On this Day (WWI aviation news), Vol. 2

[AROTH]

Just wondering if the plane in the picture is an AEG G type............maybe?

Good question!  I'm not entirely sure.  I was thinking it was a Halberstadt C.IX.  The wingspan does look fairly big though... do you think it may be a AEG G.V?  Though that plane has three-bay wings and this one only two.  Anyone else know?

Kinda looks like an AEG G.IV, or thereabouts.......

[Dutch522]

Sorry, been meaning to chime in:



It was an AEG G.III shot down somewhere behind American lines in 1918. In his caption Leo Opdyke wondered whether the pictures taken by the American officer in the foreground fiddling with the camera were still in existence... maybe the one in the paper was one of his?
Dutch

[PJ Fisher]

Poetry Under Pressure
Not sure of his exact identity but this Russian airman's smooth maneuvering displayed grace under potential fire.  Possibly it may be the pioneer pilot and avant-garde futurist playwright Vasily Vasilyevich Kamensky who saved the day.
(from the Emmett Index, 24 September 1914):


(image via en.topwar.ru).

Today's news might have been the inspiration for Kamensky's 1916 poem:

An Aviator's Call
   Cacophony of souls
   Ffrrrrr
   Motor's Symphony
   It is I – it is I –
   FuturistSongFighter
   And pilot aviator
   Vasily Kamensky
   with an elastic propeller
   whisked up into the sky
   and left as a visiting card
   for droopy coquette-death
   feeling sorry for her
   a hand-sewn tango cloak
   and stockings
   With pantaloons

More on his unusual bio here:
https://en.topwar.ru/99306-pevec-samoleta-poet-i-aviator-vasiliy-kamenskiy.html

[PJ Fisher]

It was an AEG G.III shot down somewhere behind American lines in 1918. In his caption Leo Opdyke wondered whether the pictures taken by the American officer in the foreground fiddling with the camera were still in existence... maybe the one in the paper was one of his?
Dutch

Could well be! The angle of crash and landscape seem to match. Thanks for sleuthing.

[PJ Fisher]

Blood on Fire
Blindon Blood was burning as his biplane stalled and spun into the grass field of Hounslow Heath Aerodrome yesterday.  Earlier this september No. 24 Squadron was formed here under the command of future-VC Major Lanoe Hawker.  This was the Royal Flying Corps' first single-seat fighter squadron.  Variously equipped with Bristol Scouts, Vickers F.B.5's, and later Airco D.H.2's.  It also counted on strength one of only four Royal Aircraft Factory SE4a's (likely serial #5612), which Captain Blood was piloting.
(from the Cambria Daily Leader, 25 September 1915):


(images: S.E.5a #5611, via flyingmachines.ru; Hounslow Heath c.1919, ukairfieldguide.net)

If this story sounds familiar, it's because a similar incident occurred earlier this month, as reported here: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=13750.msg258617#msg258617.  As for the cause of this crash, Flight magazine connected the dots:  "Captain Blood appears to have made the same mistake as Captain Mapplebeck (case I.), and to have turned his machine at a low speed, thus causing a spin, and having insufficient height to recover crashed".  Also as reported here recently (https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=13750.msg257469#msg257469), the S.E.4a prototypes were undergoing testing earlier in this summer. 

[PJ Fisher]

'V' is for Vincent
I'm forever fascinated by early aviation rarities... the obscure, the forgotten, the what-ifs; the has-beens.  Following yesterday's news on the rare S.E.4a, here's a picture story another odd bird - the Burgess-Dunne tailless hydroplane.  More than just a rich man's folly, this was the progeny of a lineage of unconventional swept-wing flying machines stemming from John William Dunne's D.1 glider and powered D.4 that hopped in 1908.  Dunne's D.5 was "certified as the first fixed-wing aircraft ever to achieve natural stability in flight, with one of the official witnesses being Orville Wright".  Also per wikipedia: "Many of Dunne's ideas on stability remain valid, and he is known to have influenced later designers such as John K. Northrop (father of the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber)."

Dunne was in the employ of Britain's Army Balloon Factory (that evolved into the Royal Aircraft Factory) before forming Blair-Atholl Syndicate Ltd, which produced his D.8 in small numbers.  The Royal Flying Corps acquired one D.8 on strength at Farnborough in the spring of 1914.  D.8 production was licensed to Nieuport in France and Burgess in the United States.  Various Burgess-Dunne models were used by the US Signal Corps and the US Navy.  One was the Canadian Aviation Corps' first and only warplane when the Great War erupted.
(respectively from the Wilmington News Journal and The Sun, 14/26 September 1915):




The subject flying-V was newly acquired by Vincent Astor of New York, who was twenty-years old when his father, the richest man aboard the Titanic, drowned in April 1912.  Being a member of the New York Yacht Club, the young Astor's 'HydroAeroplane' fittingly complemented the private steamship Noma, which he had recently inherited.  As noted, one of Astor's first flights was from his custom-built floating hangar in Marblehead, Massachusetts to Ferncliff - his family homestead in Rhinebeck, NY (mere miles from Cole Palen's future aerodrome).  Wouldn't it be fun to see a replica in flight there today?  More on this particular machine: https://www.massairspace.org/virtualexhibit/vex2/bd-7%20flight%201915.pdf. 

Fun Fact: Astor loaned his yacht Noma to the US Navy for anti-submarine duty in 1917.  It subsequently changed hands and names several times and wound up being requisitioned by Italy's Regia Marina during World War II.  It was bombed and sunk off Sicily by the Royal Air Force in 1941, refloated by Italy, then sunk again for good by the RAF in 1943.

And here's a post from forum member phs Paddy regarding a card model of this machine: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=216.msg2634;topicseen#msg2634

[PJ Fisher]

Speaking of Seaplanes...
(from the Illustrated War News, 27 September 1914):

[PJ Fisher]

Cloud Car Captured!
Of all the aero rarities that have headlined here, today's subject ranks among my very faves... the Zeppelin Spähkorb (also Spähgondel)!  I can't wait to attempt a 3D rendering of this flying 'spy basket'.  Basically a dirigible's tadpole, it trailed below its mothership on a 1000-meter-long retractible umbilical cord that doubled as a suspension cable and telephone line.  The idea being that the gigantic hydrogen-filled airship could safely maneuver hidden above the clouds while this minuscule observer's gondola could discretely dangle in the clear sky below to direct navigation and bombing.  Its aluminum shell featured a sliding moonroof and electric lighting, and offered just enough room for one prone person on a mattress.  Today's specimen participated in the largest airship raid of the Great War. 

"...on the night of 2/3 September 1916, Army Zeppelin LZ 90 appeared over Essex. She encountered problems with the winch, which began to run free, allowing her Spähkorb to drop uncontrollably. Hovering over the parish of Mistley, the crew of LZ 90 tried to recover the situation, stopping the winch by thrusting a metal bar into the teeth of the gear-wheels. Unable to recover the Spähkorb, the crew restarted the engines, cut its cable and moved off. At that point a local man heard what he described as 'the thud of a falling body. About an hour later the crew jettisoned the now useless winch as they passed over Poslingford in Suffolk. The following morning the bailiff at Abbott's Hall Farm near Horsley Cross discovered the Spähkorb lying in the field with several hundred yards of cable trailing along the ground.  After the authorities had made a complete study of the Spähkorb, which measured just over 14 feet in length, it went on exhibition in September and October with other Zeppelin relics to raise money for charitable causes, chiefly the Red Cross." (Ian Castle, The First Blitz in 100 Objects, Pen & Sword Books Limited, 2020)

This amazing relic survives in the collection of the Imperial War Museum.  Has anyone seen it in person?
(respectively from the Cambria Daily Leader, 28 September 1916; The Sphere, 14 October 1916; Scientific American, 23 December 1916; and Popular Mechanics, January 1917):




Grab some popcorn and enjoy this inspiring scene of a cloud car in action from Howard Hughes' 1930 epic war movie Hell's Angels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTAuT6ZMZXM

[PJ Fisher]

The War in the Air
This full-pager features a half-dozen French warbirds (including one captured Fokker repainted with roundels).  SPAD, Voisin, Caudron, Letord, Salmson... has anyone here built models of them all?
(from the New-York Tribune, 29 September 1918):


Here are corresponding builds by our fellow forumites:
  - SPAD (Roden, 1/32), by kensar: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=12592.msg235212#msg235212
  - Voisin V (Hi-Tech, 1/48) by Saso Krasovec: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=1123.msg17174#msg17174
  - Letord Let.4 (scratchbuilt) by Skyhook: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=12538.msg234380#msg234380
  - Caudron R.XI... anyone?
  - Fokker D.VII (Eduard, 1/72)  by MihaelSteiber: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=12284.msg229706#msg229706
  - Salmson 2 A.2 (Gaspatch, 1/48) by Ssash0: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=6244.msg113814#msg113814
 

[Dutch522]

I've always loved the cloud-cars too, but the thought of them gives me the willies. I find myself wondering whose wife you had to get caught with in order to get assigned the job of Spähgondel-Pilot...?

Dutch

[PJ Fisher]

I've always loved the cloud-cars too, but the thought of them gives me the willies. I find myself wondering whose wife you had to get caught with in order to get assigned the job of Spähgondel-Pilot...?

 

[PJ Fisher]

Mission of Mercy
Unusual warbirds seem to be this week's motif.  Continuing this theme, today's tale involves an actual bird:



This news report offers no names, but the '22 miles in 22 minutes' quote matches that attached to a photograph of this pigeon (catalogue #: Q 12260) in the Imperial War Museum collection.  I'm not sure if the note I've included (Q 12214) relates to this same incident or is just part of the IWM's online mini exhibit (https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-incredible-carrier-pigeons-of-the-first-world-war), but it helps paint the picture of how these pigeons served in desperate situations.  Thinking of the legendary Cher Ami, who only three days following this article saved the lived of nearly 200 men (earning the Croix de Guerre), I wonder if this particular Royal Air Force pigeon was named or won any medals?

Has anyone here built the Roden pigeon-loft lorry?  Dave W reviewed that release back in 2020: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=11836.msg220514#msg220514

Side Bar: 
  - More on Cher Ami's story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher_Ami
  - Here's a whole website devoted to pigeons in combat: http://www.pigeonsincombat.com/thepigeoneerswebpage.html

[PJ Fisher]

Birdman Becomes Jailbird
Meet Leutnant Otto Thelen - an observer spotting in a two-seater piloted by Leutnant Julius Schulz Flieger Abteilung 5.  The duo were brought down in November 1914 by Lieutenant Louis Strange of No. 5 Squadron, who had recently survived one of the 'strangest' aerial mishaps of the Great War (headlined here in May 2022: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?action=search2).  The artful aviator, Thelen, made the news as for his short-lived jail break with fellow fugitive Hans Keilback.  A public announcement was made following the discovery of their escape on September 24th: 

"The people of Bedfordshire have been asked to keep their eye out for two German officers who escaped from Donington Hall near Leicester last weekend. It is believed that they left Derby on a Midland train heading south. A £100 reward has been offered for information which may lead to their arrest.  The two men are described as follows:
- Otto Thelen, German Flying Corps: age 25, height 5ft 5in, stiff build, weather-beaten features, somewhat sallow complexion, grey eyes, fair hair (blonde), prominent scar in left part of forehead caused by a burn, clean shaven, believed wearing knickers and stockings, or grayish trousers, speaks English with a foreign accent.
- Hans Keilhack, Naval Ober Lieutenant: age 23 years, height 5ft 10in, stiff build, black hair, very large piercing blue eyes, prominent cheek bones, finger missing from one hand, clean shaven, believed wearing knickers and stockings speaks English with a foreign accent."

(from the Abergavenny Chronicle, 1 October 1915):


(image via digital.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de)

Though Thelen's wartime airtime was brief he kept the British quite busy for years as a prisoner of war.  We might encounter him in the news again, because this was the first of at least four breakouts (one source claims seven) he made during the conflict!  It has been suggested that Thelen's reputation as a 'serial escapee' was such that it inspired the British to repatriate via Holland in 1917.  His patriotism must have been passionate because his 'maximum security' prison was the Georgian country house Donington Hall.  Compared to the frontline trench existence, this posh setting, which included a cash allowance, seems like easy living for war prisoners.  This situation was noted with anger among some British citizens.  Read more in this BBC article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25154771


(image via www.bbc.com)

[PJ Fisher]

Three in Three
Georges Guynemer headlines again with this relay of a French dispatch reporting him achieving three victories (and one crash landing) in one day (likely his actions over Erches and Laucourt from 23 September).  A quick review of his stat board over at the aerodrome.com suggests that France's number-two ace was officially credited with just two wins on this day... both being Fokker monoplanes.  Still 'plucky' nonetheless!
(from the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin 2 October 1916):



(image: "Sergeant Guynemer lands in Spad VII S115 in September 1916. Although its career was short-lived, his four successes and his survival in a crash on September 23 left Guynemer sold on the fast, sturdy new fighter." (Service Historique de l’armée de l’Air B88/526; via historynet.com).

Past headlines on this aviator can be read here:
 - https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=12930.0
 - https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=12930.msg253245#msg253245

And here's a look back at forum member Fernando Torre's build of the 1/72 Eduard kit for Guynemer's SPAD VII (though the images don't appear on my browser): https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=1383.msg22270#msg22270

[PJ Fisher]

Worse than Mustard Gas
An Austrian biplane brought down over Brindisi has been found to be stowing more than just wartime essentials.  Bottles of brandy and wine, and ... 'a loaf made of some vile substance'.   This contraband could well be a pungent batch of the Austrian variant of the Germanic delicacy Leberkäs (liver-cheese).  It is unreported if the prisoners were forced to confess as to the identity of this newsworthy mystery meat.
(from the Cambria Daily Leader, 3 October 1917):