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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War One Aircraft  DH4 |
| DH4 Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Mitchell's Air Armada by Stan Stokes. Germany, concerned over the full brunt of Americas entry into the War, decided in 1918 to launch one last all-out offensive. Germanys air forces were to play an important role in this offensive, but production of new aircraft had lagged behind expectations. With insufficient numbers of aircraft, German military leaders had to hope for technically superior machines to offset their disadvantages in numbers. In early 1918 top aces were brought back from the front to test competing designs. The overall favorite was a Fokker design which would ultimately reach the front as the D.VII. The aircraft was ordered into production immediately. The Germans organized a couple more fighter groups which could be rapidly deployed in those area where they could do the most good. The German offensive, which is generally referred to as the Kaisers Battle, began in the Spring and was focused on the area north of the Somme. British forces were initially overwhelmed by the German offensive. German airpower dominated in the early phases of the offensive. For the first major counter offensive of the War in which American forces would play a major role, Col. Billy Mitchell, Chief of the Air Service, assembled a huge air armada, the objective of which was to wrest toal air superiority from the German forces. Mitchell assembled 28 American squadrons. More than 600 US-piloted aircraft were available to Mitchell in this sector including more than 100 new American-built DH-4s with Liberty engines. In addition Mitchell rested control of several hundred additional aircraft in British, French, and Italian squadrons. Mitchells total force amounted to nearly 1,500 aircraft - the largest air armada ever assembled. In the early days of the counter offensive Mitchells strategy worked brilliantly, as the sheer number of Allied aircraft overwhelmed the Germans. Later, as the fighting continued, the Germans would have some success; especially with their Fokker D. VIIs. In Stan Stokes painting DH-4 bombers of the US 11th Aero Squadron come under attack by Fokker D.VIIs while on their way to another target during the St. Mihiel offensive. The 11th Aero Squadron would be decimated before the end of the offensive, losing all but one its aircraft. Five of the six DH-4s sent to bomb Mars-la-Tour were downed by a flight led by Hermann Becker, a significant German ace. The American built DH-4 was capable of carrying a 450-pound bomb load. Powered with a 416-HP Liberty 12 engine, these aircraft were capable of 125 MPH, and were adequately armed with 4 machine guns. The Fokker D. VIIs were powered with a 175-HP Mercedes engine and were capable of 119 MPH. The Fokkers were typically armed with twin Spandau machine guns. |
Captain Euan Dickson and AGL V Robinson, DH.4 by Ivan Berryman. A veteran of over 150 missions flying the DH.4, Captain Euan Dickson was credited with an impressive 14 victories during his service with both the RNAS and RAF. After the war, Dickson returned to New Zealand where he continued to fly, pioneering mail routes and becoming the first man to fly across Cook Strait in 1920. His 205 Squadron DH.4 is shown here as Observer / Gunner V Robinson rakes an attacking Pfalz D.III on 3rd May, 1918, sending it spiraling to the ground out of control. |
Flying Postmen by Stan Stokes. The inauguration of air mail service in the United States in 1918 would prove to be a very significant development in the evolution of the aviation industry. Spearheaded by Assistant Postmaster General Otto Praeger, Congress approved funding for a limited service between New York, Philadelphia, and Washington. The inaugural flights took place in May of 1918 utilizing US Army pilots and Curtiss JN-4H aircraft. Although initial public demand for air mail service was negligible, the Post Office demanded a damn-the-weather attitude from its pilots. This resulted in the Army withdrawing from this arrangement out of the fear of losing pilots and equipment. Not to be deterred, the Post Office ordered six new Standard bi-planes, and recruited its own pilots. Max Miller signed on as the Air Mail Services first civilian pilot, and flew his Standard from College Park Maryland on August 12, 1918, which was the first air mail flight utilizing civilian aircraft and pilots. The Standard which was designed as an Army trainer had developed a bad reputation for its Hall-Scott engine catching fire, and had been grounded by the Army. Re-fitted with the 150-HP Hispano Suiza engine, the Standard was faster than the Curtiss Jennies and had a much greater range. As the air mail service expanded westwards, the Allegheny Mountains presented a formidable obstacle for these fragile aircraft and their pilots, which had to navigate by following railroad tracks or other landmarks, often in terrible weather. Referred to as the Hell Stretch the mountains claimed many lives in what came to be termed the Suicide Club. E. Hamilton Lee was one of the early heroes of the Air Mail Service, pioneering routes between Chicago and Minneapolis and Chicago and St. Louis. Lee logged more than 4 million miles prior to his retirement in 1949. In the mid-1920s the Post Office had inaugurated night flying utilizing a unique series of beacons along its routes. The de Havilland D.H. 4 (depicted in Stan Stokes painting) became one of the mainstays of the Post Offices fleet, and constant modifications were made to these aircraft including experiments with air-to-ground radios, and ingenious navigational aids and flight instruments. In the 1920s the Post Office opened up many of its routes to private carriers, which assisted many early commercial airlines in getting started in business. In the late 1920s many new aircraft debuted as mail carriers including the Stearman C-3MB, the Pitcairn PA-5, and the Boeing 40B. The Northrup Alpha, a unique all-metal, cantilever-wing design was used to pioneer coast-to-coast routes in the early 1930s. One lasting byproduct of this era are the numerous air-mail stamps and first day covers which flew the world, and are now prized by both aviation buffs and stamp collectors alike. |
| DH4 Pilot and aircrew signature details |
| DH4 Squadron details |
2 Sqd RNAS Country : UK Became 202 Sqd RAF on 1st April 1918 | 2 Sqd RNAS No 2 Sqn RNAS had been equipped with de Havilland (Airco) D.H.4's, and at the time of the transition these were transferred to 202 Squadron's inventory |
No.205 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st October 1971 Known Codes : , FV, KM, | No.205 Sqn RAF Pertama di Malaya - First in Malaya |
No.49 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 1st May 1965 Known Codes : , EA, XU, | No.49 Sqn RAF Cave canem - Beware of the dog |
No.55 Sqn RAF Country : UK With the end of the Victors, No 55 was disbanded, Known Codes : , GM, | No.55 Sqn RAF Nil nos tremefacit - Nothing shakes us |
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