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WWI DH-4 Liberty Plane Photo
Likely Dayton-Wright Factory 1918, Cloth Backed
Scarff Ring, Exposed Liberty V-12, Numbered Ship CratesDESCRIPTIONThis vintage photograph shows a de Havilland DH-4, the American-built "Liberty Plane," in a factory packing area that appears to be the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company in Ohio, about 1918. The view looks forward over the tail and fuselage toward the nose, taking in the Scarff ring gun mount at the observer's cockpit and the exposed Liberty V-12 engine with its row of cylinders. The rudder carries broad vertical bands in the manner of U.S. rudder striping, and small numerals are painted on the interplane struts. Behind the airplane, a wooden shipping crate stenciled TO and a number reads 320, then a digit hidden behind a strut, then 3. Wright State University Libraries' Dayton-Wright Airplane Company Photographs (MS-152) record DH-4 packing-room scenes with crates numbered 32063 and 32065, and that match points to Dayton-Wright as the likely source of this scene, though no caption or company marking on the print confirms it.The DH-4 was a British bomber design that American factories rebuilt around the 400 horsepower Liberty V-12 engine, and it was the only American-built airplane flown into combat by American crews in World War I. Of the 4,846 built in the United States, Dayton-Wright delivered 3,106, more than any other maker. Only 1,213 reached France before the Armistice, the first American-built DH-4 arrived there in May 1918, and the first combat mission followed that August. A packing-area view like this one documents the stage when airplanes were readied to leave the plant. The company was reorganized in April 1917 by Dayton industrialists Edward Deeds, Charles Kettering, and Harold Talbott, with Orville Wright lending his name and serving as a consulting engineer. By October 1918 it employed more than 8,000 workers across plants in Moraine, Miamisburg, and Dayton.The plant celebrated its output right on the factory floor. In July 1918 a hand-painted sign on the 1,000th DH-4 from Plant 1 read, "I am ship no. 1000 will leave for France July 31st." The type also carried a grim nickname, the "Flaming Coffin," because the fuel tank sat between pilot and observer, yet the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force notes that only eight of the 33 American DH-4s lost in combat burned.The photograph is supported on a woven cloth backing instead of a paper mount. The cloth reverse carries a handwritten pencil notation that appears to read "De Havilland," followed by a second word that is not legible. Images were scanned at 600 dpi.Every effort is made toward fact checking and provenance, including background research through news and historical archives. If any listing is incorrect in any way and you're unsatisfied with the item, please connect with me and I'll make it right. Orders placed before Noon CDT ship same day via Ground Advantage with tracking. Returns accepted on all items exceeding $25 in cost. All shipments receive rigid, professional packaging, sealed and protected in acid free sleeves. Shipping is free and already built into the price, so the BIN price is exactly what you pay, no surprise shipping costs at checkout.CONDITIONVintage black and white photographic print with a warm sepia tone, supported on a woven cloth backing. The image is sharp across the crate, Scarff ring, and engine areas with a good tonal range, and shows scattered tiny dark specks and a few light spots from age and handling. The cloth reverse has natural age toning, small tan to brown stains along the edges, loose threads, and light fraying at the borders, all consistent with the material and age. A faint handwritten pencil notation on the reverse appears to read "De Havilland" followed by a second word that is not legible. Scanned at 600 dpi.
