The Strike at Biggin Hill Written by Pam Preedy. The RAF opened their station at Biggin Hill in 917. It remained open after the war. In 1919 there were 500 men of the Wireless Experimental station stationed at South Camp. The living conditions at that time were appalling; most sleeping in tents in a sea of mud. The dining hall, too, was a leaky canvas hangar equally muddy and the food, prepared in an open, rusty shed, was almost inedible. In spite of many complaints to the authorities, nothing changed. …
Tag: Biggin Hill
Dunkirk: The RAF support the evacuation
Dunkirk: The RAF support the evacuation Written by Pam Preedy. By 26th May, 1940 Britain faced “a colossal military disaster . . . the whole root and core and brain of the British Army” (Churchill) had been stranded at Dunkirk and seemed about to perish or be captured. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) went to help defend France. For eight months while economic sanctions were imposed on Germany, little actual warfare occurred (the Phoney War). Then, on 10th May, 1940 Germany invaded Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Three panzer corps…
VICKERS F.B.26 VAMPIRE
Vickers F.B.26 Vampire The Vickers F.B.26 Vampire was a British single-seat pusher biplane fighter built by Vickers during the First World War. Four were built by Vickers at Bexleyheath, one of these was subsequently modified to become the F.B.26A. The design was a development of the earlier Vickers F.B.12 prototypes; and was a two-bay biplane with a high-mounted nacelle for the pilot and an initial armament of two .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Guns. Behind this was a water-cooled 200 hp (150 kW) Hispano-Suiza engine driving the propeller. The tailplane…
MARTINSYDE F. 3 / F.4 Buzzard
MARTINSYDE F. 3 / F.4 Buzzard In 1917, Martinsyde designed a single-seat biplane fighter powered by a Rolls-Royce Falcon V-12 engine, the Martinsyde F.3, with a single prototype being built as a private venture. A further 6 were ordered in 1917, with the first flying in November that year. Its performance during testing was impressive, demonstrating a maximum speed of 229 km/h. F.3 – Single-seat fighter biplane. Powered by Rolls-Royce Falcon. Seven built. Tow or three of the F.3 Prototypes were tested and used in the Home Defence activities at Biggin Hill in 1918. F.4 Buzzard – Single-seat…
Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin
SOPWITH 5F.1 DOLPHIN (Fighter & Night Fighter) The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin was a British fighter aircraft manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It was used by the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force, during the First World War. The Dolphin entered service on the Western Front in early 1918 and proved to be a formidable fighter. The resulting Dolphin was a two-bay, single-seat biplane, with the upper wings attached to an open steel cabane frame above the cockpit. To maintain the correct centre of gravity, the…
ZEPPELIN-STAAKEN R.VI
Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI The Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI was a four-engined German biplane strategic bomber of World War I, and the only Riesenflugzeug (“giant aircraft”) design built in any quantity. In September 1914, at the start of World War I, Ferdinand von Zeppelin visualised the concept of a Riesenflugzeug (R) bomber. Almost all of these Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeug designs used some variation of either pusher configuration and/or push-pull configuration in their engine layout, orientation and placement of their powerplants. The R.VI was the most numerous of the R-bombers built by Germany, and also among…
GOTHA G.V
GOTHA G.V. The Gotha G.V was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. Designed for long-range service, the Gotha G.V was used principally as a night bomber. Operational use of the Gotha G.IV demonstrated that the incorporation of the fuel tanks into the engine nacelles was a mistake. In a crash landing the tanks could rupture and spill fuel onto the hot engines. This posed a serious problem because landing accidents caused 75% of operational losses. In response Gothaer produced the G.V,…
BRISTOL F 2B
BRISTOL F 2B The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, other popular names include the “Brisfit” or “Biff”. Although the type was intended initially as a replacement for the pre-war Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c reconnaissance aircraft, the newly-available Rolls-Royce Falcon V12 engine gave it the performance of a two-seat fighter. Despite a disastrous start to its career, the definitive F.2B version proved…
HANDLEY PAGE 0/400
HANDLEY PAGE 0/400 The Handley Page Type O was a 2 engine biplane bomber (crew up to 4) used by Britain during the First World War. When built, the Type O was the largest aircraft that had been built in the UK and one of the largest in the world. There were two main variants, the Handley Page O/100 (H.P.11) and the Handley Page O/400 (H.P.12). The aircraft were used in France for tactical night attacks on targets in German-occupied France and Belgium and for strategic bombing of industrial and…
ROYAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY SE 5A
ROYAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY SE 5A The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was one of the fastest aircraft of the war, while being both stable and relatively manoeuvrable. According to aviation author Robert Jackson, the S.E.5 was: “the nimble fighter that has since been described as the ‘Spitfire of World War One’“ In most respects the S.E.5 had superior performance to the rival Sopwith Camel, although it was less immediately responsive to the controls. Problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine, particularly…