In October 1940 Benito Mussolini, intent upon extending Italian influence and desiring domination of the Mediterranean, directed that an attack should occur upon neutral Greece. This attack would come from Albania, which Italy had annexed in April 1939. Yet Albania was not such an ideal place from which to launch such an adventure.

Due to Italy's own economic situation little had been done to prepare Albania for war. The military facilities were poor, communications were lacking, and ports and airfields were inadequate. The long-term plan had been to transform the country, so that it could be Italy's stepping stone into the Balkans, but little had been done. The Italian military at the eleventh hour poured money into Albania for the invasion of Greece, but this amounted to too little, too late.

To accomplish the daunting task Mussolini had set out for it, the Italian Air Force, the Regia Aeronautica, had 3 commands at its disposal: Comando Aeronautic Albania, Comando 4 Zona Aerea Territoriale (ZAT), and Aeronautica Dell'Egeo.

Comando Aeronautic Albania commanded Albania, the Adriatic, watched over the Balkans and joined in the Greek (28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941) and Yugoslav (6 to 17 April 1941) campaigns. The headquarters for Comando Aeronautic Albania was located at Tirana, Albania. The command had six airfields constructed or being completed at the beginning of the Greek campaign. These six airfields were located at Tirana, Valona, Durazzo, Argyrokastron, Koritza, and Berat. A few emergency landing fields and poor grass strips also existed but they had very few facilities. On 28 October the command had 47 fighters, 40 bombers, and 25 tactical reconnaissance planes. It was further reinforced by 60 fighters and 15 bombers on the 1st and 2nd of November 1940.

The following chart shows the breakdown by type and number of aircraft available to Comando Aeronautic Albania from 28 October to 3 November 1940:

Type	Number Available 28 Oct 1940	Number Reinforced 2 Nov 1940	Total Strength 3 Nov 1940
CR.32bis	14	0	14
CR.42	10	36	46
G.50bis	23	24	47
RO.37bis	25	0	25
SM.79	16	15	31
SM.81	24	0	24

The mission for Comando Aeronautic Albania at the beginning of the Greek campaign was threefold. First, provide support to the ground forces and take part in the proposed occupation of Corfu. Secondly, to maintain an air offense against airfields in Epirus, Thessalonika, and Macedonia; against military ports at Preveza and Thessalonkia; and against the main line of Greek communications. Lastly it was to provide air defenses of Albania territory, particularly the fleet bases at Valona and Durazzo.

To accomplish this mission Comando Aeronautic Albania had 187 relatively modern aircraft available. The Greek air force had an operational strength of 150 aircraft, but was virtually without reserves and had to guard all of Greece. This disparity of strength does not appear great at first sight, but the Regia Aeronautica could look for a ready supply of replacement aircraft and spare parts, coupled with reinforcement if necessary. More importantly it was backed up-by Comando 4 ZAT, located in Southeastern Italy.

The Comando 4 ZAT commanded the Central and Eastern Mediterranean, the Adriatic Sea, and watched over Albania and the Balkans. From 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941 it operated against Greece as a direct reinforcement to Commando Aeronautic Albania. From 6 to 7 April 1941 it was involved in the Yugoslav campaign and from 28 April to 1 May it covered the occupation of Corfu, Cefalonia, and Zante Islands. The headquarters for the Comando 4 ZAT was located at Brindisi, Italy. On 28 October the command had 42 fighters, and 125 bombers. It was further reinforced with 12 fighters and 15 bombers from 3 through 11 November 1940.

The following chart shows the breakdown by type and number of aircraft available to Comando 4 ZAT from 28 October to 14 November 1940:

Type	Number Available 28 Oct 1940	Number Reinforced 2 Nov 1940	Total Strength 3 Nov 1940
CR.32bis	9	0	9
G.50bis	33	0	33
MC.200	0	12	12
SM.81	18	0	18
Ju 87B	20	0	20
BR.20M	19	0	19
Z.506	23	0	23
Z.1007bis	45	15	60

The mission for the Comando 4 ZAT was to directly reinforce Comando Aeronautic Albania for the duration of the war with Greece. To accomplish this mission Comando 4 ZAT had 194 relatively modern aircraft. This would bring up the total strength of Italian aircraft in the war against Greece to 381 planes.

The war for the air was fought every day of the campaign with engagements ranging from only a couple of aircraft to major actions involving 30 or 40 planes. The Italian airman was generally welltrained, excelling in aerobatics and the general handling of his aircraft. The Italian fighter pilot tended to dogfight more than his German counterpart, in order to use his good maneuverability. Morale always remained high in the air units throughout the campaign. During the retreat from Greece during the first Greek counterattack the only way the Italian military could strike back was from the air. Losses from air and antiaircraft fire were light, and new units and reinforcements entered the campaign.

During the latter part of November the Regia Aeronautica received 373 and 374 Squadrigla Autonomo CT and 42 Gruppo BT. The 373 and 374 Squadrigla were equipped with 24 MC.200 which brought up the strength of this model to 36 operational aircraft. The 42 Gruppo BT was equipped with 14 SM.79, which brought the strength of SM.79s up to 45 aircraft. All reinforcements went to Comando 4 ZAT for operations over Albania and Greece.

The month of December was a busy one for the Regia Aeronautica. On 7 December the 370 Squadrigla was sent to the Comando 4 ZAT; it was equipped with 7 MC.200. This brought the strength of MC.200s up to 43 aircraft. On 10 December the first of 53 Ju 52 troop carriers arrived in Italy. This would be the first aid for the Italians from their German allies. Desperately short of air transport to aid in the immediate reinforcement of the Albanian front, Mussolini appealed to Adolf Hitler for help.

As a result, the Germans sent the I/KGzbV 1. On 6 December the 96 Gruppo Autonomo BaT arrived in Comando 4 ZAT bringing up the strength in Ju 87s from 20 to 40 aircraft. Because of the British offensive in Libya the Comando had to send planes to save the crumbling front lines. The 14 SM.79s of 42 Gruppo BT and the Fiat G.50bis fighters of 2 Gruppo Autonomo CT were rushed off to Libya to support the Italian army.

The month of January saw much activity for the Regia Aeronautica, with a number of major changes occurring. One was the 5 Gruppo OA, which arrived in theater. This was equipped with 16 RO.37bis aircraft. These observation bi-planes performed double duty as fighters when needed. During this time frame the CANT Z.506 was also being slowly exchanged for CANT Z.1007bis. And on 30 January the Comando would lose one of its dive bomber units when the 96 Gruppo BaT took its Ju 87s over to Libya to support Graziani's army there. And finally, Comando 4 ZAT changed its name to 4 Squadra Aerea.

During the month of March the 51, 69, 202, and 203 Squadrigle requipped with BR.20 bombers, surrendering their SM.81 bombers for transport duties. From 5 to 7 March the 22 Gruppo Autonomo CT, 73, and 371 Squadriglia arrived with the latest batch of 58 MC.200 fighters.

Two Squadrigla of SM.79 bombers arrived to support the Italian air offensive. To replace the loss of the Ju 87s at the end of January, the 101 Gruppo Autonomo BaT was sent with 20 more Ju 87s in the first half of March. At the end of February the detachment of the 53 Ju 52 to the Regia Aeronautica had ended, after the German aircraft had made 1665 troop-carrying and 2363 supply sorties from Foggia to Albania, carrying across 30,000 men and 4700 tons of supplies, while bringing back 10,000 sick and wounded soldiers.

The month of April saw the addition of a new command, due to the campaign in Yugoslavia. The 2 Squadra Aerea brought additional aircraft for this new front in the war. This command had 90 fighters , 61 bombers, and 49 tactical reconnaissance planes. Its headquarters was located at Padova, Italy. The mission for the Squadra was to support the operations in Yugoslavia.

The following chart shows the break down by type and number of aircraft available to the Regia Aeronautica in April 1941 in the Balkans:

Type	Comando Aeronautic Albania	4 Squadra Aerea	2 Squadra Aerea	Total
CR.32bis9	0	9
CR.42	30	9	0	39
G.50bis	53	0	0	53
MC.200	57	70	90	217
RO.37bis	44	0	34	78
CA.311	24	0	15	39
Ju 87B	20	20	0	40
SM.79	0	30	0	30
BR.20M	0	70	61	131
Z.506	0	12	0	12
Z.1007bis	0	49	0	49

The last command that supported the Greek campaign was the Aeronautica Dell'Egeo. This command controlled the Aegean Islands. The main duties of this command were escorting convoys, conducting anti-shipping operations, and making armed reconnaissance of Egypt, Turkey, Palestine, Syria, and Cyprus. The command supported the campaign against Greece and then Crete (20-31 May 1941).

The main Italian islands in the Dodecanese were Rhodes, Scarpanto, Stampalia and the smaller Castelorizzo 72 miles east of Rhodes. The main islands all featured airfields, four in the case of Rhodes. A small air contingent was based on Rhodes. It consisted of 82 aircraft, made up of one Squadriglia each of RO.43/44, CR.32, and CR.42 fighters, two Squadriglia of SM.81s, four Squadriglia of SM.79s, two Squadriglia of CANT Z.501s, and a section of CANT Z.50613s.

The Italian effort in late May focused on assisting their German allies with the attack upon Greece. The Regia Aeronautica supported this operation with the Aeronautica Dell'Egeo. This command was reinforced with the 231 Squadriglia and six CANT Z.1007bis bombers. These aircraft would remain there until 1 June 1941.

Regia Aeronautica air losses for the period 28 October 1940 to 30 April 1941 over Greece and Albania were recorded as 65 lost in combat or to antiaircraft fire, plus another 495 damaged, 371 of them to antiaircraft fire. A further 14 were destroyed on the ground, where an additional 71 were also damaged, 10 of them seriously. Five additional aircraft were lost over Yugoslavia and 22 damaged there.

This would give a total of 84 aircraft lost and 588 damaged in combat. The Regia Aeronautica lost 240 aircrew dead or missing and 70 wounded during the air war for the Balkans: a heavy cost for victory and Mussolini's second Roman Empire.

Order of Battle: Regia Aeronautica

The following is a new order of battle for the Regia Aeronautica in the play of Balkan Front. It is based on the research used to prepare this article, recognizing that different researchers using different source data may arrive at different conclusions on such things as orders of battle. It may be used when playing the Balkan Campaign and Italo-Greek War scenarios, and any others that start with the Nov I 40 turn.

Initial Forces Notes
1 x CR.32bis As original order of battle.
1 x G.50 As original order of battle.
1 X SM.81 As original order of battle.
1x Z.1007b As original order of battle.

Rhodes Garrison:
1 x Mxd B As original order of battle.
1 x Mxd F As original order of battle.

Nov I 40
1 x CR.42 As original order of battle.
1 x G.50 Reinforcement of 24 G.50 brings total G.50s up to 80, plus 12 MC.200 warrants another air group.
1 x Z.506B Reinforcement of 15 Z.1007b plus 23 Z.506 gives 60 Z.1007b, plus 23 Z.506. This would place the arrival of this unit here, rather than with the initial forces.

Nov II 40
1 x MC.200 As original order of battle.
1x SM.79-1 The last of the SM.79 air group arrived and became operational during the last half of November 1940.

Dec I 40
1x Ju 87B/R As original order of battle.
Note: Do not withdraw the SM.79; it did not leave until 14 Dec 1940.

Dec II 40
1x Ju 52 As original order of battle.
Withdraw:
1x SM.79-1 SM.79s left on 14 Dec 1940 to go to Libya.
1 x G.50 G.50bis left on 21 Dec 1940 to go to Libya.

Jan II 41
1 x RO.37bis (2R2 0/8) This plane was a workhorse, pulling double duty as a fighter and a reconnaissance aircraft.
Convert
1 x Z.506 to The CANT Z.506s were being replaced by CANT Z.1007s
1x Z.1007b and being withdrawn for duty elsewhere.
Note: Do not withdraw the Ju 87B/R. Although losing the 96th, they gained the 101st in its place; hence no loss.

Feb II 41
Note: Do not withdraw the Ju 52. It did not leave until the end of Feb and is needed this turn to duplicate historical achievements.

Mar I 41
1 x MC.200 As original order of battle.
1 x BR.20M As original order of battle.
Return:
1X SM.79-1 Note earlier return here, instead of Apr I 41 turn.
Withdraw:
1x Ju 52 The Ju 52 did not leave until the very end of February.

Apr I 41 Second Army Forces (2 Squadra Aerea)
2x MC.200 As original order of battle.
1 x RO.37bis An additional unit; see Jan II 41 note.
1 x BR.20M As original order of battle.
1x CA.311 (1 R11-1/9) Unit of 39 reconnaissance/bomber aircraft.