Piaggio strategic bombers projects

[DrG]

During WW2 Italy had only a true strategic bomber, the Piaggio P.108B, but only a few were built.
But Piaggio had developed some projects of heavy bombers. I'm interested in 2 of those projects:
Piaggio P.133
Piaggio P.127

The P.133 was a new strategic bomber and the construction of the 1st prototype was 90% finished on 8 Sept. 1943 (the armistice).
engines: 4 x 1,700 hp
max speed: 490 km/h
authonomy: 5,100 km
bombload: 4,800 kg
armament: 4 x 12,7 and 6 x 20 mm (2 dorsal turrets, 2 lateral, 1 tail, 1 ventral and 4 anterior)
(source: Storia Militare n.79, aprile 2000)

The Piaggio P.127 is instead a mystery for me. The only reference to it that I've read is in "Ali Tricolori", page 54. It's told it was a project (probably of 1941) for a 6-engined airplane, nothing more.

Has anybody images or further details about those 2 airplanes?

[DrG]

I have found the info that I needed in the second part of the article "I progetti Piaggio-Casiraghi", published in "AeroFan n.65, apr.-giu. 1998" (its text is in Italian and English). There are 3-views and photos of the wind-tunnel models or mock-ups of many ing.Casiraghi's projects, included the P.133 and P.127 (but also other strategic bombers as the P.123, the P.130 and, in the issue n.64, the P.112 and P.114).

The Regia Aeronautica had ordered the production of 24 P.133 (MM 26248-26271), of them 6 were under construction on 8 Sept. 1943. There was also a project for a pressurized civil transport version, the P.133C.

The P.127 was a huge transport aircraft (wingspan: 56m, max weight: 56,000 kg) with 6 x 2000 hp engines, 2 in the outer wings alone, and 4 paired (2 per each wing) moving counter-rotating propellers. The civil version (P.127C) could transport 40 passengers over the Atlantic; it was pressurized. In the article there aren't details about a possible bomber version of it.

[GUARDIA PRETORIANA]

For real. I cant find any information on this. Can you scan and post the 3-view? I am most interested in this design. Il Duces son died flying the older Piaggio bomber...

[Grünherz]

I was aware of the Piaggio P.108 (as the Axis equivalent, almost, of the B-17 "Flying Fortress") but I was not aware of these other projects. Any more information and/or drawings? In English, hopefully.
Tom

later...oops, maybe I missed info from DrG's post link. I looked but didn't find anything. I'll look again.

[DrG]

Tscrawford, although rather expensive, I suggest you to buy Aerofan, it's truly worth each penny of its cost; the issues about Piaggio projects are the 64 and 65, while in 62 there is an article about the planned raid on New York and the airplanes that had to be employed (CRDA Cant.Z.511, Piaggio P.23R, Piaggio P.123 or SIAI-Marchetti SM.95, strangely the P.127 is not mentioned). In Italy it can be bought directly from Giorgio Apostolo Editore (in the page of that site that I've already linked there are the indexes of the back issues), while I'm not sure if he sells books also abroad, you may try to contact him: info@apostoloeditore.com (by the way, he is the author of Italian Aces of WW2 and many other books, written during is 40 years of career).
People living outside Italy may try to find Aerofan not only in military history bookshops, but also in modelism stores. Via internet you can buy this magazine here:
- Pacific Coast Models
- ItalianKits.

This English page has a useful list of Italian publications about aeronautics, but most are in Italian only: http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/mags/italy/itymag01.htm.

[DrG]

This is a 3-view of the Piaggio P.133:

[Grünherz]

Thanks for the info! I'll look into it.
Tom