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HISTORY
version, the aircraft were greatly improved
with new Alfa 128 engines, a more powerful
armament, new radios and the removal of
the gondola. All these changes finalized the
Sparviero into a true torpedo bomber. Taking
advantage that SIAI was in Northern Italy, the
ANR (Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana)
was able to group together new and old
equipmen t and determined crews ready to at tack
the enemy that was climbing the Peninsula.
The ANR carried out daring torpedo runs
in Ancona, Bari, to counter the landings
at Anzio and even a night time raid on
Gibraltar. The losses decimated the
ranks, along with aircraft lost in combat
missions a lot were also lost in transport
flights intercepted by enemy fighters.
hen the war in Europe was finally over,
a great number of SM.79 were still
airworthy. They would go on to have a major
role in the rebirth of the new Aeronautica
Militare Italiana that struggled to get back on
its feet due to the losses of men and equipment.
More obsolete than ever, the SM.79 still served
with many squadrons after the war, waiting
for the Allies to grant surplus or more modern
aircraft. The SM.79 also had one last merit that
deserves a mention. 4 aircraft converted to
transport planes were sold to Lebanon in 1949.
In a time of great economic struggle selling
those 4 aircraft was needed to not go bankrupt
but many years later it would turn out to be an
extraordinary blessing. With the phasing out of
the lebanese SM.79, that government donated
one back to Italy and today it is on display at
the museum of Vigna di Valle. Nobody at the
time thought about preserving some of them
for future memory so all italian SM.79 were
destroyed. Without Lebanon, which lated
donated a second one to the Caproni museum in
Trento, today there wouldn’t be any Sparviero
for our eyes to marvel at or to remember the
sacrifice made by so many men in combat.
The second example of SM.79 preserved in the world is on display with Lebanese colours at Caproni Museum at Trento, in Northern Italy.
The SM.79 preserved at Vigna di Valle Museum near Rome, Italy, with topsides just repainted in an unusual and strange "olive drab" colour.
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INFO Eduard22
February 2024