Macchi C.205

The Macchi C.205 'Veltro' was a WW2 Italian fighter aircraft, which was developed from the C.202 by the firm Macchi. It was the fastest of all the Italian aircraft, and it was also faster and more maneuverable fighter than several, well-known Allied counterparts; hence, the name 'Veltro', which means greyhound. The prototype performed its first test flight on April 19, 1942, entering service in February 1943. Both the Macchi C.202 and the C.205 had been designed by the aeronautical engineer Mario Castoldi. By 1945, about 270 Veltros had been manufactured.

It received its baptism of fire the following month, when 22 C.205s engaged 18 US P-40s in the skies over the Mediterranean Sea as 10 of the American planes were shot down by the Italian fighters. However, it was the British pilots of the Supermarine Spitfire aircraft that really dreaded this reliable Italian aircraft as many of them were wiped out of the skies.  The Veltro also carried out day and night missions in North Africa and Italy, as a fighter, interceptor, and bomber's escort. After the war, it was kept in service with the Italian Air Force until 1947, and with the Egyptian until 1950.

Technical characteristics

The Macchi C.205 was a single-seat, low-winged monoplane. It had an all-metal, streamlined fuselage, with its back section ending in conical point. It was also fitted with retractable landing gear and canopy cockpit. The C.205V was equipped with a Fiat RA1050 RC58 Tifoni, which was a 12-cylinder radial engine, capable of delivering 1,475 HP. This engine was known in Germany as the Daimler-Benz DB-605A-1, which was built in Italy by Fiat under license.

Weapons

The Veltro was equipped with the following armament: two 20-mm MG-151 guns; two 12.7-mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns; two 160-kg bombs (employed during ground-attack missions).

Specifications

Wing span: 10.58 m

Length: 8.84 m

Height: 3 m

Wing area: 16.80 sq. m

crew: 1

Maximum speed: 650 km/hour

Range: 1,050 km

Below, the Macchi C.205V Series III. You can see the one of the two 20-mm cannons, which were mounted on the wings

 

Below, the C.205N at an Italian military base in late 1943.