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Caproni Ca.3

1917 WORLD WAR 1

History

The Caproni Ca. 36 was the final model of the C bomber series, debuting in 1914 as the C. 31. The Ca. 36 was a great asset for the Allies against Germany and Austria-Hungary, and was deployed immediately after Italy's declaration of war.

Surprisingly, the system survived in limited numbers long enough to be used by Mussolini during the opening fire of Italy's involvement in World War II.

The heart of the Ca. 36 was a three-engine biplane bomber made of wood and fabric. The 1914 Ca. 31 had 3 x Gnome rotary engines, the Ca. 32 was improved a year later. The Ca. 32 was equipped with three 100 hp FIAT engines with water-cooled inline engines. These special models were used almost immediately against Austrian targets.

Gianni Caproni continued production of an improved C bomber, model Ca 33, with Isotta Fraschini engines. The Ca. 34 and Ca. 35 were proposed, but a variant that attempted to place the pilot in tandem in the central cabin position was never produced.

The pinnacle of the C series is the arrival of the Ca. 36, which features a segmented wing assembly that can be divided into five pieces for easy storage. Weapons of this type consist of 2 x FIAT Revelli machine guns, caliber 6.5mm or 7.7mm. As a heavy bomber, the Ca.

36 could carry an impressive payload of up to 1,764 pounders. The Ca. 36S stands for a converted model of an ambulance aircraft, while the Ca. 36M (or "mod") is a model designed to simplify wartime production.

Operators and manufacturers of bombers include Italy, Great Britain, France and the United States of America. Other proposed or slightly developed variants of the C series are the Ca.37 prototype two-seat ground attack bomber, and the seaplane derivatives of the Ca.39 and Ca.56a - these are wartime remanufactured Ca.3 bombers with as civilian manned.