Many thanks folks. And, Evan, proofing is
always much appreciated!
Greg: That Reggiane Re.2005R with the shaft-driven axial compressor was exactly what I was going for
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Tipo Spagna - The Spanish MacchisAt the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War, the most modern fighter aircraft available to the Ejército del Aire was the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Attempts to organize Spanish licensed-production of the German fighter would slip from
Emil to
Gustav models without success. Germany was willing to support its erstwhile ally but simply could not spare technicians, tools, or critical components to help begin production in Spain. In the meantime, Hispano Aviación of Seville was approached with a proposal by Aeronautica Macchi via the Italian Air Attache in Madrid. If Hispano would license-build Macchi C.202 fighters in Spain for the Ejército del Aire, Italy would purchase surplus production for use by the Regia Aeronautica.
A deal was struck in early 1942. Hispano would build the fighters with Macchi's assistance and, to circumvent Spanish neutrality rules, would provide component-knock-down airframes to Italy. [1] With the agreement in place, sample C.202 airframes were shipped from Milan to Seville to act as pattern aircraft. With tooling also shipped from Italy, C.202 production ramped up fairly quickly in Spain - where the fighter was redesignated HA-1202-D1L by Hispano Aviación. Local production was partly delayed by Ministerio del Aire stipulations. Both the MdA and the Ejército del Aire regarded the Macchi as interim equipment pending domestic production of the preferred Messerschmitt fighter.
Top Hispano Aviación HA-1202-D1L fighter concept as first envisioned by Spain's Ministerio del Aire.
A part of the production order agreement, the Ministerio del Aire required that Hispano Aviación incorporate certain Bf 109 components into the Macchi design to provide a degree of commonality between two future EdA fighter types. This was to include the VDM propeller with Bf 109 spinner, oil filter, Elektron alloy engine mounts, Revi gun sight, Luftwaffe R/T equipment, and other German parts. These changes were duly incorporated into Hispano drawings. The difficulty lay in promised German deliveries failing to appear. As a result, all early Spanish-built Macchi airframes - locally designated HA-1202 - were shipped by coastal freighter from Seville to SAI Ambrosini in Milan for final assembly. The first examples were completed as C.204Sp (
Spagna) before increased engine deliveries from Alfa-Romeo allowed SAI to switch to C.202Sp production exclusively. [2]
Italy's shortage of DB 601A and Alfa-built
Monsoni engines was nothing next to Spain's powerplant conundrum. Germany had promised deliveries of 200 Daimler Benz engines - first DB 601As, then, DB 601Ns, and finally DB 605As. None arrived - wartime Luftwaffe requirements taking precedence. Since the HA-1202 airframe could be completed as a C.202 or C.204, Aer.Macchi approached the Ministero dell'Aeronautica on Hispano Aviación's behalf. Could Italy supply Hispano with surplus Isotta-Fraschini
Asso L.121 V-12 engines? The L.121 R.C.40 V-12 was less powerful than Spain's preferred DB 601 engine but the resulting Hispano HA-1212-I1L fighter would be a vast improvement over the Ejército del Aire's current Fiat C.R.32
bis biplane fighters!
Unfortunately, Isotta-Fraschini was ending L.121 production to focus on growing demand for air-cooled
Delta engine demand. A few Alfa-Romeo and Fiat were barely able to meet Italian demand for license-built DB 601 and DB 605 engines. A handful of Alfa Romeo R.A.1000 R.C.41-I did reach Seville but these were mainly used for flight-testing Italy-bound airframes - each engine being installed and then removed again from dozens of Hispano-built airframes. [3] Beyond that, Italy could supply no DB 601-type engines to Spain. A scheme evolved to follow Fiat Motori's example and license-build the DB 605A in Spain. Some preparation was made to begin Spanish production - as the ENMASA
Epsilon - but, with Spain still recovering from the devastation of its Civil War, this proved unrealistic.
Desparate times call for desparate measures and Spain's available modern aero-engine were surveyed again. ENMASA pushed the
Beta - its Wright
Cyclone copy - but this large-diameter radial was considered a poor match for the Macchi airframe. [4] As an
ad hoc solution to Spain's chronic engine shortage,
Dott. Ing. Mario Castoldi arranged for the Regia Aeronautica to release surplus Macchi C.201
ter components stored at Varese-Schiranna and Sesto San Giovanni. The Ministero dell'Aeronautica also agreed to redirect matching numbers of 840 hp Fiat A.74 RC.38 radial engines. Thus, Hispano Aviación was able to complete a run of 16 HA-1201-F1L
Saeta (Dart) fighter-bombers which were analogous to the Italian C.201
ter. With no other options, the Ejército del Aire accepted the HA-1201-F1L into service as the C4B. The C4Bs were deployed to Spanish Morocco to replace worn-out Heinkel He 112 - much to the disconcertion of EdA fighter pilots who dubbed their unwelcome new mounts
Burritos.
Bottom Hispano Aviación HA-1201-F1L - An EdA C4F '
Burrito' fighter-bomber of 1a
Escuadra,
Grupo 27 at Sania Ramel in Spanish Morocco, June 1945. Note the Falagist symbol on the forward fuselage - used here as a personal marking.
In the summer of 1944, the engine-supply situation eased slightly with the first German deliveries. Hispano Aviación received 30 ex-Luftwaffe DB 601A powerplants which had been removed from war-weary Bf 109E fighters. From this delivery, Hispano's engine shop was able to produce 23 fully-airworthy engines. These engines powered 20 HA-1202-D2L fighters which, fitted with Macchi-supplied cowlings and Piaggio propellers - looked very like a standard C.202 fighter of the Regia Aeronautica. The 20 HA-1202-D2Ls were delivered to the Ejército del Aire between October and December of 1944. These HA-1202-D2Ls were used for pilot and ground crew familiarization in anticipation of more-powerful, DB 605A-powered HA-1205-D1L fighters. In a now-familiar pattern, such engines never arrived in Spain. No HA-1205-D1L fighter was ever completed and the proposed DB 601-powered 2-seat HA-2202-D2L advanced trainers were cancelled outright.
(To be continued ...)
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[1] CKD airframes would allow Macchi to quickly assemble aircraft in Italy while Spain could claim to only be supplying 'parts'.
[2] The 'Sp' for
tipo Spagna (Spanish type) suffix was a Ministero dell'Aeronautica designation. The Regia Aeronautica used the 'Sp' suffix only in procurement documents. Otherwise, the SAI Ambrosini-assembled aircraft were simply assigned standard
serie numbers regardless of an airframes origin.
[3] For record-keeping purposes, airframes temporarily fitted with R.A.1000 engines were designated HA-1202-A2L.
[4] The ENMASA
Beta was also in high demand as the powerplant for the trimotor CASA C-202 transport, a Spanish-built Junkers Ju 52/3m.