Photo courtesy of Marcel Coekaerts (Belgium)

Photo courtesy of Marcel Coekaerts (Belgium)

Photo courtesy of Marcel Coekaerts (Belgium)

Author unknown

Author unknown. Serial and unit codes fake because Italian F-84Fs were registered with serials in the range 51- / 53-. This aircraft was built up by merging the front part from MM 53-6659, coded 8-39 and withdrawn from use on 1970-04-13, and the rear part (or at least the tail) from an RF-84F Thunderflash, MM 52-7339 coded 3-03. This second aircraft was really assigned to 3rd Aerobrigata and the first one to 101° Gruppo / 8° Stormo (distinctive red flash). At the time of this photo the aircraft was preserved in front of Hotel Gallo, along the SP10 road, just out of Marcaria village.

Photo courtesy of Marcel Coekaerts (Belgium). Thundersteak built for USAF as s/n 52-6378 then transferred to Belgian AF in April 1958. It wore units' codes 8S-V and 8S-P Withdrawn from use on 1965-09-16 was then modified as a decoy to look like a Mirage.

Photographer not known. The location should be Rome Ciampino according to the following aircraft history: Delivered new to Alitalia 1957-02-27 as I-DOVE. Transferred to Italian AF, 306° Gruppo, 1961-02-23. Coded by Italian AF as SM-2, SM-5, SM21 Assigned to 31° Stormo and coded 31-21 in October 1976. Withdrawn from use and stored in Ciampino 1978-02-18. Demolished in Ciampino in April 1987

Photo courtesy of Marcel Coekaerts. Thunderstreak built with s/n 53-6791 and transferred to Belgian AF in September 1956. It wore unit code 8S-Y and was withdrawn from use in February 1971. Then modified as a decoy to look like a Mirage and destroyed for firefighting drill.

This aircraft is part of the supply that the Italian AF received from the US starting from 1947 as part of the post IIWW reconstruction. Approximately 120 were delivered and coded with IAF military serials MM52xxx. They intensively served for pilot training and also liason duties. In the '50s the majority of L-5 were passed to the Italian Aeroclub. This airframe still wears on the tail the military serial, also if in use by the Italian Aeroclub of Biella. The photo was taken at Biella Gaglianico airfield were the Aeroclub of Biella (now at Biella Cerrione - LILE) was founded in 1927. The photo was made by my father.