AIRCRAFT COLOURS AND MARKINGS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR ERA

deHavilland DH4


The DH4 was the only aircraft built in the United States to see combat in WWI.While an excellent design when it entered service in 1916, by the time that the USA entered the war it was being superceded by newer designs. America needed aircraft fast, and decided that the best way would be to build their own versions of successful aircraft, to that end they decided to build the DH4 .. and they would substitute their new wonder powerplant - the Liberty engine. After various delays, 1213 were shipped to France and 196 of these were to actually see front-line service with nine squadrons before the Armistice. Of these nine Squadrons, two flew their only wartime missions on November 10, 1918.

There were two types of finish applied to the US DH4. Those built by Dayton-Wright were finished with cream coloured fuselages and undersurfaces and khaki uppersurfaces with a soft demarcation between the cream and khaki on the fuselage top.Fisher and Standard painted their DH4s in an overall khaki - including undersurfaces.

Originally carrying the US marking of a white star within a blue disc with a red disc in the centre, they adopted a red/blue/white roundel in Europe to avoid being nistaken for a German cross.

Numbers on Dayton-Wright built machines were generally black, while those on the Fisher and Standard machines were white. One mistake I do have on many of the camouflaged machines is they should also have painted struts. Another is the use of footsteps on the starboard side as opposed to the port side .. photos show some aircraft to have had them on the starboard side.

Two books on the US DH4 are recommended. The first is the Smithsonian's book on their restoration of the NASM DH4. This is a unique aircraft in that it was the very first Dayton-Wright built DH4. The second is Datafile No.101 - American DH4, by Jon Guttman.


 


deHavilland DH4
Whitehouse / Lyttle
-
Source: US DH4 Datafile


deHavilland DH4
1/Lt Spear / 2/Lt Curtin
-
Source: US DH4 Datafile

 


deHavilland DH4
2Lt J L Garlough / 2Lt R C Payton
-
Source: US DH4 Datafile



deHavilland DH4


Source: US DH4 Datafile

deHavilland DH4


Source: US DH4 Datafile


deHavilland DH4
Lt W Frayne / Lt R French

Source: US DH4 Datafile

 


deHavilland DH4

Late 1918
Source: US DH4 Datafile

deHavilland DH4 23114
Lt Palmer / Lt Rice
November 1918
Source: US DH4 Datafile


deHavilland DH4


Source: US DH4 Datafile

 


DH4
Capt Kinsolving / Lt Wilson

Source: US DH4 Datafile

deHavilland DH4
Capt Parks / 2/Lt Ward
Oct-Nov 1918
Source: US DH4 Datafile

deHavilland DH4 32889

Late1918
Source: US DH4 Datafile