Italy produced a number of excellent military aircraft in WWII, but these are frequently overshadowed by other countries – partly because Italy lacked the industrial base to produce them at scale. Italy even produced an early jet fighter before it became the first Axis belligerent to surrender to the Allies in 1943. In fact, Italy was briefly thought to be the first country in the world to fly jet planes (until it was found Germany beat them to it).

WWII: Dawn of the jet fighter

The first operational jet fighters debuted in WWII. Jet development was led by the United Kingdom (which boasted superior engines) and Germany (which fielded the first fighter jet). Only two fighter jets saw combat service at the end of WWII – the British Gloster Meteor (it shot down V1 rockets over London) and the German Messerschmitt Me 262A.

Photo: Lockheed Martin | Flickr

The United States rushed its first jet fighter, the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, at the close of the war. Only four were sent to Europe—two to Britain and two to Italy (they didn’t see combat, and some were lost to non-combat causes). Meanwhile, the Japanese and Italians were developing their own jet fighters. Italy’s early exit after the war in 1943 saw the end of its jet fighter program.

The Soviets were hopelessly behind the other nations in jet production by the end of WWII (and had to rely on captured German scientists and reverse-engineered British engines to catch up post-war).

Italy’s 1930s quest to build the first jet fighter

The Caproni Campini N1 (or C.C.2) was Italy’s first jet and the world’s second jet plane. It was the brainchild of Secondo Campini. Campini presented the concept he called a “thermojet” engine in 1931 and received a contract three years later (in 1934) to build a test aircraft by September 1936. He received the contract after demonstrating a jet-powered boat in Venice.

Photo: National Air and Space Museum

Unable to build the jet himself, he sought the help of the Italian Caproni aircraft manufacturing company.

Caproni Campini N1 prototypes:

• Caproni-Campini CC.1 (single-seat aircraft)

Caproni-Campini CC.2 (two-seat aircraft)

The first prototype flew on 27 August 1940, just after WWII broke out. At the time, it was thought this was the world’s first successful jet-powered aircraft flight. However, it soon came to light that Germany had flown the experimental Heinkel He 178 a year earlier. The Caproni Campini N1 flew at the Caproni facility in Taliendo (just outside of Milan) and was flown by Mario de Bernardi. The second test aircraft flew on 11 April 1941.

The jet’s engine was located at the nose of the aircraft with its exhaust at the rear (giving the aircraft a long tube shape).

Disappointing performance of the motorjet

The new jet plane’s performance was unimpressive. Its engine also lost engine power the higher the aircraft ascended (which made it useless for practical military use). It was slower than many contemporary piston-engine aircraft, and its motorjet was unable to provide enough thrust for a fighter aircraft at the time.

Commando Supremo states, “Campini’s thermojet engine was different from a gas turbine engine, or ‘jet engine,’ which is typically seen in other jets both then and now. The main difference between Campini’s thermojet engine and the traditional jet engine is essentially the presence of a piston engine in lieu of a turbine.”

The program didn’t lead to any operational combat aircraft, and Italy switched its attention to the more powerful turbojet design. The test aircraft did what they were designed to do – be testbeds for a new design. While the early jet showed Italy could innovate and develop new aircraft designs – like jet aircraft – Germany overtook Italy in both timing and performance.

Two prototypes were built (both of which still survive in an Italian museum today). One is (reportedly) at the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, while the other is at the Vigna di Valle Italian Air Force Museum near Rome.

The two combat jet fighters of WWII

Messerschmitt Me 262

The Germans would go on to be the first country to field an operational jet fighter – the Messerschmitt Me 262. The National Air And Space Museum calls it “the first operational turbojet aircraft.” It first flew under jet power in July 1942 and was much faster than conventional airplanes. Allied bombings and developmental issues delayed its production.

Photo: Serge Goujon l Shutterstock

Example WWII-era jet fighters/testbeds:

• Messerschmitt Me 262

Heinkel He 178

Gloster Meteor

Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star

Caproni Campini N1

Nakajima Kikka

The Me 262 became the first jet airplane to be used in combat in July 1944 as it attacked a British photo-reconnaissance Mosquito flying over Munich. It proved an effective fighter against Allied bomber formations (although Allied bombers destroyed hundreds of them on the ground). Of more than 1,400 produced, less than 300 Me 262s saw combat.

Gloster Meteor

The Gloster Meteor was the first RAF (and Allied) jet fighter and made its first true flight at RAF Cranwell in March 1943. Eventually, a total of 3,875 Gloster Meteors were built (3,545 of which were in the United Kingdom). Two remain in use with the British contractor, Martin-Baker, for testing ejection seats (including those used on the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II).