RE8 bi-plane.
WWI RE8 bi-plane taken at Old Warden.
Losses of aircraft and crew were massive, young lads barely 18 yrs old were given flying lessons, basic training, then sent to fight. Most were shot down and killed with a matter of days ...
During World War I, the lumbering Reconnaissance Experimental 8 was the most widely used British two-seater biplane on the Western Front. A descendant of the R.E.7, it was initially developed for reconnaissance work but also saw service as a bomber and ground attack aircraft. Nicknamed the "Harry Tate," after a well known music hall performer of the day, it provided a stable platform for photographic missions but suffered from poor maneuverability, leaving it vulnerable to attack by enemy fighters. Despite heavy losses, the R.E.8 remained in service throughout the war.
On the morning of 13 April 1917, 59 Squadron's ill fated flight of six R.E.8s was on a photo-reconnaissance mission near Douai when it encountered Jasta 11. All six R.E.8s were shot down within a matter of minutes, one of them becoming Manfred von Richthofen's forty first victory.
"Jastas 11" : (Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11 ("No 11 Fighter Squadron") was founded on 28 September 1916 from elements of 4 armee's Keks 1, 2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part of the German Air Service's expansion program, forming permanent specialised fighter squadrons, or "Jastas". It became the most successful fighter squadron in the German Air Service
RE8 bi-plane.
WWI RE8 bi-plane taken at Old Warden.
Losses of aircraft and crew were massive, young lads barely 18 yrs old were given flying lessons, basic training, then sent to fight. Most were shot down and killed with a matter of days ...
During World War I, the lumbering Reconnaissance Experimental 8 was the most widely used British two-seater biplane on the Western Front. A descendant of the R.E.7, it was initially developed for reconnaissance work but also saw service as a bomber and ground attack aircraft. Nicknamed the "Harry Tate," after a well known music hall performer of the day, it provided a stable platform for photographic missions but suffered from poor maneuverability, leaving it vulnerable to attack by enemy fighters. Despite heavy losses, the R.E.8 remained in service throughout the war.
On the morning of 13 April 1917, 59 Squadron's ill fated flight of six R.E.8s was on a photo-reconnaissance mission near Douai when it encountered Jasta 11. All six R.E.8s were shot down within a matter of minutes, one of them becoming Manfred von Richthofen's forty first victory.
"Jastas 11" : (Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11 ("No 11 Fighter Squadron") was founded on 28 September 1916 from elements of 4 armee's Keks 1, 2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part of the German Air Service's expansion program, forming permanent specialised fighter squadrons, or "Jastas". It became the most successful fighter squadron in the German Air Service