AIRCRAFT COLOURS AND MARKINGS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR ERA

Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin


Despite being one of, if not the best Entente fighter to actually make it into combat, the Sopwith Dolphin would also have to be one of the most under-rated/unknown aircraft to see service. Part of this is due to the fact that only four squadrons were actually deployed to France before the Armistice in November 1918.
There are various reasons for only four squadrons using them. One of which was the initial distrust of pilots to its unorthodox appearance - the wings had a distinct backwards stagger and the pilot sat with his head sticking out of the upper wing. For this reason a number of training aircraft were fitted with pylons on the upperwing to protect the pilot's head in the event of overturning. Another problem was the geared 200hp Hispano Suiza which suffered many failures which were never really solved. The unreliability of the engine meant that spares had to be kept ready to replace damaged ones, this also meant that instead of powering additional aircraft, the available supply were required to keep a lesser number of aircraft operational instead of going to being fitted to a new aircraft.
Once the Dolphin entered service in early 1918, it quickly established a reputation as an excellent high-altitude fighter. It was also the first aircraft designed from the start as a 'multi-gun' fighter, and it originally carried two fixed Vickers guns and two flexible Lewis guns .. one of the Lewis guns was soon removed, leaving just one. No.87 Sqn went one further and mounted two Lewis guns on the lower wing outboard of the propellor arc, giving their aircraft four forward firing fixed machine guns in an era when all others had one or two.
By war's end, many new squadrons were forming on the type and scheduled to go to France in late 1918-early 1919. Another example of the high regard with which the Dolphin was held is the fact that the French Air Service were looking at building their own variant as a replacement for their soon to be obsolete Spad XIIIs, while the USAS had 2,194 MK.IIs with the 300hp Hisso on order from the French firm SACA.
Among the last Dolphins to see active service were the ten examples which went to Poland in 1920. However the pilots of the 7th Eskadra prefered to keep their SPADs and the Dolphin faded away.
There were two basic finishes to Dolphins. The first had PC10 on all uppersurface fabric with grey metal and ply panels on the nose. The second was PC10 overall. Both variants had CDL undersurfaces. The various manufacturers had different styles of serials with Sopwith built Dolphins having their serial in the usual white rectangle.
Volumes on the Dolphin include Windsock Datafile No.54; Osprey Sopwith Dolphin and Snipe Aces; and the RAFM/CCI publication "The Sopwith Dolphin in RFC/RNAS/RAF and Polish service". All three are excellent resources and the last named book is highly recommended to anyone interested in the Dolphin as it includes a technical overview, pilot anecdotes, serials, colour profiles, GA drawings and numerous photos.



Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C4017
Major Albert Desbrissay Carter
No.19 Sqn RAF
April 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Dolphin Book
Revised 2012

Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3799
Capt Gordon B Irving
No.19 Sqn RAF
May-June 1918
Source: Osprey Dolphin/Snipe Aces


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3799
Capt Gordon B Irving
No.19 Sqn RAF
May-June 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Sopwith Dolphin
Alternate scheme/letter

 


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3902
Lt Finlay McQuiston
No.19 Sqn RAF
May-August 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Dolphin Book


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3833
Lt JA Aldridge
No.19 Sqn RFC
-
Source: Aerodrome Modeler 3/6

 


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin B7855
Capt JW Crane
No.19 Sqn RFC
October 1918
Source: via LA Rogers
Revised 2012

Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin E4514
Lt Cecil Montgomery-Moore
No.19 Sqn RAF
August-November 1918
Source: Dolphin Profile booklet


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3824
Lt James W Pearson
No.23 Sqn RAF
June 1918
Source: Dolphin Datafile (No.54)
Revised 2012

 


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin D3669
Capt AB Fairclough
No.23 Sqn RAF
June-July 1918
Source: Osprey Dolphin/Snipe Aces


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C4147

No.23 Sqn RAF
May 1918
Source: via LA Rogers
Revised 2012

Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C9138 (?)
Lt James W Pearson
No.23 Sqn RAF
Summer 1918
Source: via Joe Hutlak
Revised 2012


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin E4737
Lt Harry N Compton
No.23 Sqn RAF
Late 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Dolphin Book

 


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3905
2/Lt AFG Clarke
No.79 Sqn RFC
March 1918
Source: Sopwith Fighters in Action
revised 2012

Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3901
-
March 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Dolphin Book


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C4131
Capt Frederick Lord
No.79 Sqn RAF
June 1918
Source: C&C(USA) 17/2
Revised 2012

 


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin B7927
Lt HE Snyder
No.79 Sqn RAF
Summer 1918
Source: Dolphin Profile Booklet

 


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin D3584
Capt Frederick W Gillet
No.79 Sqn RAF
November 1918
Source: LA Rogers
Revised 2012

Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C8043

No.79 Sqn RAF
March 1919
Source: Sopwith Fighters in Action
Revised 2012

Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C4151
-
No.87 Sqn RFC
March 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Dolphin book


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C4168
Maj J C Callaghan
No.87 Sqn RAF
June/July 1918
Source: Dolphin Datafile
Revised 2012

 


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C4225
Lt E B Crickmore
No.87 Sqn RAF
June-July 1918
Source: Aerodrome Modeler 4/3

Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin E4587

No.87 Sqn RAF
Autumn 1918
Source: Datafile No.54 (Sopwith Dolphin)
Revised 2012


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C8109
Lt DC Mangan
No.87 Sqn RAF
August 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Dolphin book

 


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C8163
Capt Herbert J Larkin
No.87 Sqn RAF
August-September 1918
Source: Aerodrome Modeler 4/3


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C4136
Lt Leslie N Hollinghurst
No.87 Sqn RAF
September 1918
Source: Aerodrome Modeler 4/3


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin J9

No.91 Sqn RAF
November 1918
Source: Dolphin Datafile

 


Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin C3947

No.92 Sqn RAF
Spring 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Dolphin Book


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C4143

No.93 Sqn RAF
Summer 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Dolphin Book


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3803

No.141 Sqn RFC
January-March 1918
Source: Datafile No.54 (Sopwith Dolphin)


Sopwith 5F1 Dolphin C3813

No.141 Sqn RFC
March 1918
Source: RAFM/CCI Dolphin Book

 


Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin F7085
-
No.1 Sqn CAF
November 1918
Source: Dolphin Profile

 

Polish Dolphin