History

This book gives an extensive history of the BE2 biplanes acquired by the British military beginning in 1912. By the standards of the day, the BE2 was a very modern type, with wing warp lateral control, conventional biplane structure, and enough power provided by a 70 hp. Renault water cooled V-8 engine swinging a large wooden propeller. Unlike other contemporary types, the BE2 had an impressive performance, with a maximum speed of about 70 mph and a stalling speed of 32 mph., while most other types seemed to be only capable of full power flight at minimum speeds.

Geoffrey DeHavilland designed the BE2, before specific missions for aircraft were considered, and the BE2 was found to be useful for cooperation with the Army, equipping several units. With the outbreak of the “Great War” in 1914, the type was used by the British for reconnaissance and occasionally for bombing raids. The survivors eventually wound up in training establishments, and a few went overseas, operating in Egypt, India, and even Australia, where one of the two Australian aircraft flew a reconnaissance flight over New Guinea, determining that the Germans had moved out.

The Book

This book is one of an excellent series of publications on World War I aircraft done by authors who have done extensive research on the subject. The text is very readable, and the photos are of very high quality, especially considering the photographic state-of-the-art at the time. A large number of 1/48 scale drawings show all of the major variants, and a set of 1/72 views provides the same information in the one true scale. The color photos of the one existing reproduction BE2 at the RAF Museum at Hendon are very helpful, and the three color profiles and one in-flight painting give a good idea of how these aircraft were painted, although there isn’t much variety. The book will provide as much information as any modeler would need to produce an accurate model of the BE2, and is an accurate reference on this historic type.

One fact that I found rather amusing was that the original British insignia marking was a Union Jack painted on the wing undersides, which must have looked like a German cross from any distance, which explains why the British and French, after shooting down several, eventually went to roundels, to avoid being fired upon by their own troops.

Although I have never seen a kit of this aircraft in any scale, Burns Kit Guide lists Aeroclub, Cramer Craft, Falcon and Tom’s Modelworks kits in 1/48 scale, and Czechmasters, Formaplane, HR Model, Meikraft, Pegasus, Plus Model, and Veeday in 1/72 scale. I’ll have to look for one of these, as this seems to be an airplane that is a “must build” in any scale.

Recommendation

I would highly recommend this publication to anyone with a serious interest in World War I aviation. It is certainly up to the standard set by previous Albatros offerings, and will be extremely useful in building a model of this airplane.

Thanks to Ray Rimell at Albatros Productions, Dave Morrissette, and Dick Montgomery of IPMS for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book.