page_title: Macchi C.205
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: Macchi C.205 / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: An Italian Macchi C.205 Veltro aircraft found on Catania airfield, Sicily (Italy), by personnel of No. 450 Squadron RAAF and subsequently serviced by the squadron's fitters.
context_page_description: The Macchi C.205 Veltro was an Italian World War II fighter aircraft built by the Aeronautica Macchi. Along with the Reggiane Re.2005 and Fiat G.55, the Macchi C.205 was one of the three "Serie 5" Italian fighters built around the powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The C.205 was a development of the earlier C.202 Folgore. With a top speed of some 640 km/h and equipped with a pair of 20 mm cannon as well as 12.7 mm Breda machine guns, the Macchi C.205 Veltro was highly respected by Allied and Axis pilots alike. Widely regarded as one of the best Italian aircraft of World War II, it proved to be extremely effective, destroying a large number of Allied bombers. The Macchi C. 205 proved capable of meeting fighters such as the North American P-51D Mustang on equal terms, which encouraged the Luftwaffe to use a number of these aircraft to equip one Gruppe.
  While the C.205 was able to match the best Allied opponents in speed and manoeuvrability, it was introduced late in the conflict. Due to the limitations of the Italian war economy, only a small production run was delivered before the end of the war. Like the Spitfire, the Veltro was tricky in its construction and slow to build.
context_section_description: The C.205 entered production only five months after its maiden flight and began reaching front line units in February 1943.  At the end of April, the 1° Stormo, based in Pantelleria, is the first unit to enter action with the C.205, on Mediterranean, escorting maritime and aerial convoys to and from Tunisia.  During their first sortie, 22 C.205 clashed with very good results against more numerous formations of Curtiss P-40s and Supermarine Spitfires. During the next few months, C.205s of the Regia Aeronautica were involved in several major engagements with some of the 4,000 Allied aircraft that were stationed in the Mediterranean at that time.
  At the end of May, because of the vulnerability of Pantelleria, the 1° Stormo was moved to Sigonella airfield in Sicily and the minor airstrip of Finocchiara, 15 km south-east of Ragusa. On 8 June 1943, 15 C.205s of 1° Stormo escorted three torpedo bombers attacking Allied ships which were shelling Pantelleria's defenses. At the end of June, the Stormo had no more serviceable Veltros. On 24 June, 1° Stormo left Sicily for Osoppo, then later Ronchi dei Legionari, and was replaced by 4° Stormo. Few pilots returned to Udine, while the remaining aircraft joined other units.
  4° Stormo, which had left Africa in January 1943, was re-equipped with Macchi C.202s and C.205s on the airfields of Campoformido (10° Gruppo) and Bresso (9° Gruppo). It was then moved to Rome-Ciampino airport. On 9 July 1943 (the eve of the Allied invasion of Sicily), 4° Stormo was based on the Catania plain, with a complement of 10 Veltros and 38 Folgores (no Italian unit was equipped with Veltros alone). Later it received a batch of a further 10 C.205s. The Italian pilots flew as many as six sorties per day, but on 14 July, with the first Allied paratroopers landing on the Catania plain, 4° Stormo was forced to retreat to Crotone airfield in Calabria after setting fire to four or five damaged C.205s that could not be repaired in time.
  51° Stormo fought with some success over Sardinia (apart from the battle of 2 August), but sustained heavy losses, especially at the end of July and the beginning of August.
  3° Stormo C.T., commanded by  Tenente Colonnello Tito Falconi, also had the opportunity to fly the Veltro in combat. At the time it was based at Cerveteri airstrip, with the task of defending Rome, 83ª, 85ª and 95ª Squadriglia, 18° Gruppo (of 3° Stormo) all received a number of C.205s. Commander Falconi assigned them to the most eminent pilots: Sergente Maggiore Luigi Gorrini, Tenente Franco Bordoni-Bisleri  and Maresciallo Guido Fibbia.
  3° Stormo used the new type effectively to intercept American bombers and fighters in the skies over Latium.
  "The Macchi fighter possessed some excellent qualities, and the Italian pilots made optimum use of the aircraft which had a maximum speed of 644 km/h (400 mph)."
  One of the greatest British fighter pilots of World War II, Group Captain Duncan-Smith DSO DFC respected both the Macchi and the Italian airmen:
  In general the standard of flying of the Italian pilots was very high indeed, and in encounters with Macchi 205s particularly we were up against aircraft that could turn and dog-fight with our Spitfires extremely well.
  Like its predecessors, the first Veltros were insufficiently armed, but the aircraft often performed well in combat. Guido Carestiato said the C.205 was the "best Italian fighter that he knew". The C.205 ace Luigi Gorrini scored 19 or 24 victories (in return, he was downed four or five times). Gorrini claimed 12 victories in July 1943, several of them with the Veltro.
caption: An Italian Macchi C.205 Veltro aircraft found on Catania airfield, Sicily (Italy)
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