On 6 November 1940, in the first hour of the British offensive against Ethiopia, the Fiat CR.42 fighters of the 412a Squadriglia led by Capt. Antonio Raffi shot down five Gloster Gladiators of 1 SAAF Sqn; among the Italian pilots was the ace Mario Visintini, who later became the top scoring pilot of all belligerent air forces in Eastern Africa O Gloster Gladiator foi um caça biplano inglês da Segunda Guerra Mundial. [ 1] Foi utilizado pela Royal Air Force, pela Fleet Air Arm (Avião Naval Britânica na variação de Sea Gladiator), também sendo exportado para vários países na década de 30. Foi o último caça biplano da RAF, tendo ficado obsoleto mesmo antes do início do conflito. Gloster Gladiator. For its day, the Gloster Gladiator was not only pretty to look at, but was a beautiful aircraft to fly, providing that you were not being chased by a Messerschmitt Bf109 at the time. Also, the sound from the Mercury radial engine was a delight to the ear. The Gladiator was manufactured by the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company This gave it a much heavier attack capability than most earlier biplane fighters and equalled that of the final biplanes used by the British and Italians, the Gladiator and Fiat CR.42 Falco. The S.510 was doomed to obsolescence before it even flew, although when it was designed many pilots and experts strongly believed that biplanes would prove The CR.42 was the last of the Fiat biplane fighters to enter front line service, and represented the epitome of the type, along with the Gloster Gladiator. RAF Intelligence praised its exceptional manoeuvrability, further noting that 'the plane was immensely strong', [5] though it stood little chance against faster, more heavily armed The photo material of this walkaround has been divided into two sections. Fiat CR 42 Falco (J 11) in Detail - Part 1: General Airframe Fiat CR 42 Falco (J 11) in Detail - Part 2: Engine and Undercarriage Fiat CR 42 Falco (J 11) in Detail - Part 3: Cockpit. Sources and Credits J11 Fiat CR 42 by Mikael Forslund, ISBN 91-631-1669-3 is a nice book Served with 3 Sqn under RAF control; Egyptian re-serial of aircraft received pre-war; 25/01/1941 this was one of 5 Gladiators bounced by 5 Italian G.50bis fighters with the pilot being F/L Peter Turnbull who claimed a G.50bis damaged from the engagement (see K8022). Note: L9044 maybe a misquote as this serial was allotted to a Bristol Blenheim IV. Fiat CR.42 Aces of World War 2. by Hakan Gustavsson and Ludovico Slongo, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, England, 2009, $22.95. When contests are held for the most beautiful fighter of World War II, there are many votes for the Supermarine Spitfire, FockeWulf Fw-190, Messerschmitt Me-262 and others. But if the contest was narrowed down to WWII’s BtdZq.