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Italian aircraft production, World War I. Group of military officers and aircraft manufacturers during World War I. At centre is the Italian aircraft engineer Giovanni Battista Caproni (1886-1957), founder of the Caproni aircraft company. Either side of him are British Army commanders, together with officers from other Allied nations. In the background (with the number N-531) is a variant of the Caproni Ca.4, an Italian triplane heavy bomber built in 1917 and 1918. Six were provided to the British Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in April 1918 (roundel at upper left). This photograph is from the Bain News Service, one of the USA's earliest news picture libraries. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)