This photograph shows a Reggiane Re.2002 Ariete, an Italian single-seat fighter-bomber, marked with German Luftwaffe insignia over its original Regia Aeronautica serial 'M.M.97919.' Following Italy's armistice with the Allies in September 1943, Germany occupied northern Italy and absorbed surviving Italian aircraft, including a number of Re.2002s, into Luftwaffe service, where several flew with specialized night ground-attack units. This photograph documents the complex and often overlooked transfer of aircraft and personnel between Axis air forces in the final years of World War II. Project: 218470