The Regia Aeronautica's 21st Gruppo fought the British in the Med until the middle of 1942 when they were transferred to support the Italian Eight Army on the Russian Front. The Group's four fighter squadrons were mainly equipped with the radial-engined C.200 but also had a dozen of the latest C.202, split three to a squadron. At first the Italian fighters more than held their own against the Soviet aircraft they faced but as the tide of the war turned against the Axis towards the end of the year they were increasingly pressed into service as ground attack aircraft and suffered high losses as a result.
356-1 was flown by the CO of the 356th Squadron and had markings typical of the 21st Gruppo's aircraft. The factory tropical camouflage scheme was retained but Russian Front yellow ID bands were painted on the nose, rear fuselage and below the wing tips. As an additional identification aid white triangles were applied to the leading edges of the wings.
