Maybe a whiff within a whiff could be a Ecuadorian CR.42...
More Italian stuff coming soon
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With the outbreak of WW2 imminent, there were to be a series of aircraft-delivery disappointments for the Fuerza Aérea del Ejército Equatoriana (FAEE). Most serious was that of the Gloster SS.37E
Gavilán (Sparrowhawk) fighters. At the last moment, Whitehall chose to redirect these
Gladiator biplanes towards China's KMT government in Chungking. [1] Neither of the Airspeed AS.5DC
Azor crew trainers were delivered and only one of the three Avro 652E
Aninga patrol and reconaissance-bombers ordered arrived in Ecuador (RAF deliveries having priority).
Likewise, despite some deposits paid, options on British aircraft could not be exercised after September 1939. That eliminated the possibility of any Ecuadorian Miles M.2X
Hawk Trainers (meant to supplement the aging Curtiss-Wright CW-16E fleet). There had also been a November 1938 'expression of interest' in the Blackburn B-24E (Ecuador) divebomber. However, no contracts were ever signed for this
Mercury-powered equivalent to the
Skua Mk.I prototypes. [2] Informal negotiations had also been underway to procure torpedo bombers from the UK - Britain had offered the Fairey
Swordfish or ex-RAF Vickers
Vildebeests but the FAEE wasn't interested in either of these seemingly obsolete biplanes.
The first six Hawker
Harpía recce-bombers did arrive to supplement the 'Alfa Romeo' fleet. The
Harpía biplanes were actually ex-RAF Hawker
Hart Mk.Is rebuilt with radial engines. The
Harpías were powered by the same
Mercury VIIIA engines intended for the
Gavilán fighters. These engines were fitted to refurbished, ex-RAF
Harts stripped of their
Kestrel IB V-12s and fitted with the same motor mounts as that of Hawker's Swedish
Osprey. Ecuadorian options on a second batch of
Harpía could not be fulfilled due to war work (although Hawkers would honour Ecuador's deposit payments after WW2).
Top A newly-delivered Hawker
Harpía of Desca 'B', Escuadrilla de Bombarderos, Ala de Combate 12, based at Destacamento Aérea (DA) Andoas. The locally-applied camouflage is the early
Amazónica scheme - often referred to as '
Pepinillos Recogidos' (Pickled Gherkins).
Although planned to augment the IMAM Ro.37bis fleet, the
Harpías proved capable of showing the '
Alfas' a clean pair of heels. Popular with crews, the
Harpías deployed to FAE detachment airstrips in Amazónica. Desca 'B' at DA Andoas had three
Harpías in permanent rotation. Another three were rotated through DA Santa Maria Nieva (the latter field seeing Ro.37s when
Harpías had to be withdrawn to BA Guayaquil for major maintenance. On average, at least four
Harpías were 'on station' in Amazónica. These near-permanent forward basings put the
Harpías on the frontline when the
Guerra peruano-ecuatoriana broke out in July 1941.
The
Harpías made a good showing in the '
guerra del 41' despite their modest bomb loads. Amazingly, none of the Hawkers were lost in combat. However, by the time of the 29 January 1942
Armisticio, all of the
Harpías had suffered some form of damage and the small fleet was virtually worn out. With the end of active hostilities, all
Harpías were returned to Guayaquil for assessment and a complete overhaul. However, the first action was robbing the six
Harpías of their Bristol
Mercury VIIIA powerplants - the surviving Bristol
Busardo I fleet was now given priority for all
Mercury engines remaining in Ecuador.
The Fábrica de Aviones Militares Ecuatorianos' recommendation was to relegate the
Harpías to an advanced training role. With reduced power being acceptable in this role, the
Harpías could be re-engined with 650 hp Alfa Romeo 125 R.C.34 radials made surplus by the earlier upgrading of Ro.37bis recce-bombers. This scheme was accepted by the
Oficina del Comandante General - FAE and FAME began modifying the Hawker airframes to accept the Ro.37bis engines. [3] Once airframe refurbishment was complete, FAME was able to re-deliver five Hawkers to the FAE (
Harpía '181' having been sacrificed to supply parts for its former wing-mates). The new '
Entrenadora Harpía' - or, more properly, FAME/Hawker
Harpía IIE - joined the FAE's Escuela Superior Militar de Aviación in the Summer of 1943. After serving at BA Guayaquil for almost two years, four surviving
Harpía IIE relocated with ESMA to BA Salinas in early 1945. The last '
Entrenadora Harpía' stood down in March 1947.
Bottom Hawker
Harpía IIE (
Entrenadora), FAE Escuela Superior Militar de Aviación, BA Guayaquil, May 1944
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[1] Fortuitously, engines ordered for the diverted
Gaviláns did arrive in Ecuador. So too did engines for the undelivered, second batch of Hawker
Harpías. Being identical to the 825 hp
Mercury VIIIA radials fitted to the Hawker
Harpía, these engines became part of the spares pool.
Later on, some of the
Gavilán engines were fitted to
Busardo IIs. Later inquiries in Italy about access to Alfa Romeo Avio-built
Mercurys (or '
Mercurius') revealed that only 37 such engines had ever been produced by Avio back in 1933-1934.
[2] In mid-September 1939, the Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge was informed by Blackburn Aircraft Limited that it was no longer in a position to accept foreign orders.
[3] It was found that the existing motor mounts would readily accept the 'new' engines. This was not a complete surprise since the origins of the Italian radial were in the Bristol
Pegasus - a longer-stroking derivative of the
Mercury.
BTW: The
Harpías are based on two profiles by
Clave - one
Demon and one
Hart Trainer.