Macchi 200 "Saetta" Fighter

The MC-200 (Saetta) was developed in the mid-1930s for the Regia Aeronautica. It was one of the principal fighters with which Italy entered the Second World War. The MC-200 was first employed against the British at Malta and eventually saw service in Greece, North africa, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union. Saettas were employed against U.S. forces in North Africa and over Italy itself. A total of 1,151 were produced.

The MC-200 shown above was abandoned at Banghazi K3 airfield during the Axis retreat following the battle of El Alamein. It is displayed in the markings of the 372nd Squadron of the Regia Aeronautica which it carried at the time of its capture.

Technical Details
The MC-200 was powered by a FIAT A.74 R.C.38 double row, fourteen cylinder, air cooled radial engine of 870 hp. This engine gave the plane a maximum speed of 313 mph, a ceiling of 29,200 ft, a range of 355 miles and an endurance of 1 hr 20 min. It was decidedly under-armed with only two 12.7mm Breda machine guns firing through the propeller. This made the aircraft a favoured target of Allied airmen over Malta. Many of them would not have survived if the Saetta had been armed with cannons.

Canadian Aces Home Page

Images From: an on-line image archive, via Macchi Sp.A.