The materials in this collection relate to a project in which one hundred (100) mechanics and officers from the United States Army Air Service were instructed on construction of the Caproni Ca.44 (Military Ca.5/Ca.600) aircraft. The group was primarily comprised of members of the 10th Company, 3rd Motor Mechanics.

The majority of the company was sent to the Caproni factory in Taliedo, Italy in August 1918 under Captain J. A. Short. These men received instruction on aircraft assembly and began to build biplanes under Sergeant Charles H. Cooper. A contingent of twenty-four (24) men was stationed at the Fiat Factory in Turin, Italy under Captain J. S. M. Eley from August to October 1918, then relocated to the Isotta-Fraschini plant in Milan. These men received instruction in motor work. Sergeant Sol E. Hutton served with several other men at Taliedo to document technical data and draft reports on the work.

The Caproni Ca.44 was part of the Ca.5 model series of biplane bombers and is often known as the Caproni Ca.600 due to its three (3) engines producing 600HP. The American project to build these models produced only five (5) complete planes due to the armistice in November eliminating the immediate need for more.

Sources and Further Reading:

Robert B. Casari. Encyclopedia of U.S. military aircraft, vol. 2. Chillicothe, Ohio : Robert B. Casari, 1970.

Michael J. H. Taylor, et al. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. New York: Crescent Books, 1993.

Sergeant Sol E. Hutton served in the U.S. Amy Air Service during World War I and was part of a group of men sent to the Caproni factory in Taliedo, Italy to learn aircraft assembly. Hutton's role was to document the work and authored several reports on the instruction and assembly progress. No further information is known about Hutton.

Source:

Biographical note derived from collection materials.