The Macchi C.202 Folgore (Italian "thunderbolt") was a World War II fighter aircraft, built by Macchi Aeronautica and operated by the Regia Aeronautica (RA; Royal (Italian) Air Force). The C.202 was a development of the earlier C.200 Saetta, with a more powerful German Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine. Produced in large numbers, the Folgore was the most numerically important Italian fighter, operating on all fronts. [1] Macchi aircraft designed by Mario Castoldi received the "C" letter in their model designation, hence the Folgore is referred to as the MC.202.
Considered one of the most beautiful fighters to fly with wartime Axis forces, the Folgore was also an effective and deadly dogfighter.[2][3] "The Macchi C.202 was considered superior to both the Hurricane and the Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks it fought against, at first on the Libyan front, and the equal of the Mk V Spitfire. The C.202 was able to out-turn all three although the Spitfire had a superior rate of climb." [4]
The C.202 was flown by almost all the most successful Italian aces: Adriano Visconti, Luigi Gorrini, Franco Lucchini, Franco Bordoni Bisleri, Furio Niclot Doglio, among others. The Folgore's top scoring pilot was Sergente Maggiore Teresio Vittorio Martinoli.
