Aviation Pioneer and Prophet of Strategic Bombing
July 3, 1886 - October 27, 1957

 In most historical accounts of the early day in military aviation, our reverence for the activities of the American Expeditionary Force, its French and British companions-in-arms on the western front has led us to overlook the immense Italian contribution to the formation of airpower doctrine. Historians do recognize, of course, that the first aerial force projection occurred on November 1, 1911, when Lieutenant Giulio Gravotta, flying a German-built Eltrich Taube monoplane, dropped one bomb on Zard and another on Taciura (in Libya) during the Italian-Turkish War. This event occurred little more than a year after the first flight of an Italian-designed and built aircraft. At about the same time, Gianni Caproni, a young Italian engineer with a passion for innovation and a vast admiration for the Wright brothers, built his first flying machine. By the outbreak of the First World War, in August 1914, Caproni had produced about thirty different designs and had become Italy's leading aircraft designer and manufacturer.

By May 23, 1915, the day Italy entered into the war, Caproni had designed and built a multi-engine bomber with range and bomb capacities to make it a potent offensive weapon. On August 20, 1915, two of these Caproni three-engine bombers attacked the Aisovizza aerodrome with explosive and incendiary bombs, a preview of the most sustained, effective air offensive of the First World War. By early 1916, regular raids against Austro-Hungarian targets were being conducted by seven squadrons of Caproni Ca 32 bombers, the first production type.

By September 1916, capability had improved to the extent that a very successful 22-plane raid was staged against the arsenal and seaplane base at Trieste. By the year’s end some 540 bombing missions had been flown. Missions were on the increase, both in distance to targets and numbers of aircraft involved.

The three-engine configuration not only gave the Caproni designs adequate power for heavyweight takeoffs, but provided a margin of economy, and even safety, since the aircraft could easily maintain flight with two of the engines operating.

1917 saw the introduction of the Ca 33, which was essentially a Ca 32 reengined with 150 horse powered Isotta Fraschini engines, they improved both climb and airspeed. Moreover, the I-F engines were generally more reliable than the 100 HP FIAT engines they replaced. It was the Ca 33 and its subtype, the Ca 36, which provided the backbone of the Italian bombing efforts for the remainder of the war.

The bombing effort continued to grow in spite of the disaster to the Italian ground forces at Caporetto. In late 1917, due to the lack of suitable training facilities in the United States, a contingent of some 500 Americans were sent to Foggia, Italy to be taught military flying. After completing their training, the new pilots were commissioned in the Army Air Service and the majority of them sent to France to serve with the American Expeditionary Force.

 Captain Fiorello LaGuardia (L) &  Lieutenant LeRoy Killey (R)

American participation was very active and several airman received Italy’s highest decoration, the Medaglia di Oro, for their combat heroism.  

Pictured above: A group of American pilots awaiting flying lessons.

You can see these pictures and the rest of the Caproni aviation story at the 
United States Air Force Museum, located at Area C, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio (937) 255-3286. 
Open 9 AM to 5 PM daily, free admission. 
Also visit their web site at: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/.