Aircraft
- Fiat CR.42 of 18° Gruppo, 56° Stormo. The Italian CR.42 was a manoeuvrable and fast biplane fighter. Despite its good manoeuvrability and speed (440+ km/h) it was technically outclassed by the faster Hurricane and Spitfire of the British Royal Air Force.
- Fiat G.50 of 20° Gruppo, 56° Stormo. The Italian G.50 monoplane fighter was restricted by its range of 400 miles (640 km) (roughly the same as that of Bf 109E models used by the Luftwaffe) and the lack of a radio unit in most participating aircraft.
- Fiat BR.20 bombers of 13° and 43° Stormo. The Italian BR.20 was a twin engined bomber capable of carrying 1600 kg (3,528 lb) of bombs.
Supporting aircraft included five CANT Z.1007 used for reconnaissance and Caproni Ca.133 transport planes.
On 25 September, the bombers arrived at their airfield in Melsbroek, Belgium after an eventful journey which saw several planes force land or even crash due to malfunctions and poor weather. The fighter element arrived later at Ursel, also in Belgium.
Read more about this topic: Corpo Aereo Italiano