STORMO! © 2006 2 (2006) 1
FIAT CR.42 CN NIGHTFIGHTER CAMOUFLAGE : WHAT COLOR ?
Ing. Riccardo Trotta
Gruppo Plastimodellismo Fiorentino – IPMS Italy – CMPR
July, 2006
Image 1. Color Photo of Fougier climbing from a Fiat CR.42 CN
This short article is the result of an e-mail discussion with a friend Pierliugi Moncalvo who recently issued an article about the same
topic in IPMS Italy Flash Publication #188.
If we consider the instructions relevant, the application of Tavola 10 colors, which stated what were to be the new camouflage colors for
the Regia Aeronautica, concerning the color Grigio Azzurro Scuro (Dark Blue Gray) we can find reported:
"Quando richiesto, superfici laterali, dorsali e ventrali degli aeroplani bellici, per impiego notturno".
This can be translated as: " ...when requested, on the sides, upper and lower surfaces of combat aircraft ... for night operations".
We know that these rules became applicable gradually from the Autumn of 1941. Moreover, it is to be highlighted that in a note relevant to
the paints used, dated March 20th 1941, it is reported:
"per il colore grigio azzurro scuro si consentono variazioni verso tonalità più scure ma non verso tonalità più chiare” this is
translated as:
"concerning the dark blue gray color, variations are allowed towards darker shades but not towards lighter shades"
My friend Moncalvo has found recently from various notes from which results that "only Arson Sisi (an Italian firm that produced paints)
started producing removable dark blue grey (firm denomination : Night Blue) in 1941". Another reference for the use of dark blue grey
for aircraft operating by night is reported in the Turin D.C.A. circular note, F° 1898-B.2.10 dated July 21st 1941, specifying
that this color must be easily removable.
This is what is reported by directives, however what was the actual use? It is very hard to discern the correct colors from b/w photos;
in these cases, it is quite appropriate to refer to a witness pilot Ten. Gino Del Bufalo, in which he writes in his diary and included
in Aerofan #82; the diary reads:
"In this period (the first days of December 1941), I flew a night-fighter CR.42 four times; it is a beautiful airplane, just new and
overall painted blue":
Further: "In the afternoon the commander sent me alone, with the faithful blue CR.42..."
Then, because Del Bufalo could not know that 65 years later researchers and enthusiasts would be discussing the exact color of the
Cr.42 CN night-fighter camouflage, it is perhaps correct to believe that these writings represent an opinion; for interest two photos
are provided here: the first one is a color photo (Image 1 above); the photo is reproduced from the magazine "Tempo" issued during the
war period and, according to the caption, it shows Gen. Fougier, who was Chief of Staff for the Regia Aeronautica 1942-1943. The quality
of the photo is rather poor and surely cannot be used to state the exact color shade, however what is interesting is the fact that the
color is very near to the color of the officer's uniform (which was not black). Also the attached b/w photo (Image 2) quite likely belongs
to the same image sequence (as the above color photo), taking into consideration the badge visible on the Cr.42 fin (Chief of Staff) and
in this second photo the Cr.42 color looks black, this is just to highlight the difficulty of discerning the correct color.
Image 2. Fougier removing his flying suit next to the same
CR.42 CN (above) in a black and white photo
In conclusion, we can deduce with some confidence, that before the issuance of Tavola 10, the color used on the CR. 42 CN was black; for
the subsequent period both camouflage colors were likely in use, considering the state of the Italian aviation industry and the
possibility of applying the rules, but I should be inclined for the dark blue gray in cases of new aircraft constructed or those
over-hauled, in compliance with the applicable rules, as happened for other colors, as, for instance, Nocciola Chiaro 4.
REFERENCES:
[1] CMPR "Colori e schemi mimetici della Regia Aeronautica 1935-1943", 1979.
[2] IPMS Italy Notiziario,1975.
[3] Aerofan (n.82).
[4] Dimensione Cielo.
Riccardo Trotta was born in Florence (Italy) on January 15th , 1947 and lives with his wife Anna Maria in a neighburhood of the town;
he completed a degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Pisa in 1973. He now works in Quality Control for a Space products
plant in Florence for a well known Italian company. He has a son 30 years old (also an Electrical Engineer) and a daughter (26) who has
recently completed a degree in Architecture at the University of Florence.
Riccardo remembers when he assembled his first kit in 1959; it was an Airfix 1/72 Bristol Fighter which was soon followed by an Airfix
1/72 Stuka. However his most memoriable event occured when a Macchi C205 was transported to Florence, having touched the aircraft on the
occasion of the first model show in October 1960.
During high school and the first years of University, modeling had taken a back seat to his studies. It was for his 1971 birthday that
some of his friends presented him with an Italaerei Reggiane RE.2001 1/72 kit (the name of the firm then was Supermodel) and subsequently,
in a short time, the series of Dimensione Cielo, dedicated to the Regia Aeronautica was published; and his love of Italian aircraft was
revived.
From that period he began to collect all documents he could find regarding the Regia Aeronautica/ANR and later he became the first member
of Gruppo Plastimodellismo Fiorentino (Plastimodelers Group of Florence) and subsequently a member of IPMS Italy and Club Modellismo Plastico
Ravenna.
Today Riccardo continues modeling aircraft which flew with the Italian insigna and contributes to the CMPR and IPMS Notiziario; he also
contributes to the Italian model magazine Air Kit News.
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