The Caproni Bergamaschi AP.1 was an Italian

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

attack aircraft An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pre ...

Cesare Pallavicino Cesare Pallavicino (Rome, 1893 - Bergamo, 1976) was an Italian aeronautical engineer, heading the design department at Caproni from 1935 to 1941. He designed several important Italian aircraft, including the Breda Ba.15, Breda Ba.18, Breda Ba.1 ...

, coming from the

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

firm.

Design and development

Developed from the Ca.301, a single-seat fighter version of a similar design that was not put into production, the AP.1 was a two-seater version, fitted with a more powerful Alfa Romeo radial engine. Designed to serve both as a fighter and an attack aircraft, it was a low-wing monoplane with a fixed

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

of mixed construction, having trouser-covered legs. Although it was a monoplane at a time when many of the air forces of the world were flying

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

s, the Caproni was still an anachronism with fixed landing gear (at that time, most new aircraft designs featured retractable landing gears). The AP.1 prototype first flew on 27 April 1934. An initial series of 12 aircraft was delivered within 1936. In the same year, the ''

Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...

'' ordered a second series with improvements including a more powerful

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

engine and more aerodynamic landing gear. In service, the large landing gear trousers were often removed for ease of maintenance.

Operational history

The Caproni AP.1 equipped a total of eight ''squadriglie'' (Italian air unit equivalent to half an RAF squadron) of the assault wings of the ''Regia Aeronautica''. It took part in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

, but its unsatisfactory performance led to its quick replacement with the

Breda Ba.64 The Breda Ba.64 was an Italian single-engine ground-attack aircraft used by the ''Regia Aeronautica'' during the 1930s. Designed by Antonio Parano and Giuseppe Panzeri, it saw limited service in two units from 1936, together with the contempora ...

, Ba.65 and Ba.88 types. Four examples were purchased by

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

in 1938 for use in the ''Escuadrilla de Caza'' of the Salvadoran Air Force, in response to Honduras buying

North American NA-16 The North American Aviation NA-16 was the first trainer aircraft built by North American Aviation, and was the beginning of a line of closely related North American trainer aircraft that would eventually number more than 17,000 examples, notabl ...

. A fifth aircraft was supplied for no additional cost to replace an aircraft which crashed during an air display by an Italian test pilot to celebrate delivery of the AP.1s. The AP-1s at first proved popular in service, and after El Salvador's entry into the Second World War in December 1941, were used to carry out anti-submarine patrols along El Salvador's coast. Shortage of spare parts for the aircraft's engines and damage to the wooden structure due to the tropical conditions and

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...

s limited serviceability by mid-1943, and they were withdrawn from use in December 1944. In 1937,

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

placed an order for 22 AP.1s (18 landplanes and 4 floatplanes) as part of a re-equipment programme following the end of the Chaco War, but after the overthrow of Rafael Franco's government in August 1937 led to the order being cut to seven landplanes, with 10 landplanes and four floatplanes joining the ''Regia Aeronautica''. Paraguay's AP.1s entered service in 1939, with three aircraft remaining in service during the Paraguayan Civil War in 1947, flying a few reconnaissance and ground attack missions against the rebel forces. They were withdrawn from use in 1949.

Variants

* Ca.301 - Two single-seat fighter prototypes * Ca.305 - AP.1bis - Initial production version * Ca.307 - Second production version * Ca.308 - Seven aircraft sold to

Operators

* : ''

'' **7° ''Gruppo'' (5° ''Stormo Assalto'') ***86° ''Squadriglia'' ***98° ''Squadriglia'' **19° ''Gruppo'' (5° ''Stormo Assalto'') ***100° ''Squadriglia'' ***102° ''Squadriglia'' **12° ''Gruppo'' (50° ''Stormo Assalto'') ***160° ''Squadriglia'' ***165° ''Squadriglia'' **16° ''Gruppo'' (50° ''Stormo Assalto'') ***168° ''Squadriglia'' ***169° ''Squadriglia'' *

Aviazione Legionaria The Legionary Air Force ( it, Aviazione Legionaria, es, Aviación Legionaria) was an expeditionary corps from the Regia Aeronautica, Italian Royal Air Force that was set up in 1936. It was sent to provide logistical and tactical support to the ...

* :

Paraguayan Military Aviation Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

**2° ''Escuadrilla de Caza'' * : El Salvador Air Force * :

Spanish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December , equipment ...

Specifications

References

* * Taylor, Michael J.H. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Studio Editions, 1989. * * * Sapienza Fracchia, Antonio Luis: "La Contribución Italiana en la Aviación Paraguaya". Author's edition. Asunción. 2007.

External links

Caproni-Bergamasca Ca.301

{{Caproni aircraft 1930s Italian attack aircraft A.P.1 Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1934