The 70 percent solution and Italian memory

The SM.79 performed close support, reconnaissance, transport, bombing, and torpedo attack, even though it was not perfect for any one role. Historian Pagano praises the crews who kept its canvas, wood, and steel-tube construction in combat while criticizing an industry that failed to provide a major replacement. The aircraft was a '70 percent solution' whose adequacy across many roles mattered more than excellence in one. The discussion then returns to historical memory: British documents might specify German aircraft but leave routine Italian attackers unnamed. Misreading that shorthand can transfer Italian actions and losses to the Luftwaffe, including the attribution of attacks on ships such as HMS Indomitable.