Greece-Turkey 1918-1922 Airco DH.9

Airco D.H.9 of the Second Greco-Turkish War

Slowly but surely I am getting back to normal after the holidays. Between medical appointments and working up profiles and new galleries and new navigation for them which are been viewable on galleries on my main site I have been a bit busy. Life has been interesting. I use the term advisably since the Chinese use the phrase as a curse. “May you live in interesting times” is not a friendly wish.

Today's post is another look at the aircraft used during the Second Greco-Turkish War. Once again both sides used the same aircraft type. The Greeks were supplied by Britain, and the Turks by captured Greek equipment. Such are the fortunes of war.

Royal Hellenic Naval Air Service

Airco D.H.9 - 1918

This aircraft had carried a typical RNAS color scheme before entering Greek service. In some profile examples show the fuselage and fin painted in very light gray to white paint scheme. Greek roundels are only painted on the wings. The forward fuselage section was natural metal both sides of the fuselage carry a Greek flag. This was the personal aircraft of the top Greek ace of WW1 Aristides Moraitinis during 1918. This aircraft served with the Royal Hellenic Naval Air Service and was stationed at the Moudros airfield, Lemnosin January of 1921.

Airco D.H.9 - 1921

This British built DH.9 first served RNAS before it was given to the Royal Hellenic Naval Air Service and was stationed at Alfion-Karahisar airfield during July 1921. The aircraft is finished in PC10 Dope on upper flying surfaces, fin, undercarriage legs and rear fuselage. The fuselage panels were painted battleship gray, and the under surfaces and wheel covers are clear doped Linen. The blue and white Greek national markings were converted from existing RNAS roundels from when they were based at Moudros during WW1. The serial number is painted in white, and is partially obscured by a dark gray or black wavy line. This pattern was a theater marking applied to all operational aircraft involved in the Greco-Turkish war of 1919-1922. Note that roundels on the lower wing surface do not have a 1 inch White outline.

Turkish Air Force

Airco D.H.9 - 1921

This was a Greek aircraft captured by the Turks when it made a forced landing at Mugla on 27th July 1921. The plane was named “Ismet” after the commander of the Western Front. The name is painted onto the red square of the national insignia both sides of the fuselage.this aircraft was used extensively throughout the Turkish War of Independence. After the war it was converted into a two-seat trainer and it was used at the flying school in Gaziemir-Izmir until it was retire in 1924.

Airco D.H.9 - 1922

This was one of three Greek Navy planes deserted at the Gaziemir airfield after the Greek withdrawal and evacuation of Izmir on 9th September 1922. It was named “Ganimet” which translates as War Gain. The name is painted onto the red square of the national insignia on the starboard side of the fuselage. The port side insignia bears the identification number 262. It was converted into a two-seat trainer and used at the flying school in Gaziemir-Izmir until 1924.

References

1. Wings Palette - Airco DH.9/9A - Greece: retrieved from http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww1/b/47/23/0
2. Wings Palette - Airco DH.9/9A - Turkey retrieved from http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww1/b/47/137/0

A Side Note:

Recently during image searches I have noticed a trend which is does not bode well. It seems users of several highly trafficked and well known forums are not only “Hot linking” (using a URL to images on other people's server so they are stealing bandwidth) but they do not even have the common courtesy to ask permission to use images or give credit to the owner of the material and a link back to the site they are robbing. Hot linking and use media without attribution is theft of intellectual property pure and simple. Not only has my work been pilfered but the work of many others have been treated the same way. There is a trend where the hosts of the forums are turning a blind eye to the problem even after receiving email about the problem. I see them just as culpable as the abusers. We are better than that people.

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.

Britain - 1918 Airco D.H.10 Amiens

The Son of the DH-3

This is a second part to my previous post on the evolution of the de Havilland Bombers of the Late War.

Airco D.H.10 Amiens - 1918

The Airco DH.10 Amiens was a British twin-engined medium bomber designed and built towards the end of the First World War. It served briefly with the RAF postwar.

The DH.10 was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland to meet the requirements of Air Board Specification A.2.b for a single- or twin-engined day bomber. It was a development of the earlier Airco DH.3 bomber, which had flown in 1916, but had been rejected by the War Office because of a belief that strategic bombing would be ineffective and that twin engines were impracticable.

The first prototype flew on 4 March 1918, powered by two 230 hp (186 kW) Siddeley Puma engines mounted as pushers. When evaluated by the RAF, the performance of this prototype was well below expectation, reaching only 90 mph (145 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,572 m) with the required bomb load. Owing to this poor performance, the DH.10 was redesigned with more powerful engines in a tractor installation.

The second prototype, known as the Amiens Mark II was powered by two 360 hp (268 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines and first flew in April 1918, showing greatly superior performance and proving to be faster than the DH.9A while carrying twice the bomb load. While shortages of the Eagle meant that the Amiens Mark II could not be put into production, it proved the design for the definitive aircraft, the Amiens Mark III, which was powered by the more readily available 395 hp (295 kW) Liberty 12 from America, as was the DH.9A. Following successful evaluation, large orders were placed, with a total of 1,291 ordered.

First deliveries of DH.10s were to No. 104 Squadron RAF in November 1918, flying a single bombing mission on 10 November 1918 before the Armistice ended the First World War. Postwar, DH.10s equipped 120 Squadron, which used them to operate an air mail service to the British Army of Occupation on the Rhine. Amiens were also used by 97 Squadron (later re-numbered as 60 Squadron) which deployed to India. It provided support to the Army on the North-West Frontier, being used for bombing operations in the Third Anglo-Afghan war. DH.10s were also used by 216 Squadron in Egypt, where they provided an air mail service between Cairo and Bagdhad, starting on 23 June 1921.

Variants

• Amiens I Prototype powered by two pusher Puma engines.
• Amiens II Prototype powered by two tractor Rolls Royce Eagle engines.
• Amiens III Main production variant, powered by Liberty 12 engines mounted midway between wings, 221 built.
• Amiens IIIA Modified Mark III with engines directly attached to lower wings, 32 built.
• Amiens IIIC Version powered by Rolls Royce Eagle engines in case of shortages of Liberty engines, 5 built.

References

1. Airco DH.10. (2011, February 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:58, February 12, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Airco_DH.10&oldid=412210736
2. Airco DH.10. Virtual Aircraft Museum http://www.luftfahrtmuseum.com/htmi/itf/dh10a.htm
3. British Aircraft Directory http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=669
4. Jackson, A. J. British Civil Aircraft Since 1919, Volume 2. London: Putnam, Second Edition, 1973. ISBN 0 370 10010 7.
5. Jackson A. J. De Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London:Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0 85177 802 X.
6. Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
7. Thetford, Owen. Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1918-57, 1st edition. London: Putnam, 1957.

Britain - 1916 Airco D.H.3

Canceled Due to Lack of Imagination

Some ideas develop far ahead of the time when they seem obvious. Strategic bombing was one such idea. The failure of the lighter than air bombers was not due of lack of a viable military concept but the very nature of huge airships filled with hydrogen gas. They were slow, huge lumbering vehicles which were expensive to build and maintain. Germany saw their mistake and began developing heavy bomber conventional aircraft to fill the role as strategic bombers. Britain came to the party late. However eventually they did catch up and build several excellent bombers.

Airco D.H.3 - 1916

The Airco DH.3 was a British bomber aircraft of the First World War. The DH.3 was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland, Chief Designer at the Aircraft Manufacturing Company in 1916 as a long range day bomber. It was a large biplane with wide-span three-bay wings, slender fuselage, and a curved rudder. It was powered by two 120 hp (89 kW) Beardmore engines mounted as pushers between the wings. In addition to tail skid landing gear, two wheels were placed beneath the nose to prevent bumping.

A second prototype, designated D.H.3A was built with more powerful (160 hp/119 kW) Beardmore engines, and a production order for 50 placed by the War Office. This order was cancelled however before any could be completed, because Strategic bombing was not thought to be worthwhile and twin engined bombers were claimed to be impracticable. The two prototypes were scrapped in 1917.

The DH.10 was a development of the DH.3 which first flew in March 1918 but was too late to see squadron service during the war.

References

1. Airco DH.3. (2011, January 22). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:29, February 13, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Airco_DH.3&oldid=409267462
2. Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada: Prospero Books, 1997, p. 118. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
3. Jackson, A.J. De Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London:Putnam, Third edition, 1987. ISBN 0 85177 802 X.
4. Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London:Putnam, 1994. ISBN 0 85177 861 5.

Britain - 1917 Airco D.H.9

Sometimes Newer is Not Better

Sometimes an aircraft will look like a winner and fly like a brick.The ill-fated DH-9 was one of those aircraft. Despite a sleek streamlined fuselage it fell victim to a poor choice of its power plant. The large order for this plane was based on the success of the reliable and versatile DH-4 which served admirably in many of the Allied air corps.

Airco D.H.9 - 1917

The Airco DH.9 (from de Havilland 9) - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War. A single-engined biplane, it was a development of Airco's earlier, highly successful DH.4 and was ordered in very large numbers for Britain's Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force.

Its engine was unreliable, and failed to provide the expected power, giving the DH.9 poorer performance than the aircraft it was meant to replace, and resulting in heavy losses, particularly over the Western Front. The subsequently-developed DH.9A had a more powerful and reliable American Liberty L-12 engine.

The DH.9 was designed by de Havilland for the Aircraft Manufacturing Company in 1916 as a successor to the DH.4. It used the wings and tail unit of the DH.4 but had a new fuselage. This enabled the pilot to sit closer to the gunner/observer and away from the engine and fuel tank. The other major change from the DH.4 was the choice of the promising new BHP/Galloway Adriatic engine, which was predicted to produce 300 hp (224 kW) and so give the new aircraft an adequate performance to match enemy fighters.

By this time, as a result of attacks by German bombers on London, the decision was made to almost double the size of the Royal Flying Corps, with most of the new squadrons planned to be equipped with bombers. Based on the performance estimates for the DH.9 (which were expected to surpass those of the DH.4), and the similarity to the DH.4, which meant that it would be easy to convert production over to the new aircraft, massive orders (4,630 aircraft) were placed.

The prototype (a converted DH.4) first flew at Hendon in July 1917. Unfortunately, the BHP engine proved unable to reliably deliver its expected power, with the engine being de-rated to 230 hp (186 kW) in order to improve reliability. This had a drastic effect on the aircraft's performance, especially at high altitude, with it being inferior to that of the DH.4 it was supposed to replace. This meant that the DH.9 would have to fight its way through enemy fighters, which could easily catch the DH.9 where the DH.4 could avoid many of these attacks.

While attempts were made to provide the DH.9 with an adequate engine, with aircraft being fitted with the Siddeley Puma, a lightened and supposedly more powerful version of the BHP, with the Fiat A12 engine and with a 430 hp (321 kW) Napier Lion engine, these were generally unsuccessful (although the Lion engined aircraft did set a World Altitude Record of 30,500 ft (13,900 m) on 2 January 1919) and it required redesign into the DH.9A to transform the aircraft.

The first deliveries were made in November 1917 to 108 Squadron RFC and first went into combat over France in March 1918 with 6 Squadron, and by July 1918, nine squadrons operational over the Western Front were using the type.

The DH.9's performance in action over the Western Front was a disaster, with heavy losses incurred, both due to its low performance, and engine failures (despite the prior de-rating of its engine). For example, between May and November 1918, two squadrons on the Western Front (Nos. 99 and 104) lost 54 shot down, and another 94 written off in accidents. The DH.9 was however more successful against the Turkish forces in the Middle East, where they faced less opposition, and it was also used extensively for coastal patrols, to try and deter the operations of U-boats.

References

1. From Wikipedia Airco DH.9, "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airco_DH.9"
2. Barnes, C.H. Handley Page Aircraft since 1907. London:Putnam, 1976. ISBN 0 370 00030 7.
3. Bruce, J.M. " ;The De Havilland D.H.9 Historic Military Aircraft No. 12, Part I". Flight, 6 April 1956. Pages 385-388, 392.
4. Bruce, J.M. "The De Havilland D.H.9 Historic Military Aircraft No. 12, Part II". Flight, 13 April 1956. Pages 422-426.
5. Gerdessen, F. "Estonian Air Power 1918 - 1945". Air Enthusiast No 18, April - July 1982. Pages 61-76. ISSN 0143-5450.
6. Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2. London:Putnam, Second edition 1973. ISBN 0 370 10010 7.
7. Jackson, A.J. De Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London Putnam, Third edition 1987. ISBN 0 85177 802 X.
8. Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber Since 1914. London Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
9. Winchester, Jim, ed. Bombers of the 20th Century. London Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-386-5.

Britain - 1915 Airco DH.1

British Air-power in the Middle East Theater - 1915

Airco D.H.1 - 1915

The Airco DH.1 was an early military biplane flown by Britain's Royal Flying Corps during World War I.

Geoffrey de Havilland was one of the pioneering designers at the Royal Aircraft Factory and was partially or wholly responsible for most pre-war "Factory" designs. When he left to become chief designer at The Aircraft Manufacturing Company (Airco) in 1914, his first design was strongly reminiscent of the F.E.2b, one of his last designs for the Royal Aircraft Factory. Like the F.E.2, the DH.1 was of pusher configuration, the aircraft accommodating its pilot and observer in two open tandem cockpits in the nose, the observer's cockpit stepped down below the pilot's and equipped with a machine gun. The wings were of typical fabric-covered, two-bay, unstaggered, straight, equal span design, while the stabilizer and rudder were carried on the end of a long, open-framework boom.

The type, like the F.E.2b, was designed for the 120 hp (89 kW) Beardmore 120 hp water cooled inline engine. However, all available Beardmore engines had been ordered for F.E.2b production, so the 70 hp (52 kW) Renault 70 hp aircooled V8 engine was installed instead. With this powerplant the DH.1 was underpowered - but still had a creditable performance, and was ordered into production. Airco was already occupied with later designs, so DH.1 production was undertaken by Savages of King's Lynn.

The DH.1 saw operational service only in the Middle East theatre, where a few Beardmore powered DH.1As arrived in July 1916 - these were used by No. 14 Squadron RFC as escorts for their B.E.2 reconnaissance aircraft. An Aviatik two seater was claimed by a 14 Squadron D.H.1A in August for the only known victory of the type. The last known action by a DH.1 was on 5 March 1917, when one was shot down during a bombing raid on Tel el Sheria. No. 14 Squadron became an R.E.8 unit in November 1917 - and it seems probable the last operational DH.1 had gone before that date.

The other DH.1s served in training and Home defence units in the United Kingdom, finally being withdrawn from service in 1918.

Variants

• DH.1:101 examples powered by Renault engine
• DH.1A:Late production model some 70 examples powered by Beardmore engine

References

1. From Wikipedia Airco DH.1, "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airco_DH.1"
2. Cheesman, E.F. (ed.) "Reconnaissance & Bomber Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War". Letchworth, UK: Harleyford, 1962.
3. Grey, C.G. "Jane's all the world's aircraft 1919" (reprint). New York: Arco Publishing Company, 1969. ISBN 0-0001-890-1.
4. Jackson, A.J. "De Havilland Aircraft since 1909". London:Putnam, Third edition, 1987. ISBN 0 85177 802 X.
5. Taylor, Michael J.H. "Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation", 1989 edition. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 45. ISBN 0-51710-316-8.

Britain - 1915 AIRCO D.H.2

Serendipity

Airco D.H.2 - 1915

Today was one of those days where a string of events come together in unforeseen ways. I had been working on the profile of an AIRCO de Havilland D.H.2 for today's post when I received an email concerning the same aircraft I was drawing. It felt like being in the groove.

The D.H.2 biplane was Geoffrey de Havilland's second design for the Aircraft Manufacturing Company. This highly successful pusher had good maneuverability with an excellent rate of climb. Mounting the engine to the rear of the fuselage permitted the use of a fixed, forward-firing machine gun before the advent of the synchronous machine gun.

Superior to the Fokker E.III, the D.H.2 helped end the "Fokker Scourge." Well past its prime and almost two years after its introduction, some squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps were still equipped with D.H.2s.

References

1. From Wikipedia Airco DH.2, "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airco_DH.2"
2. Bruce, J.M. "Warplanes of the First World War - Fighters Volume One". London: MacDonald & Co., 1965.
3. >Cheesman, E.F., ed. "Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War". Herts, UK: Harleyford, 1960.
4. Goulding, James. Interceptor: RAF "Single Seat Multi-Gun Fighters". London: Ian Allen Ltd., 1986. ISBN 0-7110-1583-X.
5. Jackson, A.J. "De Havilland Aircraft since 1909". London: Putnam, Third edition, 1987. ISBN 0 85177 802 X.
6. Mason, Francis K. "The British Fighter since 1912". Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
7. Raleigh, Walter. "The War In The Air: Being the Story of the part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force, Vol I". Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, First edition 1922, 2002 (reprint). ISBN 978-1843424123.
8. Sharpe, Michael. "Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes". London: Friedman/Fairfax Books, 2000. ISBN 1-58663-300-7.