page_title: Macchi C.200
section_title: Yugoslavia
hierarchical_section_title: Macchi C.200 / Operational history / Yugoslavia
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Aereo italiano della Seconda Guerra Mondiale in atterraggio. Foto provenienti dall'Archivio privato della famiglia Riggio. English: A WWII Italian fighter Macchi MC.200 Saetta. From the private archive of Riggio family.
context_page_description: The Macchi C.200 Saetta, or MC.200, was a fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Aeronautica Macchi in Italy. It was operated in various forms by the Regia Aeronautica who used the type throughout the Second World War.
  The C.200 was designed by Mario Castoldi, Macchi's lead designer, to serve as a modern monoplane fighter aircraft, furnished with retractable landing gear and powered by a radial engine. It possessed excellent maneuverability and the C.200's general flying characteristics left little to be desired. Stability in a high-speed dive was exceptional, but it was underpowered and underarmed in comparison to its contemporaries. Early on, there were a number of crashes caused by stability problems, nearly resulting in the grounding of the type, which was ultimately addressed via aerodynamic modifications to the wing.
  From the time Italy entered the Second World War on 10 June 1940, until the signing of the armistice of 8 September 1943, the C. 200 flew more operational sorties than any other Italian aircraft. The Saetta saw operational service in Greece, North Africa, Yugoslavia, across the Mediterranean and the Soviet Union.
context_section_description: C.200s from 4° Stormo took part in operations against Yugoslavia right from the start of hostilities. On the dawn of 6 April 1941, four C.200s from 73ᵃ Squadriglia flew over Pola harbour and attacked an oil tanker, setting it on fire. Due to limited air resistance being encountered, sorties flown by the type in this theatre were dominated by escort and strafing activities.
  The 4° Stormo flew its last mission against Yugoslavia on 14 April 1941: on that day, 20 C.200s from 10° Gruppo flew up to 100 km south of  Karlovac without meeting any enemy aircraft. Operations ended on 17 April. During those 11 days, the 4° Stormo had not lost a single C.200. Its pilots destroyed a total of 20 seaplanes and flying boats, while damaging a further 10. Additionally, they had set on fire an oil tanker, a fuel truck, several other vehicles and destroyed port installations.
caption: A WWII Italian fighter Macchi MC.200 Saetta. From the private archive of Riggio family
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