HOW STRONG IS ITALY?

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21735, 17 August 1940, Page 4

HOW STRONG IS ITALY?

Details Of Navy And Air Force Claim Of Nine Million Men (From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, June 15. Nine million Italians can be mobilised for war, it is claimed in Italy. More than 1.500,000 have been under arms since the calling up of five more classes in March. The army is divided into 90 divisions and consists of a home and colonial force. It has thousand of parachute troops trained and equipped on the German model. In the last few months this parachute corps has been increased and planes have been specially built to carry them. The present strength of the Italian air force is about 2.140 front line planes and 1,800 reserve planes of all classes. To man these there are 8,000 pilots and 54,000 other ranks. The Italian air force comprises the best men picked from the three fighting services. The 2.140 first-line planes are made up as follows: 46 bomber squadrons of 10 planes, 34 flying-boat squadrons of 10 planes, 30 reconnaissance squadrons of 12 planes. These are Italy’s best fighters and bombers, and their top speeds: Singleseat fighters: F,at CR 42 <279 m.p.h.); Macchi C2OO (313 m.p.h.). Bombers: Savoia-Marchetti SM79b, 4-seater (295 m.p.h.); Piaggio P 32, 4-5 seater (261 m.p.h.). Fighter-bomber: Breda 88, 2-3 seater <321 m.p.h.). Italy’s fighters will be opposed by Spitfires, Hurricanes and Defiants, with speeds of nearly 400 m.p.h. and greatly superior armament and rate of fire. In strength the Italian Navy is the fifth in the world, exceeded only by the fleets of the British Empire, the United States, Japan and France. Its completed ships include: Two new battleships, the Littorio and the Vittorio Veneto, 35,000 tons, with 15in.’guns and a speed of 30 knots. Two older battleships. 23,622 tons. 12.6 in. guns, rebuilt and modernised; seven heavy cruisers, 10.000 tons, speed 32 to 35 knots; two cruisers 5.000 to 8.000 tons, i 6in. guns, capable of doing 40 knots | two obsolete ex-German cruisers, prizes of th: last war, 3,000 tons- 5.9 in. guns; 57 destroyers, 935 to 1.729 tons, mostly with 4.7 in. guns; 68 torpedoboats 182 to 679 tons, 3.9 or 4in. guns; 117 submarines, 336 to 1371 tons, of which seven are obsolete; 70 motor tor-pedo-boats the majority fast vessels of modern design; and one seaplane/carrier, 4,880 tons.