Summer 1943. The Italian island of Sardinia trembles as Allied bombers approach, casting shadows over barren fields already scarred by relentless bombings. The few remaining locals scramble to find cover as the sound of engines fills the sky.
Suddenly, a sleek silhouette flashes overhead, darting with unprecedented speed toward the Allied squadron composed of P-51 Mustangs, P-47 Thunderbolts, and P-38 Lightnings. The challenger’s streamlined fuselage and enclosed cockpit cuts through the formation, leaving the pilots no choice but to scatter in the air as gunfire erupts from its 20-millimeter cannons and 12.7-millimeter machine guns.
The P-38 Lightnings dive in to intercept, but their enemy is too fast, climbing with a sharp ascent, then pivoting back down to cut through the Allied formation once more as it opens fire. The pilots dodge to avoid the hits, barely escaping as the sleek predator flies past them.
It has become clear this is no ordinary aircraft. Their rival is faster and more agile than any plane they’ve encountered before. In fact, this may just be the most dangerous Axis predator they’ve encountered in the air.
This is the Fiat G.55 Centauro. And it’s coming for them.
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Thank you for you appreciate a masterpiece of Italian Aeronautical industry but the reality is quite different. The G 55 was an excellent hunter, no doubt about that, but in no way it should be a game changer in the war. First, it was too much difficult to produce in great numbers and even too expensive (almost three times than a BF 109 or a FW 190). Second, in 1944 jet aircrafts were jet flying both in Germany and in Great Britain. Third, Italian RAF was unable to train a large number of pilots for a so advanced hunter and forth, we were lack of oil for that type of engines.
so was this best of musolini?
What about the Veltro? That was a beast with the DB 605. I also think the Ta-152 in large enough numbers could have done real damage.
Based on shoot-down statistics, If they had ceased aircraft production entirely and allocated all those resources to flak and other anti-aircraft systems by jan 1943, I highly doubt they would’ve needed to worry about a western front.
This would also save the majority of precious oil, allowing the germans to better mechanize in the east and fuel tanks.
They would’ve probably lost in the end, but the war would’ve been atleast a year longer
Hitler wasn’t mentioned in this video, except when he shook hands with Mussolini after he was rescued by German soldiers and allowed to form a new government……
As for its speed, did it ever go through the sound barrier in a dive?
It was a brilliant design that was too late to change the war.
Also, because it was made in small numbers, it shows how the Allies won the war with USAs productivity and it’s ability to out manufacture anyone else that actually won the war.
How stupid can "a document" be…
What a shame …….! Such a good plane , neglected ……. !
Ukraine will lose the war because it is not quality that wins, but sheer quantity. That is how it was in World War II.
The Germans seriously considered mass producing this Italian fighter instead of Me-109. The problem is that each Fiat G55 needed 100 hours of more labor, compared with the Me-109.
So, what determined the issue was the economics of mass manufacturing !
]the DB 600 was a water-cooled in-line engine; many photos here showed an air-cooled radial engine. many allied aircraft max performance equaled or exceeded what is quoted here [as did the FW 190; the guns, however were bad-ass]
If your planes are designed to defend your airspace, and their planes are designed to operate in your airspace, you're already in big trouble..
You forgot to mention, its main attribute was to conveniently break down and fly back to base without firing a shot. The Italians aren’t stupid.
Can the breathless narration, please.
I believe this was true of Britain and the US too. Look what happened with the De Haviland planes.
The missed opp for germany was to not use the country as a manufacturing centre for everything esp tanks and aircraft.
When combined with germanys output and being to far away to bomb their capacity combined coukd well have equalled russia or america.
THAT would have been a war winner.
Say italy took nuetrality for example it wud have blocked sicily landings…provided manufacturing and prevented bombing of factories.
That was Germany’s problem. It’s “x-y-z” weapon that’s going to win the war. Sure they made some pretty state of the art stuff. But they needed numbers. And logistical support.
But I am happy they couldn’t figure that out.
Could we have a slightly less breathless delivery of the text please?
Its the "how do you outrun a grizzly" question. Just run faster than your friend. Usually "good enough" is all that matters – hence Me 109.
Australian here , what is is with Italians and making beautiful stunning looking machines ?
This is one channel I wish would change to AI narration
You just lost me …When you had to use the Nazi word …You just can't help yourself !! When will you ever learn
Watching from Philippines
Oh man, you can’t compare the C.202 Folgore with the G.55 Centauro. They are fighters of two different generations. Anyway, Gabrielli’s real wonder was the DB603 engined G.55, that is the G.56. That was a real match for late Spitfires, Thunderbolts and Mustangs.
Fiat G.55, G.56, Re.2005, Re.2006 – Italians were WW2 masters of balanced aircraft design.
Concerning the radial engines: didn´t some of the highly successful types of FW 190 use them?
Many thanks, this is my second favourite aircraft. Number 1… the Re2005. Both stylishly beautiful and impressively competitive. I also love the MC205, Italian elegance. I'm not just obsessed with Italian aircraft. Fw190D, Hawker Tempest, La7. In general piston engined fighters are my love but a few simply stand out as stunning.
No.
As I always say since I Knew about A.Hitler and WWII , Hitler was in fact the major allied of the US during WWII …
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The Germans got the BF 109 undercart so badly wrong.
nothing was better then the ME262 the first twin turbo aircraft fighter.But they couldnt produce fast a big qty of ME262 and it came too late to make a difference
I can see where the Japanese KI-61 "Hien" fighter came from
It looks like the mighty focke wulf 190 long nose
No G.55 fought over Sardine, they were the MC.205s of 51st Wing, that strangely the video fails to mention at all. Moreover the G-55 was quite low rated by some pilots like Mario Bellagambi, later became general in post-war. He admired the P-51 and P-47. And the G-55 had about twice the man-hour of a Me.109 to be built. If the point was to have an high-altiude fighter, the answer was the Fw-190D, no need to have a foreign design at all. In post-war, Gabrielli had his dream to enter in Germany realized, anyway, with the G.91R/T. But this is another story.