IMAM Ro 37

There may be more Ro 37 remains out there. According to a survey of surviving Italian WW II aircraft published in Flypast around 15 years ago, a pair of Ro 37 wrecks had been discovered in Ethiopia. I have not seen any news of these wrecks being recovered, so it is possible that at least something should remain.

Regards,

Jan

It’s great to see those pics – even though I couldn’t read the text

Unedited Babelfish translation (The translation’s crude, but for the English-only readers, it’s comprehensible):

IMAM Ro 37, Afghanistan 2006
Kabul

Kabul, year 2006

Some months ago, like brought back from our forum, the news of the ritrovamento of some Italian aircrafts of years ‘ 30 in Afghanistan had been diffused.

The official notice diffused from the A.M., to first of March 2006 recited:
Rests of Italian airplane of recovered years ‘ 30 to Kabul.
During an activity of recognition carried out from a patrol of 132° the Regiment Armored artillery “RAM” that constitutes in afghano theatre the carrying structure of Italfor 12, in the periphery east north of Kabul, has been found various carcasss of going back Italian airplane to the years ‘ the 30, (…) aircrafts in issue is of the biplanes model IMAM RO 37 constructed in Italy to leave from 1937. Airplane assign you to the strategic reconnaissance and to the combat, sold to the afghane air forces in 1938 in the number of 16 exemplary.

After some months we can finally confirm that what remains of the airplanes is arriving in Italy. We bring back with great pleasure how much diffused from the public Office information of the General Staff of the aeronautics.
Official notice Prints

Kabul, 15 september 2006

The FIRST COPY Of The Ro AIRCRAFTS RETURNS IN ITALY. 37 RECOVERED IN AFGHANISTAN?THE STAFF OF UNIT DISTACCATO OF 51° THE FLOCK ENGAGED IN THE ATTIVITA’ OF BOARDING
After nearly settant’ years, first of the exemplary of the aircrafts the biplane of Italian fabrication Ro. 37, recovered some months ago from 132° the Regiment Armored artillery “Ram” in the periphery nod-east of KABUL and guarded near Camp Invicta ITALFOR center, will return today in Italy to edge of a C-130J of the taken off Air Force in the morning from the international airport of kabul.
The historical aircrafts have been ago transport two days from the staff of the Group Support to you alpine Adhesion of 2° the Regiment of ITALFOR near the KABUL airport where the men of the Distaccato Unit of 51° the Flock (Task Force Seagull), ivi rischierati with helicopters AB-212 ICO (Increment of the Operating Ability), have been engage to you in the operations of preparation and boarding of first of the aircrafts the joints in airport.

One of the property left at death ones finds again,
complete of radial motor –
Source to you the Fate Angel via Giuseppe Versolato

The activity has been lead from the staff of the Section Efficiency Helicopters and of the Sevizi Section It generates them of the Task Force of the Air Force which it has been entrusted the delicate task of preparation of the aircrafts to the transport on the aerial carrier and to the successive boarding on the C-130.
The operations have been carried out with particular cure and given attention the remarkable historical value of the biplane and in the entirety has been particularly complex to continuation of the dimensions of the rests of the aircraft that have tax the taking apart of some leave.

Technicians of the Italian Air Force to the job on one of property
left at death – Source A.M.I.

The actions finalized to the transport of the Ro. 37 near the airport of KABUL and the successive boarding on the aircraft of the Air Force have been coordinated from the Col. Mario Giacobbi ITALFOR commander and from the Col. George Seravalle commander of the Distaccato Unit of 51° the Flock. Most precious it has been moreover the collaboration of the Embassy of Italy in Afghanistan for the activation and the cure of the procedures of I re-enter in Native land.

The aircrafts are of the IMAM Ro. 37bis, of the two-seat single-engine biplane from strategic reconnaissance, combat and light strafing. Constructed in Italy from the second half of the years 30′ they were sold in the same period to various foreign nations between which the Afghanistan that of it it acquired in 16 exemplary.

Phase of boarding on C 130 – Source A.M.I.

The Ro. 37 recovered, only the existing ones to the world, after the ritrovamento have been donate you to Italy from the government Afghan. Once in native land the exemplary will be restore to you and one of these will be guarded near the Historical Museum of the Aeronautical Soldier of Vine of Goes them.
To such purpose, we bring back an other announcement, always emitted from the public Office information of the General Staff of the Aeronautics:
A The 46 C-130J Ofª AERIAL BRIGADE FILLER IN ITALY the RESTS OF A BIPLANE RO-37 FINDS AGAIN IN AFGHANISTAN The SLID MONTH To YOU OF MARCH
The arrival is previewed on the military airport of Pisa in the morning of the 17 september. The successive day the property left at death one will be transported to the Historical Museum of the Air Force of Vine of Goes them where provvederà to the restoration.

The 17 september a the 46 aircraft C130J ofª Aerial Brigade will bring back in Italy the rests of a biplane IMAM RO-37 recovered, together to the carcasss of other aircrafts of the same type, the slid month of March from a patrol of the Italian Army during an activity of recognition in the periphery the northeast of Kabul.

Boarding of the aircraft – Source A.M.I.

The news of the possible presence in such territory Afghan of property left at death had been given to the Italian contingent from journalist Gianandrea Gaiani, director of web the magazine Defended Analysis, which it cited the testimony of the historian of aeronautical Dr. Gregory Alegi.
The Chief of general staff of the Air Force, general s.a. Leonardo Tricarico, had been endured engaged so that the property left at death ones were collected and transport to you in Italy for the successive restoration and, in the course of one its most recent visit to the Distaccato Unit of 51° the Flock of Kabul, has expressed the own satisfaction for the imminent one re-enters of the first copy.
The successive day to their arrival to Pisa the rests of biplane IMAM RO-37 will be transport you to the Historical Museum of Vine of Go them where a team of specialists of the Air Force provvederà to the restoration. The interested journalists to follow the event can contact the direction of Historical Museum A.M. to numbers 06/99887508 – 339/5854896.

IMAM RO-37 is a biplane from recognition developed and constructed entire from the industry Italian Air Force in the first half of the ‘ 30. It lend service in the Aeronautical Direction during the war in Abyssinia, Spanish civil war and in the first phase of the second world war. The RO-37 knew a discreet one happening in the export, coming employ also from the aeronautics Hungarian to you, Afghan and from some nations of the center and south America.

Imam ro 37 in flight

Planned from the engineer Giovanni Galasso, it was a biplane of traditional conception, with covering in aluminum and burlap. Conceived for the recognition and the drawn near support one previewed a brace of front machine-guns more third brandeggiabile in the nside of the observer, than godeva of an visual width also thanks to the vetrature in fuselage. The Ro-37 arranged of underwing attacks and in fuselage for a cargo of bombs of approximately 150 kg.

A lot cured was the aerodynamic part, that it saw the V engine, one Fiat A-30 RA bis 12 cylinders (the same one of the hunting Fiat CR-32), accurately outlined. The motor set in action a propeller bishovel in wood.
Altogether the RO-37 possessed a remarkable autonomy and a discreet horizontal speed and of climb, that they allowed crobatic evolutions.
As many other Italian airplane of the period came mainly tested during the Spanish civil war in the role of reconnaissance aircraft and for missions of drawn near support. To the entrance in war of Italy RO-37 and RO-37 bis constituted the dorsal thorn of the observation units, beyond to the 283 aircrafts in Italy, various aircrafts were assign to you to the units in the colonies. The theatre of the Balkans and the North Africa saw the employment of the biplane that came radiato before the armistice.
The Countries that used biplanes RO-37 and RO-37 bis
were:

· Austria: 8 Ro.37bis exemplary, in service in period 1937 – 1938;

· Afghanistan: 16 Ro.37bis exemplary, in service in period 1937 – 1941;

· Ecuador: 10 Ro.37bis exemplary, in service in period 1937 – 1941;

· Spain: 68 Ro.37bis exemplary, in service in period 1936 – 1945;

· Hungary: 14 Ro.37bis exemplary, in service in period 1939 – 1941;

· Uruguay: 6 Ro.37bis exemplary, in serivizio in period 1937 – 1945.

The area is a very large scrapyard covering a few miles. Extremely dangerous due to Russian mines and other nasties.

Good to see some positive action to recover this unique and previously extinct aircraft type. Now if only someone would do the same for the Hawker Hinds still in the same scrap area…..

My thoughts exactly, then the area isn’t mined, or at least rendered safe.
Get them out,….please
Cees

Good to see some positive action to recover this unique and previously extinct aircraft type. Now if only someone would do the same for the Hawker Hinds still in the same scrap area…..

It’s great to see those pics – even though I couldn’t read the text :confused:

Roger Smith.