AIRCRAFT COLOURS AND MARKINGS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR ERA

Royal Aircraft Factory FE2b


The first production FE2b was accepted by the RFC on 2 October 1915. 5201 went to France on 20 October and joined No.16 Sqn on 30 October 1915. The first FE2bs made use of the 120hp Beardmore, but by the summer of 1916 the more powerful 160hp Beardmore was coming into more widespread use. However the Beardmore was still having teething problems and consequently the FE2d using a Rolls-Royce Eagle was produced as a stopgap until the Beardmore became more reliable. Eventually its problems were corrected and the FE2b went on to serve until the end of the war as a night bomber with No.100 Sqn.
The first FE2bs featured a three wheel undercarriage with the main wheels using an oleo dampening system. A Vee undercarriage was soon developed before a pilot from No.20 Sqn - Lt Trafford-Jones came up with a simple modification to the three wheel undercarriage that became standard in August 1916. The Trafford-Jones modification saw the front wheel being removed and the struts that supported it being moved to attach to the nacelle. When the FE2b was used as a night bomber, the vee undercarriage was preferred as it allowed a 230lb bomb to be carried between its legs - a feature the other two types of undercarriage could not emulate as they had bracing between the oleo legs.
Armament on the FE2b usually consisted of two Lewis guns for the observer to make use of. These guns could be found on a variety of mountings. One was mounted to a central post in the front cockpit and it was able to pivot all around, another was a fixed frame across the front cockpit, a third was between the cockpits on a telescoping mount which the gunner was to use by standing up and firing backwards over the top wing.
Initial production FE2bs were finished in CDL fabric with their wood and metal components either being left natural or given a coat of grey. Unoutlined roundels were usually inboard of the ailerons, but could be seen outboard closer to the wingtips. Later aircraft were PC10 on uppersurfaces with the nacelle being either natural, grey or PC10. Lower surfaces were CDL. Roundels could be seen inboard of the ailerons or outboard and they soon acquired white outlines to stand out from the PC10 background. Night flying machines were often PC10 or black overall and roundels often had their white overpainted with one of the other colours.



RAF FE2b Early production

 


RAF FE2b Mid production


RAF FE2b Early production


 


RAF FE2b 4290
2Lt E Burton / 2Lt FW Griffiths
No.11 Sqn RFC
September 1916
Source: LA Rogers
updated 2013



RAF FE2b 6388
2/Lt. Newbold / 2/Lt Champion
No.20 Sqn RFC
February 1916
Source: via LA Rogers
updated 2013

RAF FE2b 6349
Lt E Trafford-Jones / Capt E Forbes
No.20 Sqn RFC
May 1916
Source: LA Rogers

RAF FE2b 4883
-
No.22 Sqn RFC
Early 1917
Source: LA Rogers


RAF FE2b A857
Capt FP Don/2/Lt H Harris
No.22 Sqn RFC
June 1917
Source:
updated 2013

 


RAF FE2b 4852
Sgt B Irwin / 2/Lt FG Thury
No.23 Sqn RFC
September 1916
Source: via LA Rogers
updated 2013


RAF FE2b A5449
-
No.23 Sqn RFC
January 1917
Source: via LA Rogers


RAF FE2b 6341
Capt D Grinnel-Milne / Cpl MacMaster
No.25 Sqn RFC
May 1916
Source: FE2b Datafile
updated 2013



RAF FE2b A5478

No.100 Sqn RFC
Summer 1917
Source: Datafile No.14 (FE2b)

RAF FE2b A5650

No.100 Sqn RAF
August 1918
Source: S K Taylor
updated 2013