Airco D.H.4

History

Designed by Geoffrey De Havilland in 1916, the aircraft would enter service with the Hellenic Naval Air Service in 1918, ultimately five of them being delivered to the hydroplane base at Limnos island in the North Agean. In October of 1918 the aircraft were redeployed to Tatoi - where one was destroyed in a training accident on May 19th 1919.

After the outbreak of the Greco-Turkish War, the four remaining D.H.4s were later deployed as bombers in this theatre, where they operated on the front for over a year. During this time, it was one of the more modern aircraft operated by the Greeks, having been introduced just two years prior. Following the conclusion of the campaign in October 1922, the aircraft were withdrawn from frontline service and scrapped, considered to be obsolete by this point.

During service, the aircraft was overall considered to be a success, and was immensely popular amongst its crews. The aircraft was easy to fly, reliable, and had impressive performance - its high altitude performance also made it relatively hard to intercept for contemporary fighters. 

The aircraft featured an olive green paint scheme on the wings, rear fuselage and empennage, whilst the forward engine nacelle was painted grey/silver. Hellenic roundels are present on the top side of the upper and bottom side of the lower wings, whilst the rudder is painted with the Hellenic fin flash.

Design

The D.H.4 was originally designed as a daylight bomber during the First World War, being introduced in British service in March 1917. The two man crew sat in tandem, the frontal position for the pilot with the rear for the observer, who would also operate the defensive armament. The fuel tank was situated between them. 

The aircraft was constructed from all-wooden construction, the forward section being covered with plywood skin, allowing the fuselage to be both strong and lightweight. The nacelle of the aircraft was considerably longer than necessary, due to the originally intended Beardmore Halford Pullinger engine not ultimately being used, being superseded by a variety of smaller engines. A number of engines would be used in various production variants of the aircraft, including the Rolls-Royce Eagle, American Liberty, and Siddeley Puma. Regardless of engine type, all would drive a four-bladed wooden propellor. The five in Greek service were fitted with the Siddeley Puma engines, producing 230 horsepower.

The aircraft would boast it's highest performance and be best in class when being powered by the 375 horsepower Rolls-Royce Eagle, but performance was still acceptable with the lower power alternatives.