Macchi pilots of the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana with Luftwaffe counterparts in 1944

The Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana was the air force of the Italian Social Republic, the World War II German puppet state in Italy after the 1943 armistice divided the nation. It received numbers of Italian aircraft, later augmented with their own local production, and further aircraft from Germany. This force was opposed to the Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana, the Italian pro-Allied air force, though they never actually met in combat. The Macchi Veltro was an Italian World War II fighter aircraft built by the Aeronautica Macchi. Along with the Reggiane and Fiat , this plane was one of the three “Serie 5“ Italian fighters built around the powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The was a development of the earlier Folgore. With a top speed of around 640 km/h and equipped with a pair of 20mm cannon as well as Breda machine guns, the was highly respected by Allied and Axis pilots alike. Widely regarded as one of the best Italian fighters of World