Los italianos recibieron en el verano de 1940, 50 Ju 87 B-2 y Ju 87 B-2 Trop ex Luftwaffe y prestaron servicio en el Norte de Africa. Enseguida fueron complementados por un lote de Ju 87 R-2. Mas tarde, recibieron 46 Ju 87 D-2 y Ju 87 D-3 junto a unos pocos mas Ju 87 R-2.
Los Aliados creyeron en ese entonces que los italianos producían bajo licencia al Stuka y le asignaron la denominación Breda 201 Picchiatelli, pero el ju 87 nunca fue construido bajo licencia. Sus únicos fabricantes fueron Junkers y Weser.-
JU 87B-2 "Stuka" (chiamato dai piloti italiani "picchiatello") del 97° Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento a Tuffo, operante sul fronte greco albanese dal dicembre 1940.
JU 87B-2 "Stuka", Squadriglia 208, integrata provvisoriamente nel 97° Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento a Tuffo, Lecce 1941
http://www.eugene.es-krs.ru///camms/ar/29/pics/32_13.jpg
Ju.87B-2
Unit: 208 Squdriglia, 97 Gruppo Bombardamento a Tuffo
Serial: 208
Sicily, in 1942.
http://www.eugene.es-krs.ru///camms/ar/29/pics/32_5.jpg
Ju.87B-2
Unit: 237 Squdriglia, 96 Gruppo Bombardamento a Tuffo
Serial: 237-? (W.Nr.5683)
Galatina (Lecce), Autumn 1940. The Italian Stukas went through their baptism of fire in the afternoon of 2 September, 1940, when they attacked a British naval formation just outside Maltese waters. After a series of significant attacks on Malta's airfields and harbour during the second half of September, the two squadriglie of 96? Gruppo suspended their operations against the island in anticipation of the impending Italian attack on Greece. This Picchiatello seems to have worn a single colour camouflage scheme of dark green RLM71 over Light Blue Grey RLM65 as no fields dividing is apparent in photographs. (Camouflage: RLM71 Dunkelgrun upper surfaces with RLM65 Hellblau under-sides).
http://www.eugene.es-krs.ru///camms/ar/29/pics/32_8.jpg
Ju.87R-2
Unit: 208 Squdriglia, 101 Gruppo Autonomo Bombardamento a Tuffo
Serial: 208-? (W.Nr.5043)
Trapani (Trapani), Sicily, June 1941. Based at Tirana during the whole Balkan campaign, 101 Gruppo Autonomo formed part of the Comando Aeronautico Albania [Albania Air Command] before being sent to Sicily where it operated against Malta and Allied shipping in the Mediterranean during the summer of 1941. The Ju 87R - R for Reichweite [range] - overcame the Ju 87B's main setback, its insufficient range, thanks to two extra fuel tanks in the wings and two 300 litre drop tanks under the outer wings. The 'new' version was thus able to operate a longer way from its base and attack targets on the high seas. (Camouflage: RLM70 Schwarzgrun / RLM71 Dunkelgrun upper surfaces with RLM65 Hellblau undersides).
Ju.87D-3
Unit: 207 Squdriglia, 103 Gruppo Bombardamento a Tuffo
Serial: 207-10 (W.Nr.????)
Decimomannu (Cagliari), Sardinia, July 1943. Between April and June of 1943, both Regia Aeronautica dive bombing groups (103 and 121), were re-equipped with Junkers Ju 87D-3s. The two gruppi were to be prac-tically swept away during the invasion of Sicily by the overwhelming Allied air power. The attrition of the Picchiatelli units was terrific, within days there were virtually none to continue the suicidal attacks on the invasion fleet. The Italian Doras received their indi-vidual identification numbers on the fuselage, just after the squadriglia number, and not on the whel spats as it had prevously been the case with the B-2 and R-2s. (Camouflage: RLM71 Dunkelgrun upper surfaces with RLM65 Hellblau under-sides).
Ju.87D-3
Unit: Nucleo Volo Stormo Transporti (NVST-1)
Serial: W.Nr.100410
Circa 1944.
