Savoia Marchetti SM 79 Sparviero, Royal Air Force

One of the units of the Regia Aeronautica based in Eritrea, when the war began in that part of the world in 1940, was the 6Squadriglia, who participated in the campaign for the conquest of British Sudan. one of the few successful ones by the Italian armed forces.

The British counter-offensive was devastating, the colonial forces in Italian East Africa were overwhelmed by a combination of Commonwealth forces, obtaining the surrender of the Viceroy, practically all fighters and short-range aircraft in general, were unable to escape and they fell into the hands, mainly of the South African forces.

Possibly this Savoia Marchetti SM 79, it must have been damaged, because it could not escape, being one of the few captured, this particular one was introduced to service with the RAF, as a heavy transport, not as a bomber, serving for a short time, because for the At the time of the Iraqi rebellion, it was no longer in service, it was probably too complicated to find, redistribute and classify its parts, maddened by the great wear of the engines in the desert.

Airfix Lodela model, El Viejo Marino painting, all the decoration by brush, it is curious to see such a scheme, with English insignia. the other captured SM.79, received a more traditional British camouflage, but with RSAAF insignia