text:
Home BOLLYWOOD Anurag Kashyap: From Ugly To Bombay Velvet; Kalki Koechlin To Sabrina Khan
Anurag Kashyap: From Ugly To Bombay Velvet; Kalki Koechlin To Sabrina Khan
There is too much going on in both his personal as well as professional life. Post his separation from wife Kalki Koechlin, much is being written about Anurag Kashyap's personal life and the filmmaker says he is bothered by the intrusion of privacy.
"I have become too numb to react on the speculations about my personal life. I have to admit that it does bother me. I find it unfair. I feel my personal life is nobody's business," stated Anurag Kashyap.
Anurag Kashyap was earlier married to Aarti Bajaj with whom he has a daughter, Aaliya. After divorcing Aarti in 2009, he moved in with actress Kalki Koechlin and eventually married her in 2011. While the divorce is yet to take shape, Anurag is in love with someone else.
Well Anurag Kashyap is reported to have found love in his Bombay Velvet assistant director Sabrina Khan. While he is forty one, she is almost less than half his age.
Now coming to his professional assignments, well Anurag Kashyap is currently busy with Ugly and Bombay Velvet.
Ugly had its Asia and India premiere at the third Ladakh International Film Festival and left an audience full of filmmakers, army trainees and media numb.
Anurag Kashyap, who had refused the mandatory anti-tobacco disclaimer for the film and filed a petition in the court, said that all the legal hassles were over and Ugly will release on September 19, 2014
"I have lost the case and I have to now put the no-smoking disclaimer in the film. All the legal hassles are over and the film will release in September," he said.
Ugly is a psychological thriller and stars Girish Kulkarni, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Vinit Kumar Singh, Surveen Chawla and Vipin Sharma in pivotal roles.
On the other hand, Bombay Velvet starring Karan Johar, Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma is slated for released on November 28, 2014.
A piece of advice, you are a public figure so why do things that you are embarassed about.
Girish Kulkarni
karan johar
Ronit Roy
Sabrina Khan
Vinit Kumar Singh
Vipin Sharma
Previous articleAfter Meeting Rajinikanth, Sampoornesh Babu Says; His Life Is Now Complete
Next articlePhotos: From Prithviraj Kapoor To Armaan Jain – The Legacy Continues
Here's more of the madness that went down on day 2 of Sonam Kapoor's promotions for 'Zoya Factor'
Hrithik Roshan feels taking 'Super 30' was a difficult decision for him!
Here's the reaction of the author of 'The Zoya Factor' book for the film's trailer!


Lamb rosettes are rolled lamb flank steaks and are put on skewers for easy grilling! They are best marinated and cooked fast on high heat. Once they're taken off the grill enjoy while hot!
Lamb rosette skewers are roughly half a pound each!


text:
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Italian for sparrowhawk) was a three-engined Italian medium bomber developed and manufactured by aviation company Savoia-Marchetti. It may be the best-known Italian aeroplane of the Second World War. The SM.79 was easily recognizable due to its fuselage's distinctive dorsal "hump", and was reportedly well liked by its crews, who nicknamed it il gobbo maledetto ("damned hunchback").

The SM.79 was originally developed in the early 1930s as a cantilever low-wing monoplane of combined wood and metal construction. It had been designed with the intention of producing a swift eight-passenger transport aircraft, capable of besting even the fastest of its contemporaries, but had quickly attracted the attention of the Italian government with its potential as a combat aircraft. Performing its first flight on 28 September 1934, early examples of the type established 26 separate world records between 1937 and 1939, qualifying it for some time as the fastest medium bomber in the world. As such, the SM.79 quickly came to be regarded as an item of national prestige in Fascist Italy, attracting significant government support and often being deployed as an element of state propaganda. Early on, the aircraft was routinely entered in competitive fly-offs and air races, seeking to capitalise on its advantages, and often emerged victorious in such contests.

The SM.79 first saw combat during the Spanish Civil War. In this theatre it normally operated without fighter escort, relying on its relatively high speed to evade interception. While some issues were identified, and in some cases resolved, the SM.79's performance during the Spanish deployment was encouraging and stimulated demand for the type, including a decision to adopt it as the backbone of Italy's bomber units. Both Yugoslavia and Romania opted to procure the type for their own air services, while large numbers were also procured for the Regia Aeronautica. Almost 600 SM.79-I and –II aircraft were in service when Italy entered the Second World War in May 1940; thereafter, they were deployed in every theatre of war in which the Italians fought.

The SM.79 was operated in various capacities during the Second World War, initially being used mainly as a transport aircraft and medium bomber. Following pioneering work by the "Special Aerotorpedoes Unit", Italy put the type to work as a torpedo bomber; in this role, the SM.79 achieved notable successes against Allied shipping in the Mediterranean theatre of the war. A specialised drone version of the aircraft flown by remote control was also developed, although the Armistice with Italy was enacted prior to any operational deployment. It was the most numerous Italian bomber of the Second World War, with about 1,300 built. The type would remain in Italian service until 1952.

Development

In 1934, Italian aircraft manufacturer Savoia-Marchetti commenced work on what would become the SM.79. The design team was headed by aeronautical engineer Alessandro Marchetti. It had originally been conceived as a fast monoplane transport aircraft, capable of accommodating up to eight passengers and of being used in air racing (such as the London-Melbourne race). The design, which was initially designated as the SM.79P (P stood for passenger), was once intended to be a civil derivative of the Savoia-Marchetti SM.81, a militarised transport/bomber aircraft that was itself based upon the Savoia-Marchetti S.73 airliner.

The company quickly set about the construction of a single prototype of its design, being keen to participate in the high-profile London-Melbourne race if possible. According to aviation author Giorgio Apostolo, the SM.79 had adopted a three-engine configuration (two in mid-wing positions and the third mounted upon the nose) due to commercial safety concerns rather than for speed. Originally, there had been plans to adopt the  Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI Ri as the aircraft's powerplant; however, it was decided to revert to the less powerful  Piaggio Stella P.IX R.C.40, a derivative of the license-produced model of the British Bristol Jupiter, on which many of Piaggio's engines were based.

On 28 September 1934, the prototype SM.79 conducted its maiden flight, piloted by Adriano Bacula. Despite the company's ambitions to participate, the prototype (registration I-MAGO) had been completed too late for it to be entered in the London-Melbourne race. It featured very sleek contours and continuous panoramic windows, true to its original intended role as a passenger aircraft. Despite its delay, the prototype was able to quickly demonstrate its speed, conducting a flight from Milan to Rome in just one hour and 10 minutes, flying at an average speed of . On 20 July 1935, it was awarded its Certificate of Airworthiness. Soon after, on 2 August 1935, the prototype established a new speed record by flying from Rome to Massaua, in Italian Eritrea, in 12 flying hours (with a refuelling stop at Cairo, Egypt).

Various other world records were established during multiple test flights performed by the prototype. It was determined early on that it was the engines, rather than the airframe itself, that proved to be its limiting factor; accordingly, the prototype was re-engined multiple times. During 1935, the P.IX engines that had been originally installed were replaced by Alfa Romeo 125 RC.35s (this was a license-produced version of the Bristol Pegasus engine); during 1936, these were replaced by Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34s. The high performance demonstrated by the prototype attracted the attention of the Italian military, which approached Savoia-Marchetti with a request to investigate the prospects for producing a bomber-conversion of the type.

An evaluation of the SM.79 from a military perspective was conducted. Amongst the determinations made was that the installation of either two or three defensive machine guns would produce a highly effective defense against contemporary fighter aircraft. In response to the military interest, the company decided to construct a militarised second prototype. While it did not differ in structure from the first civil-orientated prototype, it featured a faired ventral nacelle for a bomb-aimer, a forward-firing machine gun above the pilot's cabin, along with another machine gun located on the underside of the tail. Furthermore, a third machinegun could be installed at an open position aft of the dorsal fairing to provide for further rear defense.

During October 1936, production of the SM.79 formally commenced. Initially, focus was given to producing civil aircraft while military variants continued to be developed; as such, there were a pair of principal commercial variants produced as well, these being the speed-focused SM.79C (C standing for race) and the long-range SM.79T (T for Transatlantic). Aircraft amongst these variants participated in various early record-setting attempts during 1937 and 1938. In light of opinions amongst prospective export customers of the desirability of a nose-mounted gun position (impossible due to the nose-mounted third engine), Savoia-Marchetti commenced work on the design of a two-engined model of the type, known as the SM.79B. This model, which featured a redesigned nose section that incorporated the bomb-aimer's position and an elevated position for the pilot, along with a single movable machine gun, performed its first flight during 1936.

In addition to the manufacturing activity performed by Savoia-Marchetti, in order to meet demand for the type, an Italian subcontractor in the form of Aeronautica Umbra, based in Foligno, also produced the type. Manufacturing of the type continued until June 1943, during which a total of 1,217 aircraft were completed, many of which were completed to bomber, torpedo-bomber, and transport configurations. Aviation author Bill Gunston described the SM.79 as being by far the most important Italian offensive warplane of the Second World War, and one of the very few Italian aircraft to be produced in substantial quantities.

Design

Overview

The SM.79 was a cantilever low-wing monoplane trimotor, with a retractable taildragger undercarriage. The fuselage used a welded tubular steel frame structure, which was covered with duralumin on the forward section, a mixture of duralumin and plywood across the upper fuselage surface, and fabric for all of the other exterior surfaces. The wings were of all-wood construction, with trailing edge flaps and leading edge slats (Handley Page style) to offset their relatively small size. The internal structure was made of three spruce and plywood spars, linked with plywood ribs, with a skin of plywood. The wing had a dihedral of 2° 15'. The ailerons were capable of rotating through +13/-26°, and were used together with the flaps in low-speed flight and in takeoff. The aircraft's capabilities were significantly greater than its predecessor, the SM.75, with over  available and a high wing loading that gave it characteristics not dissimilar to a large fighter.

The engines fitted to the main bomber version were three  Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34 radials, equipped with variable-pitch, all-metal three-bladed propellers. Speeds attained were around  at , with a relatively low practical ceiling of . Cruise speed was  at , but the best cruise speed was  (60% power). The landing was characterized by a  final approach with the slats extended, slowing to  with extension of flaps, and finally the run over the field with only  needed to land (2,050 rpm, 644 Hg  pressure).

The SM.79 was typically operated by a crew of five (or a crew of six upon the bomber version). The cockpit was designed for the accommodation of two pilots seated in a side-by-side configuration. Instrumentation in the central panel included oil and fuel gauges, altimeters for low () and high altitude (), clock, airspeed and vertical speed indicator, gyroscope, compass, artificial horizon, turn and bank indicator, rev counters and throttles.

Performance

The SM.79's performance was considered fairly strong. Its rate of climb was fairly high, it was fairly fast for its time, and was both rugged and responsive enough to allow it to be looped (with care). Its wooden structure was light enough to allow it to stay afloat for up to half an hour in case of water landing, giving the crew ample time to escape, and the front engine offered some protection from anti aircraft fire. With full power available and flaps set for takeoff, the SM.79 could be airborne within  before quickly climbing to an altitude of  within the space of 3 minutes,  in 6 minutes 30 seconds,  in 9 minutes 34 seconds,  in 13 minutes 2 seconds, and  in 17 minutes 43 seconds.

The bomber version had 10 separate fuel tanks that had a maximum combined capacity of . Endurance when flown at full load was reportedly around 4 hours 30 minutes at an average speed of . The maximum ferry range, when flown at its optimal cruise speed, was unconfirmed; in order to reach Addis Ababa with non-stop flights from Libya, SM.79s were frequently modified in order to carry more fuel, and were able to fly over . The range (not endurance) with  payload was around .

The effective torpedo bombing range was stated to be between  from the target. During combat operations, SM.79s would often fly at low level above hostile vessels prior to launching the aerial torpedo; as such, they were frequently targeted by every weapon available, from infantry small arms to heavy artillery, in a last ditch effort to prevent the torpedoes from being deployed. The Sparviero had several advantages compared to British torpedo bombers, including a higher top speed and greater range. Soon however, the Sparviero faced the Hawker Hurricane and the naval Fairey Fulmar, which was faster but still quite slow in relation to other escort fighters. Bristol Beaufighters were fast and well-armed, and as well as being effective long-range day fighters, were successful night interceptors and late in the war often chased Sparvieros in night missions. Curtiss P-40s, Lockheed P-38 Lightnings, Grumman Martlets and Supermarine Spitfires serving in the Mediterranean hindered Sparviero operations during the day.

Armament

The defensive armament of the SM.79 initially consisted of four, later increased to five, Breda-SAFAT machine guns. Three of these were 12.7 mm (0.5 in) guns, two of which were positioned in the dorsal "hump", with the forward one (with 300 rounds) fixed at an elevation of 15°, and the other manoeuvrable with 60° pivotal movement in the horizontal, and 0–70° in the vertical plane. The third 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine gun was located ventrally. Each gun except for the forward one was equipped with 500 rounds. There was also a 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Lewis Gun in one of a pair of "waist" mounts, on a mount that allowed rapid change of side of the weapon. This Lewis gun was later replaced by two 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Bredas in the waist mounts, which were more reliable and faster firing (900 rounds/min instead of 500), even though there was only sufficient room in the fuselage for one man to operate them. Despite the low overall "hitting power", it was heavily armed by 1930s standards, the armament being more than a match for the fighter aircraft of the time, which were not usually fitted with any armour. By the Second World War, however, the Sparvieros vulnerability to newer fighters was significant, and it lost the reputation for near-invulnerability that it had gained over Spain.

No turrets were ever installed upon any SM.79s, which imposed considerable limitations upon its fields of defensive fire. Of all its defensive weapons, the dorsal one was often considered to be the most important as, following the shift to low-level attacks, the Sparviero was attacked almost exclusively from the rear and above. The defensive weapons located in the rear gondola and the rear hump were protected by aerodynamic shields, which were intended to only be opened in the event of attackers appearing. However, in practice, an enemy aircraft could attack the Sparviero while remaining unseen, so the defensive positions were usually left open even though this had the effect of reducing the aircraft's maximum effective speed.

The cramped layout of the ventral gondola, with the bomb-aiming instruments located in front and the rearwards-aimed ventral defensive machine gun in the rear, made it impossible to perform both bomb-aiming and rear defence simultaneously, so its usefulness was compromised. Because of this, in the later versions which were used exclusively for torpedo-bombing tasks, the ventral weapon and nacelle were removed. The fixed forward Breda machine gun, more suited to offensive tasks and aimed by the pilot, was seldom used defensively, and was often removed or replaced with a smaller calibre gun or mock-up, with an associated gain in speed and range due to the reduction in weight. The rear ventral gondola on the Sparviero was somewhat similar to the almost identically located Bola emplacement on the main wartime production -P and -H subtypes of the Heinkel He 111 German medium bomber, which was only used as a ventral defensive armament mount on the German aircraft.

As with the Luftwaffe's He 111, the Sparviero's bomb bay was configured to carry bombs vertically; this design decision had the consequence of preventing large bombs from being accommodated internally. The aircraft could accommodate a pair of , five , 12  bombs, or hundreds of bomblets. The bombardier, who had an 85° forward field of view from their position, was normally provided with a "Jozza-2" aiming system, automatic cameras and a series of bomb-release mechanisms. The machine gun to the rear of the gondola prevented the bombardier from lying in a prone position, and as a result, the bombardier was provided with retractable structures to support his legs while seated.

From 1939 onwards, two torpedoes could be carried externally, as could larger bombs, on two hardpoints fitted under the inner wing. However in practice, owing to the reduced performance and manoeuvrability of the aircraft when carrying more two torpedoes, usually only one was carried. The SM.79's overall payload of  precluded carrying  of bombs without a noticeable reduction of the fuel load (approximately , when full). The standard torpedo, a 1938 Whitehead design, had a weight of , length of  and a  HE warhead. It had a  range at 74 km/h (40 kn), and could be launched from a wide range of speeds and altitudes:  and up to  maximum. It took over ten years to develop effective torpedo-bombing techniques; consequently, with the failure of the SM.84 (its intended successor) and the lack of power of the Ca.314, only the SM.79 continued to serve as a torpedo bomber until 1944, despite trials conducted with many other types of aircraft, including the Fiat G.55S fighter.

Operational history

Record-setting aircraft
Although Italy did not win the prestigious Schneider Trophy, state support for aeronautical feats was maintained as one element of Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini's long term propaganda campaign to promote and win prestige for fascist Italy and his government. Following a pair of initial successes, further Sparvieros received specialised modifications for the purpose of establishing new speed records. The SM.79 prototype I-MAGO was modified to carry a payload of  of bombs internally, which enabled it to attempt speed records while carrying a payload. On 23 September 1935, it flew for  with a  load at an average speed of , breaking six separate world records in the process.

As on the prototype, the "hump" was not fitted to some of the first production aircraft, these being transformed into performance aircraft, designated as the SM.79CS. One of these aircraft established further records during 1937; powered by an arrangement of three Piaggio P.XI RC.40 engines (providing a combined thrust of ), it averaged  over  with a  payload. This record then improved to , while another SM.79 achieved  in the /  category. Unofficially, a speed of  was later achieved in the same category.

A group of five SM.79CSs went on to enter the Paris-Damascus–Istres race. I-CUPA, I-FILU and I-BIMU  took the first three positions, while the other two were placed sixth and seventh, the latter of which was heavily damaged in Damascus. A pair of Fiat BR.20s had also competed in the same race, but were only able to achieve a joint sixth place (with a SM.79) and an eighth place. Three of the SM.79CSs were modified to increase their endurance, allowing them to traverse the Atlantic Ocean and reach Brazil. On 24 January 1938, the three aircraft took off; 11 hours later, they landed in Dakar, Senegal, where they refuelled before heading for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; on 25 January, two of the three arrived at 22:45 local time. However, one of the aircraft suffered a technical fault, forcing the crew to land at Natal, Northeastern Brazil; this SM.79 remained there for some time, and was eventually donated to the Brazilian Air Force.

Regia Aeronautica

Introduction

The 12° Stormo (Wing) was the first to be equipped with the SM.79, starting in early 1936, and was involved in the initial evaluation of the bomber, which continued throughout 1936. The Wing went operational on 1 May 1936 with the SM.79 successfully completing torpedo launches from a target distance of  in August 1936. The torpedo bomber variant was much more unstable and harder to control than the civilian version (and much less precise than its successor, the SM.81). Its capabilities were still being explored when the Spanish Civil War broke out, and a number of SM.79s were dispatched to support the Nationalists.

Following its service in the Spanish Civil War, the Sparviero came into use with 111° and 8° Wing. By the end of 1939, there were 388 Sparvieros in Italian service, spread across 11 wings that were either partially or totally equipped with this aircraft. The type also participated in the Italian occupation of Albania during autumn 1939. By the beginning of the Second World War, a total of 612 aircraft had been delivered, making the Sparviero the most numerous bomber in the whole of the Regia Aereonautica, assigned to a total of 14 wings (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 30, 32, 33, 34, 36, 41 and 46). Not all of these wings had Gruppi (groups) entirely equipped with the SM.79. Every squadron had around nine to 10 aircraft, but this included second line aircraft, so the force of each squadron consisted on average of around seven to eight bombers, and every wing had around 30 bombers. Among these units; 8, 9, 11, 12, 30, 32, 36, 41 and 46 Stormi (Wings) were based in Italy, and participated in the Battle of France. They were equipped with a total of around 350 SM.79s, including those used in training squadrons.

Spanish Civil War

The SM.79 saw action for the first time when serving with the Aviazione Legionaria, an Italian unit sent to assist Franco's Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. The Sparviero started its operational service at the end of 1936 when 8° Stormo B.T. (Bombardamento Tattico), with Gruppi XXVII° and XXVIII°, under the command of Tenente Colonnello Riccardo Seidl, was sent to Spain. Deployed to the Balearic Islands, the unit was named "Falchi delle Baleari" (Balearic Falcons) and operated over Catalonia and the main cities of eastern Spain, attacking the Second Spanish Republic, killing 2,700 civilians and injuring more than 7,000. During the three years of the civil conflict, in excess of 100 SM.79s served as bombers for the Aviazione Legionaira, of these, only four were recorded as being lost in combat. Due to the experience gained in Spain the SM.79-II, introduced during October 1939, went on to form the backbone of the Italian bomber corps during the Second World War.

By 4 November 1936, there were only six SM.79s with enough crew to fly them operating in Spain. At the beginning of 1937, there were 15 SM.79s in total, and they went on to be used in Spain throughout the conflict, experiencing few losses throughout. Around 19 SM.79s of what was dispatched to the Spanish theatre were lost, while deliveries to 12 Wing and other units involved in combat numbered at least 99 aircraft.
The first recorded interception of an SM.79 formation took place on 11 October 1937 when three aircraft were attacked by a formation of 12 Polikarpov I-16s. One of the SM.79s was damaged, but its defensive armament prevented the fighters from performing close-up attacks. All of the bombers successfully returned to base, although one had been hit by 27 bullets, many of which having struck fuel tanks. Several other interceptions occurred during the conflict without any SM.79s being lost as a result.

On 26 April 1937, three SM.79 took part in the bombing of Basque town of Guernica, carried out with the Nazi German Luftwaffe's Condor Legion, at the behest of Francisco Franco's rebel Nationalist faction. The bombing, under the code name 'Operation Rügen', opened the way to Franco's capture of Bilbao and his victory in northern Spain.
Combat experience gained during the war had revealed some deficiencies present in the SM.79: the lack of oxygen masks for high altitude operation, relatively high levels of instability, vibrations experienced at speeds over  and other problems were encountered and sometimes solved. General Valle, in an attempt to answer some of the criticisms about the ability of the aircraft to operate at night, took off from Guidonia and bombed Barcelona, a journey of six hours and 15 minutes. On this occasion, the aircraft proved it had a useful range (around 1,000 km/620 mi with eight  bombs, for a total gross weight of around . SM.79s initially operated from the Balearic Islands and later from mainland Spain. Hundreds of missions were performed in a wide range of roles against Republican targets. No Fiat CR.32s were required to escort the SM.79s, partly because the biplane fighters were too slow to keep up with the type.

Malta

The SM.79 began to lose its reputation for invulnerability when RAF Gloster Gladiators and Hawker Hurricanes were encountered over the fortress-island Malta, at the centre of the Mediterranean, in June 1940. The first of many Sparvieros shot down over Malta fell on 22 June. That day, Sparviero M.M.22068 of 216a Squadriglia, piloted by Tenente Francesco Solimene, took off at 18.15 to reconnoitre intended bombing targets on the island. Two Gladiators were scrambled, one piloted by Flt Lt George Burges. Over Sliema and Valletta Burges attacked the Sparviero from superior height, shooting off the port engine. The SM.79 caught fire and crashed in the sea off Kalafrana. The pilot, Solimene, and1° Aviere Armiere Torrisi were rescued from the sea, but the other four crew members were lost.

A Sparviero had the dubious honour of being the first aircraft to fall on Maltese soil during the Second World War: on 10 July 1940, an estimated twenty SM.79s without escort arrived to bomb the dockyard, Manoel Island, Tarxien and Żabbar. They were attacked by British Gladiators; during the ensuing engagement, one bomber, piloted by Sottotenente Felice Filippi from 195a Squadriglia, 90° Gruppo, 30° Stormo Bombardamento Terrestre, came down in flames just behind the Knight's watchtower east of Fort San Leonardo. The air victory was credited to Flying Officer Frederick Taylor. At least one Italian bailed out, but his parachute was on fire and he did not survive.

Other theaters
A small number of SM.79s saw service in Ethiopia; according to Apostolo, it was the most advanced aircraft to be deployed to the theatre by either side. On the western side of Italian East Africa, at Diredawa, 6a and 7a Squadriglie of 44° Gruppo operated twelve SM.79s each. Italy also had six SM.79s as part of the reserve forces but two of them were under repair. The Sparviero was the only type present that had not participated in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The SM.79s of Italian East Africa first saw action on 13 June 1940, when nine of them took off from Diredawa to attack Aden. The SM.79 flown by Sottotenente Ruffini was hit by anti-aircraft fire from a British warship and crashed. Two Gloster Gladiators then intercepted the remaining bombers; Pilot Officer Stephenson's Gladiator attacked the Sparviero of Capitano Serafini, which had been damaged by anti-aircraft fire, but the Gladiator was hit by the SM.79's dorsal gunner, forcing it to crash-land. Serafini managed to land at Assab, but his aircraft was a write-off; another Savoia Marchetti was damaged, but landed at the same base. These few aircraft were later reinforced by others which were modified to fly at an economical speed over Sudan for the hazardous ferry flight of over . They could not, however, do much to help Italian forces in Ethiopia, which were forced to surrender in spring 1941. The same period saw the five Iraqi SM.79Bs and the 45 SM.79Ks in Yugoslavian service unable to mount a successful defence in either Iraq or Yugoslavia.

During the North African campaign, around 100 SM.79s served in 10, 14, 15 and 30 Wings, bombing mainly non-strategic targets in the desert. The British offensive in December hit the Regia Aeronautica hard and many wings (a total of nine by May 1941) were phased out because of losses caused by enemy aircraft and ground fire. One aircraft was destroyed on the ground by R patrol of the Long Range Desert Group at the western landing ground at Jebel Uweinat in November 1940 (the remains were still there in 2003). At the beginning of 1941 only around 40 SM.79s were still present in Libya, and by the end of 1941 only one operational squadron remained. In the Second Battle of El Alamein, many Sparvieros were used for defensive tasks, such as countering SAS teams in the desert, and in anti-ship roles.

From autumn 1940, SM.79s were used against the Kingdom of Greece, then Yugoslavia. They continued to be hampered in their operations by the Royal Air Force, but also by poor weather conditions. Over the Mediterranean, the Sparvieros were used in reconnaissance missions and anti-ship attacks.

Use as a torpedo bomber

1940
On 25 July 1940, the Sparviero formally commenced service as a torpedo bomber (Aerosilurante in Italian) as a new operational unit, the "Special Aerotorpedoes Unit" (headed by Colonel Moioli), was established following several years of experiments involving the type. After having ordered the first 50 torpedoes from Whitehead Torpedo Works, on 10 August 1940, the first aircraft landed at T5 airfield, near Tobruk. Despite the lack of an aiming system and a specific doctrine for tactics, an attack on shipping in Alexandria was quickly organized. There had been experiments for many years but still, no service, no gear (except hardpoints) and no tactics were developed for the new role. This was despite previous Italian experiments into the practice of aerial torpedoing in 1914, 26 years earlier.

On 15 August 1940, the type's first combat sortie saw five SM.79s that had been modified and prepared for the task dispatched to El Adem airfield. Among their pilots were Buscaglia, Dequal and other pilots destined to become "aces." The journey was made at an altitude of  and after two hours, at 21:30, they arrived over Alexandria and began attacking ships, but unsuccessfully. The departure airport had only  of runway for takeoff, so two of the fuel tanks were left empty to reduce weight, giving an endurance of five hours for a 4.33-hour journey. Only Buscaglia and Dequal returned, both aircraft damaged by anti-aircraft fire. Buscaglia landed on only one wheel, with some other damage. The other three SM.79s, attacking after the first two, were hindered by a fierce anti-aircraft defence and low clouds and returned to their base without releasing their torpedoes. However, all three ran out of fuel and were forced to jettison the torpedoes which exploded in the desert, and then force-landed three hours after the attack. Two crews were rescued later, but the third (Fusco's) was still in Egypt when they force-landed. The crew set light to their aircraft the next morning, which alerted the British who then captured them. These failures were experienced within a combat radius of only about , in clear contrast with the glamorous performances of the racer Sparvieros just a few years before.

Many missions followed, on 22–23 August (Alexandria), 26 August (against ships never found), and 27 August (Buscaglia against a cruiser). The special unit became known as the 278a Squadriglia, and from September 1940 carried out many shipping attacks, including on 4 September (when Buscaglia had his aircraft damaged by fighters) and 10 September, when Robone claimed a merchant ship sunk. On 17 September, after an unsuccessful day attack, Buscaglia and Robone returned at night, attacking the British ships that shelled Bardia. One torpedo hit , damaging the heavy cruiser to the extent that the ship remained under repair until September 1941. After almost a month of attacks, this was the first success officially acknowledged and proven. After almost a month of further attacks, a newcomer, Erasi, flew with Robone on 14 October 1940 against a British formation and hit , a modern cruiser that lost her bow and needed 13 months of repair. After several months, and despite the losses and the first unfortunate mission, the core of the 278a was still operating the same four aircraft. The last success of this squadron was at Souda Bay, Crete, when Buscaglia damaged another cruiser, , despite the anti-torpedo netting surrounding the ship, sending it out of commission for nine months while repairs were made. The aircraft continued in service until a British bomb struck them, setting off a torpedo and a "chain reaction" which destroyed them all.

1941
The year was one of intense activity for the Italian torpedo bombers. In April many successes were recorded by SM.79s of the 281a and 280a Squadriglie. They sank two merchant ships, heavily damaged the British cruiser  (rendering her out of service for nine months for repair and refit) and later also sank the F-class destroyer . However, one SM.79 was shot down  north west of Gozo on 3 June, landing in the sea and staying afloat for some time. Further Italian successes came in August, when the light cruiser  was damaged. The large merchant ship SS Imperial Star (12,427 GRT)) was damaged by an SM.79 on 27 September during Operation Halberd which resupplied Malta; unable to tow it to Malta it was scuttled by HMS Oribi. In the same Operation the battleship  was torpedoed and damaged by a SM.79 which in turn was shot down. The 130° and 132° Gruppi were also active during the autumn. On 24 October, they sank the merchant vessels  and , on 23 November they sank the merchant vessels Glenearn and Xhakdina, and on 11 December they heavily damaged Jackal.

The year ended with a total of nine Allied ships sunk and 30 damaged; for 14 torpedo bombers lost and another 46 damaged in action. This was the best year for the Italian torpedo bombers and also the year when the SM.84, the SM.79's successor was introduced. Overall, these numbers meant little in the war, and almost no other results were recorded by Italian bombers. Horizontal bombing proved to be a failure and only dive bombers and torpedo-bombers achieved some results. Most of the major British ships lost were due to U-boat attacks, with the damaging of , and the sinking of  and , whereas the most significant success of Italian torpedo bombers were the damaging of HMS Nelson and of some cruisers. After the Raid on Alexandria by Italian frogmen of Decima MAS, the British fleet was left without major ships in their Mediterranean fleet, leaving the Axis better situated to control the sea.

1942

The Axis' fortunes started to decline steadily during 1942. Over 100 SM.79s were in service in different Italian torpedo squadrons. In addition to its wide-scale deployment in its intended bomber-torpedo bomber role, the Sparviero was also used for close support, reconnaissance and transport missions. In the first six months of 1942, all the Italo-German efforts to hit Allied ships had only resulted in the sinking of the merchant ship Thermopilae by an aircraft flown by Carlo Faggioni.

The Allies aimed to provide Malta with vital supplies and fuel through major convoy operations at all costs. Almost all Axis air potential was used against the first big Allied convoy of 1942, code-named Operation Harpoon. 14 June saw the second torpedoing of Liverpool, by a 132º Gruppo SM.79, putting it out of action for another 13 months. Regardless of where the torpedo struck (amidships in the case of Liverpool, aft as for Kent, or forward as happened to Glasgow), the cruisers remained highly vulnerable to torpedoes, but no Italian air attack managed to hit them with more than one torpedo at once. On the same day the merchant ship Tanimbar was sunk by SM.79s of the 132nd, and finally the day after , a , already damaged by two Italian cruisers, was sunk by pilot M. Aichner, also of 132nd Gruppo. For years this victory was contested by the Italian Navy, who claimed to have sunk Bedouin with gunfire.

August saw heavy attacks on the 14 merchant ships and 44 major warships of the Operation Pedestal convoy, the second Allied attempt to resupply Malta past Axis bombers, minefields and U-boats. Nine of the merchant ships and four of the warships were sunk, and others were damaged, but only the destroyer  and the merchant ship MV Deucalion were sunk by Italian torpedo bombers. Although damaged, the tanker , a key part of the convoy, was towed into Grand Harbour to deliver the vital fuel on 15 August 1942 to enable Malta to continue functioning as an important Allied base, a major Allied strategic success.

By winter 1942, in contrast to Operation Torch, 9 December was a successful day when four SM.79s sank a Flower-class corvette and a merchant ship, with the loss of one aircraft. Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia, another prominent member of the Italian torpedo-airforce who was credited with over 90,718 tonnes (100,000 tons) of enemy shipping sunk, was shot down the day after saying "We will probably all be dead before Christmas". The risks of attempting to overcome the effective defences of allied ships were too great to expect much chance of long-term survival, but he was later rescued from the water, badly wounded. On 18 November, the light cruiser  was torpedoed and badly damaged during Operation Stone Age.

Despite the increased activity in 1942, the results were considerably poorer than those of the previous year; the efforts made by the bombers were subject to heavy criticism and widely deemed to have been insufficient. Many debated the possibilities of torpedo manufacturing defects or even sabotage: the first 30 used in 1940 had excellent reliability, but a number of later torpedoes were found to be defective, especially those made at the Naples factory. During Operation Harpoon, over 100 torpedoes were launched, but only three of these had hit their targets.

1943

Prior to 1943, the survival chances of the Aerosiluranti had diminished steadily: on average, a SM.79 would be shot down after just three missions. The year opened with attacks against Allied shipping off North Africa, during which they were unable to accomplish many successes. During July, the Allies invaded Sicily with an immense fleet. The Sparvieri were already obsolete and phased out of service in bomber Wings and its intended successors, the SM.84 and Z.1007, were considered to be failures, while the latter were not produced in enough numbers. As a consequence, the latest version of the Sparviero was retained for performing torpedo attacks, being considerably faster than its predecessors.

Before the invasion, there was a large force of torpedo aircraft: 7 Gruppi (groups), 41, 89, 104, 108, 130, 131 and 132nd equipped with dozens of aircraft, but this was nevertheless a weak force. Except for the 104th, based around the Aegean Sea, the other six Gruppi comprised just 61 aircraft, with only 22 serviceable. Almost all the available machines were sent to the Raggruppamento Aerosiluranti, but of the 44 aircraft, only a third were considered flight-worthy by 9 July 1943. Production of new SM.79s continued to fall behind and up to the end of July only 37 SM.79s and 39 SM.84s were delivered. Despite the use of an improved engine, capable of a maximum speed of , these machines were unable to cope with the difficult task of resisting the invasion. They were too large to allow them to evade detection by enemy defences, and their large aircrew requirement resulted in heavy losses of personnel. In the first five days SM.79s performed 57 missions, at night only, and failed to achieve any results, with the loss of seven aircraft. Another three aircraft were lost on 16 July 1943 in a co-ordinated attack with German forces on , which was hit and put out of combat for many months.

SM.79s were not equipped with radar, so the attacks had to be performed visually, hopefully aided by moonlight, while the Allies had ship-borne radar and interceptor aircraft. Despite their depleted state, the Regia Aeronautica attempted a strategic attack on Gibraltar on 19 July with 10 SM.79GAs, but only two managed to reach their target, again without achieving any result. During September 1943, the last offensive operation involving the type was conducted, and resulted in the damaging of the LST 417, on 7 September 1943.

On 8 September, when the Armistice with Italy was announced, the Regia Aeronautica had no fewer than 61 SM.79s, of which 36 were operational. Following the signing of the Armistice, the SM.79s based in southern Italy (34 altogether) were used by the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force as transport aircraft in support of the Allies; those that remained in the North (believed to number roughly 36 aircraft) continued to fight along German forces as part of the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana or were incorporated into the Luftwaffe. A small number of SM.79s remained in service in the post-war Aeronautica Militare, where they served as passenger transports into the early 1950s.

RSI service: 1943–1945
After the Armistice, the Repubblica Sociale Italiana (RSI) decided to continue using the SM.79s as torpedo-bombers. But only 15 more Sparvieri were built after the armistice, while five were overhauled by the Reggiane factories. Counting the aircraft taken over from the Regia Aeronautica, new deliveries and aircraft in workshops and depots, the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR) had 73 SM.79 at its disposal. They were mostly SM.79-III type. This version featured strengthened armament and had no ventral "bathtub" turret. They were based mostly in Venegono. Two secondary bases were Merna di Gorizia and Perugia, in Umbria.

The first missions attempted to oppose the Anzio landings, where the British and American forces had landed on 22 January 1944. On the evening of 10 March, a flight of six ANR SM.79s attacked Allied merchant ships near the Anzio-Nettuno beachhead, during which a single Sparviero was lost. On the night of 13–14 March five SM.79s repeated the attack.

The Gruppo Buscaglia suffered heavy losses on 4 April, when 13 unescorted SM.79s, during a ferry flight from Lonate Pozzolo to Perugia, were bounced by P-47s: five Sparvieri were shot down and 27 crew members were killed. According to other sources, this encounter occurred on 6 April and four out of seven SM.79s were shot down, while the other three crash-landed. During one of the missions on Anzio, Comandante Carlo Faggioni was killed. On 10 April 1944, four SM.79s took off to attack the Anzio bridgehead. Capitano Faggioni's aircraft was hit by AA fire and crashed into the sea; only one Sparviero was able to return to base. Immediately thereafter, Capitano Marino Marini took command of the torpedo-bomber group; early on, Marini set about planning a mission over Gibraltar.

For this mission, 12 SM.79 bis models were used. They had enhanced engines, armoured shields for the lateral machine guns, an additional 1,000 L (264 US gal) fuel tank in the bomb bay, and had the bombardier's nacelle removed. Even these modifications could not provide sufficient range to achieve the necessary distance that the mission required, and so all weapons except one were removed, one member of crew was left behind, and the fuel load was increased to 5,000 L (1,320 US gal). To reach Gibraltar, it was necessary to take off from Istres, in Southern France, and then fly for a total of . Of the 12 aircraft that departed from Istres on 5 June 1944, 10 reached their target (according to other sources, ten SM.79s took off on 4 June and nine reached the target). The defenders were taken by surprise, and all the aircraft successfully launched their torpedoes, but three SM.79s ran out of fuel and were forced to land in Spain. Initial claims by the Italians were four ships sunk, totalling 27,216 tonnes (30,000 tons). German observers in Algeciras, in Spain, reported that four ships, totalling 30,000 tons were badly damaged and that two others had been hit.
British sources however stated that no ships were lost, due to an effective system of defence. Regardless, this was the largest enemy incursion over Gibraltar in four years of war and this operation demonstrated the flying skill of the Republican torpedo airmen.

The following data shows the decline in effectiveness of the SM.79 as a torpedo bomber:
 During 1940, two squadrons made 39 sorties and 17 attacks; the damaging of 27,578 tonnes (30,400 tons) of shipping was attributed to these squadrons in this period.
 In 1941, a total of 14 squadrons conducted 225 sorties and 87 attacks, which were responsible for the sinking of nine ships (42,373 tonnes/47,700 tons) and another 12 being damaged (75,841 tonnes/83,600 tons).
 During 1942, 24 squadrons comprising 307 aircraft performed 60 attacks, sinking 10 ships (27,624 tonnes/30,450 tons) and damaging three 29,157 tonnes (32,140 tons).
 In 1943, 18 squadrons made 221 combat sorties, during which three ships were sunk (12,519 tonnes/13,800 tons) and another four were damaged (32,024 tonnes/35,300 tons).

During July 1944, several SM.79s were transferred to Eleusis/Athens base to carry out sorties in the Eastern Mediterranean. Their crews achieved some successes then and came back to Lonate Pozzolo on 12 August. In October, this formation was renamed Gruppo O.M. Carlo Faggioni.
After a time, the RSI torpedo-bombers based in Ghedi in October 1944 became operative again, with 10 aircraft. On 25 December 1944 they attacked a convoy in Adriatic sea off Ancona, and Capitano Bertuzzi hit a 7,000-ton freighter with a torpedo. The following day, a formation of Republic P-47 Thunderbolt destroyed 14 "Sparvieri" on Lonate Pozzolo airfield. The only two serviceable SM.79s left flew the last operational mission of the group and sank a 5,000-ton ship in the Adriatic off the Dalmatian coast.

Results against Allied warships

Throughout the conflict, SM.79s were credited with the sinking of a number of Allied warships, including the destroyer HMS Fearless on 23 July 1941, the destroyer HMS Bedouin on 15 June 1942, the destroyer HMAS Nestor on 16 June 1942, the destroyer HMS Foresight on 13 August 1942, the sloop HMS Ibis on 10 November 1942, the corvette HMS Marigold on 9 December 1942, the auxiliary anti-aircraft ship HMS Pozarica on 29 January 1943.

Additionally, several more Allied warships were torpedoed and suffered serious damage as a result of attacks by the SM.79s. These included the heavy cruiser HMS Kent on 18 September 1940, the light cruiser HMS Liverpool twice, on 8 October 1940 and on 14 June 1942, the light cruiser HMS Glasgow on 7 December 1940, the light cruiser HMS Manchester on 23 July 1941, the light cruiser HMS Phoebe on 27 August 1941, the battleship HMS Nelson on 23 September 1941, the light cruiser HMS Arethusa on 18 November 1942, and the aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable on 16 July 1943.

Radio controlled flying bomb
During 1942, General Ferdinando Raffaelli reportedly came up with the idea of packing an SM.79 with explosives and a radio control device. On 12 August 1942, as the Operation Pedestal convoy was steaming off the Algerian coast, a SM.79 drone, a Z.1007bis guide plane and an escort of five FIAT G.50 fighters flew out to intercept it. Once the pilot of the SM.79 had set his aircraft on a course toward the Allied ships he bailed out, leaving the Z.1007bis crew to guide the flying bomb the rest of the way by radio. However, the radio controls malfunctioned and with nothing to guide it the SM.79 drone cruised along until it ran out of fuel and crashed into Mount Khenchela on the Algerian mainland. Raffaelli later developed a simpler single-engined guided bomb, the Ambrosini A.R.4, which was tested in June 1943, but the armistice intervened before it could go into production. Another proposal suggested using a parasite Macchi C.202 coupled with a SM.79 or A.R.4 in an arrangement similar to the German Mistel, but with the fighter remotely guiding the bomber to its target.

Notable crewmembers
Among the men who became famous through serving in the Regia Aeronautica, the Sparviero crews became even more renowned than fighter aces because of the initial records set, the successful raids in Spain, especially those made by the "Green Mice" (I sorci verdi), and the torpedo missions carried out during the war which became the subject of fascist propaganda. Among the men famous for serving in Sparvieri were:
 Giulio Cesare Graziani (relative of Marshal Rodolfo Graziani), who before joining the 132nd Torpedo Squadron, was badly wounded in an encounter with RAF Hurricanes and made a forced landing in the Ethiopian desert. Postwar, he later rose to the rank of Lieutenant General of the Air Force.
 Carlo Faggioni, one of the more skilled pilots, who was shot down in 1944 during the Anzio landings. Only his hat was recovered from the sea.
 Martino Aichner (nicknamed "Dolphin"), who made an inauspicious start to his career by hitting the sea during a low-level run in training that destroyed the propellers of both wing-mounted engines of his Sparviero, and running on only the power of the central engine, managed a sea landing. He was involved in the sinking of the already crippled destroyer  on 15 June 1942, which was able to shoot down his bomber, forcing him to ditch in the sea, and in 1943 he was forced to make a third landing in the sea.
 Emilio Pucci became a designer after the war.
 Guido Cimicchi, Dequal, Robone and Faggioni, who were some of the early torpedo bomber pilots.
 Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia, perhaps the most famous and highest scoring SM.79 pilot, who was involved in the torpedoing of the Kent and the Glasgow, and was shot down in December 1942. After the Italian Armistice Buscaglia joined the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force; while flying a Martin Baltimore, he crashed during takeoff and died as a result of his injuries the day after.
 Italo Balbo, notable Italian pilot, air marshal and military commander during the Second World War, who was shot down over Tobruk by friendly fire, an incident that Balbo's closest friends and family strongly believed was an assassination ordered by Mussolini. Historians have generally accepted that this incident was an accident.

Yugoslavia

Favourable reports of the type's reliability and performance during the Spanish Civil War led to the 1938 Kingdom of Yugoslavia's order of 45 aircraft generally similar to the SM.79-I variant, designated the SM.79K. They were delivered to Yugoslavia in 1939, but most were destroyed during the 1941 Axis invasion by their crews or by advancing Axis forces. During several sorties against German and Italian forces they managed some success in Kačanik Gorge. Some of these aircraft escaped to Greece, carrying King Peter Karadjordjevic and his entourage. A few survived, one to be pressed into service with the pro-Axis forces of the NDH, and four which became AX702-AX705 in the RAF.

Romania
During 1937, the Romanian government decided to place an order for 24 twin-engined SM.79B bombers, fitted with  Gnome-Rhône Mistral Major 14K radial engines. These aircraft, however, proved to be underpowered. Consequently, in February 1940, Romania ordered from Italy a further eight aircraft, which were each equipped with two Junkers Jumo 211 inline engines of . These aircraft were designated JIS 79 (J for Jumo, I for Italy and S for Savoia) and were delivered in 1941–2. A further 72 SM.79s were built under licence by the Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR) and designated JRS 79B (J for Jumo, R for Romania, S for Savoia). Another license-built version was the JRS 79B1, which was armed with a single 20 mm Ikaria cannon and fitted with an enlarged cockpit for a fifth crew member. Due to its role in low-level attacks, the type frequently suffered heavy losses.

Others

A number of twin-engined versions were sold to Brazil (three with  Alfa Romeo 128 RC.18 engines) and Iraq (four with  Fiat A.80 RC.14 engines).

Variants
SM.79
Prototype S.79P (civil variant), powered by radial engines Piaggio Stella P.IX (610 cv). Roll-out 28 September 1934. The first flight was conducted on 8 October 1934. During spring 1935, it was re-equipped with Alfa Romeo 125 RC.35 (590–750 cv) and used as fast airliner for Regia Aeronautica and for some reconnaissance missions over Ethiopia.
SM.79-I (also known as S.79K or S.79 Militare)The first production four- or five-seat bomber version powered by three  Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34 nine-cylinder engines. Span , length , max speed  at , up to  of bombs, max takeoff weight , range . First flights: the prototype MM.260 (the former civil version S-79P converted) 20 May 1936, still with the AR.125 engines. First production S.79-I MM.20663(also known as S.79K or S.79M) 7 July 1936, delivered to Regia Aeronautica on 29 July 1936. After the first three, the next production models had the AR.126 RC.34 (780 cv), the first one flew on 27 September 1936.
SM.79-II
Torpedo-bomber powered by three improved Alfa Romeo 126 engines, bomb bay removed and often crew armour added. One had three Piaggio P.XI engines.

SM.79-III
Improved, extended range torpedo bomber introduced during late 1942. It was not available in significant numbers until mid-1943. Known also as SM.79bis, SM.79GA, or SM.579. Powered by AR.128 engines of approximately  each, giving increased performance (speed increased to , and climb to  in 16 minutes 7 sec). Ventral nacelle deleted. 1,000 L (260 US gal) fuel tank mounted in the bomb bay. The forward machine gun was retained, with its flash protection, probably as an anti-ship weapon.

SM.79B
Twin-engine export version powered by the less reliable Fiat A.80 engines and with a glazed nose for improved bomb-aiming. More economical but slower () and 21.45 minutes to  than the standard SM.79, but weighing , around  less than the basic SM.79), was longer (), and had the same armament. Iraq bought five, but this version achieved little success in Italy.
SM.79C
VIP transport conversion, powered by Piaggio P.XI RC.40 engines, with the dorsal and ventral machine guns removed.
SM.79JR
Twin-engine version for Romania, powered by  Junkers Jumo 211Da engines. Eight Italian built aircraft (designated JIS.79B by Romania), followed by 36 license built JRS 79B powered by the Jumo 211Da and 36 JRS 79B1 with  Jumo 211F engines. Production continued until 1946.
SM.79K
Version for Yugoslavia.
SM.79T
Long-range VIP transport version.
SM.79 Flying Bomb
An SM.79 converted into a radio-controlled flying bomb, remotely guided by a CANT Z.1007 "Alcione".(one built)

Operators

Wartime

Brazilian Air Force received two SM.79T aircraft and then bought another one of the same version.

Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske operated a few ex-Yugoslavian aircraft.

Luftwaffe operated several captured aircraft.

Royal Iraqi Air Force operated four aircraft during the Anglo-Iraqi War

Regia Aeronautica
Aviazione Legionaria
Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force

Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana

Royal Romanian Air Force

Spanish Air Force

Yugoslav Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force - After the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, No. 117 Squadron RAF operated four ex-Yugoslav SM.79s K in the Middle East, from May 1941 to November 1941

Postwar

Italian Air Force operated some aircraft until 1955

Lebanese Air Force ordered four SM.79L bomber aircraft in 1946, which were delivered in 1949 and used as military transports. These aircraft appeared in the 1954 war film They Who Dare.

Mishaps and combat losses

While the SM.79 was often considered overall to be a relatively sturdy and well-developed aircraft, the type had experienced their share of misfortune.

In Spain, SM.79 MM.28-16 (with a total crew of 17) was destroyed in the air on 12 April 1938, when one of its bombs detonated in the bomb bay. MM.28-25 (again with a crew of 17) was lost when another SM.79 damaged by anti-aircraft guns collided with it on 23 March. A further SM.79, MM.28-16 was damaged by an anti-aircraft shell, and landed with dead and wounded on-board (4 January 1939).
On 30 June 1939 two of the aircraft, 13-6 and 13-7, both carrying a full fuel load, collided and crashed, with the entire crew of nine killed on impact.

At the beginning of World War II, on 13 June 1940, six Sparvieri of 9° Stormo (Wing) bombed Ghisonaccia airfield, in Corsica, but one was shot down by anti-aircraft guns and became the first Sparviero downed in World War II.

The 9° Stormo continued to suffer heavy losses in Africa. Initially used to harass light forces operating in the desert, the Sparvieros were subsequently sent against the British advanced columns in Operation Compass. On 16 December 1940, six Sparvieros were sent over As Sallum to counter enemy armoured units, but before they could reach their target, three of the lead section were shot down with the loss of 16 men, including Commander Mario Aramu. The wing was put out of action and the personnel were sent back to Italy aboard the RM Città di Messina, but on 14 January 1941 the ship was sunk by submarine , with the loss of 432 men, including 53 members of the 9°. The wing was later re-formed with Z.1007s.

 9–11 July 1940: Battle of Calabria, one SM.79 (38th Gruppo) was downed by a Blackburn Skua of . On 11 July, another SM.79 (90th Gruppo) was downed by a Gloster Sea Gladiator of .
 1 August 1940: an SM.79 was shot down by a Skua from Ark Royal. This was General Stefano Cagna's aircraft.
 2 September, Operation Hats: the new Fairey Fulmar fighters based on  downed a 41° Stormo SM.79.
 4 September: another SM.79 (34th Gruppo) was downed by Fulmars.
 12–14 October 1940, Operation MW 2: two SM.79 (36° Stormo) were downed by Fulmars from Illustrious.
 10 January 1941, Battle of Taranto: a single Fulmar from Illustrious downed two SM.79s of 30° Stormo.
 20–22 April 1941: one SM.79 (278ª Squadriglia, torpedo unit) was shot down on the 21st, another, from 34° Gruppo was shot down the next day, by Fulmars from
 8 May 1941, Operation Tiger: two SM.79s (38°Gruppo) were downed by the Ark Royals Fulmars
 21–25 July 1941, Operation Substance: 23 July, one SM.79 (38th) and two (283rd) torpedo bombers and on the 25th, one SM.79 (89th Gruppo) were shot down, all by Fulmars from Ark Royal.
 12–17 June 1942, Operation Harpoon: Fulmars and Sea Hurricanes downed four SM.79s of 36° Stormo (torpedo-bombers) on 14 June. On 15 June another SM.79 (52° Gruppo) was shot down.
 10–15 August 1942, Operation Pedestal: two SM.79s (109° and 132° Gruppo) were downed on 12 August.

The total number of reconnaissance, bomber and torpedo bombers downed in these two years by naval fighters was, not counting aircraft heavily damaged and eventually lost, 24 aircraft, 2% of total production.

A major safety issue in the operation of the SM.79 was the difference between the calculated and effective range figures, which led to several mishaps. Two accidents highlight the deficiencies in range of the Sparvieros.

One such incident befell the ferry flight of 27th Gruppo. This unit was transferred from Alghero to North Africa. The 16 Sparvieros took off at 11:50 of 4 April 1941, but one of the eight aircraft of the 18ª Squadriglia in the first wave had an accident and crashed on the airport strip. The other eight from 52ª Squadriglia could only take off 40 minutes later, while the first seven circled over the airfield. The 15 Sparvieros flew together until reaching Misurata, but the 18th squadriglia had flown for much longer and was short of fuel. Subsequently, its SM.79s crashed one after the other with only two landing safely. At least two were completely destroyed, and three damaged. On that day, on a simple ferry flight of 1,100 km, the 18th lost five Sparvieros and at least one crew, with many wounded. The flight of 52ª Sq lasted for 4 hours and 45 mins but 18ª Sq flew for 5h and 15 mins, without any payload, at an average speed of only 210 km/h.

MM. 23881

Another such incident involved MM.23881 of the 278th, which took off from Berka on 21 April 1941, piloted by Captain Oscar Cimolini, with the intention of searching for enemy shipping near Crete. After an attack around 20:00 hours, it began the trip back to its base. The crew became disoriented and, unable to communicate due to broken radio, missed their airfield in bad weather conditions. Exhausting their fuel supply the aircraft made a forced landing some  away from its base. Some of the crew of six had suffered some injuries, but at least one crew member was able to leave to search for help. He walked for over  in the desert, was overcome and died only eight kilometres from the Jalo–Giarabub road, where his remains were found by chance in 1960.
Subsequent searches found the still largely intact SM.79 on 5 October 1960. The skeleton of one crew member (probably the pilot) was found still inside the cockpit, two more bodies were found outside the wreck. The other two crew members were never found; the finding of an additional clock on Romanini's body indicated that at least another crewman had accompanied him through the desert, but had died earlier on the march.

Surviving aircraft
[[File:Trento-museo Gianni Caproni-hangar2.jpg|thumb|right|SM.79 at Museo dell'Aeronautica Gianni Caproni]]
There are two surviving complete SM.79s, both of which were donated by Lebanon to the Italian Air Force:

Italy
 MM24499 – SM.79 on static display at the Gianni Caproni Museum of Aeronautics in Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.
 MM45508 – SM.79 on static display at the Italian Air Force Museum in Bracciano, Lazio.

In addition to the above complete examples, the remains of the SM.79 wrecked by LRDG R patrol are still at the western landing ground at Jebel Uweinat

Specifications (SM.79-III)

See also

References
Citations

Bibliography
 Angelucci, Enzo and Paolo Matricardi. World Aircraft: World War II, Volume I (Sampson Low Guides). Maidenhead, UK: Sampson Low, 1978. .
 Apostolo, Giorgio. The Reggiane Re.2000 (Aircraft in Profile Number 123). Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967. No ISBN.
 Arena, Nino, Alberto Borgiotti and Cesare Gori. Savoia Marchetti SM 79 Sparviero (in Italian). Modena, Italy: Mucchi editore, (reprint) 1994. No ISBN.

 Axworthy, Mark. "On Three Fronts: Romania's Aircraft Industry During World War Two". Air Enthusiast, No. 56, Winter 1994, pp. 8–27. Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing. ISSN 0143-5450.
 Borgiotti, Alberto and Cesare Gori. Savoia Marchetti SM 79 Sparviero (le Macchine e la Storia – Profili 3) (in Italian). Modena, Italy: STEM-Mucchi, 1975.
 Caruana, Richard J. Victory in the Air. Malta: Modelaid International Publications, 1996. .
 Cernuschi, Enrico. "Attacco Alla Rocca" (in Italian). Storia Militare, Parma: Albertelli Editions, April 2009.

 Cull, Brian and Frederick Galea. Gladiators over Malta: The Story of Faith, Hope and Charity. Malta: Wise Owl Publication, 2008. .
 Emiliani, Angelo. "Il Volo e la Scaramanzia" (in Italian). Storia Militare N.77, February 2000.
 Gentilli, Roberto. Savoia Marchetti S.79 in Action (Aircraft No. 71). Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1986. .
 Gunston, Bill. Aircraft of World War 2. Ottawa, Ontario: Octopus Books, 1980. .
 Guttman, Jon. "A versatile bomber and reconnaissance plane: The Cant z.1007bis was Italy's wooden wonder." World War II Review. Norcross, Georgia: Primedia Publication, July 1999.
 Hervieux, Pierre. "Le Operazioni Degli Aereosiluranti Italiani e Tedeschi Nel Mediterraneo" (in Italian). Storia Militare N.42 March 1997.
 Leproni, Enrico. "Il Reparto Speciale Aereosiluranti" (in Italian). Storia Militare N.18, Albertelli editzioni, March 1995.
 Lyman, Robert. Iraq 1941: The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2006. .
 Malizia, Nicola. "L'Armamento dei Velivoli della Regia Aereonautica" (in Italian). Storia Militare September 1999, pp. 33–39.
 March, Daniel J., ed. British Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1998. .
 Marcon, Tullio. "Gli Aereosiluranti Britannici e il loro Impiego"(in Italian). Storia Militare, October 1996.
 Marcon, Tullio. "I Caccia Della Fleet Air Arm" (in Italian). Storia Militare N.54.
 Massimello, Giovanni. "L'Aeroporto di Alghero, 1941 (in Italian)." Storia Militare, Albertelli Editions, Parma, June 2009.
 Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II. New York: Bounty Books, 2006. .
 Neulen, Hans Werner. In The Skies of Europe: Air Forces Allied to the Luftwaffe 1939–1945. Ramsbury, Marlborough, UK: The Crowood Press, 2000. .
 Rogers, Anthony. Battle over Malta: Aircraft losses & crash sites 1940–42. Sutton Publishing, 2000. .
 Sgarlato, Nico. Sparviero (The Great Historical Planes series) N.2 (in Italian), West-ward editzioni, October–November. 2002.
 "S.79: The Hunchbacked Sparrow: Part 1". Air International, July 1984, Vol 27 No 1. Bromley, Kent, UK: Fine Scroll. pp. 26–32. ISSN 0306-5634.
 Shaw, W.B.K. Long Range Desert Group. The Story of its Work in Libya. 1940–1943. London, UK: Collins, 1945.
 Sutherland, Jon and Diane Canwell. Air War East Africa 1940–41 The RAF versus the Italian Air Force. Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword Aviation, 2009. .
 Taylor, Blaine. Fascist Eagle: Italy's Air Marshal Italo Balbo. Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell & Brewer, 1996. .
 Tonicchi, Giuseppe. "Il 9° Stormo da Bombardamento" (in Italian). Storia Militare N.46, July 1997.
 Vigna, Achille. "L'Aereo Perduto nel Deserto" (in Italian). Storia Militare N.10'', May 1994.

External links

 Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 entry on The Aviation History On-Line Museum website
 U.S. War Department Report on SM.79 Torpedo Bomber (January 1943)
 YouTube about S.79
 Radio Controlled Scale Model Italian Text
 on Avia.ru
 Video from wreck Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79

SM.079
Racing aircraft
Trimotors
1930s Italian bomber aircraft
World War II Italian bombers
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1934

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


MSN Direct is a unique information service that uses the Microsoft DirectBand wireless datacasting network to deliver information to navigation devices. MSN Direct data is delivered through FM radio towers and is available in over 125 major regions across the United States and Canada.
The MSN Direct API can be used by developers to programmatically obtain and process MSN Direct data. MSN Direct data includes traffic data, weather, movie times, gas stations, local events, news, stocks, group messages, emergency alerts, and more.
When you also obtain the Receiver Development Kit (RDK), you can test the MSN Direct receiver without requiring specialized hardware. The purpose of testing the receiver is to evaluate the Microsoft DirectBand radio-communication protocols and also to assist with detailed design and development work for a Windows Embedded NavReady powered device.
For more information about the RDK, MSN Direct hardware, or how to obtain a subscription to MSN Direct, see this Microsoft Web site or contact the MSN Direct Business Team at dbbusdev@microsoft.com.
Provides an overview of MSN Direct and describes the tools and components that you need to develop an operating system (OS) design that supports MSN Direct services.
Describes the MSN Direct services architecture. This includes the primary architectural layers, how they interact with each other, and the different models for exchanging messages between the host device and the MSN Direct receiver.
Provides detailed guidelines on how to complete development tasks for MSN Direct services, including using the development tools and integrating MSN Direct into a device.
Describes security considerations for developing an MSN Direct application that promotes security by providing robust input handling to help prevent malicious data input.
Describes the programming elements that you use to implement MSN Direct services.


Kyle and Tiffany came completely prepared for their session. Prepared, meaning they understood the reality of photos with a busy one-year-old! They brought toys and things Greyson was into (I love when clients do this!) and were prepared for a whole lot of candids as we chased him around the park and let him play.
My style is considered "Lifestyle Photography" and it is all about real life. Liiiiike when Greyson started crying (an image I totally captured, by the way- so cute!) because he didn't like his lawn mower on the uneven grass. He prefers to mow pavement. Haha! Real life.
Greyson played with trucks in a pile of rocks. He had snack time. He explored nature and trees. He read his favorite book…a Christmas book.
He also mowed over more than just pavement. He chased me with his mower and tried to run over my toes. Repeatedly. Laughing hysterically each time. Real life.
THAT is exactly what a session with a busy boy is all about! Real life isn't posed and perfect. Thank goodness for that! I would much rather capture true memories at this age…like Greyson, his lawnmower and the way he prefers to mow the blacktop as opposed to the grass.


East Asia and South Asia may be the preferred hub for patients from US, United kingdom along with other Countries In Europe. Whenever we discuss East Parts of asia then Thailand is the one that happens to be the best choice within this place in the world.
Dental Tourism or Mix Border Treatment methods are growing by a lot. Bangkok, the main city town of Thailand, is easily the most premier and searched for after hub for Dental tourism despite being encircled by Singapore. This Year Thailand welcomed 2.5 million patients from various areas of the planet. The reason behind this type of huge turnout may be the economical treatment provided here. The price effectiveness hasn't discouraged the caliber of treatment. This can be a obvious indication that Thailand draws the majority of its revenue by supplying Dental care to the visitors.
Dental Tourism in Bangkok keeps growing daily. Patients travel all parts around the globe for this city. Probably the most searched for after treatment methods are Cosmetic Dental Work in Bangkok. Aside from this patients travel for root canal treatment, teeth implants, Dentures, Gum Treatments, Connecting, Teeth Whitening and much more. Another reason behind Thailand to guide those within the Dental Tourism sector is due to the nice and cozy and hospitable nature from the residents here. Might be this is exactly why Thailand is frequently known as Land of Smiles.
It might be surprising for you personally but following the devastating ton this year Thailand welcomed 19 million vacationers this year itself. It was 20% greater than the year before. From these 19 million vacationers nearly 500,000 have there been for treatment therefore supporting Dental tourism in Thailand. When the stats should be compared then Singapore sees 10.two million vacationers each year of that 200,000 travel for Dental care.
The influence keeps growing substantially as well as in a lucrative fashion. Medical Tourism in Thailand keeps growing in the rate of 16% each year. Furthermore when we consider the financial side from it, it's thought that through the finish of the year the foreign Dental service should really provide a turnover of 100 million dollars. Presently occasions Dental tourism makes up about .4% of GDP in Thailand. This possibly has switched to prove that Thailand has become the hub of medical tourism. So searching from the different perspective we are able to surely make sure tourism is among the most significant driving factors for Thailand. Tourism contributes for pretty much 6-7% of GDP.
Suvarnbhumi Airport terminal in Thailand is encircled by numerous budget hotels which provides multiple choices for patients. Such facility may come as a benefit for any country's economy. Aside from this the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) possess a dedicate site for Dental tourism. The objective of this website would be to highlight the most popular treatment that patients generally undergo. Another facet of beginning this website would be to raise the Dental tourism a part of Thailand. TAT has additionally partnered with Krungthai Bank and issues debit cards known as as Miracle Thailand Card. This card offers existence insurance in situation of accident.
Dental Tourism is not going anywhere soon but for the lengthy run. As lengthy as country's for example Thailand offer pocket friendly Dental care it'll always remain the best for patients.
Dr. Sunil Phol is really a cosmetic dental work specialist in Thailand. Getting nearly 20 years of expertise, he believes that once we grow, we dwindle careful towards our overall health and due to our erratic eating routine we spoil our mouth and teeth to some large degree. Here he's letting out all of the understanding he can, associated with teeth problems and a few common procedures that's transported out.
Travel Agents & Tour Operators Need To Focus On Authentic Local Experiences To Stay Competitive, Why?
The main elements including the generic destination competitiveness model helps you to find out the key success factors of destination marketing. One of many approximate group of indicators accustomed to determine destination competitiveness, local encounters is among the tips. Elaborate empirical in addition to conceptual research highlights the relative weaknesses and strengths of various tourism destinations, which could then be employed to read the impact of local encounters around the travelers and the other way around.
The discerning travelers of today's world love exploring unique encounters each destination provides and go much beyond remaining within the top suite of hotels. Selecting the very best dining options and spas has otherwise become passe. No online portal may take you to definitely the hidden nuggets from the destination except the native folks. So, to match using the millennials' meaning of travel, you have to indulge using the locals that is way beyond any packaged holiday or cookie-cutter options.
It is important for Travel Specialists to understand that selling travel is really selling happiness. Imbuing travel goals according to interaction with residents makes travel more significant than ever before. Authenticity, simplicity, and culture would be the new watchwords driving the development from the travel tourism sector worldwide. The evolution from the totally new travel genre relies positioned on involving in local encounters. It's not concerning the best luxury experience however the intrinsic local touch will certainly add magic towards the holiday memory. Keep in mind that probably the most valued luxury is experience.
Present-day culture travelers have moved past the familiar environs and luxuriate in the knowledge by itself. Clearly enough, vacationers that they like to interrupt the mold tend to be more interactive with local residents. This paradigm shift hasn't however, completely swept up with everybody yet. The main focus of investments still remains around the traditional tourism-related components.
To produce a layered travel experience, the hospitality market is progressively promoting themselves because the portals for the local people. Although that may not be essential but local experience will certainly provide a competitive advantage.
Blending national culture and heritage into luxury travel tours need meticulous planning and is likely to enhance tourist's experience. Getting certified in the government tourism policies including inter-cultural education policy helps you to helps make the travel agents' start better.
Counter homogenization from the travel experience may be the new clause from the tourism government bodies. Embracing local cultural tourism may have a remarkable lasting effect on travelers with like-minded outlook. Traditional vertical distribution chains one of the travel providers has provided method to complex value chains and therefore within this more and more competitive marketplace, providers have to seize every chance for competitive advantage. Collaborative advantage through local and government partnership is thus a brand new norm. Local culture and society is becoming a crucial part of tourism value chain. The integrated inter-relationships between travel along with other socio-economic sectors are actually created like a 'value network'.
Sustainable tourism, that is tantamount to responsible tourism, is a major concern within the travel industry within the last few years. Experiencing and enjoying the local culture largely contours round the traditional gourmet industry. Trying traditional food completes the cultural experience with the area. Speaking from the economic aspect, if you're eating at Burger king, rather of benefiting the local people, a significant slice of it leaves the neighborhood socio-economic circle. The worldwide traveler's gang consist majorly the Western vacationers and with little doubt, the requirement for Western meals are always greater compared to local recipes.
On a trip for any single night's stay, people may think it-not important enough to connect with the neighborhood traditions. However, pennies within the pocket from the local cuisine industry assistance to uplift the neighborhood tourism industry on the bigger picture. Entering a Burger king or perhaps a KFC might fill your tummy and can neither increase the local tourism sector nor increase your experience. For example, Vietnamese pho has become a large pull for travelers in Vietnam so when in Panama And Nicaragua ,, don't miss gallo pinto. Building connections using the local folks isn't necessarily the only real token you receive in exchange however, you really assistance to develop a perception regarding your nationality in general. A country's heritage is strongly rooted inside the recollections from the residents and because the old folks say, the best way to your heart is thru his stomach!
The interest in 'experiential travel' is perhaps the most important in addition to systematic trend in worldwide tourism. The word typically defines immersive, authentic, local, and much more active travel trend. Although some travel enthusiasts want to reason that travel is inherently 'experiential' naturally which the word is overused, the concept is to really make it more mainstream. Travel consumer attitude has varied extremely with regards to local tourism which is its amount of definition varies broadly the way the overall trend is contacted.
On the much deeper emotional and much more personal level, people wish to travel better in the finish during the day. Growing figures of travelers shying from the traditional packaged travel sales brochure is certainly a legitimate proof of how local encounters matter for that modern travelers.
Counting on technology and global systems of small , individual travel providers, travel brands are providing more connected encounters. Almost infinite online matrix of social networking systems stop us connected wherever we travel. But ironically enough these social systems are progressively isolating individuals real existence than helping them make nearer to human connections. The internet discussing portal pair travelers using the local citizen network and provide experience to visit like local.
With packaged tourism losing its appeal among present day travelers digs the issue of what is authentic travel. Consumer data might reveal a piece of those solutions but tracking social networking can give a natural result. For travel brands targeting specific niches, evaluating and adjusting to the altering travel behavior is a lot important.
Unquestionably, probably the most influential and dependable tech tool for millennials may be the smartphone. Cell phone location technologies have made connection right. On niche apps, review-stuffed maps by Google etc. make planning set-piece occasions simpler than in the past. The transparency of peer-to-peer accommodation and transportation services like Airbnb and BlaBlaCar increase the authenticity from the travel encounters as well as their reviews. The underbelly of the place are only able to be provided through the natives from the place and therefore creates improvement in the authenticity from the travel experience.
Large industry players also have selected to visit lower to local level. The Instagrammable ideas and pictures from the less explored destinations is fun by itself. With a number of themed guides and commissioned travel advice by savvy locals finds intense recognition among the brand new age travelers. The goal is perfect for travelers to obtain a genuine local experience with the destination. Travel Companies can perform well to follow along with the adage – Think global, act local!


text:
A browsable archive of notable year-end lists. Follow the link for each list to see essential commentary from its author, at the source.
Robert Christgau: Dean's List 2019
Thrillist: The Best Albums of 2019
Complex: 50 Best Albums of 2016
Consequence of Sound: Top 50 Albums of 2016
Stereogum: 50 Best Albums of 2016
The Wild Honey Pie: Top 30 Albums of 2016
Rolling Stone: 50 Best Albums of 2016
Pigeons & Planes: 50 Best Albums of 2016
Pretty Much Amazing: 60 Best Albums of 2016
Pazz & Jop: Top 100 Albums of 2016
Pitchfork: 50 Best Albums of 2016
Spin: 50 Best Albums of 2016
A.V. Club: 21 Best Albums of 2016
Entertainment Weekly: 50 Best Albums of 2016
Slant: 25 Best Albums of 2016
Greg Kot: Top Albums of 2016
NME: 50 Best Albums of 2016
NPR Music: Best 50 Albums of 2016
Craig Jenkins: 15 Best Albums of 2016
American Songwriter: Top 50 Albums of 2016
Paste: 50 Best Albums of 2016
Rolling Stone: 100 Best Albums of the 2010s
Mojo: 50 Best Albums of 2016
A.V. Club: The 50 Best Albums of the 2010s
Paste: The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s
Uproxx: The Best Albums of the 2010s
Quietus: Top 100 Albums of 2016
Slant: The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s
Sasha Frere-Jones: 100 Favorite Albums of 2016
Carl Wilson: The Best Albums of 2016
Acid Rap
Greg Kot: The Best Albums of 2013
Jim DeRogatis: The Best Albums of 2013
Cokemachineglow: Top 50 Albums of 2013
Pitchfork: Top 50 Albums of 2013
Guardian: 40 Best Albums of 2013
Billboard: 15 Best Albums of 2013
Fact: 50 Best Albums of 2013
Vice: The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s
Billboard: The 100 Greatest Albums of the 2010s
Consequence of Sound: Top 100 Albums of the 2010s
Stereogum: The 100 Best Albums Of The 2010s
Wire: Top 50 Releases of 2013
NME: Greatest Albums of the Decade
Pitchfork: The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s
Hyperallergic: Favorite Movies of 2020
La Internacional Cinéfila Poll: Best Movies of 2020
Saige Walton: Favorite Films of 2020
Jordan Ruimy: The 15 Best Movies of 2020
Todd McCarthy: Top 10 Films of 2020
Jordan Cronk: Top Ten Films of 2020
Ela Bittencourt: The Best Films of 2020
Sheila O'Malley: Top Ten Films of 2020
Jeremy D. Larson: Favorite Albums of 2020
David Morgan: The 10 Best Films of 2020
Allison Shoemaker: The Best Films of 2020
Jordan Cronk: The Top 30 Albums of 2020
Brooklyn Vegan: Top 55 Albums of 2020
Scott Tobias: Top 10 Films of 2020
Shondaland: The Best Books of 2020
Shondaland: The Best Podcasts of 2020
Susannah Gruder: Best Films of 2020
Molly Haskell: Best Films of 2020
Hyperallergic: Our Favorite Poetry Books of 2020
Joshua Rothkopf: Top 20 Films of 2020
No Depression: Favorite Roots Music Albums of 2020
Hip Hop Golden Age: The Best Hip Hop Albums of 2020
Electric Lit: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2020
Electric Lit: Favorite Novels of 2020
Mike D'Angelo: The Best Films of 2020
Kelly Lawler: The 15 Best TV Shows of 2020
Claire Fallon: The Best Books of 2020
Christina Newland: The Best Films of 2020
Little White Lies: The 30 Best Films of 2020
Playlist: The 25 Best Films of 2020
Ed Gonzalez: Best Films of 2020
Mark Kermode: 10 Best Films of 2020
Glenn Kenny: Notable Films of 2020
Vogue: The Best Books of 2020
Vogue: The 15 Best Movies of 2020
Tony Fantano: 50 Best Albums of 2020
Hank Stuever: Best TV of 2020
Steve Erickson: Best Films of 2020
Steve Erickson: The Best in 2020 Music
Maggie Fremont: The Best TV Shows of 2020
LaToya Ferguson: The Best TV Shows of 2020
David Fear: The 20 Best Movies of 2020
K. Austin Collins: Top 20 Movies of 2020
Alan Sepinwall: The 20 Best TV Shows of 2020
Magnet: Top 25 Albums of 2020
Guardian: The 50 Best Albums of 2020
New York Times: The Best New Podcasts of 2020
XXL: Best Hip-Hop Projects of 2020
Albumism: The 100 Best Albums of 2020
Sight & Sound TV Poll: The Best Television Series of 2020
Refinery29: Best Books of 2020
Boston Globe: Best Poetry of 2020
Boston Globe: Best Books of 2020
Matt Singer: The Best Movies of 2020
Chris Willman: The Best Albums of 2020
Andrew Barker: The Best Albums of 2020
Jem Aswad: The Best Albums of 2020
Chris Molanphy: Top 13 Albums of 2020
Uproxx Music Critics Poll: Best Albums of 2020
Steven Hyden: Favorite Albums of 2020
Joshua Rivera: The Best Movies of 2020
KCRW: Top 10 Albums of 2020
Vanity Fair: The 15 Best Books of 2020
Rolling Stone: Best Podcasts of 2020
Kevin Fallon: The 20 Best TV Shows of 2020
Brittany Spanos: Top 13 Albums of 2020
Barack Obama: Favorite TV Shows of 2020
Barack Obama: Favorite Movies of 2020
Barack Obama: Favorite Books of 2020
Tony Fantano: Top 50 Albums of 2019
Les Inrocks: Our Top 100 Albums of 2020
Sasha Frere-Jones: 40 Best Albums of 2012
Uncut: 75 Best Albums of 2020
Cahiers du Cinéma: Top 10 Films of the Decade 2010-2019
Carl Wilson: Top 25 Albums of 2015
Trending Works
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
For Sale: Live At Maxwell's 1986
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.
American Teen
The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)
2020 TV Shows
2020 Poetry
2020 Podcasts
2010s TV Shows
2010s Albums
2010s Books
2010s Poetry
2010s Podcasts
Year-end lists are fingerprints; aggregate statistics are smudges. Therefore, we make no tallies.
Suggest, Correct

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A bunch of brain dead National Guard trainees in the desert get picked off by mutant cannibal hillbillies in this surprisingly boring sequel to the 2006 remake. All of the characters are deeply annoying, the direction is dull and although the usual batch of gory deaths are there they're strangely muted. This is predictable, lazy stuff and the idea we are supposed to draw parallels between this and the US troops in the Middle East is laughable. The effects are decent enough and usually I like a bit of mindless cannibal action but this just didn't entertain me at all.


text:
'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales': Early Reactions Are Surprisingly Positive
by Matt Goldberg March 29, 2017
Disney just held an early screening of Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales during Cinemacon, and the first reviews are in, and they're surprisingly positive.
First up, we have Steve Weintraub and /Film's Peter Sciretta talking about the film last night during a Facebook Live:
We also got these tweets:
You might be surprised to hear me say this but I really dug the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Action set pieces are a lot of fun. pic.twitter.com/mluWwqyU8r
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) March 29, 2017
Also the action scenes are really well staged and easy to follow. So much better than the last one. #PiratesoftheCaribbean — Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) March 29, 2017
Also new Pirates of the Caribbean the VFX are *really* well done. Had no ending credits so not sure if it has after credits scene.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a pleasant surprise. Continues the legacy, focuses on the characters and the world.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) March 29, 2017
The new Pirates of the Caribbean is a big step up from the lifeless 4. Back to the fun myth building, still miss Verbinski's imprint.
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) March 29, 2017
Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Takes has most heart since first movie. (1) #CinemaCon2017
— Gregory Ellwood (@TheGregoryE) March 29, 2017
[thumbs up] for #PiratesoftheCaribbean. You don't think you need more Jack Sparrow and then you realize you needed more Jack Sparrow#CinemaCon
— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) March 29, 2017
These reactions make me cautiously optimistic going forward. I like the Pirates franchise, and even though I've grown a bit tired of Depp's schtick, I'm not opposed to the series returning to its former greatness. Hopefully, the film lives up to the hype that's coming out of CinemaCon.
Starring Johnny Depp, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, David Wenham, Keith Richards, and Paul McCartney, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales opens in theaters on May 26th.
Here's the official synopsis for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales:
Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil's Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea…including him. Captain Jack's only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas.
Here are the latest updates on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales:
'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales': New Trailer Teases Javier Bardem's Vengeful Villain
New 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' Images Feature Ghost Pirates, Young Johnny Depp
New 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' Trailer Puts Jack Sparrow in His Place
First 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' Images Reveal Javier Bardem's Ghost Pirate
'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' Trailer Heralds Jack Sparrow's Return
{{/if}} {{#if embed}}
{{{embed}}}
{{/if}} {{#if numberMod}}
'The Flash' Recap: "Abra Kadabra" - The Cost of Freedom
New 'Valerian' Trailer Finds Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevigne on a Strange…
• Disney • Espen Sandberg • Geoffrey Rush • Javier Bardem • Joachim Rønning • Johnny Depp • Pirates 5 • Pirates of the Caribbean • Pirates of the Caribbean 5 • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales