US Aircraft During WWI

[randombeaner]

Just out of curiosity, even thought the US was only in the war (at least officially) for about a year, which US aircraft if any saw service during WWI?

and another question were there any US pilots helping with WWI before the US entered the war? (kind of like what happened before pearl harbor)

Recently I've been getting more interested with WWI

thank you

[Felix/FFDS]

The US was caught with its pants down - aerially speaking - .   It's most capable landplane was the Curtiss Jenny, but it was US based.

The only (significant) US design used in Europe were Curtiss flying boat designs license built and developed in the UK by Felixstowe (ex. the Felixstowe F.2A was a developmnent of the Curtiss H16).

What the US did contribute was the "Liberty"  engine,  which was used in numbers in the DH4 and DH9A.

As to US aviators in WW1 before the entry of the US into the war, yes, there were many.  Most notably, in 1916, American volunteers were set up in the "Escadrille Americaine" and, after German protests, renamed "Excadrille Lafayette"

http://www.acepilots.com/wwi/lafayette.html


These were probably the most "famous" Americans to fly against the Germans before the formal declaration of War.

[randombeaner]

Most notably, in 1916, American volunteers were set up in the "Escadrille Americaine" and, after German protests, renamed "Excadrille Lafayette"

hmm why were the germans upset with the name, was it because they didn't want American involvement?

and another fact I stumbled across
[quote]1916

[Felix/FFDS]

and ...

[randombeaner]

woah never would have expected that just like the russians... a foreshadow of the cold war??

and thanks for the link, the site is great... a nice selection of really early aircraft photos

[Smoke2much]

hmm why were the germans upset with the name, was it because they didn't want American involvement?  

That's exactly right, they were desparate to keep the US out of the war and sensibly so.  They were allied with the corrupt and destitute Austrohungarian Empire and fighting a war on 2 fronts.  The last thing that they wanted was another couple of million fresh troops arriving on the western front.

A modern equivalent would be a squadron of Chinese pilots turning up in Iraq and calling themselves "The Chinese Squadron", the US and Britain etc would have been unhappy about it even if the pilots had acted alone without government sponsorship.

Will

[randombeaner]

ohh that makes sense now
thanks

[Flt.Lt.Andrew]

Hhahah, nice analogy there...

A.

[Smoke2much]

Hhahah, nice analogy there...

A.

I thought so

[Hagar]

I thought so

Me too. Another one who seems to have missed his vocation.