Eastern Front 1941 Pt.6: Reggiane Re.1901 FB

[comrade harps]

Reggiane Re.1901 FB
a/c 23-1, 23° Squadriglias, 61° Gruppo, Regia Aeronautica, Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia (Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia – CSIR)
27 August, Krivoi Rog, Ukraine


On the morning of 27 August, 1941, Italy launched its first air combat sorties over the Eastern Front. From Krivoi Rog, Ukraine, the Macchi Mc.200 fighters of 22° Gruppo escorted the Reggiane Re.1901 bombers of 61° Gruppo to Petrikovka, where they bombed the centre of the town. It was a short flight between their airfield and the target, allowing another mission to flown during the afternoon. Both missions where well documented by Italian media, with several still and newsreel photographers and reporters in attendance. The Re.1901 marked 23-1 was a star of the resultant newsreels, as a cameraman was flying in the plane next to it in formation on both the morning and afternoon missions.




The Reggiane Re.1901 was a land-based development of the Reggiane Re.1900, which had been designed to meet a Regia Marina requirement for a carrier-based torpedo bomber. Although the Re.1900 didn't enter production due to the failure of the Regia Marina's carrier program, 734 of its land-based derivative were built for the Regia Aeronautica. The original production type was a three seat multi-role torpedo-bomber, capable of fulfilling the anti-shipping role with a 800kg torpedo, level bombing and photographic reconnaissance.




The torpedo-bomber was supplemented on the production line from early 1941 by the FB (Foto Bomber) version. The FB omitted the torpedo gear, had 12.7mm instead of 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns, carried less fuel but had more armour and featured additional hardpoints under the wings. The navigator/bombardier's position was retained, but as the FB's range was shorter most combat sorties were conducted with just the pilot and radio operator/rear gunner aboard. This was anticipated by the addition of a sight for the pilot that catered for bombing from a shallow dive.





There has been much confusion over the type of bombs carried by the planes of 61° Gruppo for their morning raid against Petrikovka. As seen here, the Re.1901 FBs were each armed with a pair of underwing bombs. Many have assumed from their size that they are 500kg bombs, but the Re.1901 FB couldn't carry two of these under the wings (although they could carry a single 500kg bomb in a slightly off-set position under the centre fuselage). As detailed in captured unit records, the weapons were actually thin-walled 250kg bombs, which were larger than the more commonly used Italian 250kg general purpose bombs. It appears that the thin-walled variety was selected for that first mission in order to generate more spectacular blast shock-waves for the newsreel cameras. The afternoon mission, which switched from the morning's level, formation bombing to individual, shallow dive bomb runs, used the dimensionally smaller 250kg general purpose bombs. Enemy defensive positions around Petrikovka were targeted in this second visit to the town.




Re.1901 FBs were active on the Eastern Front throughout the Italian commitments of 1941 and 1942. They were withdrawn with the remainder of the Italian land and air forces following the disastrous Volgograd campaign in February 1943. The type also saw considerable service over North Africa,during the bombing of Malta and in the defence of Sicily.

[Librarian]

Gorgeous ...love the Kate and just love that camo scheme .

[Sport21ing]

GJ, keep doing your work, that is lovely 

[TomZ]

Nice!

TomZ

[NARSES2]

That's nice 

[Tophe]

love the Kate

Nakajima B5N built by Reggiane? funny...

[zenrat]

Comrade, your camo scheme is gorgeous.

[NARSES2]

Comrade, your camo scheme is gorgeous.

And very Italian. Lots of their aircraft were in similar schemes until they decided to screw with future modellers and go all "mottle/smoke ring mad" 

[comrade harps]

Comrade, your camo scheme is gorgeous.

And very Italian. Lots of their aircraft were in similar schemes until they decided to screw with future modellers and go all "mottle/smoke ring mad" 

I thought that folks here might appreciate the camo. All hand-brushed over 2-3 weeks.

Screw that mottle/smoke ring gear. I leave that to peeps with airbrushes.

Glad you'll like it.

[zenrat]

Did you draw it on in pencil first (with colour references like a paint by numbers) or spitball it as you went?
I've started using the paint by numbers approach with complicated schemes like this.
If its all right with you i'm going to lean heavily on this scheme as inspiration for a future build I was stuck for ideas on.
Ha! from now on you're Comrade Muse...  

[comrade harps]

Did you draw it on in pencil first (with colour references like a paint by numbers) or spitball it as you went?
I've started using the paint by numbers approach with complicated schemes like this.
If its all right with you i'm going to lean heavily on this scheme as inspiration for a future build I was stuck for ideas on.
Ha! from now on you're Comrade Muse...  

All free-hand by brush, no specific  plan but I do give it lots of observation and thought as I go between colours and coat. I do two coats (plus touch-ups). I spend lots of time looking and visualising when making schemes like this, which makes it quite a slow process, but rewarding in the end.

Feel free to be inspired! Go for it 

The upper/side surface colours (all Humbrol matts) are: 91, 93, 113, 149 and 160. I also use 72 khaki on some of my faux Italian WW2 camos and that somewhat alarmingly reddish Revel matt 37 has also known to creep on (I almost used it on this, but thought that it was probably stunning enough).

[DogfighterZen]

That is very good work, Comrade! That camo is just perfect, and also an excellent story!

[zenrat]

Did you draw it on in pencil first (with colour references like a paint by numbers) or spitball it as you went?
I've started using the paint by numbers approach with complicated schemes like this.
If its all right with you i'm going to lean heavily on this scheme as inspiration for a future build I was stuck for ideas on.
Ha! from now on you're Comrade Muse...  

All free-hand by brush, no specific  plan but I do give it lots of observation and thought as I go between colours and coat. I do two coats (plus touch-ups). I spend lots of time looking and visualising when making schemes like this, which makes it quite a slow process, but rewarding in the end.

Feel free to be inspired! Go for it 

The upper/side surface colours (all Humbrol matts) are: 91, 93, 113, 149 and 160. I also use 72 khaki on some of my faux Italian WW2 camos and that somewhat alarmingly reddish Revel matt 37 has also known to creep on (I almost used it on this, but thought that it was probably stunning enough).

[Old Wombat]

Love the whole box-&-dice; build, camo, story!

[Librarian]

Bit pricey but Tauro do some very good decal sheets for Italian camo schemes:

http://www.tauromodel.it/ElencoOggetti.aspx?GenereSelezionato=1&FamSelezionata=Decae&ScalaSelezionata=2&Qualesito=2