entered WWI in Apr 1917, the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps only had 132 aircraft, all outdated. Modeled from a combat tested Brit De Havilland design, the DH-4 was the sole U.S. Built aircraft to see combat during WWI. With insufficient funding to purchase new aircraft, the recently created U.S. Military Air Service continued to use the DH-4 in a number of roles in the lean years following the war. When it was ultimately retired from service in 1932, the DH-4 had been developed into over sixty variants. The Great War During WWI, the Air Service utilized the DH-4 essentially for day bombing, observation and artillery spotting. The 1st American-built DH-4 arrived in France in May 1918, and the 135th Aero Squadron flew the 1st DH-4 combat mission in early Aug. By war’s end, 1,213 DH-4s had been dropped at France. Sadly , the early DH-4s had flaws, including the fuel system. The pressurized gas tank had an inclination to explode and a rubber fuel line under the exhaust manifold caused some fires. This led on to the title “The Flaming Coffin,” although only 8 of the thirty three DH-4s lost in combat.

burned as they slipped. Additionally, the position of the gas tank between the pilot and observer limited communication and could crush the pilot in an accident. Perhaps the most outstanding mission flown in the DH-4 was the brave effort by 1Lt. Harold Goettler and 2Lt. Erwin Bleckley of the fiftieth Aero Squadron to find and aid the legendary “Lost Battalion” on Oct. Six, 1918. In a resupply mission to this trapped unit, their DH-4 was shot down.