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Airco DH.2

From Alfawiki
Airco
IndustryAerospace, Aircraft manufacturing
Founded1912
FounderGeoffrey de Havilland
Headquarters
United Kingdom
ProductsAircraft (including Airco DH.2)


Template:Infobox aircraft The Airco DH.2 was a single-seat pusher biplane fighter operated during the First World War. It represented the second pusher model created by aeronautical engineer Geoffrey de Havilland for Airco, evolving from his earlier two-seater, the Airco DH.1.

Pusher-type fighters like the DH.2 and the F.E.2b allowed for forward-firing weaponry before the advent of synchronisation gears, such as those fitted on the German Fokker Eindecker monoplane fighters. The DH.2 prototype first took to the air in July 1915 but was lost during operational trials on the Western Front the following month.

Entering frontline service in February 1916, the DH.2 became Britain's first effectively armed single-seat fighter. This aircraft enabled pilots of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to challenge the dominance of the "Fokker Scourge" that had given German forces an edge in late 1915. The DH.2 fulfilled combat and escort roles for nearly two years, with many pilots achieving flying ace status flying it. However, as more advanced German fighters emerged, the DH.2 was gradually outperformed and withdrawn from frontline operations in France by June 1917, after RFC units transitioned to newer models like the Nieuport 17 and Airco DH.5.

Development

By the time the First World War began, aeronautical engineer Geoffrey de Havilland had already gained significant experience designing aircraft, having contributed to experimental types such as the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.1, Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2, and the Blériot Scout B.S.1, which was considered the fastest British plane of its era.[1] In June 1914, de Havilland departed from the Royal Aircraft Factory to join Airco, where he pursued his own designs, starting with the two-seat Airco DH.1, which shared design principles with the F.E.2.[1]

Experiences from early aerial engagements on the Western Front revealed a pressing need for a single-seat fighter equipped with a forward-firing machine gun. At that time, there was no prevailing method for arming fighters, but one solution was adopting a pusher layout.[2] Since British engineers had not yet developed a way to fire through the propeller arc of tractor aircraft, Geoffrey de Havilland designed the DH.2 as a compact, single-seat version derived from his earlier two-seat DH.1 design. Aviation historian J.M Bruce suggested that if effective synchronization gear had been available earlier, de Havilland might not have pursued a pusher design.[1]

Although often perceived as a reaction to Germany's introduction of the Fokker Eindecker monoplane fighters, development of the DH.2 actually began before these German aircraft appeared.[3] The initial DH.2 prototype flew for the first time in July 1915.[4] After completing its manufacturing trials, it was sent to France on 26 July 1915 for operational testing,[3] but was lost over the Western Front and subsequently captured by German forces.[5]

Despite losing its prototype early on, production orders for the DH.2 were placed.[6] The production versions closely resembled the prototype but incorporated improvements such as an updated fuel system and modified gun mounting arrangements. Deliveries started in late 1915, with several units reportedly deployed in France before year-end.[7] Overall, Airco manufactured a total of 453 DH.2 aircraft.[8]

Design

File:Airco De Havilland DH 2 (8337534520).jpg
Rear perspective of a DH.2 reproduction

The Airco DH.2 was a compact, two-bay pusher biplane fighter aircraft.[3] Its structure consisted of a wooden frame, reinforced with wires and predominantly covered in fabric, except for the nose and upper decking of the nacelle. Both the upper and lower wings were equipped with ailerons, with the upper ones featuring spring mechanisms that automatically returned them to a neutral position when controls were released.[3] The front portion of the nacelle's nose was cut away to accommodate a mounted machine gun.[3] Notably, the windshield was attached directly to the machine gun rather than the aircraft's frame.[9]

Armament for the DH.2 consisted of a single .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun mounted on a flexible support. Pilots soon discovered that aiming the entire aircraft rather than just the gun was more effective, leading to the gun being fixed to fire forward. This modification initially faced resistance from higher command until squadrons developed a quick-release clip.[10] Major Lanoe Hawker was responsible for designing this clip, as well as enhancing gunsights by adding a ring sight and an "aiming off model" to assist gunners in compensating for target lead.[11]

Most DH.2s were powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnôme Monosoupape nine-cylinder rotary engine that was air-cooled; however, later variants employed the similarly arranged but more powerful 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rhône 9J engine.[12][13] Some accounts note that despite issues like cylinders detaching mid-flight with the Monosoupape engine, it remained in use on many DH.2s, with only one aircraft experimentally fitted with the Le Rhône 9J.[14] Fuel systems varied among individual planes; typically, gravity-fed tanks were installed either on the central section of the upper wing or positioned above or below the port side upper wing.[9]

Operational service

File:Airco DH2 2.jpg
Early DH.2 departing from an airfield in Beauvel, France
File:The Royal Flying Corps on the Western Front, 1914-1918 Q11874.jpg
Personnel from 32 Squadron RFC standing before a DH.2 at Beauval in 1916

Following testing at Hendon on 22 June 1915, the initial DH.2 was deployed to France for operational trials with No. 5 RFC Squadron. Unfortunately, it was shot down in early August of that year, resulting in the pilot’s death.[5] The downed aircraft was subsequently recovered and repaired by German forces.[8] The first squadron fully equipped with DH.2s—and notably the first RFC unit entirely outfitted with single-seat fighters—was No. 24 Squadron RFC, which arrived in France in early February 1916.[15][9]

Ultimately, seven fighter squadrons on the Western Front operated DH.2s,[16] which proved superior to the Fokker Eindecker. The first recorded DH.2 victory over an Eindecker likely occurred on April 2, 1916.[17] During the Battle of the Somme, No. 24 Squadron engaged in approximately 774 aerial combats and claimed destruction of 44 enemy aircraft.[15][18] Early pilot training within the RFC was inadequate, contributing to a high accident rate for the DH.2 initially; this led to its nickname “The Spinning Incinerator.”[19][20] However, as pilots gained experience with this model, it became recognized as both agile and relatively straightforward to operate.[21]

The original gun setup suffered from limited ammunition capacity,[22] prompting pilots to experiment unofficially with alternative arrangements including fixed twin guns. The initial mounting was criticized for instability and obstructing control stick movement when raised; consequently, most DH.2s were flown with guns fixed in place.[17]

By late 1916, more advanced German tractor biplane fighters such as the Halberstadt D.II and Albatros D.I outperformed the DH.2,[23] which remained frontline equipment until June 1917 in France when No.24 and No.32 Squadron RFC transitioned to Airco DH.5s. A number of DH.2s continued service on other fronts including Macedonia—operated by "A" Flight of No.47 Squadron and a combined RFC/RNAS fighter unit,[24] as well as “X” Flight[25] in Palestine until late that year. By then it had become obsolete as a combat fighter and was relegated to advanced training roles and secondary duties; its last known flight occurred at RAF Turnhouse in January of 1919.[26]

Ace pilots

Among the notable aviators who flew the DH.2 was Lanoe Hawker, a recipient of the Victoria Cross, credited with seven confirmed kills, although none were achieved while piloting the DH.2. He also served as the inaugural leader of No. 24 Squadron. Lionel Rees, commanding officer of No. 32 Squadron, earned the Victoria Cross following a daring solo assault on a group of ten German two-seater aircraft on 1 July 1916, successfully downing two enemy planes while flying the D.H.2. James McCudden reached ace status flying DH.2s and ultimately ranked as the fourth highest-scoring British Empire ace during the conflict. The German ace and strategic innovator Oswald Boelcke was killed in a dogfight involving No. 24 Squadron DH.2s after colliding with one of his fellow pilots. Fourteen aces achieved at least five aerial victories using the DH.2, many of whom continued to excel in subsequent aircraft models. Eight aviators recorded all their victories exclusively in the DH-2, including Harry Wood, Sidney Cowan, Hubert Jones, William Curphey, Maxmillian Mare-Montembault, Patrick Anthony Langan-Byrne, Eric Pashley, and Selden Long. The commanding officer of No. 24 Squadron, Lanoe George Hawker V.C., D.S.O., flying a DH.2, was ultimately shot down by Manfred von Richthofen piloting an Albatros D.II.

DH.2 aces
Pilot Victories
Patrick Anthony Langan-Byrne 10
Alan Wilkinson 10
Selden Long 9
Arthur Gerald Knight 8
Eric C. Pashley 8
John Oliver Andrews 7
Sidney Cowan 7
Hubert Jones 7
William Curphey 6
Stanley Cockerell 5
Henry Evans 5
James McCudden 5
Robert Saundby 5
Harry Wood 5

Reproductions

File:Airco De Havilland DH 2. (31141486647).jpg
DH.2 replica exhibited at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre

No surviving original DH.2 aircraft exist today. In 1970, Walter M. Redfern from Seattle, Washington constructed a DH.2 replica known as the Redfern DH-2, which featured a Kinner engine delivering between 125 and 150 horsepower. Redfern later made blueprints available to amateur builders, resulting in several flying replicas based on his design. The original Redfern-built reproduction is currently showcased at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in Blenheim, New Zealand.

Operators

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Specifications (DH.2)

File:Airco D.H.2 British First World War single seat fighter rigging drawing.jpg
Technical drawing of the Airco DH.2

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See also

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Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bruce 1966, p. 3.
  2. ↑ Bruce 1966, pp. 3-4.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Bruce 1966, p. 4.
  4. ↑ Mason 1992, p. 42.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bruce 1966, pp. 4-5.
  6. ↑ Bruce 1966, p. 5.
  7. ↑ Bruce 1966, pp. 5-6.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Airco DH-2
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Bruce 1966, p. 6.
  10. ↑ Goulding 1986, p. 11.
  11. ↑ Guttman 2009, p. 31
  12. ↑ Sharpe 2000, p. 20.
  13. ↑ Bruce 1966, p.8
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Munson, p. 99
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Mason 1992, p. 41.
  16. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Jackson DH p48
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Bruce 1966, p.7.
  18. ↑ Bruce 1966, pp. 7-8.
  19. ↑ Raleigh 1922, pp. 427–428.
  20. ↑ Funderburk 1962, p. 83.
  21. ↑ Cheesman 1960, p. 40.
  22. ↑ Bruce 1966, pp. 6-7.
  23. ↑ Bruce 1966, pp.9-10.
  24. ↑ Munson1968,p.99.
  25. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Munson,p.99
  26. ↑ Bruce1982,p.45.

Bibliography

  • Bruce, J.M. Warplanes of the First World War - Fighters Volume One. London: MacDonald & Co., 1965.
  • Bruce, J.M. Aircraft Profile No. 91: The de Havilland D.H.2. Profile Publications Ltd, 1966.
  • Bruce, J.M. The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing). London: Putnam, 1982.
  • Cheesman, E.F., ed. Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Hertfordshire, UK: Harleyford, 1960.
  • Funderburk, Thomas R. The Fighters: The Men and Machines of the First Air War. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1962.
  • Goulding, James. Interceptor: RAF Single Seat Multi-Gun Fighters. London: Ian Allan Ltd., 1986.
  • Grey, B.J. Airco DH2. Windsock Datafile No.48. Hertfordshire, UK: Albatros Publications, 1994.
  • Guttman, Jon. Pusher Aces of World War I. Osprey Publishing, 2009.
  • Jackson, A.J. De Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam, Third edition, 1987.
  • Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992.
  • Miller, James F. DH 2 vs Albatros D I/D II - Western Front 1916 (Osprey Duel; 42). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2012.
  • Munson, Kenneth. Fighters Attack and Training Aircraft 1914-1919. New York: Macmillan, 1968.
  • 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 University Press, First edition 1922; reprint 2002.
  • Sharpe, Michael. Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes. London: Friedman/Fairfax Books, 2000.


External links

  • File:Commons-logo.svg Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons

Template:De Havilland aircraft Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 159: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

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