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Fiat CR 42 Falco (J 11) in Detail
The CR 42 came into Swedish service via Finland. During the winter war the Finish Air Force ordered a few CR 42 aircraft. They arrived too late to see service in the winter war and for some reason Finns sold them to the Swedish Air Force that was desperately short of modern materiel. The first 12 Finish CR 42s were complemented with more aircraft bought later, in total 72 aircraft did good service at F9 wing at Säve near Gothenburg and proved to be a popular and dependable aircraft even if it wasn't exactly modern!
For many years there were only two Fiat CR 42 in museums worldwide, none of them in Italy. One was at the RAF museum at Hendon as a reminder of Italy's less than successful involvement in the Battle of Britain while the other one was at the Swedish Air Force Museum at Linköping. The subject of this photo essay is Swedish Air Force J 11 serial 2543.
Regarding the lack of CR 42 fighters in Italy: In May 2005 the Italian Air Force Museum took delivery of a restored CR 42, the result of many years of hard work and determination.
Fiat CR 42 Falco (J 11) in Detail
The photo material of this walkaround has been divided into two sections.
Fiat CR 42 Falco (J 11) in Detail -
Part 1: General Airframe
Fiat CR 42 Falco (J 11) in Detail -
Part 2: Engine and Undercarriage
Fiat CR 42 Falco (J 11) in Detail -
Part 3: Cockpit
| Sources and Credits |
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| J11 Fiat CR 42 by Mikael Forslund, ISBN 91-631-1669-3 is a nice book detailing the Fiat in Swedish service |
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