I keep finding more and more now..when it rains it pours!
Macchi Mc-200 Saetta
In August 1941, 51 C.200s were sent to the Eastern Front with Corpo Italiano di Spedizione. Together with C.202s, they claimed 88 to 15 victory/loss ratio. The first Macchis arrived in Tudora, near Odessa, on 13 August 1941, commanded by Maggior Borzoni and deployed in 359a, 362a, 369a and 371a Squadriglias. Taking part in the September offensive on Dnjepr River, as the offensive went on, they operated sporadically from airstrips in Krivoi Rog, Saporoshje, Stalino, Borvenkovo, Voroshilovgrad, Makiivka, Oblivskaja, Millerovo and the most eastern location, Kantemirovka. During February 1942, the C.200 was employed in attacking Russian airfields at Kranyi Liman, Luskotova and Leninski Bomdardir.
The following winter, the Soviet counter-offensive resulted in a retreat. By early-December, only 32 "Saettas" were still operating, along with 11 Macchi C.202s. The losses grew in the face of a more aggressive enemy flying newer machines. The last major action was on 17 January 1943: 25 Macchis strafed enemy troops in the Millerovo area. Some Macchi C.200s were captured by Soviets during the retreat.
The summary of Corpo Italiano di Spedizione in Russia included: 2,557 offensive flights (of which 511 with bombs dropping), 1.310 strafing attacks, 1.938 escort missions, 88 enemy aircraft destroyed for the loss of only 15 "Saettas". The top scoring unit was 362a Squadriglia commanded by Capitano Germano La Ferla, with 30 Soviet aircraft destroyed in the air and 13 destroyed on the ground.
In an attempt to improve performance, a C.201 prototype was created with a 750 kW (1,000 hp) Fiat A.76 engine, but this was abandoned in favour of the Daimler-Benz DB 601-powered C.202. The Saetta was to have been replaced outright by the C.202 after only one year in production, but the C.200's service life was extended because Alfa Romeo could not produce enough of the RA.1000 (license-built DB 601) engines, and more C.200s were built using C.202 parts while waiting for production to increase.
Macchi Mc-202 Folgore
In July 1942 the 22° Gruppo Caccia reached the operational limit and was replaced by the newly formed 21° Gruppo composed of 356ma, 382ma, 361ma and 386ma Squadriglia, equipped with "fresh" Macchi C.200 and new C.202 fighters. In August 1942, at the beginning of the Soviet offensive they were deployed at the Stalino, Lugansk, Kantemirovka and Millerovo airfields, fighting against the Red Army positions on the east Don river during October-November 1942. the fighters operated in adverse climate conditions (40° to 45° below zero and heavy snow storms) while under heavy Russian fighter-bomber harrasment.[citation needed]Under these circumstances C.202s were forced to escort C.200s alongside Fiat BR.20Ms and Caproni Ca.311s in attacks against Soviet columns, while facing great numbers of new VVs fighters. The C.202s also escorted CANT Z.1007bis in reconnaissance missions.
After the abandonment of advanced airfields between December 1942-January 1943 at Woroscilovgrad, Stalino and Tscerkow, the Italian air units operated in defensive actions against a more potent Soviet air offensive, mainly using Ilyushin IL-2s "Sturmoviks" and Petlyakov Pe-2s. In March 1943, the Corpo Aereo Italiano was detached to Odessa airbase joining Re. 2000 Heja I of the Hungarian MKHL 1 and 2/1 Vadaszszazad and IAR 80C and Bf 109E/G of Romanian FARR 4 and 5 detached at same base and Saki (Crimea) in a holding action against the V-Vs armada of 2,000 aircraft, at a time when Axis air forces only countered with 300 operative aircraft with very little quantities of gas, munition and equipment.
The last effective operation of Corpo Aereo Italiano in Russia occured on 17 January 1943, when one mixed formation of 25 surviving Macchi fighters (out of a remaining total of 30 C.200s and nine C.202s) attacked Red Army armored and motorized infantry colummns to support German and Italian units encircled in Millerovo.
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