World War II Database

1.  Alan Chanter says:
5 Jan 2008 04:07:07 AM

Probably the best fighter produced in Italy during the war, the Re.2005 Sagittario engine was a license built copy of the German Daimler-Benz DB. 605A-1. Only 48 had been delivered before the armistice but these saw extensive use in the defence of Naples, Rome and Sicily. During the closing weeks of the war the surviving machines were encounted by the Allies in the skys over battered Berlin

2. Anonymous says:
25 Jul 2011 01:06:39 AM

The luftwaffe made a test of the italian serie 5 fighters. the mc.205 was rated "discrete", the Re.2005 "good", the G.55 "excellent".
plans for under-license production if both fighters were set up, but never carried out.

The re.2005 was however the most beautiful and elegant fighter of the war. there many legends about the luftwaffe using the "sagittario" over Berlin and Ploiesti, but have never been proved.

3. luca says:
25 Jul 2011 01:08:07 AM

there are many legends about the Luftwaffe using the Re.2005 over Berlin and Ploiesti, but have never been proved

4. Chuck2 says:
27 Dec 2011 12:00:34 AM

Sagittario means "Archer"

5. Ron says:
19 Mar 2012 10:40:10 PM

Spitfire IX pilots met their match when they ran afoul of this beauty. They could not shake them off their tail.
Good pilots with finesse could dive it over 600 mph, but it was redlined at 500 for the rest. Most were not used to such a large rudder and could experience tail vibration faster than that.
Being the most wind tunnel refined Italian fighter of WW2, it was the most complicated to mass produce economically, so it was in the least numbers. It was also the least suited of the 3 type 5 fighters to land on rugged unpaved airstrips. The others were more robust in their undercarriage and tail section. So the Germans rated the Fiat G55 Centauro ahead of it overall as best. But hey, what other fighter could do 425 mph down low and up high while making a decent 391 at 20k'. It had the best high altitude handling of the 3 or anything in the Luftwaffe at the time. And dig that firepower! And, yes it was used by the Luftwaffe to defend those targets (about 17 of them).

6. Ron says:
12 Jun 2015 01:32:49 AM

They correctly balanced the rudder to make that 980 km/h dive with no flutter. Unfortunately some pilots crashed before the fix.

The Re 2005 was the only Italian fighter in the Guidonia trial fly-offs to sport it's full combat armament that it would carry into battle, 3x20s and 2x12.7s. Even with that handicap it shone with flying colors. It certainly made the Germans feel impotent. Even their Fw 190A-5 was without the outboard wing-cannons to enhance it's performance in mock dogfights. It wasn't enough that the Italians had a 100 hp deficit to overcome besides, and still they all matched the Germans. It's no wonder they were impressed!
No Italian biplanes here.