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Italy - Aircraft Markings

by Ferenc Gy. Valoczy, 2 July 2003

Overview
Air Force Roundel
Historical Roundels

See also:

Italy

Overview

Aeronautica Militare Italiana was formed already in 1884 as Servizio Aeronautico renamed Air Flotilla in 1911 and became the first air force to operate planes in military use. Hopepage at www.aeronautica.difesa.it.
According to [cos98], until 1914 it used the arms of Savoy on tail as its marking. [cos98] also report that in 1914 it started to use roundels of (inside out) red-white-green (opposite colors of today) with vertical rudder stripes of green-white red. It also report that roundels were not alawys used and most planes used only rudder stripes charged with the arms of Savoy. See also www.aeronautica.difesa.it/galVelSto4964-2.jpg and www.aeronautica.difesa.it/galVelsto4936-2.jpg
However, Insignia report that Between August 1914 and July 1915, Aeronautica del Regio Esercito (as it called then) used official national markings of the Black so-called 'circle and stripe' (Black ring and black diagonal stripe) - see www.insigniamag.com/ita18.html.
[cos98] also reports that as the Fascist took power in 1922, a roundel with the fasces (brown wood and silver axe on blue disc) were added (1922 - 1940). See photos at www.aeronautica.difesa.it/breda25.jpg, www.aeronautica.difesa.it/galVelsto4910-2.jpg, www.aeronautica.difesa.it/galVelSto4973-2.jpg and www.aeronautica.difesa.it/galVelsto4924-2.jpg.
[cos98] also reports that 1940 a new black and white roundel of the fasces appeared (1940 - 1943) in two mirrored versions: black fasces on white disc bordered by black ring or white fasces on black disc bordered with white ring. A white cross was used as rudder marking (usually charged with Savoy arms). See www.aeronautica.difesa.it/galVelsto4925-2.jpg, www.aeronautica.difesa.it/galVelSto4959-2.jpg .
Marc Pasquin reported here that "Off my memories, the italian roundel identified as 1922-1940 was in use at the same time as the one identified as 1940 - 1943 . The first one (single on blue) on the nose and the second one on the wings."
Italy surrended in 1943. The south part, joining the allies, adopted a new marking (appearntly, following Americans) with green-white-red roundel with white bars bordered in red (1943), while the Italian Social Republic in the north (1943-1945) adopted a sqare version of the fasces accompaning with Italian flag on fusalage and tail.
[cos98] report that the bars were droped in 1944 to create the known Italian roundel, and in 1990, the white ring became thiner to create the roundel as appear on top of the page. As appear from photos, the 1990 roundel applied only to combat planes (www.airliners.net/597354 ) while non-combat planes continue to use the regular roundel (www.airliners.net/593886 ).
The "Marina Militare Italiana" (Naval air arm - formed 1912) use the same roundel (the regular - not the thin white one). It also carry a white oval with black anchor as seen at www.airliners.net/589940 and www.scramble.nl/marina-main.htm. The "Cavalleria Dell'Aria" (Army aviation" - formed 1951) use the same roundel (www.scramble.nl/cav-main.htm) with ESERCITO inscription (See also www.airliners.net/521449 ). So also do the Carabinieri (www.scramble.nl/CC104.jpg and www.aeronautica.difesa.it) , the Corpo Nazionale Dei Vigili Del Fuoco (Fire Fighters) (www.scramble.nl/vf36.jpg and www.airliners.net/589166 ) Corpo Forestale Dello Stato (Forest Keepers) (www.scramble.nl/forestale-412.jpg and www.airliners.net/502368 ) La Guardia Di Finanza (Customs) (www.scramble.nl/gdf-ab412.jpg and www.airliners.net/443913 ) and the police ( www.scramble.nl/ps67.jpg and www.airliners.net/283595) The Guardia Costiera (Coast Guard - formed 1982) uses the same roundel with an anchor on white oval as done by the naval planes (www.scramble.nl/cos-ab412.jpg), however it seems that in some planes an anchor on white disc replaced the roundel altogether (www.airliners.net/596207, www.airliners.net/576155 and www.airliners.net/596208).
The Protezione Civile use national flag as fin flash (www.scramble.nl/cl415pc.jpg and www.airliners.net/560714).
The roundel is also used to decorate the Jersey of Italian football cup holder.
Dov Gutterman, 18 June 2004

Air Force Roundel

Our national aircraft marking is also available in a low visibility shade (this is the most common target for the Air Force). Further, the roundel displays a thinner white ring, in different proportion for the Air Force and the Navy, but this has not substituted the marking shown on [pay00]. The Army for example is using this last.
Pier Paolo Lugli, 8 January 2001