Fiat G.55 - The best fighter in the Axis (Early 1943)

The Fiat G.55 Centauro (Italian: "Centaur") was a single-engine single-seat World War II fighter aircraft used by the Regia Aeronautica and the A.N.R. (Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana) in 1943-1945. It was designed and built in Turin by Fiat. The Fiat G.55 was probably the best type produced in Italy during World War II, (a subjective claim also frequently made for the Macchi C.205 Veltro) but it did not enter production until 1943.
During its short operational service, mostly under the Repubblica Sociale Italiana insignia, after the 8 September 1943 armistice, this powerful, robust and fast aircraft proved itself to be an excellent interceptor at high altitude. In 1944, over Northern Italy, the Centauro clashed with British Supermarine Spitfire, P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning, proving to be no easy adversary. Italian fighter pilots liked their Centauro but by the time the war ended, fewer than 300 had been built.

...In December 1942, a technical commission of the Regia Aeronautica was invited by the Luftwaffe to test some German aircraft in Rechlin. The visit was part of a joint plan for the standardization of the Axis aircraft production. In the same time, some Luftwaffe officers visited Guidonia (Italy) where they were particularly interested in the performance promised by the Serie 5 fighters. On 9 December, these impressions were discussed in a Luftwaffe staff meeting and raised the interest of Hermann Göring himself. In February 1943, a German test commission was sent in Italy to evaluate the new Italian fighters. The commission was led by Oberst Petersen and was formed by Luftwaffe officers and pilots and by technical personnel, among them the Flugbaumeister Malz. The Germans also brought with them several aircraft including a Fw 190 A-5 and a Bf 109 G-4 for direct comparison tests in simulated dogfights.
The tests began 20 February 1943 with the German commission very impressed by the Italian aircraft, the G.55 in particular. In general, all the Serie 5 fighters were very good at low altitudes, but the G.55 was also competitive with its German opponents in term of speed and climb rate at high altitudes still maintaining superior handling characteristics. The definitive evaluation by the German commission was "excellent" for the Fiat G.55, "excellent" for the Reggiane Re.2005 but very complicated to produce and "average" for the Macchi C.205. Oberst Petersen defined the G.55 "the best fighter in the Axis" and immediately telegraphed his impressions to Goering. After listening the recommendations of Petersen, Milch and Galland, a meeting held by Goering on 22 February 1943 voted to produce the G.55 in Germany.

MODEL G.55/1
CREW 1

ENGINE 1 x FIAT RA 1050 RC 58 "Tifone", 1100kW

WEIGHTS
Take-off weight 3718 kg 8197 lb
Loaded weight 2630 kg 5798 lb

DIMENSIONS
Wingspan 11.85 m 39 ft 11 in
Length 9.37 m 31 ft 9 in
Height 3.13 m 10 ft 3 in
Wing area 21.11 m 2 227.23 sq ft

PERFORMANCE
Max. speed 630 km/h 391 mph
Ceiling 12700 m 41650 ft
Range 1200 km 746 miles

ARMAMENT 3 x 20mm cannons, 2 x 12.7mm machine-guns, 2 x 160kg bombs.

Il Fiat G.55 Centauro era un aereo da caccia diurno, monoposto, monomotore, da intercettazione e superiorità aerea impiegato dalla Regia Aeronautica e dall'Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (A.N.R.) tra il 1943 e il 1945.

Die Fiat G.55 Centauro (Zentaur) war ein italienisches Jagdflugzeug im Zweiten Weltkrieg und der Nachfolger der G.50.

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