2194days

Aircraft · Italy · 1936-1945

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero

torpedo bomber / medium bomber

Nicknamed 'il Gobbo Maledetto' (the damned hunchback) for its distinctive dorsal fairing, the trimotor SM.79 was the Regia Aeronautica's most effective and feared aircraft as a torpedo bomber, sinking or damaging a substantial share of Allied Mediterranean shipping losses. Its crews became a specialist elite, the 'aerosiluranti' torpedo squadrons.

Wikipedia

crew4-5
top speed435 km/h
armament2x torpedoes or 1,250kg bombs, 3-4 machine guns
producedover 1,300

Mediterranean and North Africa

Aereo Savoia Marchetti SM 79 Sparviero in volo
Aereo Savoia Marchetti SM 79 Sparviero in voloUnknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · source
A Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 of the 193ª Squadriglia Bombardamento Terrestre (193th Land Bombing Squadrilla), 87º Gruppo (87th Group), 30º Stormo (87th Wing). From the private archive of Riggio family.
A Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 of the 193ª Squadriglia Bombardamento Terrestre (193th Land Bombing Squadrilla), 87º Gruppo (87th Group), 30º Stormo (87th Wing). From the private archive of Riggio family.Unsigned, amatorial image shot by an unknown member of the family Riggio who was serving in the years 1940-1943 in the I · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Crash landing during WWII. From the private archive of Riggio family.
Crash landing during WWII. From the private archive of Riggio family. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source