YoM 1941. SOC 14Mar45.

ex Swedish AF "2539" and "SE-AOP" now displayed as MM5643.

Ex Italian AF MM5701. Displayed at RAF Museum Hendon since October 1978.

Photo taken by Elio Viroli.

Ex Swedish AF 2542. Arrived at Duxford from Italy in February 2006 for the continuation of a rebuild to flying condition.

Ex Italian Air Force MM5701 of 18º Gruppo Caccia Terrestre / 95ª Squadriglia, which made a forced landing near Orford Ness on the English east coast on 11 Nov 1940 during a bombing mission out of Belgium. It was salvaged and two weeks later it was allocated RAF serial BT474. In Apr 1941 it was transferred to the Air Fighting Development Unit at Duxford, where it was test flown for about a year. After years of storage at various locations, it was eventually restored in the mid 1960s, and it is seen here displayed at the 1969 RAF Chivenor Open Day. Restored in its original Italian markings in 1974 and allocated RAF maintenance serial 8468M in 1976, it eventually ended up with the RAF Museum Hendon.

One of the very best biplane (actually sesquiplane) fighters ever, the C.R.42 had to compete in the new monoplane era of WW2. The museum's example is a composite airframe and partly a replica, built using 60% original parts from at least four Swedish aircraft and some other sources. Painted as 'MM5643' it represents a Rhodes-based Falco of the 162a Squadriglia.

The J11 version of the Fiat CR-42 biplane fighter served the Swedish Air Force from 1940 until 1945. This example is preserved in the Flygvapen Museum at Malmen.

To the RAF Museum Hendon in 1978.

A long term stunning restoration.

CR-42Bis Falco of the Swedish AF. This one served from May 1941 to March 1945 with F9. Now preserved in the Malmen museum.