Officine Meccaniche Reggiane SpA (commonly referred to as ''Reggiane'') was an Italian industrial manufacturer and aviation company.
Reggiane was founded during 1904 by its parent company
Caproni
Caproni, also known as ''Società de Agostini e Caproni'' and ''Società Caproni e Comitti'', was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Its main base of operations was at Taliedo, near Linate Airport, on the outskirts of Milan.
Founded by Giovan ...
, which was in turn owned by the
aeronautical engineer
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
Giovanni Battista Caproni
Giovanni Battista Caproni, 1st Count of Taliedo (July 3, 1886 – October 27, 1957), known as "Gianni" Caproni, was an Italian aeronautical engineer, civil engineer, electrical engineer, and aircraft designer who founded the Caproni aircraft-manu ...
. Throughout the company's existence, it was involved in numerous industrial activities, such as
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
s,
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
,
aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies ...
, and processing machinery.
During the first half of the Twentieth Century, Reggiane became well known for the design and production of aircraft. Through the development of the
Re.2000, an all-metal monoplane, Reggiane gained a reputation for producing relatively agile single-seat
fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
.
Following the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the majority of Reggiane's fighter production was taken over by the ''
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...
'' (the Italian Air Force). However, the company continued to manufacture and deliver fighters for various other
neutral
Neutral or neutrality may refer to:
Mathematics and natural science Biology
* Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity
Chemistry and physics
* Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction in ...
and
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
*Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinate ...
-aligned nations around this period, such as for the ''
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
'' of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, the
Hungarian Air Force
The Hungarian Air Force ( hu, Magyar Légierő), is the air force branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces.
The task of the current Hungarian Air Force is primarily defensive purposes. The flying units of the air force are organised into a single ...
and the
Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.
History
The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...
. Following the end of the war, the company turned its back on aircraft production, instead focusing upon the civil sector. Throughout the second half of the century, Reggiane came to specialise in the supply of
cranes and other dockside equipment.
History
The company established its main facilities in
Reggio Emilia
Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...
, a city of what today is the
Emilia-Romagna
egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title ...
region of Italy. At its height, Reggiane's factory in the city was the fourth largest in Italy, its footprint covering an area as large as the center of Reggio Emilia, employing as many as 11,000 employees at a time.
It was primarily through this plant that Reggiane performed its various industrial activities, becoming involved in the nations's
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
s, manufacturing a number of
locomotive
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
s, as well as the
agricultural
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...
sector, producing a range of food processing equipment.
![Piaggio P](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Piaggio_P.32_black-and-white.jpg)
During the 1930s, the company branched out into aircraft production; the first aircraft to be produced by the firm was the
Piaggio P.32
The Piaggio P.32 was an Italian medium bomber of the late 1930s, produced by Piaggio, and designed by Giovanni Pegna. It was a modern design for its time, but was a failure due to lack of powerplants commensurate with its high wing loading.
Desig ...
bis, a
medium bomber
A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...
, which had been developed from the
Caproni
Caproni, also known as ''Società de Agostini e Caproni'' and ''Società Caproni e Comitti'', was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Its main base of operations was at Taliedo, near Linate Airport, on the outskirts of Milan.
Founded by Giovan ...
Ca.405C ''Procellaria''. However, Reggiane's management were keen to branch out into developing their own aircraft designs, rather than solely producing other company's aircraft
under license.
During 1938, work commenced at Reggiane on a new fighter design; the company's design team, which was headed by Roberto Longhi and Antonio Alessio, set about designing an aircraft that would be offered to the Italian Air Ministry that would not only meet but exceed the requirements of its Programme R.
[Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 214.] Having little development time available, Reggiane considered various options, including the potential for manufacturing an American-developed fighter aircraft
under license instead; however, under the influence of
aeronautical engineer
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
Giovanni Battista Caproni
Giovanni Battista Caproni, 1st Count of Taliedo (July 3, 1886 – October 27, 1957), known as "Gianni" Caproni, was an Italian aeronautical engineer, civil engineer, electrical engineer, and aircraft designer who founded the Caproni aircraft-manu ...
, a completely original design was rapidly prepared.
The design team took inspiration from the contemporary American fighter
Seversky P-35
The Seversky P-35 is an American fighter aircraft built by the Seversky Aircraft Company in the late 1930s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, the P-35 was the first single-seat fighter in United States Army Air Co ...
; their resulting design, the
Reggiane Re.2000
The Reggiane Re.2000 ''Falco'' I was an Italian all metal, low-wing monoplane developed and manufactured by aircraft company Reggiane. The type was used by the ''Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Air Force) and the Swedish Air Force during the first p ...
, bore a superficial resemblance to the P-35.
[Cattaneo 1967, p. 3.] It was the first aircraft to be designed by Reggiane to employ
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
stressed skin
In mechanical engineering, stressed skin is a type of rigid construction, intermediate between monocoque and a rigid frame with a non-loaded covering. A stressed skin structure has its compression-taking elements localized and its tension-taking e ...
construction, as opposed to the wooden or mixed wood and metal structures that had been traditionally used in contemporary Italian aircraft such as the
Savoia-Marchetti SM.79, another aircraft which had also been produced by Reggiane under license.
[Cattaneo 1967, p. 4.]
On 24 May 1939, the prototype Re.2000 conducted its
maiden flight
The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets.
The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alwa ...
at
Reggio Emilia
Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...
,
Emilia-Romagna
egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title ...
, Italy, flown by
Mario De Bernardi
Mario de Bernardi (1893–1959) was an Italian World War I fighter pilot, seaplane air racer of the 1920s, and test pilot of early Italian experimental jets.
Early life
De Bernardi was born on 1 July 1893 in Venosa, Italy. In 1911, at the age ...
.
[Green and Swanborough 1990, p. 57.] According to Cattaneo, early flights had quickly demonstrated the type's favourable flying attitude, including good speed and high manoeuvrability. Only minor modifications were required after the successful completion of the initial factory flight test programme; these including changes to the exhaust, the lengthening of the
carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...
air intake, and the replacement of the round windshield with a framed counterpart.
During testing, the Re 2000 demonstrated the ability to perform better than other existing fighters then in production.
In mock
dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is an aerial battle between fighter aircraft conducted at close range. Dogfighting first occurred in Mexico in 1913, shortly after the invention of the airplane. Until at least 1992, it was a component in every majo ...
s, it could successfully fight not only the slower
Fiat CR.42
The Fiat CR.42 ''Falco'' ("Falcon", plural: ''Falchi'') is a single-seat sesquiplane fighter developed and produced by Italian aircraft manufacturer Fiat Aviazione. It served primarily in the Italian in the 1930s and during the Second World ...
biplane, but even the more modern
Macchi C 200 and the German
Messerschmitt Bf 109E
Due to the Messerschmitt Bf 109's versatility and time in service with the German and foreign air forces, numerous variants were produced in Germany to serve for over eight years with the Luftwaffe. Additional variants were produced abroad tota ...
fighters.
However, the Re.2000 was afflicted by a major handicap in the form of the unavailability of reliable in-line engines of sufficient power; as such, the RE.2000 was able to represent only a limited advance over the rival
Macchi C.200
The Macchi C.200 Saetta (Italian: "Lightning"), or MC.200, was a fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Aeronautica Macchi in Italy. Various versions were flown by the ''Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Air Force) who used the type throughou ...
.
Throughout the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the company would develop numerous improved variants of the Re.2000, including the
Re.2001,
Re.2002,
Re.2003,
Re.2004,
Re.2005, and
Re.2006, some of which never progressed beyond the stages of prototyping or limited production. It has been alleged that the Reggiane had been working on developing their own wartime
jet-propelled fighter, the
Re.2007; however, some figures have cast doubts over the authenticity of the documentation produced.
Postwar activities
Following the conclusion of the conflict, Reggiane's factory was occupied by a large contingent of its work force, during which time its works were converted for to produce goods orientated towards the civilian market instead. This
industrial action
Industrial action (British English) or job action (American English) is a temporary show of dissatisfaction by employees—especially a strike action, strike or slowdown or working to rule—to protest against bad working conditions or low pay a ...
followed a pattern similar to the nationwide wave of
factory occupations
Occupation of factories is a method of the workers' movement used to prevent lock outs. They may sometimes lead to "recovered factories", in which the workers self-manage the factories.
They have been used in many strike actions, including:
*t ...
of the years 1920–1921.
The company, which is currently still active (though with a name and a location different from the original, due to the changes of ownership and name), specializes in the production of
cranes and trolleys for lifting containers. The company was taken over first by the group Fantuzzi (Fantuzzi Reggiane) and then recently acquired by American company
Terex Corporation
Terex Corporation is an American worldwide manufacturer of lifting and material-handling plant for a variety of industries including construction, infrastructure, quarrying, recycling, energy, mining, shipping, transportation, refining and ut ...
. The current name is: Reggiane Cranes and Plants S.p.A.
Products
Aircraft production
*
Reggiane Re.2000
The Reggiane Re.2000 ''Falco'' I was an Italian all metal, low-wing monoplane developed and manufactured by aircraft company Reggiane. The type was used by the ''Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Air Force) and the Swedish Air Force during the first p ...
''Falco''
*
Reggiane Re.2001 ''Falco II''
*
Reggiane Re.2002 ''Ariete''
*
Reggiane Re.2003
The Reggiane Re.2003 was a development from the Reggiane Re.2002 fighter bomber that first flew on 29 June 1941. It was designed to replace the outdated IMAM Ro.37 used at the time. Unlike the Re.2002, it had room for a second crewman who sat beh ...
*
Reggiane Re.2004
The Reggiane Re.2004 was an Italian single-engined monoplane made by Reggiane and designed by Roberto Longhi. The aircraft never passed the preliminary stages.
Design and development
The Re.2004 had identical fuselage
The fuselage (; from ...
*
Reggiane Re.2005
The Reggiane Re.2005 ' ( en, Archer, Sagittarius) was an Italian monoplane fighter and fighter-bomber produced for the ''Regia Aeronautica'' during the later years of World War II. Along with the Macchi C.202/ C.205 and Fiat G.55, the Reggiane ...
''Bifusoliera''
*
Reggiane Re.2005
The Reggiane Re.2005 ' ( en, Archer, Sagittarius) was an Italian monoplane fighter and fighter-bomber produced for the ''Regia Aeronautica'' during the later years of World War II. Along with the Macchi C.202/ C.205 and Fiat G.55, the Reggiane ...
''Sagittario''
*
Reggiane Re.2006
The Reggiane Re.2006 was an Italian fighter aircraft, of which only one prototype was built.
Development
In 1943, Reggiane started work on a version of the Re.2005 that was powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 603. After the bombing of the Reggian ...
*
Reggiane Re.2007
*
Reggiane Re.2008
*
Caproni-Reggiane Ca.400
*
Caproni-Reggiane Ca.8000
Locomotives
*
FS Class D.341
*
FS Class E.428
The FS E.428 was a class of Italian railways electric locomotives. They were introduced in the course of the 1930s, for fast services on the Florence–Rome railway, being decommissioned in the 1980s.
History
When in the 1930s, in the course of ...
*
FS Class E.636
The FS E.636 is a class of Italian articulated electric locomotives. They were introduced in the course of the 1940s until the 1960s, and have been decommissioned since 2006. They have been one of the most numerous Italian locomotive group, and ...
*
FS Class E.656
The Class E.656 is an Italian Articulated locomotive, articulated rheostatic-type electric locomotive built from 1975 to 1989. An evolution of the FS Class E.646, E.646, they are mixed traffic locomotives, and have been used on every kind of tra ...
*
FS Class E.424
The FS E.424 is a class of Italian railways electric locomotives. They were built in 1943-1951 and have been decommissioned in 2008.
History
A design for a small multi-service Bo-Bo locomotive, with speed up to , had been devised by Giuseppe Bi ...
See also
*
Caproni
Caproni, also known as ''Società de Agostini e Caproni'' and ''Società Caproni e Comitti'', was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Its main base of operations was at Taliedo, near Linate Airport, on the outskirts of Milan.
Founded by Giovan ...
*
Compagnia Nazionale Aeronautica __NOTOC__
Compagnia Nazionale Aeronautica was a manufacturer of aircraft and aircraft engines established in Italy in 1920 by Count Giovanni Bonmartini. Together with a group of World War I veteran pilots, he operated a flying school in Rome from a ...
*
Isotta Fraschini
Isotta Fraschini () was an Italian luxury car manufacturer, also producing trucks, as well as engines for marine and aviation use. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1900 by Cesare Isotta and the brothers Vincenzo, Antonio, and Oreste Fraschini, in 19 ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
* Angelucci, Enzo and Paolo Matricardi. ''World Aircraft: World War II, Volume I'' (Sampson Low Guides). Maidenhead, UK: Sampson Low, 1978. .
* Cattaneo, Gianni. ''The Reggiane Re.2000 (Aircraft in Profile Number 123)''. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967. No ISBN.
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "RE 2000... The 'State-of-the-Art' Reggiane". ''
Air Enthusiast
''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...
'', Forty-one, Midsummer 1990, pp. 54–69. Bromley, UK: Tri-Service Press. ISSN 0143-5450.
External links
Reggiane Cranes and Plants S.p.A. Official website
{{Authority control
Forklift truck manufacturers
Crane manufacturers
Firearm manufacturers of Italy
Defunct aircraft manufacturers of Italy
Manufacturing companies established in 1901
Italian companies established in 1901
Italian brands
Companies based in Reggio Emilia
Caproni