The Aerodrome Home Page
Aces of WWI
Aircraft of WWI
Books and Videos
The Aerodrome Forum
Help
WWI Web Sites
Medals & Decorations
Search The Aerodrome
Today in History



 
The versatile Bristol Fighter was a maneuverable, heavily armed two-seater biplane designed by Frank S. Barnwell. One of the most successful fighters of the war, it got off to a poor start during "Bloody April" when it was introduced to the Western Front by the inexperienced pilots and observers of 48 Squadron. In the mistaken belief that the aircraft was structurally weak, pilots were instructed to avoid violent maneuvers during combat. Heeding this advice, the pilots of six B.F.2a fighters encountered Manfred von Richthofen and his flight of five Albatros D.IIIs near Douai. In a fight that lasted almost 30 minutes, four of the Bristol Fighters were shot down. The fight with Jasta 11 almost convinced the British to withdraw this aircraft from service.

Canadian ace Andrew McKeever achieved the highest score with the Bristol Fighter, downing 31 enemy planes.
 
Bristol F.2b Fighter Specifications
Country: Great Britain
Manufacturer: The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company
Type: Fighter/Bomber
Entered Service: 5 April 1917
Number Built: 3,101
Engine(s): Rolls-Royce Falcon III, 12 cylinder, liquid cooled inline V, 270 hp
Wing Span: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
Length: 25 ft 10 in (7.87 m)
Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Empty Weight: 1,934 lb (877 kg)
Gross Weight: 2,779 lb (1,261 kg)
Max Speed: 123 mph (198 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,524 m)
Ceiling: 21,500 ft (6,553 m)
Endurance: 3 hours
Crew: 2
Armament: 1 Vickers machine gun, synchronized, forward firing
2-3 Lewis machine guns on a Scarff ring, rear cockpit
240 lb (108.9 kg) of bombs
 
Units
Australian Flying Corps: 1, 7
Royal Air Force: 139
Royal Flying Corps: 11, 20, 22, 23, 28, 36, 39, 48, 62, 88, 111
 
Bristol Fighter Aces (246)
21 England Powell, Leslie Archibald 19
22 England Gibbons, George Everard 17
23 Australia Holliday, Fred Parkinson 17
24 USA Iaccaci, August Thayer 17
25 USA Iaccaci, Paul Thayer 17
26 Wales Chick, John Stanley 16
27 USA Coler, Eugene Seeley 16
28 England Elton, Ernest John 16
29 Australia Hepburn, Allan 16
30 England Wall, Anthony Herbert William 16
 
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20
First Previous Next Last
 
Aces · Aircraft · Books · Forum · Help · Links · Medals · Search · Today

Copyright 1997-2025 The Aerodrome. All rights reserved.