Fiat G.50 Freccia

The Fiat G.50 Freccia (Arrow) was an Italian fighter aircraft of the Second World War that was developed and manufactured by Fiat Aviazione. On 26 February 1937, the G.50 conducted its maiden flight. On entering service, the type was Italy's first single-seat, metal monoplane, with an enclosed cockpit and retractable undercarriage. During early 1938, the Freccias served in the Regia Aeronautica (the Italian Royal Air Force) and with its expeditionary arm, the Aviazione Legionaria (Air Force Legion) in Spain, where they compared well in speed and manoeuvrability with their adversaries.
The fighter operated in Northern Europe, North Africa, the Balkans and the Italian mainland. The G.50 was commonly opposed by the British Hurricane, that was fast enough frequently to out-run the G.50 and had longer range. Early in the war it became apparent that the pair of Breda-SAFAT 12.7-mm machine guns on the G.50 as inadequate. Later models of the fighter incorporated improvements, including an increase in fuel capacity that gave a substantial increase in range.
The G.50 was exported to several countries, small numbers being flown by the Croatian Air Force and 35 G.50s were exported to Finland, where...