The Ca.308 was a streamlined, low-wing cantilevered conventional monoplane with a fixed undercarriage and wheels fitted with spats.
Its origins date back to 1934 when Ala Littoria (fascist Italy's national airline) issued a specification for a multipurpose aircraft that could operate on secondary colonial airlines. This specification aimed for a copy of what the French called "colonial" airplane, as Italy lacked it, as its colonial empire wasn't as extensive as France's one. The specification stipulated the following conditions:
- Six seater passenger compartment.
- The ability to transport mail and small amounts of cargo.
- A cruising speed of at least 200 km/h.
- Simple design, low maintenance costs and easy to repair.
Two aircraft, Breda Ba.44 (heavily inspired by the De Havilland DH.90 Dragon Rapide) and Caproni Ca.306 won the competition, although the first one, being a copy of the Dragon Rapide, was decided not to push its production forward. Regarding the Ca.306, it was designed from scratch by a team lead by engineer Cesar Palavicino and was powered by two Czechoslovak Walter Major engines rated at 200 hp each and driving two-bladed propellers.
The two-seat cockpit was equipped with double controls and, in the passenger cabin, seats were placed alongside the wide side windows in two rows of three seats each. It was also equipped with a luggage compartment placed at the bottom of the fuselage.
Production process began in July 1935 linking major Italian airports of the time with local lines. Shortly after its introduction in Ala Littoria, the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Italian Air Force) demanded the Ca.306 to be adapted for military use, for which, got the denomination Ca.308. For that goal it was necessary to adapt the fuselage to carry small bombs (up to 300 kg of payload) and two 7.7 mm movable machine guns in the front and the rear of the fuselage. It was also required to replace the Czechoslovak Walter engines with De Havilland Gipsy Six engines, rated at 185 hp, since the importing company could not cope with the demanded pace. Additionally, Caproni also proposed a sanitary variant capable of transporting 6 stretchers and powered by two Isotta Fraschini engines, as well as another variant powered by radial engines. Those two versions, however, never passed the project stage.
Civilian variants of the Ca.308 were delivered in December. Of a total of eight machines built, six of them served in Italian mainland and two of them in Libya and Italian East Africa, serving on the routes Tripoli-Sirte-Benghazi, Tripoli-Kassala-Asmara and Tripoli-Benghazi-Cairo-Khartoum. In Italian mainland they operated the line Rome-Ancona and in Albania, the routes between the capital, Tirana and the cities of Scutari, Wallona, Berat, Kukus and Cinnamon. In February 1938 they were gradually decommissioned when 5 of them were retired. A single machine, registered as I-LIBI was lost to an accident on 16th March 1940 and the last civilian Ca.308, coded I-NTRA was sent to the Comando Servizi Aerei Speciali (Special Air Services Command) where it served until September 1943 when Italy signed the armistice. That machine was subsequently passed on to Allied hands and, after the war kept flying with Italian airlines until 16th April 1959 when it was lost to an unfortunate accident.
Regarding the Libyan Ca.308s one of them was lost in an accident before the war and the second was transferred to the 5º Gruppo Osservazione Aerea (5th Reconnaissance Squadron) where it was used as a liaison aircraft in the Balkans.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.308_Borea
2.http://www.airwar.ru/enc/cw1/ca308.html (translated)
3. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/it-regia-aeronautica-orbat.htm
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