Wellington, which was even slower but used also for this task.

Crewed by four or five, the Br.20 had two pilots sitting together, side-by-side with the engineer/radio operator/gunner behind. Another two or three crew were in the nose and the mid- fuselage, as radio-operators, navigators and gunners. It's unclear if the navigator was a secondary pilot, but the crew originally was intended for four, and the second pilot seat, once rectracted, was the only way to enter in the nose. The radio operator was also the ventral gunner^[1], while the last man was the dorsal gunner.

Operational history

Shortly after this first flight the aircraft became central to the propaganda campaign lauding Italian engineering. In 1937 two stripped down BR.20s were built for entry into the prestigious Istres-Damascus air race gaining sixth and seventh place. They had a nose similar to civil aircraft, because of the removal of all the military hardware, like the defensive turrets. The internal fuel tanks were enough for 7700l, bringing the range to 6200 km^[1]. In 1939 a modified long range version of the BR.20 under the command of Maner Lualdi made a highly publicised nonstop flight from Rome to Addis Ababa. This was called S.Francesco, and had 5,000l. of fuel, increasing the range from 3,000 to 5,000 km. It held an average speed of 404 km/h. Soviet Propaganda Poster during the World War II. The text reads Red Army Fighter, SAVE US! Chinese propaganda poster from during the Cultural Revolution. ... Istres, sixth-largest town of Bouches-du-Rhône. ... Nickname: The Seal of the Damascus Governorate Syria Syria Governorates Damascus Governorate Government  - Governor Bishr Al Sabban Area  - City 573 km²  (221. ... Air racing is a sport that involves small airplanes and is practiced around the world each year. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... For the long-distance runner, see Addis Abebe. ...

Apart from sporting actions, the real task of BR.20 was medium range bombing. It had many features that were very advanced for its time: it was as fast as machines like SB-2s (which were only light bombers), with over 400 km/h and an high cruise speed (320 km/h). The range and payload were also very good.

13 B.R.20 were sent to Spain, where they contribued to enhance the Aviazione Legionaria, and win the Civil War. The low number of these bombers, did not give them the same importance as the S.M.79s, at least in 99 examples delivered^[1].

Even with these actions, B.R.20s were nowhere as famous as S.M.79s, as both racers and bombers (S.M.79s scored the first place in the Istres-Damascus race, leaving the Fiats far behind). In Spain, Sparviero were almost the Italian standard bomber, especially on day missions. They and BR.20 were fast enough to avoid interception, and in case, defend themselves, mainly from the little faster I-16s, but also I-15s, with their sometimes dangerous climb capabilities. 9 of the 13 BR sent to Spain survived to the war (together with 80 Sparviero) and remained in service there.

BR.20s in the Spanish Civil War were used in bombing raids over Teruel and Ebro. Nine of them took part in the Nationalist air parade in Madrid at the war's close. The BR.20s that had served in the Civil War were given to the Spanish government. It has been suggested that Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War be merged into this article or section. ... View of the mudéjar Cathedral of Teruel Teruel is a city in Aragon, Spain, the capital of Teruel Province. ... The Ebro (Greek: Έβρος, Latin: Iberus, Spanish: Ebro, Catalan: Ebre) is Spains most voluminous and second longest river. ... Eugène Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolising French nationalism during the July Revolution 1830. ... Motto: (Spanish for From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: , Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jimémez (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ...

85 BR.20s were sold to Japan and saw action in the Second Sino-Japanese War. However, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force was dissatisfied with their performance and soon replaced them with Mitsubishi Ki-21s. The problem for the Japanese Army Air Force was at this time still great: they needed long range bombers to operate over China, where fighter opposition was increasing. The Navy had already G3Ms but the Ki-21s still had yet to reach operational status, so there were no alternatives^[1]. Combatants China Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Cheng, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren, Xue Yue, Bai Chongxi, Mao Zedong, Peng Dehuai Hirohito, Hideki Tojo, Kotohito Kanin, Matsui Iwane, Hajime Sugiyama, Shunroku Hata, Toshizo Nishio, Yasuji Okamura, Umezu Yoshijiro, Fumimaro Konoe Strength 58,600,000 4,100,000... The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service was Imperial Japans land based aviation force. ... now. ...

The fabric covered surfaces where negatively viewed as vulnerable, even if the main structures of this aircraft was noticeably robust. The aircraft had unsatisfactory range and defensive armament, but the first Ki-21s that entered service where not much better, except that the all-metal construction and some evolution capabilities, when better engines will been available (both types shared two 1000cv engines). In 1939 there were still examples in service, after a heavy employment in China^[1]. They were a very respectable and powerful bomber force for the late '30s standards, but their time would soon be expired: Ki-21s had totally replaced them within ten years.

Finally, one was sold to Venezuela.

Cicogna vs. Sparviero

Seeing how BR.20 was the winner, after a fierce competition, of the 1934 new bomber competition, it could be view as strange that it was quickly superseded by Savoia Marchetti S.79s, despite being practically born together with the BR.20, never taken part to that competition.

Even so, Sparvieros quickly gained a reputation that overshadowed the Cicognas. This was also because the air races in which took part successfully. The differences between the two aircraft were, as performance, minimal: both were rated at about 430 km/h and with a maximum and typical payload of 1,600 kg and 1,000 kg for a range of 800-1000 km. Both also had 3-4 machine-guns as defence weapons, and almost totally lacked protective armour (except for the Sparvieros first pilot, Cigogna had no armour at all), but had self-sealing tanks^[1].

As for crew accommodation and weapon systems, the BR.20s were greatly superior. They had the pointer in the nose, in an ideal position to perform its duties and the bombs were stored horizontally. More than this, they had a 360° turret in the dorsal sector, with a better field of fire than the equivalent on Savoia. The nose machine-gun provided an almost all-around self defence weapon. The only forward pointing machine-gun on the Sparviero was fixed and of very questionable use, because it wasn't syncronized with the nose propeller and had to be pointed with some elevation, aiming over the plane only. All in all, the Sparviero as a bomber was never satisfactory, and it had basically all the problems that the 3-engine layout provided: the nose was occuped by one of the engines, the aircraft did not have an adequate pointer nacelle and a forward defence. As for the construction, the mixed structure of Sparviero was easy to make, but the almost all-metal structure of Cicogna should have been better (at least it didn't cough fire, as the wooden wings of Sparviero).

As for range, often the Cicognas were rated superior, but it's dubious in which engine rating the eventual longer endurance was performed. In fact, the total fuel was around 3,622l. and the payload 3,600 kg, was not so different than the Sparviero's (3,300l- and around 3,500 kg). Given a typical payload of 1,000 kg (real: so no 10x100 kg but 8x100 kg), the crew, the defensive weapons and other stuff, including a photographic machine fitted as standard in the nose, the weight remaining for the fuel was only 1,700 kg^[1]. , and this was with a crew of only four. This fuel load was 2/3 of the fuel capability and so, except to take-off overloaded, the range was subsequently limited to around 800 km, not much different than the Sparviero. With a 1,600 kg maximum payload, 1,100 kg remained (out of around 2550 kg) for the fuel allowing a maximum range probably not in excess of 400 km. So this greater payload was never used as standard because 800 kg bombs were very rare (just around 300 existed at the beginning of the war, and were not much more powerful than the 500 kg bombs due to ignition systems)^[1].

As speed and ceiling, they were roughly on pair, and so, no difference were recorded even there^[1].

The real reasons of the Sparviero's success lay in its flying characteristics: Even if Cicogna was an honest and reliable aircraft, it was not outstanding. Sparviero was a more difficult aircraft to fly, with a heavier wingload, but it had 3 engines, medium class (780 hp), that were more powerful, together, than the two high class engines (1,000 hp) of the Cicogna. The output was around 2,300 hp compared to 2,000 and the weight-hp ratio was around 4:1 rather than 5:1 at full load.

The Sparviero, weighing around the same, had a reserve of power and was capable of performing acrobatic figures, even tonneaux. It had enough power to return to base even with an engine shut down, and its engines were more reliable than the BR.20s' ones, so it gave pilots a better chance of survival. In fact, it was so nimble that the torpedo role was mainly performed by it, while the Cicogna was never considered for that role^[1].

Even so, how the Sparviero was so successful (torpedo-aircraft were a reality, for Italians, not before the start of the war) in comparison to the BR.20 is fundamentally without answers. On the technical side, the Cicogna displayed itself as the most advanced of the two planes as far as construction and the bombing role. The Sparviero was hampered in its military installations and by the engine layout. Even the vertical bomb bay was unical and worse than the other Italian bombers (included the successor, the SM 84). More than this, the much publicized role of torpedo aircraft was started only after the start (10 June) of the war, when Sparvieros (employed only as bombers) were already much more spread out than the BR.20s. One of the shortcomings of the BR.20 was the defensive armament, which negatively influenced the speed. To bring into action two of the three positions (ventral and dorsal) it had to extend them with an heavy increase of drag. The dorsal turret was later improved but the ventral position remained, until BR.20bis deleted it definitively^[1]. The Sparviero lost less speed putting into action its defensive armament, but in fact it had to open the aft pointer nacelle, the lateral panels and the dorsal hump. BR.20 dorsal gunner, if nothing else, was capable of checking the sky even with the turret lowered in the fuselage.

In every case, the final output was about over 1,200 Sparviero's were built, at least twice as many as the Cicogna, despite the fact it was the winner of the 1934 contest. Given the fact that the Cicogna were usually employed at night and never in torpedo attacks, this helps to understand how this plane was overshadowed by the Sparviero's career.

War service, 1940-45

At the start of the war, only four wings had BR.20s compared to the 14 wings that had S.79s. Total in service were around 119-202 Cicogna's and 500-612 Sparviero's, depending on the sources and how these machines were considered (only those in first line, or also second lines, magazines etc.)^[1].

By the time Italy had entered World War II, a new variant the BR.20M had been produced. The BR.20M had a different nose section with added glazed sections for the bombardier and a slightly longer fuselage. Also the weight was increased because part of the fabric was substituted with metal, improving the resistance to flutter, and the speed was lower, even if there are figures that show it being higher; in fact, it dropped from 430 to 410 km/h^[1]. For Bombardier Group, Canada see: Bombardier United Kingdom Bombardier and lance-bombardier are British Army ranks used in the Royal Artillery instead of (respectively) corporal and lance-corporal. ...

264-279 BR.20Ms were built from February 1940, while before at least 233 BR.20 standard were made, probably including the amount sold to Japan. The total, 530-602 included other versions, is not clear^[1].

The aircraft fought in the brief campaign against France and also served with the Corpo Aereo Italiano stationed in Belgium during the Battle of Britain. BR.20s were involved in day and night raids against Ipswich, Ramsgate and Harwich. The Corpo Aereo Italiano (C.A.I.) was an Italian expeditionary force participating in the Battle of Britain during the final months of 1940. ... Combatants United Kingdom Including combatants from:[1] Poland New Zealand Canada Czechoslovakia Belgium Australia South Africa France Ireland United States Jamaica Palestine Rhodesia Germany Including combatants from Italy Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann Göring Strength 754 single-seat fighters 149 two-seat fighters 560 bombers 500 coastal 1,963 total... The city heart of Rotterdam after being terror bombed by Germany in 1940, the ruin of the (now restored) Laurens Kerk is the only building that reminds people of Rotterdams medieval architecture. ... Timber framed buildings in St Nicholas Street The Ancient House is decorated with a particularly fine example of pargeting Ipswich (pronounced ) is the county town of Suffolk and a non-metropolitan district in East Anglia, England on the estuary of the River Orwell. ... Ramsgate is an English seaside town on the Isle of Thanet in East Kent. ... Arms of Harwich Town Council Harwich (IPA, /hɑːˈɹɪtʃ/) is a town in Essex, England, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. ...

The units with Cicogna were, at the start of war: 7, 13, 18 and 43 Stormo (Wing), all based in Northern Italy^[1]. Already by June 12, at night, 8 bombers attacked Tolon, while 13 attacked the Hyeres and Fayence airfields. The worst day was on June 15, when two of them were shot down by some D.520s. French aviation wasn't totally whipped by the Germans and they tried to attack the Italian formations. The French fighters were superior to every plane Italians had and the BR.20s were easy target for their 20 mm. gun. Meanwhile, many BR.20s were used as support for the Army, even as observation aircraft, renouncing to strategic attacks.

Later they were used against Great Britain, when 13 and 50 Wing were sent in Belgium. They were fully equipped with BR.20Ms, but this didn't prevent one disaster after the other, with a ferry journey that ended with several bombers crashing, then with three bombers lost in a single night action, only because of errors and faults^[1]. Two of these eight bombers even failed to find their airfield, lost in the night and their crews bailed out. On November 11, in a famous battle over Great Britain, some Hurricanes were sent to fight the Italians that returned, this time in a day mission with fighter escort. Even so, 3 bombers were downed and 4 were damaged out of ten. On the same day, the Italian fleet was torpedoed at Taranto, so Churchill said:'it was better for them, rest to protect their fleet in Italy'.

The Italians didn't try other day missions, and re-started flying night missions. At the end of the Battle of Britain, the Italian contribution was minimal, and a substantial failure. Still, almost 200 modern aircraft were involved, weakening the Regia Aereonanutica in Mediterranean.

Fiat BR.20s over Yugoslavia.

During the course of the war, BR.20s were used in North Africa, Albania, Greece and Malta. They were also used extensively in Yugoslavia against Tito's partisans. By 1943, when the Italian armistice was signed, many had been relegated to training, though 81 were with operational units, mostly in the Balkans and Italy;later served in Eastern Front also. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 388 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (622 × 960 pixel, file size: 62 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Fiat Br. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 388 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (622 × 960 pixel, file size: 62 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Fiat Br. ... North Africa is the Mediterranean, northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, Југославија in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980) was the ruler of Yugoslavia between the end of World War II and his death in 1980. ... Yugoslav Partisan Flag The Yugoslav Partisans were one of the two main resistance movements engaged in the fight against the Axis forces in the Balkans during World War II, alongside rival Chetniks, the Yugoslav Peoples Liberation War. ... A white flag is traditionally used to represent a truce. ... Training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relates to specific useful skills. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Eastern Front may refer to one of the following. ...

BR.20 were sent over Malta as the typical night bomber, and fought against Yugoslavia, with a strong force (131 aircraft) in four groups. They were involved in heavy battles with the Greeks and British, often facing fierce RAF opposition, as happened on February 27, when 4 BR.20s were lost or heavily damaged. 99 and 31 Gruppo bombed Malta, but only at night, but other groups were used to perform such attacks^[1].

From March, 1941, 98 Gruppo was sent in Tripolitania to bomb the British forces, especially Tobruk. Africa was never a primary teatre for the Cicogna, but also 13 Wing was sent there in July 1941-April 1942. 55 Gruppo aircraft later contested Operation Torch, and this was the last use over Africa. 3 BR.20s were sent to Russia in August 1942, to perform as tactical recognition, displayed as much worthy aircraft in this task. Other BR.20s were used to drop food and other material to the Italian Army, often trapped in the Balkans, facing with Yugoslavian resistance.^[1]

After the first year of war, the shortcomings and the limitation of this type of bomber were so evidents, that it was total outclassed, higly vulnerable to enemy reaction, as already Japan airforce complained in 1938. This aircraft was sobstituted by Z.1007s and S.M.84s in almost all the units that had it.

The main first line task remained was the night bombing, especially against Malta, but another interesting task was found, apart tactical recognition, with the escort of convoys in Mediterranean. This aircraft was fitted with bombs and maybe depth charges. It was used in this role from 1941, especially with 37°Wing (Lecce), 13°Wing (end of 1942),116°, 32 Group (Iesi, from 1943), 98° (based in Lybia), from 1941. One of the 55° machines was lost in August 1941 against British torpedo-bombers, while between 9 August-11 September 1941 98° escorted 172 ships from Italy to Lybia. ^[1]. The aircraft had not expecial istallations, except depth charges (160 kg) and was only capable to oppose itself to enemy aircrafts and eventually, ships and submarines with its speed and machine-guns. In almost all these units, the Cicogna was togever with other aircrafts, such as Ca.314s. This escort task was quite effective, at least psychologically, and the Cicogna, like other bombers sent over seas (example, Welligton and 1,000 B-24s of the Coastal Command) done its best to face the enemy action, but the lack of special instruments was not helpig much and no submarines were sunk by this aircrafts.

Some were used by the RSI after armistice, and maybe only one was in the ICAF. The last BR.20 was phased out on June 7, 1946.

Final developments

BR.20 was a good overall design, but it soon became obsolete, and the lack of modernized versions condemned it to be only a second-line machine, underpowered and lacking in defensive firepower. There was, however a last interesting development, that could be called the 'Cicogna' at its full potential development.

The final production variant was the BR.20bis with a fully glazed nose, a retractable tail wheel, a more streamlined fuselage, pointed fins, improved performance and much heavier armament. 15 of these were built from March to July 1943. The fuselage can be short, and seemingly unaerodynamic, as in this Christen Eagle 2 The fuselage (from the French fuselé spindle-shaped) is an aircrafts main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. ...

BR.20 Bis was a net improvement, but as often happens, it arrived too late.

It had 17,45 m long fuselage, 21,85 m wingspan (75mq). The nose had a simple machine gun, not a heavy turret, and was widely glassed. The tail wheel was rectractable, and dorsal turret was still one time substituted: a Breda Type V substituted Caproni Lanciani type. The ventral position was eliminated, but there were two later, high angle positions, perhpas with 12,7 mm weapons. The bigger news were regarding the engines, A.82 RC.42 with 1092cv at take-off and 1250 at 4,000m. At the end of this path, the new BR.20 was capable to reach 4.000 m in 10,16min and obtain 460 km/h^[1].

Already in 1941 this was completed, but initially only with the original engines. This prototype (MM.456) was faced with CANT. Z.1018, another modern bomber, and lost the competition (CANT had 2,700 hp and 524 km/h). Only 98 BR.20bis were ordered in 1942, but this was later cut to only 15. No action of these machines are known. In the confusion of those days, it's not even known if this machine was completed in all the first 15 examples, while other sources claim that another series of 12 was completed for the Germans^[1]. There are sources that even state, how, with the bombings of 1944 over Fiat, several BR.20 Bis were destroyed in the assembly lines, with German markings. In fact, this later version remained totally unknown as operational career.

Experimental versions included the BR.20C, a gunship with a 37 mm cannon in the nose and a tricycle undercarriage, even more similar to the B-25, and developed by Agusta. It is unclear if this powerful aircraft ever flew, while the weapon was tested on the ground^[1]. Another was modified to guide radio-commanded unmanned aircraft filled with explosives, but this was never used in combat.

Of all the BR.20s made, today almost nothing exists, except a propeller in Anzio's monument. Also in this field, the BR.20 is overshadowed by the Sparviero (despite its wood-mixed structure), as at least one of these exists complete and totally restored at Vigna di Valle museum.

Evolution of dorsal armament

As dorsal turret, with these latter modifications it's possible to make this list of all the changes made^[1]:

• D.R., first 20 examples: 2x7,7 mm Breda
• D.R., 21-100th:1x7,7 mm
• M.I., from 101th: 1x12,7 mm Breda
• H (Fiat): 1x12,7 mm
• R(Breda):1x12,7 mm
• Delta (Caproni-Lanciani):1x12,7 mm Scotti
• Tipo V(Breda):1x12,7 mm Breda (for the BR.20Bis, originally armed with Delta)

This part of the aircraft saw a constant evolution, much more than the aircraft itself, that even with BR.20M was still extremely similar to the original project, made in 1935. In every case, the BR.20 weaponry was never satisfactory and was unable to defend this bomber in daylight missions, also because it lacked lateral defence positions. While it was still fast enough, as happened in Spain, it was almost untouchable, but the D.520s and Hurricanes quickly made clear, that in World War Two this would not be repeated.

Operators

Italy

Japan

Hungary

Spanish State

 Venezuela

Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946)_crowned. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hungary. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Spain_Under_Franco. ... Flag Motto Una Grande Libre Anthem Marcha Real Capital Madrid Language(s) Spanish Religion Roman Catholic Church Government Monarchy Head of State¹  - 1939-1975 Francisco Franco  - 1975-1978 Juan Carlos I Legislature Cortes Generales Historical era Cold War  - Spanish Civil War 1936-1939  - Republic defeated April 4, 1939  - Death of... Image File history File links Flag_of_Venezuela. ...

Specifications (Fiat Br.20M)

Data from The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II^[2]

General characteristics

• Crew: 5
• Length: 16.68 m (54 ft 8 in)
• Wingspan: 21.56 m (70 ft 8.75 in)
• Height: 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in)
• Wing area: 74.0 m² (796.5 ft²)
• Empty weight: 6,500 kg (14,330 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 10,100 kg (22,270 lb)
• Powerplant: 2× Fiat A.80 RC.41 radial engine, 746 kW (1,000 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 440 km/h (273 mph)
• Cruise speed: 340 km/h (211 mph)
• Range: 2750 km (1,709 miles)
• Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,250 ft)
• Rate of climb: m/min (ft/min)
• Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: kW/kg (hp/lb)

Armament

• 3× 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns
• 1600 kg (3,528 lb) of bombs

The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ... The Fiat A.80 was a 14-cylinder, twin-row, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine produced during World War II. Rated at 1,000 hp (745 kW), it was a more powerful development of the Fiat A.74. ... The radial engine is an internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... Airspeed Indicator in a light aircraft The VC of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of cruising. ... The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft, or cross-country speed and environmental conditions in unpowered aircraft. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ... This article or section should be merged with . ... Breda-SAFAT was a series of machine guns used on Italian aircraft during World War 2. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af} Lembo.
2. ^ Bishop, Chris (ed.) 1998, The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, Barnes & Noble, New York. ISBN 0-7607-1022-8.

• Lembo, Daniele. Fiat BR.20 una cicogna per la Regia, Aerei nella Storia, n. 29, April-may 2003, West-ward edictions. pagg 8-26.
• Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II. Chancellor Press, 2002.

External links

• A Spanish Civil War photo showing an early model BR.20

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