User blog comment:Tybaltcapulet/Italo Balbo vs Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen/@comment-26395956-20190201140229

MD 33's Vote: The Flying Circus is Here!

Fighters: Fiat Cr.42x30 vs Messerschmitt Bf 109 x30

The Falco has more firepower than the Messerschmitt, but it is severely outclassed in other fields by its competitor. The Me 109 can travel faster and maneuver around the Fiat plane with its superior top speed. The 109's greater range means that it will outlast the Fiat by quite a margin and it has a stronger engine. Wolfram takes this edge. I have no idea how horsepower can affect this battle, though...

Bombers: Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero x50 vs Junkers Ju 87 x50

Fortune favors Mr. Balbo as his bomber has more advantages than Wolfram's own. Like the Me 109, the Ju 87 has the superior engine here. However, it lacks crew members to operate effectively in this kind of battle and far too little armaments. Even its bombs are lesser than the Savoia's. Balbo's bomber has a massively superior range and more crews to operate it, giving some more breathing room. It's faster, too, so that's that.

Groups: Regia Aeronautica vs Luftwaffe

I'm gonna give this one straight to Wolfram. From the description, we can see that the Luftwaffe was founded earlier than the Regia Aeronautica and had fought more battles than its opponent. They fought in the First Great War and pretty much annihilated everyone in the Second Great War's opening shots until Britain upgraded itself and the Germans lost much of their supplies. Despite this, do not underestimate the Regia Aeronautica. Those guys still stuck around even after the Luftwaffe's gone. They had been to many places around Europe and Africa to wreck anyone who stood in their and their allies' way.

X-Factors: Flying Generals

Experience is immediately snatched away by Wolfram due to his long service in his Air Force. Italo also fought in World War I like Wolfram, but not as long as he did. Nothing much to say here. Wolfram just flew in more battles than him and took in more direct actions.

Once again Wolfram takes the edge, now in training. Italo's a competent airman himself, but he lacks any real training compared to his German rival. Balbo was given a crash course on the basics of aviation, but Wolfram was trained more intensively and extensively than him through his officer and engineering training.

Tactics... dangit, Balbo, your dependence on your very enemy is disturbing. Well, in this battle at least. The Regia Aeronautica constantly needed help from the Luftwaffe, who now acts as their adversary. An adversary that pretty much became the nightmares of many folks when sirens blow up in the middle of the night and ghastly bombs manifested itself out of the dark skies. Seriously though, Richtofen's tactics are most effective than Balbo's and have seen more successes.

In terms of logistics, I'll say this one's a tie. None of these folks really have access to a good amount of supplies. In fact, logistics are pretty much the reason the Luftwaffe fell the first place. The Regia only has access to outdated planes and they lost a crap ton of 'em in the war's course. The Luftwaffe couldn't maintain the planes they had in store perfectly, and technically that kind of problem is of the same degree as the Italians' own.

Overall, Wolfram takes the edge in X-Factors.

WINNER: WOLFRAM FREIHERR von RICHTHOFEN

Yeah, Wolfram defeats Balbo with relative ease. Though Balbo has better bombers, he will find them quickly mowed down by Wolfram's Flash-like Messerschmitts. As much as how experienced Italo is, Wolfram is just on another level as he's fought in more battles with more successes than failures. None of them are really good at logistics, but Wolfram's superior tactical mind will allow him to bypass such weakness and defeat the outdated Italian forces. Wolfram can easily intercept both the Fiat fighters and the bombers with their superior speed despite the lack of firepower. Italo's lack of experience and tactical acumen will prove to be his downfall as his planes fall one by one.