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Chock · 12 October 2009, 09:14 AM

Apparently there were DVIIs at the front in April 1918, actually as early as March according to some sources, including the Squadron/Signal DVII in action book, but as far as I'm aware MVR didn't fly the thing much after his initial flights at the competition where it won.

It seems hard to imagine MVR not wanting to give it a whirl if it arrived at his airfield, but there's a big difference between 'arriving' and being 'ready to go into combat', or even ready for a quick jaunt to a neighbouring airfield. Don't forget the DVII was prone to fires caused by the engine heat igniting incendiary rounds in the magazine until the engine cowling louvres were enlarged to improve cooling.

The DVII was designed to be easily transportable by train amongst other things, so it could well have been 'at the front', but still in packing cases, although there certainly are pics of it in one piece, on the flight line with the engine running in April, and unless the Germans had a very early copy of Adobe Photoshop, that is beyond doubt.

We do know MVR was quite keen on the type, after all, he had pitched in some design suggestions for it, so if it had been really ready to go, there's seems no reason why he should not have used it in combat, and of course we know he did not. It was faster than his Dr1, and MVR is on record as saying that the important thing with fighter planes is that they should be speedy. That alone suggests it wasn't good to go when MVR was around. Weyl's figures have only 19 completed DVIIs at the front by the end of April, by which time, MVR was pushing up poppies.

A fair bit of speculation there of course, but if a few sources for such claims could be found and thoroughly confirmed it would surely be interesting.

Al

12 October 2009, 09:14 AM	#3 (permalink)
Chock Scout Pilot Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The grim north of England Posts: 405	Apparently there were DVIIs at the front in April 1918, actually as early as March according to some sources, including the Squadron/Signal DVII in action book, but as far as I'm aware MVR didn't fly the thing much after his initial flights at the competition where it won. It seems hard to imagine MVR not wanting to give it a whirl if it arrived at his airfield, but there's a big difference between 'arriving' and being 'ready to go into combat', or even ready for a quick jaunt to a neighbouring airfield. Don't forget the DVII was prone to fires caused by the engine heat igniting incendiary rounds in the magazine until the engine cowling louvres were enlarged to improve cooling. The DVII was designed to be easily transportable by train amongst other things, so it could well have been 'at the front', but still in packing cases, although there certainly are pics of it in one piece, on the flight line with the engine running in April, and unless the Germans had a very early copy of Adobe Photoshop, that is beyond doubt. We do know MVR was quite keen on the type, after all, he had pitched in some design suggestions for it, so if it had been really ready to go, there's seems no reason why he should not have used it in combat, and of course we know he did not. It was faster than his Dr1, and MVR is on record as saying that the important thing with fighter planes is that they should be speedy. That alone suggests it wasn't good to go when MVR was around. Weyl's figures have only 19 completed DVIIs at the front by the end of April, by which time, MVR was pushing up poppies. A fair bit of speculation there of course, but if a few sources for such claims could be found and thoroughly confirmed it would surely be interesting. Al __________________ Wiseman: When you removed the book from the cradle, did you speak the words? Ash: Yeah, basically. Wiseman: Did you speak the exact words? Ash: Look, maybe I didn't say every single little tiny syllable, no. But basically I said them, yeah. Last edited by Chock; 12 October 2009 at 09:38 AM.