The Italian aircraft industry in W.W. II could be called derivative, almost imitative. The Reggiane Re 2000's obvious P-35 pedigree is perhaps the most famous example.
Less famous is another Reggiane aircraft, this time inspired by the legendary Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
the Reggiane Re 2000-47 "Tempessimo".
The name Tempessimo is a colloquialism in the local dialect for one who is both tempestuous and temperamental which are appropriate adjectives for this mercurial aircraft.
Powered by a poor knock-off of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp, the key to this fighter's performance was actually its turbosupercharger, a byzantine contraption manufactured by the I.T.C. (
Italiano Turbo Compressore) concern.
This device was such a plumber's nightmare that mechanics swore I.T.C. was really short for "Itta Too Complex".
The prototype Tempessimo was rolled out early in 1942 for flight tests. Once discovered by Allied intelligence, it was quickly dubbed the "Italian Thunderbolt" or "Italian Jug" for its similarity to the Republic P-47.
The testing program was a protracted, drawn-out affair mostly due to engine and turbosupercharger problems. By 1943, the prototype Tempessimo had only logged 12.35 flight hours, hardly enough for a realistic evaluation.
However, that would have to be enough when the aircraft was called on for its only combat sortie in June, 1943.
On the 23rd,
Il Duce was having another sleepless night, tossing and turning in his official residence,
il Palazzo per le Persone Più Importante di Lei (Palace for People More Important than You). For the third evening in a row, an unwelcome visitor had kept the
Duce awake.
Something had to be done and as the Tempessimo was the nearest air asset to
il Palazzo per le Persone Più Importante di Lei, it was ordered to evict the interloper. True to form, the Tempessimo suffered engine failure just as it reached altitude and the pilot was barely able to make a dead-stick landing. The
Duce would continue to suffer insomnia until the end of the war.
Shown here wearing co-belligerent markings, these 1944 photos were taken on the ground where the aircraft ironically spent almost the entirety of its service life. Not long afterwards, the Tempessimo was designated as an instructional air frame and transferred to the Basic Mechanics' & Fitters' school in Parma.
While only one Tempessimo was ever built, it still played an important, if forgotten role in Italian aircraft development even if the so-called "experts" refuse to acknowledge it, thinking the whole thing was just a hoot.
Brian da Basher