10 RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION BOMBERS
1918 2018DE HAVILLAND
1918 TO 1931
DE HAVILLAND DH.9A
O
ne of the most significant
British aircraft of the Great
War was the de Havilland
DH.4 two-place light bomber
which became operational in
January 1917. It was fast and
manoeuvrable and the concept
inspired the DH.4’s designer,
Geoffrey de Havilland, to initiate
the Mosquito 23 years later.
In July 1917 a much-improved
version was flown, the DH.9 which
was fitted with a 230hp (171kW)
Siddeley Puma in its production
form. This turned out to be the right
airframe but the wrong engine. The
Puma was dogged by troubles, so
much so that the DH.4 was returned
to production to meet the shortfall.
De Havilland turned to the well-
proven Rolls-Royce Eagle and, later,
the American-produced Packard
Liberty 12 to replace the Puma. The
result was the exceptionally reliable,
adaptable and long-lived DH.9A.
Based on early telegraphy phonetics
the new type was known as the
‘Nine Ack’.
Large-scale manufacture of the new
type was entrusted to Westland and
the prototype appeared in February- Rushed into production,
DH.9As were first issued to 110
Squadron in France on the last day
of August 1918. Raids on targets in
southern Germany, from 17,000ft
(5,200m), began immediately and
to good effect.
The Nine Ack became a trusted
workhorse for post-war RAF
bomber units in Britain and it
was widely used by the Auxiliary
Air Force squadrons from their
inception in 1925. It was in the
Middle East and India where
DH.9As gained a reputation for
durability.
Westland devised many
improvements and the final
examples featured metal-framed
wings. The last DH.9A came off the
production line in May 1927. The
stock of airframe spares for the Nine
Ack was such that when Westland
pitched for the type’s replacement
the resulting design, the Wapiti
general purpose biplane, used many
DH.9A components.WHITES VERSUS REDS
Long before the term ‘Cold War’
was even dreamed of, Britain
clashed with Soviet forces during an
unfortunate campaign from 1918 to- A revolution in March 1917
brought about the abdication of
Czar Nicholas II and the instigation
of a republic. In November
Bolshevik forces led by Vladimir
Lenin and Leon Trotsky seized the
initiative, beginning the imposition
of a communist state which was
eventually achieved after five years
of bloody civil war.
Britain was one of several nations
determined to intervene and an
expeditionary force was deployed
Right
Built by Airco in
1919, DH.9A E
was converted into a
dual-control trainer
in the early 1920s. By
1923 it was serving
27 Squadron – as
illustrated – from
Risalpur, India. This
machine was fi nally
retired in 1930. KECDH.9A
Type: Two-seat day bomber / general purpose
First fl ight: February 1918, entered service June 1918
Powerplant: One 400hp (298kW) Packard Liberty 12A V
Dimensions: Span 46ft 0in (14.0m), Length 30ft 0in (9.1m)
Weights: Empty 2,695lb (1,222kg), All-up 4,645lb (2,106kg)
Max speed: 114mph (183km/h) at 10,000ft (3,048m)
Range: Endurance 5 hours, 45 minutes
Armament: One 0.303in machine gun fi ring through propeller arc, another in
rear position. Up to 450lb (204kg) of bombs
Replaced: DH.4s and DH.9s from 1918
Taken on charge: 2,215, including some rebuilt airframes in the 190s. Sub-contracts to
F W Berwick of London, Mann Egerton of Norwich, Vulcan Motor of
Southport, Westland, Whitehead Aircraft of Richmond
Replaced by: Fairey Fawn from 1924, Westland Wapiti from 1931DE HAVILLAND DH.9A