Eastern Front 1941 Pt.8: Bulgarian SM.79 S

[comrade harps]

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 S
a/c 4, 1/5.Bombardirovicen Orlijak, His Majesty's Air Troops (Bulgarian Air Force)
Vasylkiv, Ukraine, September, 1941



Bulgaria was a late-comer to the Axis invasion of the Socialist Union. Reluctantly forced into joining the Tripartite Pact just before the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, the Bulgarian government had little enthusiasm for joining Hitler's eastern adventure. However, a combination of German pressure, Red Navy attacks in Bulgarian waters and Trotskyist activity at home forced the issue, Tsar Boris III declaring war on the Socialist Union and its Moscow Pact allies on 23 July, 1941.




By then, His Majesty's Air Troops , which had only been re-established in 1937, was in the process of a major re-equipment campaign. Both indigenous and foreign types were planned for entry into service over the 1940-42 period, including Spitfire licenced production, the development of a locally designed dive bomber and the introduction of Italian SM.79 S (S for Slavic) bombers. 20 SM.79 S bombers had been ordered in 1940, with additional orders by the end of 1941 bringing the total to 60. Unlike the Italian SM.79 IIs it was built alongside, the SM.79 S was a pure bomber (thereby omitting the torpedo gear), with a fixed forward-firing MG 151 20mm cannon, two 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns (one each in dorsal in ventral positions) and a  7.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun in the waist positions on each side of the fuselage. For anti-shipping operations, the Bulgarians later made arrangements with Germany for a force of 12 torpedo-equipped He 111 H-6s to be supplied.







A force of SM.79 S bombers from 1/5.Bombardirovicen Orlijak  supported by PZl P.24F fighter-bombers from 2 Istriebitelen Orliak, reached the Eastern Front in late August. At first the engine nacelles of both aircraft types were painted yellow to ease identification when flying in proximity to their German allies, but because of combat experience the upper and side nacelle areas were camouflaged by late September. From their base at Vasylkiv, Ukraine, the Bulgarian bombers targeted Red Army concentrations, railyards, airfields and major road intersections. The Bulgarians remained in combat through to late December, by which time a combintaion of attrition and winter weather had brought their sortie rate to a near stand still. Both the fighter and bomber squadrons were withdrawn for rest, to regroup and re-equip, returning to the front line in February, 1942.

[Dizzyfugu]

The different-colored spinners are a weird but neat detail! 

Nice one, the cammo is pretty, too.

[NARSES2]

I do like that, especially the spinners being in the national colours 

The Romanian's used the twin engine version of the 79 so this is very plausible in my view

[Librarian]

One of my favourites, the Sparrowhawk. Looks absolutely  in that camo and National prop hubs. FANTASTIC

[Old Wombat]

That's really nice, comrade! Very nice, even!

[Glenn Gilbertson]

That's come out really well!

[zenrat]

Lovely.
Airfix?

[Sport21ing]

Good Job 

[comrade harps]

Lovely.
Airfix?

Italeri.

[TheChronicOne]

Outstanding work, dude!!  I dig it.   

[Hotte]

 Nice SM 79 

Hotte

[Sport21ing]

Besises Bulgaria, what where the others customers of the SM79 S ?

[NARSES2]

Not necessarily the S version but page down to the bottom of this Wikki page and it gives a full list.

Bulgaria didn't operate it in the real world but the ones that surprised me were the RAF and Brazil.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_SM.79

[Sport21ing]

Not necessarily the S version but page down to the bottom of this Wikki page and it gives a full list.

Bulgaria didn't operate it in the real world but the ones that surprised me were the RAF and Brazil.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_SM.79

I know that, just got curious about this fake variant

[comrade harps]

Not necessarily the S version but page down to the bottom of this Wikki page and it gives a full list.

Bulgaria didn't operate it in the real world but the ones that surprised me were the RAF and Brazil.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_SM.79

Re RAF use of the SM.79:

From http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/ForeignMilitaryAircraftinWWIIService.cfm:

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79K Sparviero - Four ex-Yugoslav SM.79s were impressed into service with the RAF, one with No. 2 PRU and three with No. 117 Squadron. In service from 1941 to 1942.



Also, from http://silverhawkauthor.com/italian-warplanes-of-the-second-world-war-preserved-regia-aeronautica_407.html

A Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79 Sparviero (Sparrowhawk) (Serial No. MM 22174) of the Regia Aeronautica, was taken over by No. 145 Squadron, RAF at Castel Benito on the unit's arrival there on 8 February 1943.  This aircraft was repainted in British markings with the Squadron code letters ZX, and used extensively as a Squadron communications aircraft and wore the name Gremlin HQ. 



Re SM.79 in Brazil:

From: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/b/314/26/0

In 1938, 3 SM.79CS was modified for version SM.79T (Transatlantic), in order to they accomplish a connection flight of the Italy to Brazil. The aircraft received her registers I-BRUN, I-BISE and I-MONI corresponding to their pilots' name Bruno Mussolini (Sun of the Italian leader's Benitto Mussolini), Biseo, and Moscatelli. Tree SM.79T arrived at Rio de Janeiro on January 25 and it gifted to the Brazilian government. The airplanes was painted of Oliver drab and received registers K-420, K-421 and K-422 having flown for the Brazil Army until 1943. Look also to Italian section.