Caproni Ca.310 Libeccio: Italian Reconnaissance Aircraft

The Caproni Ca.310 Libeccio (southwest wind) was an Italian monoplane, twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft used in World War II. Derived from the similar Ca.309, it had its combat debut during the Spanish Civil War and took part in the earlier phases of World War II in Libya. Some were used in attack groups as a temporary replacement for the unsatisfactory Breda Ba.65. The last Ca.310 was retired by the Italian Air Force in 1948.

The Ca.310 was designed as a low-wing monoplane reconnaissance/bomber, being essentially a version of the semi-military Ca.309 with retractable landing gear and uprated engines. The fuselage was of welded steel tube construction with a covering of light alloy panels and fabric, while the empennage/tail unit was of wooden construction with plywood skin on its fixed portions and fabric covering on control surfaces.

Above the fuselage, mounted in line with the wing trailing edges was a manually operated dorsal turret armed with a single rifle-caliber (7.7 mm/0.303 in) Breda-SAFAT machine gun.

Caproni pinned great hopes on the Ca. 310's effectiveness as a combat aircraft, only to be dashed when its performance fell short of expectations. This lack of performance resulted in both Norway and Hungary being disappointed with the export models they received in 1938. The Ca.310 had been evaluated by the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) which ordered a small batch. A unit of 16 aircraft was sent to Spain in July 1938 for operational trials as a reconnaissance/bomber by the Italian expeditionary force operating alongside the Nationalist insurgents in the Spanish Civil War.

The Norwegian aircraft were acquired as part of a dried and salted cod (Klippfisk) barter deal between Norway and Italy. The original order, including options, was for 24 aircraft, but after seeing that the aircraft did not perform well, the Norwegian authorities refused to accept any further Ca.310s. Instead, a delivery of 12 Caproni Ca.312s with upgraded engines and improved performance was substituted, but not delivered before the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940. A similar scenario occurred with other export contracts, especially with a hoped-for Royal Air Force order for bomber trainers being curtailed during negotiations with Caproni when Italy entered the war as an Axis power.

A series of 12 Ca.310bis were produced for Yugoslavia. This variant differed mainly in having an unstepped, glazed nose. The prototype Ca.310bis served as the development for the Caproni-Begamaschi Ca.311.

The 33 Hungarian Ca.310s returned to Italy were refurbished by Caproni and reissued to the 50˚ Stormo d’Assalto. The Ca.310 was not considered an effective combat aircraft and when it saw service during World War II, it was as a reconnaissance aircraft and as a light bomber in areas where no serious opposition was expected.

Peruvian Aeronautical Corps Ca.310s took part in the July 1941 Ecuadorian-Peruvian war. Together with North American NA.50s, the Peruvian Ca.310s flew bombing missions against Ecuadorian cities and supported Army of Peru ground forces. One Norwegian example has been partially restored and is displayed at Sola Aviation Museum.

Role: Reconnaissance

Manufacturer: Caproni

Designer: Cesare Pallavicino

First flight: April 1937

Introduction: 1938

Retired: 1948

Primary users:

Regia Aeronautica

Hungarian Air Force

Royal Norwegian Air Force

Air Force of Peru

Number built: 312

Variants:

Caproni Ca.313

Caproni Ca.311

Crew: three

Length: 12.20 m (40 ft)

Wingspan: 16.20 m (53 ft)

Height: 3.52 m (11.5 ft)

Wing area: 38.7 m² (127 ft²)

Empty weight: 3,040 kg (6,702 lb)

Loaded weight: 4,650 kg (10,251 lb)

Powerplant: 2 × Piaggio Stella P.VII C.16/35, 350 kW (470 hp) each

Maximum speed: 365 km/h (227 mph)

Cruise speed: 285-312 km/h (177-194 mph)

Range: 1,690 km (1,050 mi)

Service ceiling: 7,000 m (22,966 ft)

Armament:

3 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Breda SAFAT machine guns:

2 × 7.7 mm/0.303 in machine guns fixed forward firing mounted in the wing roots

1 × 7.7 mm/0.303 in machine gun in a dorsal turret

Bombs: up to 450 kg (992 lb)

Variants

Ca.310

Twin-engined reconnaissance aircraft, powered by two Piaggio Stella P.VII C.16/35 seven-cylinder radial piston engines.

Ca.310 Idro

Twin-float seaplane version.

Ca.310bis

Effectively the prototype of the Caproni Ca.311 with the unstepped all-glazed nose and two Piaggio Stella P.VII C.35 engines

Operators

Independent State of Croatia

Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske operated seven captured ex-Yugoslav aircraft.

Hungary

Royal Hungarian Air Force ordered 36 examples in 1938, but returned the surviving 33 in 1940 after being unhappy with type's performance.

Kingdom of Italy

Regia Aeronautica (193 aircraft); Aviazione Legionaria (16 aircraft); Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force

Italy (postwar)

Aeronautica Militare Italiana

Norway

Norwegian Army Air Service operated four Ca.310s. Serial: 501, 503, 505 and 507

Peru

Cuerpo de Aviación del Perú purchased 16 aircraft in 1938. 15 of them were delivered by ship in May 1938, and the last one was lost during the ferry flight from Italy to Peru on August 2, 1939, killing Capt. Pedro Canga Rodríguez and one of his crew members.

Spain

Spanish Air Force (16 aircraft)

Yugoslavia

Royal Yugoslav Air Force purchased 12 aircraft in 1938; SFR Yugoslav Air Force (postwar)

 

Ca.310bis.

Ca.310 prototype.

Civilian Ca.310.

One of the four Norwegian Caproni Ca.310s, circa 1939.

Caproni Ca.310, Croatian air force.

Caproni Ca.310, I-ABMI, Regia Aeronautica, visiting Dijon airbase, France, 1938/39.

Civilian Ca.310.

Ca.310B.

Ca.310B.

Ca.310B.

Ca.310.

Ca.310.

Ca.310, 18-4, Spanish Civil War.

Ca.310, Spanish Civil War.

Ca.310.

Ca.310 on skis of the Norwegian air force.

Ca.310.

Ca.310 (probably colorized).

Owned by the Italian Ministero Aeronautica (Ministry of Aviation) with the Matricola Militare (military serial) MM20858, the aircraft was registered I-ENEI on 5 January 1938, and used in a record attempt between London, UK, and Cape Town, South Africa. It departed Croydon, near London, on 17 April 1938, and crashed on the Lybian Coast on the 18th, and was subsequently destroyed.

Ca.310s.

Ca.310.

Ca.310, B.406, of the Hungarian air force.

Crashed Ca.310, B.402, of the Hungarian air force.

Ca.310 of the Hungarian air force.

Crashed Ca.310, B.403, of the Hungarian air force.

German airmen examine a Norwegian reconnaissance aircraft captured intact on Sola air base after Norway’s surrender. The aircraft is one of four Ca.310 purchased in Italy in June 1938 and delivered in October of the same year to Hærens Flyvevesen, the Norwegian Army Air Service. The aircraft, military codes 501, 503, 505, 507, were deployed on Lillestrom airfield. At the time of the German invasion in April 1940, the Ca.310s were at Sola, but their involvement in war operations was very limited, only one or two sorties.

Ca.310, possibly 503, of the Norwegian air force.

Two Ca.310, nearest aircraft is 506, of the Norwegian air force.

Ca.310 of the Norwegian air force.

Ca.310, 503, of the Norwegian air force.

Ca.310, 507, of the Norwegian air force being used for parts at Stavanger-Sola airfield.

German airman examines a Ca.310 of the Norwegian air force which has had its engines removed.

Two Croatian air force servicemen in front of an aircraft of the Independent State of Croatia’s air force (Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske—ZNDH) operational from 19 April 1941. The aircraft is an Italian-built reconnaissance plane, a Ca.310bis, former Royal Yugoslav Air Force. The latter purchased twelve Ca.310 with Piaggio P.VII C35 engines all delivered by June 1938. After the Kingdom of Yugoslavia’s surrender in April 1941, seven Royal Yugoslav Air Force Ca.310bis were transferred to the Croatian air force and employed on the Eastern Front with the Kroatische Luftwaffen Legion.

One of seven Ca.310 of the former Royal Yugoslav Air Force taken over by the Croatian air force and employed on the Eastern Front with the Kroatische Luftwaffen Legion.

Civilian Ca.310, OB-GGF, at Guidonia (the experimental center of the Regia Aeronautica), near Rome.

Ca.310.

British light tank passes a Ca.310 at El Adem airfield, December 1940.

Ca.310 cockpit.

Ca.310 cockpit.

A partially restored Caproni Ca.310 bomber on display at the Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola aviation museum in Sola, Norway. 2012.

Ca.310.

Ca.310 Borea.

Civilian Ca.310.

Military Ca.310.

Ca.310 Idro.

Armament of the Ca.310 Tipo variant built for Peru.

Panzerselbstfahrlafette 1a 5 cm PaK 38 auf Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper: German Light Tank Destroyer

Panzer Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (Pz. Sfl. 1a) prototype.

The Panzerselbstfahrlafette 1a 5 cm PaK 38 auf Gepanzerter Munitions­schlepper or Pz. Sfl. 1a was a German light tank destroyer that was developed during World War II.

In July 1940, Rheinmetall-Borsig was tasked by the Wehrmacht to develop a new light tank destroyer that could be used by airborne troops. Rheinmetall used the new recently developed Borgward VK 302 armored ammunition carrier as its basis, and armed it with the 5 cm PaK 38.

The vehicle was armed with the 5 cm PaK 38 gun with 32 rounds of ammunition and without any secondary armament. It was primary intended to by use by German airborne troops, who needed such vehicle that could be transported by plane. The 5 cm PaK 38 was mounted on top of the engine compartment, with one man on each side. A limited traverse mount allowed 40° traverse and – 10 + 20° elevation.

Ammunition was stored alongside the driver in the place that was formerly occupied by the commander. To cope with the recoil loads imposed on the very small chassis, a spade was lowered at the rear of the vehicles. The armor ranged from 8 – 14.5 mm. The fighting compartment, was the area behind the antitank gun's armored gun shield. This offered protection only from 7.92mm armor ammunition. Self-propelled gun was operated by the crew of three people: the driver he was placed inside the vehicle, gunner who was placed left of the gun and loader. who was right of the gun.

The dimensions of this vehicle were: width 1.83m, length 3.57m and height 1.44m (VK 302). Combat weight is in the range of 4.5 tons, it could reach up to 30 km/h with its Borgward 6M RTBV six-cylinder 50 hp engine, with operational range of 150 km. There is no information if any of these vehicles were equipped with a radio, and if there was any room for it.

In September 1941, another light fighting vehicle prototype was ordered. This was to be armed with the 10.5 cm LG recoilless gun designed by Rheinmetall-Borsig for paratroops use. A Krupp proposal was for a 360° traverse turret configuration. Only one mock-up model was completed.

It was planned to produce some 200 vehicles, but only two were ever built and these were sent off for troop trials in July 1942. However, by that time the 5 cm PaK 38 was no longer a viable anti-tank gun and the whole project was abandoned. Little is known about their combat performance.

Type: Tank destroyer

Place of origin: Nazi Germany

Mass: 4.5 tons

Length: 3.57 m

Width: 1.83 m

Main armament: 5 cm PaK 38

Engine: Borgward 6M RTBV six-cylinder, 50 hp

Maximum speed: 30 km/h

Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (VK302).

 

Panzer Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (Pz. Sfl. 1a) prototype.

Panzer Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (Pz. Sfl. 1a) prototype.

Panzer Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (Pz. Sfl. 1a) prototype. In July 1940, based on the armored ammunition carrier, a self-propelled gun armed with the 50mm PaK gun was developed (Leichte Panzerjäger). The gun was mounted over the engine compartment. In 1940, one prototype was constructed and was troop tested.

Panzer Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (Pz. Sfl. 1a) prototype.

Panzer Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (Pz. Sfl. 1a) prototype.

Panzer Selbstfahrlafette 1a 5cm PaK 38 auf Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (Pz. Sfl. 1a) prototype.

Panzer Selbstfahrlafette Ic (aka 5cm PaK auf Pz.Kpfw.II Sonderfahrgestell 901). A factory-fresh Pz.Sfl.Ic. This provides a clear view of the VK 9.01 chassis, the two-tiered superstructure and the 5 cm Kanone L/60 gun. Note the appliqué armor fitted to the side of the hull, which is visible next to the two shock absorbers. Ancillary equipment for the gun such as the cleaning rods is stowed on the side of the lower tier of the superstructure and a canvas cover strapped onto the roof shields the crew from the elements.

All two of the Pz.Sfl.Ic in service with the third platoon of Panzer-Jäger Company 601 (later renamed as the 3rd Company of Panzer-Jäger battalion (Sfl.) 559) as it travels through the small town of Kloster Zinna in Brandenburg. A Kleinepanzer¬befehls¬wagen I (a small command tank based on the Panzer I hull) leads the convoy, while at least four of the 8.8 cm Sfl. half-tracks bring up the rear. The relatively small size and low silhouette of these tank destroyers can be appreciated by comparing them to the humongous half-tracks and the young boys walking in the middle of the road. Note that the frontal plate of the Pz.Sfl.Ic superstructure only has a single visor for the driver, perhaps suggesting that there was not a separate radio operator (who would normally have his own visor) and a three-man crew instead of four.

A rare glimpse at the rear of the Pz.Sfl.Ic. Taken in the summer or autumn of 1942, this photograph is proof that the Pz.Sfl.Ic did indeed make it to the front. Like all other German armored vehicles in use on the front line, it has a Balkenkreuz painted on the hull side for identification purposes. The wrecked Soviet fighter in the foreground suggests that this may be in the vicinity of an airfield.

Pz.Sfl.Ic at left on railroad flatcar.

Pz.Sfl.Ic at.

Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (VK302). As early as September of 1937, orders were made to develop a fully-tracked armored ammunition carrier. Prototype of VK302 armored ammunition carrier (Sonderschlepper B III) was produced in 1940. At first, 20 vehicles were ordered followed by 100 vehicles but only 28 were produced from October 1941 to January 1942 by Borgward.

Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (VK302).

Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (VK302).

Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (VK302).

Gepanzerter Munitionsschlepper (VK302).

10.5cm LG auf Gepanzerte Munitionsschlepper. In September 1941, a similar design but armed with a recoilless Rheinmetall-Borsig 105mm LG gun was developed. The gun itself was to be mounted as in the 50mm variant but Krupp proposed a turret mounted gun of its own design. Only models were built.

10.5cm LG auf Gepanzerte Munitionsschlepper.

10.5cm LG auf Gepanzerte Munitionsschlepper.

10.5cm LG auf Gepanzerte Munitionsschlepper.