Mattioli, Savoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Bomber Units (Combat Aircraft 122)
Originally developed by Savoia-Marchetti as a means of transport, the plane became a dedicated mid-bomber when in 1936 the S.79-I made it´s battle debut in the Spanish Civil War. The bomber that became Italy's most successful bomber in World War II was the most widely produced in about 1370. It was built between 1936 and early 1944. Although it was initially hampered by bad tactics, the S.79 bomber crews nevertheless sank a number of Allied ships and posed a constant threat in the early stages of the war for Allied sailors in the Mediterranean. The most modern bombers in East Africa and the Red Sea were the Sparvieri, which presented a challenge for biplane combat aircraft of the RAF and the SAAF.
96 pages, paperback, english text, colored illustrations, many sw-photographs
