FAMOUS ALLIED AIRPLANES
Airplanes, like men, are not all alike, even when they are in the same
line of work and performing the self-same duties. In war time, every
gunner has his own little peculiarities, every sharpshooter has his
personal ideas about catching the enemy napping, and every infantryman
who goes over the top, in spite of his rigorous training in the art of
war, meets and downs his opponent in a manner all his own. So it is with
the machines that in the last few years have won fame for their valiant
service over the dread region of battle. Roughly they can be lined up as
fighting machines, reconnaissance airplanes and bombers. Yet if we look
a little closer, individual types of planes will stand out of the
general group, and it becomes fascinating to study them in their design,
their achievements and their particular capabilities.
[Illustration: _Copyright International Film Service, Inc._
THIS PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS THE RELATIVE SIZE OF THE GIANT CAPRONI BOMBING
PLANE AND THE FRENCH BABY NIEUPORT, USED AS A SPEED SCOUT]
As it would be impossible to mention in one short chapter all the brave
pilots who distinguished themselves for their heroism in the war in the
air, so it would be a hopeless task to attempt to do justice to all the
airplanes which rendered good service over the front lines. The best we
can hope to do is to make the acquaintance of the most famous of them
all.
[Illustration: _Copyright International Film Service, Inc._
THE SPAD, THE PRIDE OF THE FRENCH AIR FLEET]
There is one little machine, which, when the final retreat was sounded
and accomplishments were reckoned, had covered itself with glory. Like
the many famous pilots who have driven it, it has learned much by
experience, and it has changed considerably in outward appearance since
the summer of 1914. Wherever the achievements of the "speed scout" are
mentioned the _Nieuport_ is bound to come in for its share of the
praise. This little fighting machine was greatly relied on by the
French, who used it in large numbers over the front lines. Although
lately another swift scout plane has come into the field to eclipse its
reputation, it probably took part in more aerial battles than any other
airplane of the Great War.
It was the _Nieuport_ monoplane whose speed and agility at maneuvers
made it a favorite in the early days of the hostilities. For a while it
was a match for the German scout machines, but the rapid strides which
aviation took under the pressure of war necessity left it behind, and
the more rapid and efficient _Nieuport Biplane Scout_ made its
appearance. In several important features it was entirely different from
any of the biplanes. It could not quite forget its monoplane
construction, and it had made a compromise with the biplane by adding a
very narrow lower wing. It was humorously nicknamed the "one and
one-half plane," but it proved itself just the thing the fighting airmen
were looking for. Its narrow lower plane, while giving more stability
and a "girder formation" to its wing bracing, did not interfere with the
pilot's range of vision, a highly important consideration. In order to
allow as full a view as possible in all directions, it had only two
V-shaped struts between the planes, while the upper wing, just above the
pilot's seat, had been cut away in a semi-circle at the rear so that he
might be able to see above. The lower wing was in two sections, one at
each side of the fuselage.
This little biplane had a top wing span of only 23 feet, 6 inches, while
the distance across the lower plane from tip to tip was a trifle
shorter, measuring just 23 feet. The upper plane measured from the front
to the rear edge a trifle less than 4 feet,--or to use technical
language, it had a "chord" of 3 feet, 11 inches; while the chord of the
lower wing was only a little over 2 feet. The entire length of the
biplane from the tip of its nose to its tail was 18 feet, 6 inches. The
fuselage was built with sides and bottom flat but the top rounded off.
There was plenty of room for the pilot to move freely in his seat. Armed
with a machine gun which fired over the propeller, he was well able to
defend himself when enemy craft appeared.
The _Nieuport_ biplane wrote its achievements in large letters during
the Great War. It was the machine which Guynemer and his famous band of
"Storks" flew in their daring battles against the German fast scout, the
_Fokker_. It carried many an American chap to fame in the Lafayette
Escadrille. England, Italy and America all used it over the lines, and
its high speed and quickness at maneuver made it a general favorite.
To-day it is made in either the single-seater scout type, or in a
larger, two-seated model. The gunner's seat in the latter is in front of
the pilot, and a circular opening has been cut in the upper plane above
him, so that in an aerial battle he may stand up, his head and shoulders
above the top wing, and operate the machine gun, which fires across the
propeller.
In spite of all its excellent qualities and its record of victories won,
the _Nieuport_ has lost its championship among the "Speed scouts."
Another tiny biplane of still greater speed, has wrested the honors from
it. The first place among fighters is now perhaps held by the _Spad_.
Carrying one or two passengers and equipped with an engine of 150 to 250
horsepower, with its Lewis and Vickers machine guns spitting away at the
enemy, it is a formidable object in the arena of war.
Not to be left behind, America has developed a small, fast fighting
machine which bids fair to make the other two look to their laurels. It
is a tiny _Curtiss triplane_, the span of whose wings is only 25 feet.
Its extra lifting surface gives it remarkable climbing powers without
increasing its size as a target. It is always an advantage to a fighting
machine to have as small a wing area as possible, for, besides being
able to maneuver more quickly, it furnishes a smaller target to the
enemy's gunners. The triplane can mount rapidly into the upper air, so
as to command a strategic position above the airplanes of the foe, while
to those attempting to fire upon it from above or below, its three
wings do not present any larger surface than the two of the biplane or
the one of the monoplane.
The Curtiss factory has been at work for several years on the problem of
the small fast fighter. Its first effort was a biplane whose top wing
span was only 20 feet. In a test flight by Victor Carlstrom at
Sheepshead Bay Speedway, New York City, its unusual performances amazed
the spectators. With startling swiftness the pilot mounted into the
blue, maneuvered his little biplane with the agility of an acrobat, gave
excellent tests of speed, and descended. Reducing the speed of his motor
but not cutting it off entirely, he allowed the little airplane to skim
slowly along the ground. Then, alighting, he took hold of the fuselage
close to the tail, and steered the diminutive craft to a suitable spot
from which to make another flight. With the motor still running, and
much to the surprise of the onlookers, he stepped in once more, put on
full power and was off.
This little airplane was nicknamed the _Curtiss Baby Speed Scout_. In
one interesting respect it was different from the _Nieuport_, whose
upper plane had to be cut away to increase the pilot's range of vision.
In the Curtiss machine the pilot sits just behind the planes, so that he
can see above and on all sides with the greatest ease. As a protection
in battle his seat and the front portion of the fuselage are surrounded
with thin steel, and the pilot sits close to the floor, so that he does
not offer a very good target to the enemy's stray bullets. The "baby"
biplane is fitted with a standard V-type motor of about 100 horsepower,
and it carries fuel for a run of two and one-half hours.
The British have done some very fine work in developing airplanes of the
speed scout type. Their fighting machines flew over the lines and downed
the German planes in goodly numbers. Among those which earned fame for
their achievements are the _Bristol Scout_, familiarly known as the
"bullet," one of the fastest of the military airplanes; and the _Vickers
Scout_, another of the swift eagles that helped to maintain Allied
supremacy in the clouds. One of the interesting features of the Vickers
scout is the high "stagger" of its planes. By this we mean that the
upper plane has been set far forward, so that it appears to overhang the
lower. Quite recently another British scout machine, a _Sopwith
triplane_, was flown by the British Royal Flying Corps, and it made a
splendid record of victories over the lines.
In a crack regiment of veteran fighters it is hard to pick out the men
who might be said to be the "best soldiers." Each man excels in some
individual way, and in just the right situation might prove to be the
leader of his fellows. So it is bound to be with the long list of
valiant little fighting planes that took up the cudgels against the Hun.
No short summary can do justice to them all. There are the _Avro_, for
instance, and the _De Havilland Scout Biplane_ of the British, as well
as a biplane of the _Sopwith_ type; while the list is almost endless of
British and French machines bearing such well known names as _Farman_,
_Caudron_, _Dorand_, _Moineau_, _Morane-Saulnier_, etc.
But whatever the particular features of these scout machines, their
armament is generally about the same. It usually consists of a machine
gun operated by the pilot and firing across the propeller. The pilot
directs the nose of his machine straight at the enemy and lets go a rain
of bullets.
Fighting tactics are the subject of the most intense study on the part
of every pilot of a scout machine. Often he has his pet system of
downing the enemy. Immelmann, the famous German aviator, liked to get
high in the upper air and there await the approach of a "victim," when
he could dive straight down upon the unsuspecting airplane and open
fire. Every pilot aims to surprise his enemy. To do so he must often
perform startling aerial tricks, looping the loop to come up under the
tail of the other machine, swooping down from above, or firing from
behind while the tail of the enemy machine shields him as he gets in his
fatal shot. The aviator learns to hide behind a cloud, to take advantage
of blinding sunlight or any other natural condition in order to take the
opposing airplane unawares.
It is for this reason that machines are needed which combine speed,
exceptional climbing powers, and quick maneuvering ability. Not only
must they be able to practise all manner of tricks and stunts in order
to surprise the foe, but it is quite as important that they be able to
move rapidly on their own account, for a slow moving airplane is more
liable to surprise than one which is swift in flight and able to alter
its course repeatedly or else climb out of danger's way.
How important the agility of these little fighting planes is they are
apt themselves to discover when one of their number meets a big
reconnaissance machine of the enemy. The latter, with its big guns, is a
formidable object, and could easily get the better of the lightly built
combat plane, if it were not for the fact that its weight and slow speed
make it unmanageable. The smaller machine drops down upon the big fellow
suddenly, firing a volley at its gunners. If he kills them well and
good, but if not he must perform his cleverest aerial stunts to get out
of their way, or he will soon be a mere ball of fire shooting earthward.
Fortunately, he is quick, and a few acrobatic turns save him from
threatening disaster.
Before the present type of reconnaissance craft, bristling with machine
guns had been developed, it was customary for the airplane doing
photographic work, artillery "spotting" and similar duties to rely for
its protection on a number of speed scouts, who flew above and around it
and escorted it upon its mission. To-day the airplane that is used for
general service duties over the lines is a dreadnaught of the air, and
although it may still take along with it on its errands a few scouts to
give battle to the faster airplanes of the enemy, yet on the whole it is
self-reliant and has little to fear.
To these slower-flying, larger general service machines are entrusted
some of the gravest duties of war. They are the eyes of the army,
whether they act for the heads of staff, flying out over the territory
of the foe with their trained observers and bringing back accurate
information about the movements of troops, whether they help in
"spotting" targets for the gunners, or whether during an actual
engagement they act as aerial spectators and messengers, helping to
coordinate the efforts of the various bodies of troops.
From the beginning of hostilities Germany strove to overwhelm the French
in the air and prevent their airplanes from performing these necessary
duties. France was at first but poorly equipped with machines of the
type so sorely needed to maintain her air supremacy. By the skill and
bravery of her airmen she managed to hold out, however, and the Huns
were disappointed in never accomplishing their purpose of putting out
her eyes. Her engineers were in the long run much more clever than those
of Germany, and by the early part of 1915 they had ready a number of
superior machines for reconnaissance and bombing. For the most part they
were big _Caudrons_ and _Farmans_, well armed and a good match for the
German maid-of-all-work biplanes. And there were large _Voisin_
biplanes, suitable for photographic work or for bombing. They were used
extensively by French, British, Belgians and Italians. The _Voisin_, as
in its very earliest models, is still easily recognizable by its curious
tail resembling a box-kite, placed at the end of a projecting framework
of four long beams or outriggers. It is a pusher type of airplane, with
its propeller at the stern instead of at the bow.
Larger and more formidable grow the "aerial destroyers." To-day among
the super-dreadnaughts of the sky may be numbered the big biplanes
bearing the names of _Moineau_, _Breguet-Michelin_, _Voisin-Peugeot_,
and _Farman_. Heavily armed with machine guns they rendered valuable
service to the Allies in many capacities, and they were the efficient
answer to the struggle of the Hun for aerial supremacy. When in the
Spring of 1918 the Germans launched their tremendous offensive at the
Allies, the latter were well informed in advance of their intentions,
thanks to these powerful reconnaissance planes. Swooping down close to
the German lines in defiance of anti-aircraft guns and fighting machines
alike, they had daily looked on at the massing of troops, the bringing
up of reenforcements for the drive, and the piling up of ammunition
supplies. In spite of every effort of the enemy to make their mission an
intolerable one and to prevent them from spying upon preparations for
the offensive, they had succeeded in bringing back to Allied commanders
accurate and detailed information. By their aid the Allies knew at what
points to expect the heaviest blows, and there they collected their
reenforcements. Thus the nations lined up against the Hun were ready
when the blow came, and they were able to check the tremendous onslaught
by their land and air forces. What they really lacked perhaps, was not
"eyes," to discover what the Germans were plotting, but a large enough
number of small fighting machines to keep the enemy reconnaissance craft
from spying upon their own preparations; and a large enough number of
huge bombing planes to have completely interfered with the German
efforts to mass reenforcements and ammunition for the push.
In the long run it is perhaps the bombing plane that represents the
greatest saving in human life in time of war. An army may be well
equipped with reconnaissance machines and speed scouts, so that it may
keep in closest touch with every move of the enemy. But unless it is
able to interfere with those moves _before_ they reach the proportions
of a direct and staggering blow, then the best it can do is to
concentrate its own troops and supplies in readiness to meet the blow
when it does fall. That means that hundreds of thousands of lives of
infantrymen will be sacrificed in checking the waves of enemy troops.
The Allies discovered a far better and more economical way of winning
the war than this, and in the last year of the War they strained every
nerve to put it into actual operation. It was this: to search out every
military base of the enemy, every munition dump, nest of guns, supply
train or troop train and drop bombs upon it. Two men in a bombing
machine can attack and perhaps destroy a force which, if allowed to
reach the front lines, would have to be met by several thousand
infantrymen. Two men in a bombing machine can destroy at a single blow
the ammunition which, if it had reached the front, might have swept out
a regiment.
That is why so much thought and genius has been expended upon the
bombing plane. The day bomber becomes the right arm of the infantry,
flying low over the lines, attacking troops and striking terror to the
heart of the enemy as the huge Allied tanks did when they first started
on their irresistible slow walk across trenches, troops, buildings and
every manner of obstruction. The big bomber--particularly if the
fighting machines have cleared the way ahead of it--is something like
that: it is an invincible weapon of destruction, wiping out whole bodies
of the foe at every stroke, like a giant sweeping the pigmies of earth
ahead of him with his strong right arm.
The big dreadnaughts of the air like the _Moineau_, the
_Voisin-Peugeot_, the _Breguet_, and the _Farman_, become, when a
bombing apparatus is substituted for their camera and radio, very
efficient day bombers. There is a long list of others: as for instance,
the British _Avro_, _Handley-Page_ and _Sopwith_ machines and the French
_Caudron_, _Dorand_ and _Letord_.
Many of these big bombing planes were designed for long distance work
either by day or by night, and so they have been made enormous
weight-lifters, with large supporting surfaces, two or more engines, and
equipped with a fuel supply sufficient for long runs. In order to carry
their engines conveniently they very often have more than one fuselage.
Sometimes the pilot sits in a large fuselage in the center, while the
motors are carried in two smaller cars or bodies called "nacelles" at
either side. The British _Avro_, for instance, is a huge biplane with
three fuselages and two rotary engines. Its upper and lower wings are
equal in span, and it can readily be distinguished from the British
_Handley-Page_, whose upper wing has a large overhang. The
_Handley-Page_ is one of the largest machines built. It carries its two
12-cylinder Rolls-Royce engines in small nacelles between the main
planes, and it can be recognized by these and its biplane tail.
The _Caudron_ is another big twin-motored machine, used by French,
British and Italians. Its two rotary engines are fixed in small nacelles
between the planes, while the pilot rides in a center fuselage. Somewhat
after the manner of the Voisin, it carries its tail at the end of a
projecting framework of four long beams, the lower two of which act also
as landing skids.
[Illustration: _Copyright International Film Service, Inc._
A HANDLEY PAGE MACHINE TUNING UP FOR A FLIGHT]
America, like the rest of the nations, has had her secret ambition to
try her hand at building bombing machines. In 1918 the designs for the
_Handley-Page_ bomber were brought to this country, and on July 6th the
first American built _Handley-Page_ bomber was successfully launched
into the air at Elizabeth, New Jersey. The huge machine was christened
the _Langley_ after one of the early experimenters with the
heavier-than-air machine. It had a wing span of 100 feet, and a central
fuselage 63 feet long. Small armored nacelles at either side of the
fuselage carried its two 400 horsepower Liberty motors, each turning a
separate propeller. Laden with its full supply of bombs, its two
Browning machine guns and fuel for a long run, this giant of the skies
weighs about 9,000 pounds. Our country has instituted a program of
construction for these super-dreadnaughts, and before long they will
form an enormous aerial weapon in the hands of our airmen. For America,
still practically a novice at airplane construction on a large scale, to
be able to produce in her factories the largest and most complicated of
the foreign types, speaks well for her determination and
resourcefulness.
[Illustration: _Copyright Underwood and Underwood_
THE LAUNCHING OF A LANGLEY, A GIANT BOMBING AIRPLANE]
The Allied nations have vied with each other in their efforts to produce
the king among bombing planes. The Italians have undoubtedly carried
away the prize. Their _Caproni_ triplane is among the largest in the
world. The details of its construction were kept secret, as it was one
of the most dreaded weapons of the Allies. Three powerful Fiat motors
drive it at a speed of about 80 miles an hour. With its five tons of
bombs, destined for important objectives in the land of the enemy, it is
an object to inspire awe.
The _Caproni_ makers have long been known for their large bombing
machines. Their three bombers, including a smaller triplane and a
biplane, headed the list of their fellows at the front. In October, 1917
a _Caproni_ biplane was demonstrated in America, covering a distance of
almost 400 miles in about 4-1/2 hours. It started its journey from Norfolk
and landed at the Mineola Aviation field, with seven passengers on
board. _Caproni_ bombing airplanes carried out many historic raids,
among them being that on the famous Austrian Base at Pola. To reach it
the Italian aviators had to travel by night across the Adriatic, and
they carried out their pre-arranged plan of attack with the utmost
punctuality, in spite of the tremendous difficulties that loomed along
their path. Two squadrons of machines left the aerodrome, the first some
time before the second, and each airplane following its fellows at a
considerable distance. At 11 o'clock at night the first of the bombers
flew over Pola and discharged its rain of high explosives. In rapid
succession the others followed, letting go their missiles upon stores of
ammunition, docks, and every object of military importance. In order to
aid them in picking out their targets the raiders made use of an
ingenious contrivance which so amazed and stupefied the Austrians that
for a while they failed to make any attempt to shoot down the Italian
planes with their anti-aircraft guns. It was a huge parachute, to which
had been attached a powerful chemical light. Descending slowly the
terrifying object hung as it seemed suspended in mid-air, lighting the
way for the raiding machines, who took advantage of the terror of the
Austrians to drop 14 tons of high-explosives and make their escape
unharmed.
The tremendous _Caproni_ triplane is almost impregnable. Its enemies
have little chance of downing it, for it can fly even when one of its
planes has been severely damaged, and with its three powerful motors it
is practically immune from any engine trouble, as in case of an
accident or injury to one motor the other two, or for that matter, one
of them, will carry it safely home. With the great stability given it by
its three supporting surfaces it can go through the stormiest weather
without the slightest need for fear. Once its load of bombs has been
discharged, it can rise to 7,000 feet to escape from its pursuers.
The story is told of an Italian aviator, Major Salomone, who escaped in
a _Caproni_ when attacked after a bombing expedition by a squadron of
Austrian speed scouts. His enemies succeeded in wrecking one of the big
engines by their gun fire, and in killing two of his gunners and a
pilot. He himself was severely wounded, but keeping control of his
machine he managed to reach home safely by the power of the remaining
two engines.
The triplane is by far the best type for these giant raiders that fly by
night. Their requirements are great lifting power and great stability,
and these, the triplane with its extra lifting surface, best fulfills.
Equipped with two or three engines so that its power-plant can be
absolutely relied upon in every emergency, with accurate bomb-sighting
instruments and with a compass, searchlight and other apparatus
necessary for traveling by night, the triplane can be depended upon to
inflict gigantic blows upon enemy bases.
The British have a big bombing triplane that was heard from in Germany:
the _Sopwith_. Its three planes are equal in span, and have only one
strut at each side of the fuselage, with the wiring also greatly
simplified, in order to reduce the head-resistance to a minimum.
[Illustration: _SIDE VIEW OF A SOPWITH TRIPLANE_]
[Illustration: _TOP VIEW OF THE "TAIL" OF THE SOPWITH_]
The _Sopwith_ was one of the first triplanes to be used for bombing and
general service over the lines. Those at the front early in 1918 were
equipped with a 110 horsepower Clerget rotary engine. A round metal hood
or "cowl" surrounding the motor formed the front of the fuselage,
overhanging the body slightly at the bottom in order to form an air
outlet for the engine.
America has not actually developed any big bombing planes of the type of
the _Sopwith_, although we have one enormous triplane,--the _Curtiss_
triplane air-cruiser, built for service over the sea.
And although Russia abandoned the good cause for which she was fighting,
we cannot pass over the subject of big bombing triplanes without
mentioning the giant _Sikorsky_, one of the largest and most remarkable
weapons of destruction that were employed in the war against the Hun.
The future will no doubt write a new and fascinating chapter in the
story of the triplane. The big night bombers are being built on a large
scale by all the Allied nations. Their exploits opened every great
military operation, they constituted a reign of terror over the lines of
the enemy, and their death-dealing blows saved countless thousands of
allied troops from the need of sacrificing their lives. They could make
the journey straight to the heart of the enemy's country and return,
with plenty of surplus fuel. Their missiles did enormous damage to
railway centers, docks, bridges, aerodromes and arsenals. Carrying
bombs that weigh anywhere from 16 to 500 pounds, they spread havoc in
their wake, while the silencers on their engines made them veritable
specters of the night. An illustration of their possible accomplishments
was the flight of Italian machines across the Alps and to Vienna, when
they dropped manifestos upon the frightened populace. Those manifestos
reminded the Austrian people that only the humanity and self-respect of
the allied airmen made them drop "paper bombs" on Vienna while the
Germans were unloading high explosives in the midst of the civilian
populations of London and Paris. It must have shown the people of Vienna
what the machines of their enemies were capable of doing.
[Illustration: _Copyright Underwood and Underwood_
AN AMERICAN BUILT CAPRONI AIRPLANE]
But the airplanes of war whose acquaintance we have made so hastily in
this chapter were not used by the Allies for raiding or terrifying
civilians. From the tiny fighting machines that carried so many of our
bravest pilots to personal combat over the lines, to the enormous
bombing planes used to scatter destruction and ruin among the military
strongholds of the enemy, our machines were trustworthy and brave, but
they were also machines of honor.
[Illustration: _Copyright Underwood and Underwood_
THIS CURTISS TRIPLANE HAS A SPEED OF ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY MILES AN HOUR]