United States - 1918 DH-4

Never a Dull Moment

Work on the new section on the overview of American aero squadrons is going slowly but steadily. It has reminded me of the fact that nothing is simple, and each door you open is not an exit but another set of rooms and doors still unexplored.Besides laying out new pages and nailing down the navigation in a coherent manner, I am busy working on new master files and two new sets of unit insignias for this section. One insignia set is virtual decals for use on profiles, the other set is larger images to use in the articles.

Overview of the De Havilland DH-4

Designed in 1916 by Geoffrey de Havilland, the D.H.4 was the only British design manufactured by the Americans. It was easily identified by its rectangular fuselage and deep frontal radiator. Versatile, heavily armed and equipped with a powerful twelve cylinder engine. American built DH-4 used the Liberty engine. This biplane which operated as an observation aircraft and daylight bomber was fast and maneuverable. The American version was manufactured by Dayton-Wright and was called the “Liberty Plane”.

Sometimes called the “Flaming Coffin”, its huge fuel tank was dangerously positioned between the pilot and observer, hindering communication. Produced in vast numbers, 6295, of which 4846 were built in the United States, many D.H.4s were modified for civilian air service after the war.

Squadron-D Day Wing Northern Bombing Group U.S.M.C.

Dayton-Wright DH-4 Squadron-D Day Wing Northern Bombing Group U.S.M.C.

This American built Dayton-Wright DH-4 Liberty Plane flew in then Squadron-D Day Wing Northern Bombing Group of the United States Marine Corps. The profile shows the aircraft when at La-Frene, France during Oct of 1918. The white D-5 is the flight and airplane identifier. The Insignia is for the Marine Corps. The fuselage, wings and tail plane are painted olive drab on the upper surfaces and light gray on the lower areas. The wing roundels are added in the standard 4 place configuration (Upper wing top surface, Lower wing bottom surface). The landing gear struts are the newer reinforced design.

50^th Aero Squadron - 1st Observation Group U.S.A.S.

Airco D.H.4 50^th Aero Squadron - 1918

The 50^th was known as the Dutch Girl Squadron. They borrowed their squadron insignia from the label on a kitchen cleanser popular during that time. It went with their motto: “Cleaning up on Germany”. The examples I have seen have unbordered black numbers, and olive drab upper surfaces and varnished fabric on the lower surfaces. The wings on their American built DH-4 have roundels in the standard 4 spot scheme.

During Meuse-Argonne offensive the 50th Aero Squadron earned their reputation for heroism supporting the offensive by flying contact patrols where they were in constant communication with ground units and providing vital intelligence. On the 5^th of October Elements of the U.S. 77th Infantry Division (Who became known as the “Lost Battalion”) were cut off and surrounded on a heavily forested hillside northeast of the town of Binarville. The U.S. Army came up with a plan to resupply them from the air. The mission was give to the 50th. During attempts to locate the men, 1st Lt. Harold Goettler and 2nd Lt. Erwin Bleckley were brought down by ground fire on their second flight of the day Both men died and were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross that was upgraded in 1922 to the Medal of Honor.

11 ^th Aero Squadron 1^st Bombardment Group U.S.A.S.

Airco D.H.4 11^th Aero Squadron - 1918

The unit insignia was taken from a cartoon character Jiggs, invented five years before by an 11^th Squadron officer, George McManus, whose comic strip, “Bringing Up Father,” was the first of its kind to attract a worldwide readership.. The positioning of it is standard for the squadron. The white identifier number does not have a border. The lower wing surfaces are varnished fabric.

The unit was first organized on June 26, 1917 as the 11^th Aero Squadron, part of the 1^st Day Bombardment Group at Camp Kelly, Texas. During the Great War the 11^th was moved from Camp Kelly, and on January 1^st 1918 was relocated to England. On August 12, 1918 it was sent to France, where it remained until April 21 1919.

U.S.A. - 1918 Nieuport 28 part 3

Three Colorful Nieuports

One of the thing which attracted me to World War One aircraft is the flamboyant color schemes used to identify who was piloting the plane. personal heraldry wass more important than stealth during this period. When America officially entered the war the pilots serving in the American Expeditionary Force many adopted the custom of personalizing their planes. Here are a few of the new examples I have recently finished.

Douglas Campbell 94^th Aero Squadron 1918

Nieuport 28 Douglas Campbell 94^th Aero Squadron sn N6164

Douglas adopted a black star pattern on a red cowling as his personal markings. The wheel covers are a blue variant which was popular with other pilots in the squadron. He did not have roundels painted on the underside of the top wing. The white identifier numbers do not have borders. The small black numbers on the rudder are the serial number.

1st Lt. William F. Loomis 94^th Aero Squadron 1918

Nieuport 28 1st Lt. William F. Loomis 94^th Aero Squadron sn N6181

WIliam Loomis chose a red and white candy stripe pattern on his cowling. The numbers are a bordered block style popular with many of the American squadrons. The rest of the paint scheme is fairly standard.The serial numbers on the rudder are painted over

213^th Training Squadron AEF 1918

Nieuport 28 213^th Training Squadron AEF sn N658 France 1918

Training aircraft used by the United States and Great Britain were often painted in bright colors and patterns. This aircraft flew in France in 1918. The red white and blue paint scheme is based off the American flag. The rudder color scheme is more like the version used in France.The Indian head unit insignia differs from the ones used by the 103^rd Aero Squadron. The black block style numbers are identify that particular plane.

USA - 1918 Breguet Br.14A2

A French Bird in American Service

Breguet Br.14A2 - 1918

It has been one of those days where it seemed like I was wading neck deep in a miasma of stupidity. Earlier I attempted to share my previous posts with people I know on F.B. It seemed to be a simple matter since I have successfully shared in the past. Much to my still smoldering annoyance, my post was banned due to it being deemed as "Objectionable Material and/or Profanity". Evidently whoever set parameters for their idiot net nanny was not a history buff. So I am posting something which has no mention of "He Who's Name Must Not Be Spoken" nor his infernal death machines.

Alright! I'm over it... There is nothing that crys out to me to chose a particular aircraft to draw like a bit of flash. All those checks, stripes, fiddly markings begging to be draw up makes me eager to jump in and render them.

When the Americans entered the war the aviators in the American Expeditionary Force flew French and British aircraft. This example served in the A.E.F. 9th Aero Squadron which operated both the Breguet Br.14A2 and the Salmson 2 during 1918.

Used throughout the war, the innovative Breguet Br.14 was a highly successful biplane used by the French, Belgian and American air services. Designed by Louis Breguet in 1916, it was one of the first aircraft constructed with duralumin in the airframe.

Rugged and versatile, it was mass produced in several variations, including a seaplane model. Before the end of the war, the Br.14 saw service as a reconnaissance aircraft, a day/night bomber and an air ambulance. This was one of the best bombers the French used. It was produced up until 1926.

References

1. Breguet Bre.4. (2011, January 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:25, January 11, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Breguet_Bre.4&oldid=406067608
2. Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 202.
3. World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 890 Sheets 78-79.