Re: Basic Italian Air Force Library
Another addition I highly recommend -
Wings of Italy: The Italian Air Force in Original WWII Colour Pictures, by Gregory Alegi and Baldassare Catalanotto; published by Giorgio Apostolo Editore (Milano), 1999; 212 pages, hard cover, landscape format, English text and captions. This book has an outstanding collection of color photos of a wide range of Regia Aeronautica aircraft. From the table of contents: Bombers; Torpedo Bombers; Fighters; Assault, Dive Bombers and Heavy Fighters; Air Observation and Strategic Reconnaissance; Maritime Reconnaissance; Transports; Rescue; Training Schools; Gliders; Prototypes and Test Centres; The Armistice. I've seen a few wartime color photos of Italian planes scattered in a few books, but this is the mother lode (I can't even think of a comparable all-in-one-book collection of color photos of Luftwaffe aircraft). Due to the exposure limitations inherent with color photography in the '40s, these necessarily were taken mostly on sunshiny days, which produces some great views of the "sand and spinach" camo schemes, although some of the photos reveal a shift toward the blue-green side of the spectrum, not unlike some contemporary German color photography. Still, they are stunning to look at. This book may be hard to locate, but if you can find a copy, you won't be disappointed.
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