History:

The DeHavilland DH-2 appeared during 1915 to counter the devastating attacks of the Fokker E-III Eindekkers, which were the first true fighter planes with reliable fixed armament firing through the propeller arc. When the DH-2’s first appeared, they achieved air supremacy over the German Fokker fighters and two-seat observation types. Powered by a somewhat unreliable 100 hp. Monosoupape air-cooled rotary engine swinging a two- or four-bladed wooden propeller located behind the pilot, the plane was seen by the British as the answer to the monoplane scouts, since they could mount the machine gun in the nose and the pilot could operate it either on a swivel mount or, more likely, on a fixed mount where the plane could be aimed directly at the target. No interrupter gear was necessary. Visibility was excellent, but the pilots almost froze to death at higher altitudes as there was no engine-generated heat that reached the cockpit. Also, any debris that flew out of the cockpit was likely to go through the prop arc, shattering the prop and causing an immediate forced landing.

The German response was the Albatros D-I and D-II biplanes with a 160 hp. Mercedes inline water-cooled engine, which allowed much better streamlining, not to mention better reliability and visibility to the rear. In addition, the more powerful Albatros could mount two rifle-caliber machine guns, doubling the firepower. The Albatros was also slightly faster, although somewhat less maneuverable. The Albatros swung the balance back to the German side, where it stayed until the Allies introduced large numbers of Nieuports, Sopwith Pups, and other more modern types.

The fact that the author is a commercial pilot becomes really apparent when you read this book. I had always thought of World War I air battles as being fought between pilots flying planes somewhat similar in performance to modern day Luscombes, Cubs, and Taylorcrafts, although the World War I types were obviously more powerful but heavier and with much greater drag, not to mention the discomfort of an open cockpit which must have certainly reduced pilot efficiency. The author does a great job in describing the flying characteristics of these aircraft, showing how the earlier DeHavilland DH-2 was inferior in some ways to the slightly later Albatros D-I and D-II fighters, but how the pilots were able to hold their own in spite of each aircraft’s limitations. I think it would be fun to fly a replica of either of these airplanes, as there are several around.

The Book

The book is similar to other Osprey “Plane vs Plane” books, showing the technological development of each type plus their service careers. In the case of World War I air battles, minimal documentation is available, but the author does a good job of describing some of the more famous battles between such airmen as Hawker and McCudden on the Allied side and Bolcke, Immelmann, and von Richthofen on the German side. The author also includes a lot of technical details and illustrations, including some cockpit drawings that will be extremely useful for modelers. Other books provide a variety of color profiles of these aircraft, but there is certainly enough information in this volume to make it worthwhile to any serious modeler of World War I aircraft.

Recommendation:

Highly recommended for historians and modelers alike. Get one of these while they are still available.

Thanks to Tara Noonan of Osprey Publications and Steve Collins of IPMS for the review copy.