Belgium - 1917 Hanriot HD.1 Aces

Diary of a Waterlogged Workaholic

I have been busy as always. Running a one man dog and pony show keeps me on my toes. There always seems to be a new profile I want to do, or a new sections of my site to lay out. A new section will cover an organizational view of aircraft units. I have the groundwork laid out for the German Jagdgeschwader and Jasta forming them, and the American Pursuit Groups and their Aero Squadrons. That subsection will take a while to get right.

Yesterday I addressed the problem of gallery pages which have grown too large to load quickly and needed to be divided into additional gallery pages dedicated to a single aircraft type. I have not done a recent profile count but I think I have broken the 1000 mark.

Today I was out and about taking care of pressing matters which could not wait for a day without pouring rain. It was good to get back to the studio where it was warm, dry, and I could get a warm cuppa into my shivering hands. after lunch I worked up several SPAD S.XIII, some Nieuport 28's and finished the master for a new Nieuport 11. I took a break and completed 3 new Hanriot HD.1's which I decided to share.

Three Belgian Aces

Belgium fought valiantly in the First World War. In spite of German forces dug into Belgian soil the Belgian Air Force waged a successful air campaign using French and British aircraft. One of the favorite planes used by the Belgians was an aircraft shunned by France as being obsolete. The Hanriot HD.1 found great favor with the Belgian pilots, some scored the majority of their victories at the controls of the HD.1.

Major Willy Coppens 1892 - 1986

Hanriot H.D.1 Major Willy Coppens 9me Escadrille sn 24, 1917

Coppens joined the army in 1912, serving with the 2nd Grenadiers before transferring to the Compagnie des Aviateurs in 1914. At his own expense, he and thirty nine other Belgians enrolled in a civilian flying school at Hendon, England. After additional training in France, Coppens began flying two-seaters in combat during 1916.

The following year, he was assigned to single-seat fighters and soon became an expert at shooting down enemy observation balloons. After downing a balloon, Coppens would often perform aerial acrobatic displays above the enemy. On one occasion, the balloon he was attacking shot upward and Coppens actually landed his Hanriot HD.1 on top of it. Switching off his engine to protect the propeller, he waited until his aircraft slid off the top of the balloon, then restarted the engine and watched as the German balloon burst into flames and sank to the ground.

On the morning of October 14, 1918, his days as a fighting pilot came to an end near Thourout in northwestern Belgium. Just as he began the attack that would culminate in his 37th victory, Coppens was hit in the left leg by an incendiary bullet. Despite a severed artery and intense pain, he shot down his target and managed to crash land within the safety of his own lines. His badly shattered leg had to be amputated. Before he retired from the army in 1940, Coppens served as a military attaché in France, Great Britain, Italy and Switzerland.

Lt. Andre de Meulemeester 1894 - 1973

Hanriot H.D.1 Lt. Andre de Meulemeester 9me Escadrille sn 30, 1917

Andre de Meulemeester dubbed "The Eagle of Flanders" joined the Belgian Air Service on January 26, 1915 and was assigned to 1ère Escadrille de Chasse on April 8, 1917. While flying a Nieuport 17, de Meulemeester scored six victories before his unit was re-equipped with the Hanriot HD.1. In the spring of 1918, he was joined 9me, scoring four more victories by the end of the war. During 511 sorties, de Meulemeester engaged the enemy in aerial combat 185 times, was wounded in action twice and was attacked by British D.H.4s on two occasions. In 1919, de Meulemeester left the army, gave up flying and went to work in his family's brewery business.

Lt. Jan Olieslagers 1883 - 1883

Hanriot H.D.1 Lt. Jan Olieslagers 1ère Escadrille sn 8, 1917

Olieslagers fascination with racing motorcycles led to a world championship in 1902. He was the first man to reach a speed of 100 km/h on a motorcycle. As his interest shifted to aircraft, he purchased a plane in 1909 and within four years, he had set seven world records. When the Germans invaded Belgium, he and his two brothers joined the army and donated their three Blériot XI monoplanes to the war effort.

In his first combat, Olieslagers attacked an enemy aircraft armed only with a pistol. Throughout the war, he rarely claim the enemy aircraft he destroyed. Despite his six confirmed victories, Olieslagers flew 491 sorties and had engaged in 97 dogfights. Returning to Antwerp at the end of the war, Olieslagers was responsible for the development of the Antwerp Airport in 1923.

France - 1917 Hanriot HD-3

Hanriot Two Seat Fighter Planes

The idea of two seat fighters was first validated by the British Bristol F.2 "Bristfit" Fighter during 1917. The French began moving to a two seat fighter model at about the same time. This trend continued till the end of the war.

Hanriot HD-3 - 1917

From Wikipedia Hanriot HD.3

The Hanriot HD.3 was a two-seat fighter aircraft produced in France during World War One. Similar in appearance to a scaled-up HD.1, it was a conventional, single-bay biplane with staggered wings of equal span. The pilot and gunner sat in tandem, open cockpits and the main units of the fixed tail skid undercarriage were linked by a cross-axle. Short struts braced the fuselage sides to the lower wing.

Design development of a compact, well-proportioned two-seat fighter was initiated as the HD.3 in the autumn of 1917, and a prototype flew before the end of the year. Powered by the excellent new 260hp Salmson (Canton-Unne) 9Za radial, the HD.3 had an armament of two fixed synchronized 7.7mm Vickers guns and two 7.7mm Lewis guns on a flexible mounting for the aft facing gunner. A preliminary order was placed on behalf of the Aviation Miiitaire for 120 HD.3s in April 1918, the total subsequently being raised to 300 when it was also ordered for the Aviation maritime. Few HD.3s had been delivered, in fact, by the time of the Armistice, but at least 75 were completed for the Aviation Miiitaire and a rather smaller quantity for the naval service. One example of the HD.3 was fitted with twin floats as the prototype of the HD.4, series production of which was frustrated by the Armistice, and a night fighter version was tested as the HD.3bis. This latter had main-planes of thicker section, enlarged ailerons and a revised rudder.

Flight testing revealed excellent performance, and the French government ordered 300 of the type in 1918, in preparation for a major offensive the following year. When the war ended, the contract was cancelled with around 75 aircraft having been delivered to the Aéronautique Militaire and at least 15 to the Aéronautique Maritime. One example was delivered to the Aéronautique Maritime in summer 1918 equipped with twin float undercarriage and a larger tail fin; it was intended that this would be the prototype of a dedicated float plane fighter designated HD.4, but the war ended before any further development took place. The Armistice also led to the abandonment of a dedicated night fighter variant, the HD.3bis, with enlarged and balanced ailerons and rudder and with a wing of increased section.

References

1. From Wikipedia Hanriot HD.3, "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanriot_HD.3"
2. Bruce, J.M. (1972). War Planes of the First World War: Volume Five Fighters. London: Macdonald, p.19, p.21, pp.24-27, pp.32-35. ISBN 356 03779 7.
3. Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 469. ISBN 0-51710-316-8.
4. World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 896 Sheet 11.

Painted Warbirds 1915-1918

A Splash of Color For Easter

I am feeling festive and colorful today, so my choices will be just as bright. Today's theme is a mixed bag of aviation eye candy. The only reason I chose them is they were colorful and fairly new. I tried to refrain from posting the canned history for the planes I have posted before.

Estonian DFW CV 1917

The Estonians captured several abandoned aircraft. this is one of them. It sported the original German camouflage pattern. The subject was a good change of pace for me. I had done several versions of the DFW C.V in German schemes. This example allowed me to do a version without the fairing over the engine.

The D.V and its related designs were used as a multi-role combat aircraft, for reconnaissance, observation, bombing by Germany and Austro-Hungary during World War I. They were also used by the Ottoman Empire in Palestine. In the hands of a skilled pilot it could outmaneuver most allied fighters of the period. It remained in service until early 1918 though 600 were still in use by the Armistice of 11 November 1918. Most were scrapped according to Versailles Treaty in 1919.

Fokker D.VII Willi Gabriel Jasta 11 - 1918

Yes, I know it is another Fokker D.VII, but I have always liked this paint scheme. I had an obsessive moment a couple days ago and I had to knock out this profile. The interplay between the bright solid color sections and the streaked under painting is satisfying.

Fokker Dr.I - Rudolph Klimtke Jasta 27 - 1917

If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times, I hate repeating myself. However in this case I will make an exception. I had procrastinated for a long time on this profile. I was lazy and it took me a while to draw up the anchor. I could have posted a brighter colored Dr.I but this one has been less covered by other profilers.

Nieuport 11 "Bébé" (baby) - 1915

Another very cheery paint scheme on this Nieuport 11. Bold tricolor stripes and wheels. What's not to like? So many examples are plain varnished linen. I was glad I saw an example of this long ago and made my own version.

The small Nieuport 11 biplane was affectionately known as the "Bébé" (baby). Originally designed for racing, this light plane was fast and extremely maneuverable. Its only major problem was in the design of its wing struts. In a steep dive, the struts allowed the wings to twist, sometimes with disastrous results. Used by the British and French to counter the Fokker E.III, the Nieuport 11 was disadvantaged by its lack of a synchronized machine gun.

Belgian Hanriot H.D.1 - 1916

This is another favorite of mine. I like the silver and blue paint scheme and the white origami bird insignia. Top it off with the Belgian colors on the rudder and it is a pleasing combination of colors.

The Hanriot HD.1 was a French World War I single seat fighter. Rejected for service with French squadrons in favor of the SPAD S.7, the type was supplied to the Belgians and the Italians who used it very successfully.

Italy - 1916 Hanriot HD.1

Four Ace

Hanriot H.D.1 - 1916

I love creating the personal heraldry used by pilots during World War One. The four aces insignia was a quick, simple but satisfying addition to what could have been a bland profile. The playing card motif was used by several Italian aces.

The Hanriot HD.1 was a French World War I single seat fighter. Rejected for service with French squadrons in favor of the SPAD S.7, the type was supplied to the Italians with whom it proved highly successful. 831 of a total production of about 1200 were in fact produced by Italian companies under license by the Nieuport-Macchi company of Varese, Italy between 1917 and 1919, more than the parent firm.

The type replaced not only Nieuports but even SPADs in their service. The type was considered (by the Italians) to be a better all-round fighter than even the SPAD S.XIII and it became the standard Italian fighter – equipping 16 of the 18 operational Italian fighter squadrons by November 1918.

References

1. From Wikipedia Hanriot HD.1, "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanriot_HD.1"
2. Cheesman E.F. (ed.) "Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War" Letchworth, Harletford Publications, 1960 pp. 82-83
3. Holmes, Tony (2005). "Jane's Vintage Aircraft Recognition Guide". London: Harper Collins. p 31. ISBN 0 0071 9292 4.