On this Day (WWI aviation news), Vol. 3

[PJ Fisher]

Bedfordshire Battleplane
A real rarity is revealed in the bottom two images from today's news - The Dyott Type AT.  Two examples of George Dyott's five-machine-gun monster were produced by Hewlett & Blondeau at their factory in Leagrave, Bedfordshire.  Though conceived as early as 1914, the prototype did not fly until the summer of 1916.  Alas, by this time the big biplane proved underpowered and obsolete in light of the evolving air war.  Read the full story of this off bird here: https://dingeraviation.net/articles/dyott.htm
(from the Sydney Mail, 5 December 1917):


(image via airandspace.si.edu)

[PJ Fisher]

Nieuport Duet
'Wonderful snapshot' is a perfect caption for this cloud-filled composition, which appears to have caught a quiet dialogue between two planes on patrol.
(from the Illustrated War News, 6 December 1916):

[PJ Fisher]

Skyway Robbery
Who knows if this crazy story is true?  I'm happy to be 'stolidly duped' even if this tale of downed RFC 'desperadoes' a total fabrication.  Most entertaining regardless.
(from the El Paso Herald, 7 December 1918):

[PJ Fisher]

Long-Distance Legend
Giulio Laureati was already forty years old and a veteran pilot of five years at the time of these publications.  The Italian first entered military service in 1897 and first flew in 1912.  Laureati headlined here last May for surviving a brutal air combat in early 1916:  https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=13750.msg263501#msg263501.  Today he is back in the news for this pioneering flight between Turin and London that lasted nearly 7-1/2 hours. It was one of several long-distance efforts he would make during his career.  "On September 24, taking off from the Mirafiori airfield in Turin, with mechanic Corporal Michelangelo Tonso on board, he completed the Turin-London non-stop flight in the record time of 7 hours and 22 minutes.  When he arrived in the British capital he was received by King George V, who awarded him the Royal Victorian Order, while an image of him was exhibited at the famous Wax Museum in London." (via visitgrottammare.it)
(from the World's News, 9 December 1917; and the Marquess, 5 December 1917):

[PJ Fisher]

Where Eagles Dare
It's not always 'man v. man' up there. An anonymous airman recounts his acrobatic contest above the clouds with an enthusiastic eagle. As a bonus, below right is the secret trick to stop influenza dead in its tracks.
(from the Evening Star, 10 December 1919):

[PJ Fisher]

Casualties Off Calais
Here's a grim report of a German Gotha bomber crew that survived a mission over enemy territory only to succumb to the mists of Mother Nature.
(respectively from the Illustrated War News, 12 December 1917; and the New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, 7 February 1918):


(image: "The End of a German Plane; An enemy plane, a twin-engine gotha, which had flown over Calais on the night of November 3 to 4, 1917, crashed, around one o'clock in the morning, against the cliffs of Blanc-Nez, near Sangatte, about 12 kilometers away from Calais, after getting lost in the thick fog that stretched over the strait. Four men were inside: a pilot, an observer officer and two bombardiers. All four were drowned by the rising tide which enveloped the craft, 1917"; from L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919, vol. 2, 1924]

[PJ Fisher]

Not So Great R.E.8
Here lies a downed Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8.  A photograph of this image, titled 'A crashed RE.8 aircraft beside a road near Boezinge, 16th August 1917', and attributed to Lieutenant Ernest Brooks is in the Imperial War Museum Collection.  At least a half dozen of these two-seaters have been shot down by German aces along the Western Front in the days surrounding this incident.  Julius Buckler of Jasta 17 clipped one near Spermalie on the 11th. Erich Lowenhardt destroyed one west of Flanders on the 14th. Fritz Rumey earned his second-ever victory over R.E.8 #A4266 over Epephy on the 19th.  On the 21st Otto Konnecke (Jasta 5) downed another northwest of Vaucelles Wood. And Karl Menckhoff (Jasta 3) defeated one near Langemarck on the 26th.
(from the Auckland Weekly News, 13 December 1917):

[PJ Fisher]

Ca.1 Introdotto
Though the exact identity of the aircraft introduced here is not stated, it must refer to "Gianni" Caproni's tri-engined, twin-boom biplane with tricycle landing gear.  This odd bird ranked among the largest airplanes in the world when it first flew in late 1914. It was the progenitor of a successful line of heavy bombers that took wing during the Great War, with many being converted to civilian transport in following years. "The Ca.1 entered service with the Italian Army in the middle of 1915 and first saw action on August 20, 1915, attacking the Austrian air base at Aisovizza. Fifteen bomber squadrons (1-15 Squadriglia) were eventually equipped with Ca.1, Ca.2, and Ca.3 bombers, bombing mostly targets in Austria-Hungary. The 12th squadron operated in Libya. In 1918 three squadrons (3, 14 and 15) operated in France." (via wikipedia)
from the Cambria Daily Leader, 15 December 1914):



Check out forum member Tim Mixon's build of the 1/72 Ca.3 by Meikraft:  https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=13296.msg247333#msg247333

[PJ Fisher]

Over Halifax
It's been ten days since a French cargo ship collided with a Belgian Relief vessel in Halifax Harbor.  The ensuing explosion was equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT, creating a blast that billowed 20,000 feet above the city and cast a 60-foot tsunami.  It dwarfed the discharge caused by the Mines in the Battle of Messines, which just five months earlier was the largest man-made explosion in history. Around 2,000 people died. Halifax remains mankind's greatest artificial accidental explosion.  To make it more miserable, "by afternoon, temperatures dropped to -4 C as the winds intensified from the northwest to 55 km/h, with gusts over 90 km/h, producing wind chills of -15 C. A combination of blowing and drifting snow gave blizzard-like conditions, and by the end of day, 40 centimetres of snow had fallen over the city." (via cbc.ca)

How does this pertain to us? Though censored to some extent during the war, scenes of the disaster were captured by American aviator Harry Crandall.  Here's some surviving archival footage for you (though I'm uncertain if any of it is his): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PImhLMxTXc
(from the Evening Star, 16 December 1917).


(image via weebly.com)

[PJ Fisher]

Bounty on Bomber Builder
The introduction of Gianni Caproni's first heavy bomber headlined here just two days ago.  Clearly Caproni's continued success as an aeronautical engineer must have made an impression on Italy's foremost foe, for the Austrian government has put a bounty on the head of the aircraft designer.  The $120,000 prize would be roughly worth $3m today.  No one met this claim and Caproni lived to contribute to the next war... that time allied with Austria.  He died aged 71 in 1957
(from the Ogden Standard, 17 December 1917):

[PJ Fisher]

Paris Burns
Interesting wartime snippet of statistics on the exponential growth of German bombing on Paris.
(from The Sun, 19 December 1918):


(image via geographicalimaginations.com)

[PJ Fisher]

'Hush-Hush' War Wonder
Launched in August 1916 and commissioned the following June, HMS Furious was built by Armstrong Whitworth first as a Courageous-class battlecruiser but was converted to an aircraft carrier mid-construction.  The aquatic aerodrome was involved in history's first carrier-launched airstrike - Operation F.7 (the Tondern raid) four months to the day before this news article went to press, while the Great War was still raging.  HMS Furious remained in active service into the closing months of WWII.
(from the Gazette Times, 19 December 1918):



Here's a look back at forum member macsporran's 1/48-scale build of a Sopwith 2F.1 Ship's Camel (N6605) flown from the deck of HMS Furious on the Tondern Raid:
 https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=645.msg211942#msg211942

And check out this 1/192-scale model in the Imperial War Museum collection: https://stefsap.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/hms-furious-1918-1192-model/

[PJ Fisher]

British Battleplanes
This sextet of images depict two aircraft types borne of pre-war designs by Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, during his tenure at the Royal Aircraft Factory.  Both below are B.E.2c's.  Atop is a relative rarity - the Airco D.H.1a (cousin to the R.A.F. F.E.2) in its operational prime and with multiple pillar gun mounts. "The DH.1 saw operational service only in the Middle East theatre, where six 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 on 2 August 1916 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; it seems probable that the last operational DH.1 had gone before that date." (via wikipedia)
(from the Sydney Mail, 20 December 1916):



Want to see a D.H.1a up close?  Have a gander at this scratch-built beauty in 1/32 by fellow forum member lone modeller: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=10930.0

[PJ Fisher]

Hot Scoops
Clearly these topics are ranked in order of increasing newsworthiness.
(from the Snowflake Herald, 21 December 1917):

[PJ Fisher]

Hot Scoops, Pt. 2
Geez.... I guess it really was top news!  Might anyone know who the unfortunate occupants of this unnamed two seater were?
(from the Cambria Daily Leader, 22 December 1915):