Hallo,
before all, my compliments for the wonderful job you are doing with this spectacular simulator.
I've found at
http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/iwai/start.html an important documentation about Italian planes in the WWII, in the photo you can see the drop tanks of the Cr205 "Veltro" and in the tecchnical data the autonomy is 645 miles...much more than 20-30 minuts of ace High. And this note is very significative:
"Only in the ANR the airplane was employed in its environment, and (when not excessively outnumbered) it performed as expected, dancing like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. "
The Allied bombardments of the Macchi factory put an end both to the production and the refurbishing of the C.205s for the ANR, and by mid-1944 the units switched to the German Bf 109. In the ICBAF the C.205 soldiered on up to the end of the war and several examples (many had been locally built by mating C.202 fuselages with DB 605 engines) continued to be employed after the war in training units. With the C.205, the Macchi fighters reached their apex, but the call as usual was "too little, too late!". While being an exceptional fighter, finally combining performance with maneouvrabily and firepower, the tactical conditions in which the "Veltro" had to operate were such to make it unable to change anything. Only in the ANR the airplane was employed in its environment, and (when not excessively outnumbered) it performed as expected, dancing like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.
Technical Data (IIIª Serie):
Role:
Single-seat fighter and fighter bomber
Powerplant:
1x FIAT RA1050 RC 58 Tifone (licenced version of the German Daimler-Benz DB-605); 1,475hp
Length:
29.035 ft
Height:
11.024 ft
Wing span:
35.597 ft
Wing area:
180.833 sq/ft
Empty weight:
5,690 lbs
Useful Load:
1,823 lbs
Loaded weight:
7,513 lbs
Max. Speed:
399mph at 24,500ft
Service ceiling:
37,650 ft
Range:
645 miles
Climb to 16,400 ft:
4' 49"
Armament:
2x 12.7mm MG with each 400 rounds on cowling and 2x 20mm cannons with each 250 rounds in wings, plus provision for 320kg of bombs
Crew:
1
In Service:
1943
Countries in Service:
Italy
Aircraft built:
264 (103 Serie I, 161 Serie III)
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