American Usage Charts

[ReducedAirFact]

I have finally gathered enough data to do fairly accurate usage charts for aircraft types in the US Air Service:





I built these charts using squadron histories, including looking through day-by-day combat logs for the 103rd¹. A few things surprised me:

• Many units were just coming online as the war ended. After America entered the war, it sure took a long time to get crew trained, aircraft allocated, and finally deployed.
• The SPAD 7 stayed in front-line use with the 93rd, 103rd, and 139th a lot longer than I expected. I thought they all would have been replaced with the SPAD 13s by mid-summer.
• The 17th (after flying with various RAF units) and 185th were just starting combat patrols on the Sopwith Camel when the war ended.
• While we all know about the complaints about the Nieuport 28, there were three Aero Squadrons (88, 90, 99) flying Sopwith 1½ Strutters in the spring and summer of 1918, long after the Strutter heyday. What a relief the Salmson 2 must have been to them!
• By Autumn 1918, the number of squadrons flying American-built (Liberty-engined) D.H.4's was really picking up, with only one in August to ten by November. Did they stop adding Breguet 14 units when the DH4 deliveries picked up?

I've added these charts, plus d100 rollable versions, to the Wings of Linen WIKI.

Now we just need to track down solid data on Italian Squadriglia plane use!

---

¹ The 103rd logs, courtesy the San Diego Air & Space Museum, are online and kind of fun to look through. They include things you'd expect like victories and losses, but also the ongoing saga of a private gone AWOL, venereal disease inspections, and auto crashes. https://archive.org/search?query=sub...ro+Squadron%22

[Spoonfrog]

Nice work! I have some Italian squadriglia data. I was trying to make usage charts for Italy a while ago but got distracted by researching the Albanian Front... let's pool our resources!

[CrashCraig]

Fascinating analysis Daryl

[mikeemagnus]

Many thanks Daryl - really useful work you have produced here, to go with your earlier charts.

[camelbeagle]

This is very awesome!

[Jager]

Thanks much. Very interesting data.
Karl

[malachi]

Great work, Daryl!
REP

[Teaticket]

Thanks so much for this Daryl. This will certainly come in handy.

[Stumptonian]

Thanks a lot for that info, Daryl.


I think I will have to get a couple of your Salmson 2

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Worth a bit of rep I feel Daryl.

Kyte.

[Honza]

Updating my app! This is really great, thank you Daryl.

[Honza]

While we all know about the complaints about the Nieuport 28

What were those complaints?

[camelbeagle]

There was a structural problem in the top wing. While performing any stressful maneuvers like a sharp pull from a steep dive, the plywood leading edge of the top wing could break away, taking the fabric with it.

Eddie Rickenbacker described this situation when it happened to him in his book.

[Honza]

Ouch!

[flash]

Thanks Daryl, added to the pile !

[predhead]

There are also the use of the Dorand AR1 by the 1st, 12th, and 88th Squadrons before those squadrons received improved aircraft. Source is American Eagles by Narayan Sengupta. It does not mention the SPAD XI at all, and so its accuracy (the book I mean) can be called into question.

As for the SPAD VII, in the 103rd even when the SPAD XIII became available it was found to be unreliable (engine woes) and so many pilots stayed with the VII.

[ReducedAirFact]

There are also the use of the Dorand AR1 by the 1st, 12th, and 88th Squadrons before those squadrons received improved aircraft. Source is American Eagles by Narayan Sengupta. It does not mention the SPAD XI at all, and so its accuracy (the book I mean) can be called into question.

Some of those AR1s and other old aircraft may have only been used for training rather than service use, but it's hard be sure. The First Aero Squadron, for instance, used the AR1 in the autumn and winter of 1917-1918 but had moved on to the SPAD11 (probably) and (as fast as possible) Salmson 2 for actual combat missions.

[camelbeagle]

The 28th, 93rd, 103rd, 139th, and 213th US Squadrons all used SPAD VIIs. They maintenance time for the SAPD VII was significantly shorter and the engines were more reliable. Even thought the SPAD XIII was a better plane, some stayed with the SPAD VII for a while until the gearing problems where fixed in the SPAD XIII Hispano-Suiza engine.