Italian S.79 Sparviero Bomber Make-Over

[Wilson]

I ran across this nicely done video of the Italian Air Force Museum's S.79 Sparviero bomber receiving a make-over in preparation for the Italian Air Force's 150th anniversary celebration last summer. The plane received a thorough cleaning inside and out, fabric repair and new paint.

The S.79 was Italy's primary bomber in both the Spanish Civil War and WWII. It also set several speed records in the 1930s. This aircraft is one of two restored survivors. Both were obtained from Lebanon in the 1960s.

[JohnB]

A great looking ship, I had a toy of one as a child, and thought it was neat.
In doing some research, I was a bit surprised to learn that its age puts it more into the B-10/Hampden/Whitley category than the B-18. So, like the rest of the 30s designs, it suffered with the usual lack of defensive armament positions.

Also, I found its construction surprising...steel tube, duralumin, plywood and fabric. And a wood wing.
Fast for its time, but a bit of a relic structurally during the war.

[Duggy009]

Lebanon gained independence in 1943 and started forming the army with French and British equipment. It wasn't until the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948 that the need to establish an air force was realized and in 1949, the Lebanese Air Force was formed under the command of then Lt. Colonel Emile Boustany who later in his career became commander of the army.
In the same year in 1949, a number of planes were donated by Britain and Italy.
Britain donated 4 Percival Prentices and 2 WWII period Percival Proctors while Italy donated 4 Savoia Marchetti SM.79 bombers which were mainly used as transports.

[DH82EH]

Wow! Those are some really cool photos.
Thanks for posting 'em.

[Hooligan2]

Looks like a pair of Iraqi Furies in the background of the third pic? And a Vampire/Venom?

One of these days I must visit some more of Europe's museums - and those elsewhere!

[JohnB]

Great photos, thanks.

[Paul Stroud]

If you can find it, the British movie 'They Who Dare' (1954), about an SAS raid on an enemy airfield features Lebanese SM-79s as set dressing, painted in Italian colours. In the UK it's on YouTube but pay per view, so I can't post a link but maybe it's available in the US?

[hurricane_yank]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcXz9zLZn84

[Paul Stroud]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcXz9zLZn84

Thank you! About 60 minutes into the movie. Now, if only there was a way to watch it from the UK...*ahem*

[Zac Yates]

Sadly blocked in NZ!

[Chris Brame]

Found a better print of They Who Dare online and made a bunch of screengrabs, so everyone can see them.
Now where did the two Beaufighters come from, and what was their fate?












^^^ Note the painted one-dimensional SM.79 in the background - and its skinny shadow




^^^ Beaufighter in background


^^^ TWO Beaufighters in background


^^^ Data plate shot for






Best shot of one of the Beaufighters (had to combine two frames of film to remove a couple passing sentries). TF.10 model? Note the fake third prop added to look like the SM.79s!


^^^ Another fake third prop






^^^ No real SM.79s were harmed in this production...


...but several models were.

[Paul Stroud]

Thanks, Chris! Superb screenshotting (if that's even a word).
As for the Beaufighters, which I hadn't even noticed, is it possible they were ex-Israeli or Turkish AF? Just thinking of 'local' air forces that were equipped with them, as the filming took place in Cyprus and Malta, according to Wiki.

[Aeronut]

As the Beaufighter remained in service with the RAF until 1960 as a target tug they could have been serving aircraft. A Beaufighter target tug appears in the film Ice Cold in Alex (filmed in Libya 1957), and its yellow and black striped undersides denoting a Target tug are plainly visible.

[Paul Stroud]

Good point. In fact on closer inspection the fin extension common to RAF tugs is visible in screenshot 7, if you look at the white fuselage band.
Example of an RAF Beau tug;



From Wiki

[mike furline]

Per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Beaufighter


The Beaufighter was also used by the air forces of Portugal, Turkey and the Dominican Republic. It was used briefly by the Israeli Air Force after some ex-RAF examples were clandestinely purchased in 1948.

Many Mk.10 aircraft were converted to the target tug role postwar as the TT.10 and served with several RAF support units until 1960. The last flight of a Beaufighter in RAF service was by TT.10 RD761 from RAF Seletar on 12 May 1960.[36]