Jane's All the World Aircraft 1938 / 03 - All the world's aeroplanes

Регистрационный номерRegistry number: I-ARIA

The Breda 44 Six-passenger Cabin Biplane (two 155 h.p. Colombo S.63 engines).

Aviation Historian 33 / M.Wickstead - Italy's forgotten airlines (3)

Регистрационный номерRegistry number: I-ORIO

Breda Ba 44 I-ORIO joined the Ala Littoria fleet in May 1935 and served on the organisation’s Albanian routes before being sequestered by the Regia Aeronautica in the spring of 1939. It operated with the latter as part of the 611a Squadriglia Trasporto of the Comando Aeronautica Albania on liaison and light transport duties in Albania.

Air-Britain Archive 1986-03

The part of a newspaper cutting sent in by Andre Dillien from the Brussels "Le Soir" - though we think that the same photo has appeared in other countries too. It is related to the Kurt Waldheim controversy concerning his activities in Greece and Yugoslavia in 1942-3 during the German occupation. Waldheim is shown on the left of this photo taken at Podgorica in 5.43 with a DH Dragon Rapide identifiable in the background. M.Dillien asks what was this Rapide which was obviously under Luftwaffe control? We would suggest that it could be the former YU-SAS c/n 6332 ex G-AEKF delivered to Aeroput 7.36 and captured at Belgrade in 4.41. Any further information about this, or any alternative candidates, would be gratefully received.
The Dragon Rapide captured by the Luftwaffe raised a few eyebrows. Graham Simons suggested that YU-SAS was actually destroyed in an air raid at Belgrade 4.41, not captured. Several Rapides are said to have fallen into German hands but no proof exists in any of the relevant archives. A number were abandoned at Bordeaux in 1940 but could hardly have survived for a further three years without being recorded somewhere? The other possibility is that the aircraft was in fact a Breda 44 which was of very similar appearance. Six were used before the war by Ala Littoria and then by 611 Sqn of the Regia Aeronautica in Albania, Greece and Yugoslavia. It seems more likely that the Luftwaffe would be using a captured Italian a/c known to have been operating in that region.

Air-Britain Archive 1986-04

The editor has sketched the two types to show that the Breda had an interplane strut above the engine nacelle while the Dragon Rapide has one outboard of the engine. In the original photo there does appear to be a strut in line with the engine - making this a Breda.

Другие самолёты на фотографии: Another planes on the photo: De Havilland Dragon Rapide / Dominie / D.H.89 - ВеликобританияUnited Kingdom - 1934