FLIGHTPATH|25
Italy
established a Headquarters of the U.S. Navy
in Italy in Rome, subordinate to Captain
Cone, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Naval
AviationForeignServiceinParis,andon1
JuneaninitialcontingentofAmerican
ground staff arrived, who were posted to
variousItalianaviationmanufacturersto
gain experience on Italian-built Caproni air-
craft and Macchi flying boats. This first
groupofAmericanpersonnelwasjoinedin
mid-monthbyfifteenpilots,senttotheair-
fieldatMalpensatotrainonCapronibomb-
ersintendingtosupportanItalianrequest
to ferry the bombers to Southern Italy and
to deliver those assigned to the Northern
Bombing Group of the U.S. Navy operating
on the Western Front.
THE REGIA MARINA SEAPLANE FLYING
SCHOOL AT BOLSENA
In1917,withthegrowthoftheAviazione di
Marina, the training base at Taranto was
no longer satisfactory, leading theComan-
do della Marinato open a new seaplane
school on Lake Bolsena. It was a suitable lo-
cationforthiskindofactivity,thoughdis-
tant from the railway stations of Orvieto and
Montefiascone.Worksbeganintheautumn
with the erection of two wooden hangars,
situated just in from the beach and not far
from the city of Bolsena. Over the course of
thefirstmonthsof1918thesewerejoinedby
a further four, and ten slipways. As the
school grew, there were further barracks
constructedforpersonnel,workshopsand
stores,andtheschoolalsorequisitioneda
few private houses. Command of the new
Scuola di AviazioneatBolsenawas,on6
January1918,assignedtoTenentediVas-
celleMarioCalderara,oneoftheItalian
aviation pioneers - the first Italian pilot’s li-
cenceholderqualifyinginSeptember1909.
The first flying boats also began to arrive
in January, a majority of FBA type (Franco-
BritishAviation)butalsoafewsingleseat
MacchiL.3andM.5flyingboatfighters.The
growingimportanceoftheschoolwasre-
flectedintheprogressiveincreaseinits
fleet,whichattheendofthefirstsixmonths
was52aircraft.(Incomparison,theschool
at Taranto, active since 1915, had a fleet of
only 34 flying boats.)
MAIN:AMacchiL.3pulling
up shows both the wing plan form
andtheunusuallatbottom hull.
[All images via Author]
ABOVE:A Macchi L.3 ‘on the step’.
