Though WWII saw the ascendency of the low wing monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear, many nations entered the conflict with fixed wing biplane fighters. Great Britian and Italy were two of them. The most modern biplane in the RAF was the Gladiator, a plane that had excellent maneuverability and also a relatively good gun in the Browning .303, that while not packing a lot of puch, had a high rate of fire so was able to put a lot of lead into an enemy in a relatively short time.

Italy entered the war with the CR.42, probably the most modern biplane fighter of any of the warring powers. This aircraft was supposed to have a pair of 12.5 mm guns in the nose but a lack of these guns meant that most saw combat with but one of these and a 7.7mm gun. While the 12.5mm gun was a powerful weapon, it had a rather slow rate of fire, especially when it had to be geared down to fire through the prop, something two of the Gladiator's four guns did not have to do as they were wing mounted. Unlike the Gladiator, the CR.42 was not all that maneuverable as biplanes went. It had a smaller overall wing area and it took a while for Italian pilots to realize they could not dog-fight the Gladiator, resorting to hit and run attacks. Much like Wildcats in the Pacific against the more maneuverable A6M2.

While these planes were both quickly withdrawn from combat in Western Europe, as they were totally outclassed by enemy monoplanes, they were very much the workhorse in the 'secondary' war zones of East Africa, North Africa and Greece. It was in these theaters of operation in 1940 and 1941 that they met each other in battle a great number of times. In Greece the Gladiator was also flown by Greek pilots, often against the CR.42. It was when the Italians introduced the Macchi C.200 in the skies of Greece that the Gladiator was severely outclassed. Also in North Africa this was a concern as was the introduction of German 109s. However, before that there were plenty of opportunities for these two types to meet in the air and both had their levels of success against each other.

The authors take a look at the development of both types as well as how they were used in the various areas of operations. We are provided the technical specs of the two aircraft and are treated to a number of combat reports from pilots flying both aircraft as to what it must have been like to fly these planes. Both sides suffered from supply deficiencies that often kept planes on the ground where they were frequently destroyed by incoming raids. In the end, the assessment of the two types shows that one of them was a at an advantage over the other. I already mentioned the greater maneuverability and weight of fire of the Gladiator, but should also mention that the RAF and Greeks believed in radios, something the Italians rarely carried in their Falcos. This provided an enormous tactical advantage to the Gladiator pilots as they were able to form up for attacks much easier. In the end, both types performed well before being relegated to second line duties and finally removed from service entirely.

The result is a very well done book with lots of great period photos and some very well done art work. It is a fine addition to the series and is a book I know you will not only enjoy reading, but will learn from it as well.

January 2013

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