Two Rare CANT Aircraft

[musec04]

Hello,

The site at http://www.archeologiaindustriale.it/index_it.php mentions two CANT aircraft that I had not previously assumed saw military service in W.II

Using Babelfish I believe that the site states that: 11 CANT 18 bis were transferred to the Regia Aeronautica at Portorose, the last one of which was demolished in 1944.

Also that at least one copy of the CANT 26 was requisitioned by the Luftwaffe in 1943.

Has anyone any further information to confirm that the CANT 18 bis was used by the Regia Aeronautica between 1940-44 or that a CANT 26 was in the hands of the Luftwaffe?

Regards,

Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Hi Clint

Seems I am the only one finding your question interesting. I have been waiting to see if the "big shots" would take a pot shot at this one. Not so, so I make the first round and will see what comes out of it.

I have a book called La Regia Aeronautica 1943-46 by Nino Arena. Can't read it mind you, but I bought it when Italian books were extremely cheap, and maybe I had hopes at the time to learn Italian...hmmm

On page 239 there is a list of an organization called R.U.N.A and what they had at one stage in 1943 (no date given) and in that list there are 2 CANT 26. On page 240 there is a list of what R.U.N.A had on 8.9.1943 and it then says 1 CANT 26 at Ancona. The strange thing is that on page 243 he again list R.U.N.A as having 2 CANT 26. Possibly Luftwaffe requested it but that seems to me just a bureaucratic move. Had they known what it was they probably wouldn't have bothered.....

However with referens to the CANT 18bis there is nothing, which at least suggest to me that in the co-belligerent zone none survived at that stage. Possibly something were in use as a ground instruction airframe, but I cannot verify that.

There is also a slight chance something remained up north but I cannot believe they used it.

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hi Stig,

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully you're not the only person to find the question interesting, at least a respectable number of board users have taken a look. However I realise that thes eare obscure questions.

It is encoraging that at least one CANT 26 was in service with R.U.N.A at the time, but how great it would be to have a Stkz or the unit, if any, operating the machine.

As you imply logically if any CANT 18 bis survived it would be with the Co-belligent Air Force. However, and this is necessarily guesswork, presumably if the type did see earlier servive with the Regia Aeronautica they would have been assigned MM numbers. Perhaps someone fotunate enough to own a copy of Curami and Gamberin's (oh to own a copy!) work could advisefurther.
I do own some of D'Amico and Valentini's later works including Camouflage and Markings of the ANR, so I'm guessing the putative surviving CANT 18 bis was not an ANR machine as it is not mentioned there.However, I've aso seen obselete reference works stating CANT Z.506 served with the ANR and no mention of those either in the work referenced.

Regards,

Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Hallo again Clint

The MM numbers are known for the CANTs, MM96 and MM129 in the prototype range and MM50151-155, 50160-165 in 1933 + one late comer MM50411 (ex I-AAKJ) in 1934.
I have only 10 previous ID's for those initial 11 and they were ex I-OCID, AZAI, AZAO, AZAX, AAKH, AAKD, AAKF, AAKG, AAKY and AAKC.
No idea what happened to MM96 but MM129 went civil as I-AAKZ.

With regard to the CANT 26 I have identified six, possibly seven, but one of them does not show up as a CANT in the Italian civil register. If I should venture a guess, the one requested by Luftwaffe in 1943 was probably c/n 184 I-MAJO (ex I-AAPO).

Let's see if this further installment make any of our Italian friends more willing to check their own sources ....

Cheers
Stig