1-300 WWI Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare Variant #2 Decals

These 1-300 WWI Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare Variant #2 decals reproduce the aircraft identification markings represented by this sheet for use on 1-300 scale aircraft miniatures. They are intended for historically appropriate aircraft, units, and periods associated with the marking.

Decal Information

The sheet includes WWI Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare Variant #2 markings suitable for use on 1-300 scale aircraft miniatures.

They are printed on clear-background waterslide decal paper. They need to be individually cut out. Apply over a properly prepared and gloss-coated model surface using normal waterslide-decal techniques.

Key Historical Details

Region / Nation: Italian Service: Italian Military Aviation Time Period: World War I Primary Marking: Aircraft Numbers / Identification Codes Scale: 1-300 Application: Historically appropriate aircraft and aviation subjects

Historical Information

1-300 WWI Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare – Variant #2

These 1-300 WWI Italian Corpo Aeronautico Militare Variant #2 decals reproduce the distinctive Italian tricolor aircraft roundel used during the later years of World War I. This version features a red center surrounded by a white ring and green outer ring, representing the reversed color arrangement adopted by Italian military aviation during approximately 1917–1918.

Italy entered World War I on the Allied side in May 1915, and its military aviation arm, the Corpo Aeronautico Militare, rapidly expanded from a relatively small reconnaissance force into an increasingly sophisticated air service operating fighters, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, and ground-attack machines.

Italian national aircraft markings were far from completely standardized during the early years of the war. Aircraft could carry tricolor rudders, colored wing panels, roundels, or combinations of these markings. The familiar circular Italian cockade became increasingly standardized as the war progressed. Historical sources note considerable variation in size, positioning, and even the order of the national colors.

The earlier Italian roundel generally displayed green in the center, surrounded by white with red on the outside. During 1917–1918, however, Italian aviation reversed the arrangement to red in the center, white in the middle, and green on the outside. The Italian Air Force's own historical account states that this change was probably intended to reduce the possibility of confusing Italian aircraft with French aircraft, whose roundels also used red, white, and blue concentric circles.

Roundels became increasingly common on the upper wings and fuselage sides during the final phase of the war. A formal tricolor roundel was introduced in December 1917, although photographs demonstrate that considerable variation continued through the Armistice.

The reversed green-outer roundel can be seen on several important Italian aircraft of the late-war period, including examples of the Hanriot HD.1, one of Italy's most successful fighters. Italian-built and Italian-operated aircraft of the period also included the SPAD VII and XIII, Nieuport fighters, Ansaldo SVA series, Pomilio reconnaissance aircraft, and Caproni bombers, although exact markings should always be checked against the individual aircraft and date being represented.