Editing Macchi C.205 Veltro (section)

=== In Luftwaffe service ===
Luftwaffe II.Gruppe of [[JG 77]] operated with requisitioned C.205Vs for two months, from October until December 1943,<ref name="Neulen pag.78">Neulen 2000, p. 78.</ref><ref name="Mattioli 83">Mattioli 2002, p. 83.</ref> when the German unit was re-equipped with new Bf 109s. Thus there are photos of C.205s with black crosses painted over the mid-fuselage Italian white stripe markings. The Germans were less enthusiastic about the C.205Vs, nor were they really impressed by the early evaluations in spring of 1943. There is mention in the KTB (History diary) on 25 November 1943 page: "the group has 23 Macchi, 11 are ready to fight. Macchi is fast and had a good flying characteristics, except for the tendency to lose control in sharp turns. The fighter is disadvantaged because its radio, while powerful, is far from reliable in action. Refueling and rearming process is slow and difficult, it takes much time to make the fighters ready. Today's mission was made with 17 Macchis, radio control problems caused delays, and the mission concluded without intercepting the enemy."<ref name="D'Amico pp. 78–83.">D'Amico, Fernando and Valentini Gabriele. "I Veltro dell'Asso di Cuori." (in Italian) ''JP-4 magazine'', May 1991, pp. 78–83.</ref>
In the brief German use, Veltros had at least five losses by accidents, often caused by the inverted throttle used on Italian aircraft (In German and Allied fighters the "open throttle" position was forward, not back, and this was the source of several errors). The first losses occurred on 27 September 1943 near [[Albenga]]. Two German pilots were killed and other wounded in these accidents. On the other side, it was recorded only one aerial combat in which Germans claimed at least one P-38 and two probable (1 December 1943).<ref name="D'Amico pp. 78–83."/>

After II.JG 77 was equipped with new Bf 109s, the C.205s were sent to Italian units. Some Veltros were ferried by [[JG 53]].