Italian Forces

A biplane for all the fronts

IMC Archives

Line-up of factory-new Caproni Ca.164s at Forlì airfield used by Caproni Aeronautica Predappio, established by Gianni Caproni on Predappio, the Mussolini’s hometown (for Caproni Aeronautica Predappio see also http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/705595-1/CAPRONI-PREDAPPIO), for the flight tests. Designed by Raffaele Conflenti as replacement of the Caproni Ca.100 (in turn an Italian derivative from the British de Havilland Moth), the Ca.164 was a single engine (six in-line cylinder 184 HP Alfa Romeo 115-I bis air cooled engine) tandem two seat biplane mass produced and largely allocated for liaison and recurrent training roles to Regia Aeronautica’s air units in the Mainland and over all the fronts (except East Africa). The prototype flew first time at Forlì on 17 November 1938 and on December of the same year Caproni-Predappio received a first contract for 50 aircraft followed on October 1939 by another order for a second series of 150 airplanes. Conflenti designed also a Ca.164 with a 7.7mm machine-gun for fire training, but its prototype (MM50796) crashed at Furbara, during a test, on 29 February 1940, with the death of the test pilot, and this version was abandoned. The French Air Force purchased 100 Ca.164, 71 of them delivered before the Italy’s declaration of war and the remaining seized by the Italian Air Force. On March 1940 Caproni-Predappio received a third contract for 80 airplanes. On 31 July 1943 the Regia Aeronautica had still in strength 201 Ca.164 in service or stored. After the Italy’s armistice (8 September 1943) the Luftwaffe seized 29 Ca.164, soon after phased out, and few other was employed by the Repubblica Sociale Italiana’s Air Force. Some Ca.164, salvaged in Sardinia an in Southern Italy, was employed for non-active duties by the Italian co-belligerent Air Force. Early ’50 a survivor Ca.164, MM50996, still flyable were in service at Gioia del Colle. Victor Sierra