Kingdom of Italy/Italian Social Republic  (1941-1945)
Fighter – Approximately 60 Airframes Received

The Dewoitine D.520 was an advanced French fighter aircraft of the Second World War, which had been employed in large numbers during the Battle of France. After the French Campaign, the German forces captured dozens of Dewoitine D.520s in working order, of which 60 were delivered to the Italian Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force) in two separate batches of 30 planes.

Leftovers

Of those, some were never retrieved from the French airports they were left at, and others were disassembled, and cannibalized for spare parts. For these reasons, and the absence of data in Italian official documents, many of their stories have been lost to time.

Prior to being supplied any D.520 by the Luftwaffe, the Italian Regio Esercito (Royal Army) had captured about 30 Dewoitine D.520s during its involvement in the Battle of France. These were almost immediately delivered to the Regia Aeronautica. According to the official documentation, the first three specimens were assigned to 2° Stormo Caccia (Eng: 2nd Fighter Wing), even if it is not clear when they were delivered and to which squadron.

The command of the 2° Stormo was based at the Turin-Mirafiori airport after the 20th of January 1941, with 68 pilots and 119 mechanics, a total of 12 FIAT C.R. 42, and waiting for the new Macchi M.C. 202. For two months, they defended the largest industrial centers in northern Italy, such as Turin, Milan, Genoa, and Savona. At the end of February, the first Macchi M.C. 200 and some CR 42s arrived, bringing the department’s equipment to 62 MC 200s and 22 CR 42s, but with no mention of the Dewoitines.

There appear to have been three D.520s available. Due to a lack of spare parts and 20 mm ammunition (the Hispano-Suiza did not fire the same 20 mm cartridges produced in Italy), these were rarely used by pilots, except for training to fight against the French aircraft.

The remaining Dewoitines captured by Italy were kept at the airports of Montélimar, Orange, Istres, and Aix-en-Provence, and at the Toulouse factory until the beginning of 1943, when some Italian pilots, including Pilot Sergeant Luigi Gorrini (19 kills and 9 probable) had the task of transferring them to Italy.

Of these new D.520s taken over by the Regia Aeronautica, 8 went to equip the 22° Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre (22nd Autonomous Terrestrial Fighter Group) in late February 1943 at the airport of Capodichino. The French aircraft were deployed alongside the Macchi M.C. 202, the Reggiane Re. 2001, and some pre-series Reggiane Re. 2005. These aircraft were used to intercept the American B-24 bombers which increasingly hit the city of Naples.

The Dewoitine proved to be very efficient in this task, managing to damage several bombers, often causing the bombers to abort their missions. They were helped by their powerful 20 mm cannon, which at the time had no equivalent on the Italian fighters of the unit (except for the Re. 2005). This is not particularly surprising, as the cannon firing through the propeller hub, a feature of the D.520, and in general most French fighters of the era, was found to be highly accurate in most situations, though limited by a magazine of only 60 rounds. The Italian planes, such as the Macchis and the FIATs, were less precise, but had increased magazines that guaranteed the possibility to commit to several attacks.

On March 1st, 1943, Major Vittorio Minguzzi, commander of the 22° Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre, and a Reggiane Re. 2005 veteran, shot down a B-24 in the middle of a  bombing run over Naples with a D.520. This kill, considered probable for a long time until the discovery of the bomber’s wreck, was the first recorded victory by a D.520 of the Regia Aeronautica, even if it is likely some Allied aircraft had already fallen victim to Italian D.520s in the previous weeks.

On 19th May 1943 in Littoria, the 371ª Squadriglia Caccia Terrestri (371th Terrestrial Fighter Squadron) officially presented the French fighter to General Renato Mazzucco, commander of the 3ª Divisione Aerea (3rd Air Division), who had come to visit their airbase. This confirms that the 371ª Squadriglia Caccia Terrestri also had a certain number of Dewoitines in service.

On 21st May 1943, the Regia Aeronautica delivered 39 Lioré et Olivier LeO 451 bombers previously captured in the SNCASE factory in Lyon’s Ambérieu-en-Bugey to the Luftwaffe in exchange for the delivery of 30 French Dewoitine D.520s captured by the Germans and apparently never used after the French surrender.

Apparently, these aircraft were delivered without ammunition, without any spare parts, and with evident damage to the weapons and equipment on board. It is supposed this damage was sabotage performed by French pilots, before their aircraft fell into Axis hands during the Battle of France.

After Italian mechanics disassembled some of them to cannibalize the spare parts, these Dewoitines were supplied to the 161° Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre (161st Autonomous Terrestrial Fighter Group) based at several airports in southern Italy. The numbers are not known, but they were used by the 163a Squadriglia Caccia Terrestri (163rd Terrestrial Fighter Squadron) in Grottaglie, 162a Squadriglia Caccia Terrestri (162nd Terrestrial Fighter Squadron)  in Crotone, and 164a Squadriglia Caccia Terrestri (164th Terrestrial Fighter Squadron)  in Reggio Calabria together with a force of Italian fighters.

Other units that used the D.520 were the 355a Squadriglia (355th Squadron)  and the 370a Squadriglia (370th Squadron), with both units receiving three each, under the 24° Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre (24th Autonomous Terrestrial Fighter Group).

The 232a Squadriglia Caccia (232nd Fighter Squadron) of the 59° Gruppo Bombardamento Terrestre (59th Terrestrial Bombardment Group) received an unknown number of D.520s for escort duties alongside Savoia Marchetti S.M. 79 three-engine bombers. An unspecified number were used by the 167º Gruppo Autonomo Intercettori (167th Autonomous Interceptor Group) based in Guidonia with the specific task of defending the city from bombers. It is also known that  D.520s were used by the 60° Gruppo Bombardamento Terrestre (60th Terrestrial Bombardment Group), and the 13° Gruppo Caccia (13th Fighter Group), the latter being stationed at the Arena Metano Airport near Pisa.

According to official records, on July 31st, 1943, the Regia Aeronautica still had 47 Dewoitine D.520s in service, which were used mostly in the role of bomber interceptors.

In the confusion that followed after the armistice of 8th September 1943, the departments of the Royal Italian Army parted ways. Some, continuing to fight for the Axis, became part of the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana or ANR (Republican National Air Force). The Aeronautica Cobelligerante Italiana (Italian Co-belligerent Air Force) fought for the Allies, but did not use the D.520.

Many Dewoitines were destroyed by pilots and mechanics, or were captured by the Germans, who re-used them in the Luftwaffe.

The ANR took possession of three D.520s previously in service with the 24° Gruppo Autonomo Caccia Terrestre. These three aircraft were assigned to the recently established 101º Gruppo autonomo caccia (101st Autonomous Fighter Group) in Turin-Mirafiori for training tasks with Macchi M.C. 200 and FIAT C.R. 42 and, disbanded some time later, without ever taking part in combat.

Italian Evaluation 

The Italian judgment of the Dewoitine D.520 was not entirely positive for two reasons. The first is to be found in a nationalist perspective, which gave a negative perception for the foreign D.520. Secondly, pilots such as the ace Luigi Gorrini, who had the opportunity to test it in simulated combat against other fighters, did not consider it agile enough compared to contemporary aircraft, such as the Macchi M.C. 200. Italian pilots considered the D.520 inferior to the Macchi in all areas except armament.

However, the spacious cockpit, the very efficient communication system (when not tampered with), and the 20 mm cannon were praised. These would only be introduced on Italian aircraft starting from 1943. Against US bombers, the guns made a marked difference even if the little ammunition on board was often a limiting factor. The same had been found by French pilots during the campaign of France, who often had to rely on the machine-guns if the mission went on for too long; this was more of an issue against the more robust bombers which were being fielded by 1943.

Italian camouflage and markings 

The typical camouflage used on the Italian planes was similar to the original French one. The coat of arms of the French Air Force was covered with new layers of paint, adding a band on both sides of the wings and one on the fuselage with white paint. The Croce di Savoia was painted on the rudder, a distinctive symbol of Italian aircraft since June 1940. An interesting note is that the Croce di Savoia on the Dewoitines was painted without the coat of arms of the Italian royal family.

At least one specimen was painted in an aluminum color (since the photo is in black and white, for a long time, it was believed to be in Olive Green). It had the typical coat of arms of Italian fighters, the Fasci Littori, on the sides of the cockpit and the ‘Fasci Littori Alari’ symbol of the Regia Aeronautica on the wings. This unique example was painted on the occasion of General Mazzucco’s visit to Guidonia.

The 59° Gruppo Bombardamento Terrestre aircraft received the standard camouflage used in North Africa by the Royal Italian Air Force, khaki with dark green spots. These D. 520s were painted with the Savoia royal family coat of arms.

The ANR specimens were painted in light gray with dark gray spots, a tricolor on the fuselage and rudder and the ‘Fasci Littori Alari’ on the wings. According to evidence, at least one specimen remained in the classic French camouflage, perhaps being repainted into the ANR camouflage at a later time.

Conclusions 

Despite the little information on the operational history of the Dewoitine D.520s in Italian service, we can suppose that it was appreciated by the Italian pilots, even for their rancor against all aircraft of foreign origin. The limited numbers received and deployed by the Italian units did not permit a great service of these French aircraft by the Regia Aeronautica. For much of their service, these planes were held at airports for maintenance.

Dewoitine D.520C-1 specifications
Wingspan	10.18 m
Length	8.75 m
Height	2.55 m
Wing Area	16 m²
Engine	Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45
Power at Critical Altitude	935 hp at 4,200 m
Max RPM	2,400 RRM
Propeller	Three-bladed Ratier or Chauvière (3 m diameter)
Empty Weight	2,050 kg
Maximum Takeoff Weight	2,740 kg
Wing Load	195 kg/m²
Fuel Capacity	400 liters standard 640 liters with wing fuel tanks
Time to Altitude	4,000 m in 5’13” 6,000 m in 7’57” 8,000 m in 13’24”
Maximum Speed	425 km/h at sea level 535 km/h at 6,750 m
Cruising Speed	400 km/h
Stall Speed	125 km/h
Range	Around 900 km with a standard fuel load 1,500 km at max fuel load (equipped w/ wing tanks)
Maximum Service Ceiling	11,000 m /
Crew	1 Pilot
Armament	20 mm HS-404 firing through the propeller hub with 60 rounds 4x MAC34M39 machine guns with 675 rounds per gun in the wings
Number Completed	60 officially delivered to Regia Aeronautica unknown used in active service

Illustrations

Credits

• Written by Arturo Giusti
• Edited by Henry H.
• Illustrations by Oussama Mohamed “Godzilla”

Sources

• Dimensione Cielo Aerei italiani nella 2ª guerra mondiale, 3° Volume, Edizioni Bizzarri, Rome, 1972
• Danel and J. Cuny, Docavia n°4: le Dewoitine D.520, Editions Larivière, Paris 1966
• https://www.difesaonline.it/news-forze-armate/storia/i-caccia-francesi-il-dewoitine-d520
• https://www.lasecondaguerramondiale.org/aerei/dewoitine-d-520/
• https://nibbio14.altervista.org/d520.php