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Caproni Ca. 36 Restoration

Recognizing the significance of the Caproni bombers as an important milestone in the evolution of U.S. strategic bombardment doctrine as well as in the history of U.S. wartime combat aviation, the National Museum of the United States Air Force had the good fortune to arrange a long term loan of one of the two known Caproni bombers remaining from the First World War.

The property of the Caproni family, the aircraft was retired to the Museo Caproni di Taliedo in 1934. There it remained until the later days of World War II, when it and several other aircraft in the collection were disassembled and stored in an abandoned monastery on the family estate near Milan. For four decades it was generally inaccessible to the public.

The aircraft is marked as the Ca. 33, which was flown by 1st Lt. Le Roy Kiley with the 8th Squadron of the 4th Group, Italian Air Force.

The Ca. 36 on display at the museum was made possible through the generosity of the family of Count Gianni di Taliedo and the support of many of the Foggiani and their families. In particular, photographs have been drawn from collections loaned or donated by:

Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra Rovereto
Mr. Le Roy Kiley
Brig. Gen. Harold R. Harris
Mr. Edward Davis Lewis
Mr. Clarence D. Barnhill
Mr. Clifford E. Leighty
Laguardia Archives
Museo Aeronautica Caproni di Taliedo

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