First World War: The Early Years By May 23, 1915, the day Italy entered World War I, Caproni had designed and built a multi-engine bomber with range and bomb capacities to make it a potent offensive weapon. On Aug. 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 number of aircraft involved. Click here to return to the Italian Aviation in WWI Overview.