Other identifying features of early production aircraft are the small fairings at the rear of the nacelle, external magazine storage for 4x 47 round magazines, a single tube pitot head and the rudder control cable pulleys positioned slightly further forward in the nacelle. By June-July 1917 the DH.2 had been replaced in front line service by the Nieuport 17 and DH.5, although they continued to serve in the Middle East well into 1918.Įarly production DH.2 arrived with an impracticable flexible ‘wobbly’ Lewis gun mount, 2 bladed propeller, bungee or spring type aileron returns and had the 5 gallon emergency fuel tank fixed under the top wing center section. It would take until July-August 1916 before the twin lMG 08 ‘Spandau’ armed Halberstadt, Fokker and Albatros D type biplanes would regain air supremacy for the Germans. Although powered by essentially the same engine as the Fokker E.II & E.III the DH.2 was designed from the outset with maneuverability in mind and the wing warping Eindeckers proved no match in combat. This allowed 24 Sqn to be fully equipped with the DH.2 when they arrived in France during February 1916 where they, along with squadrons equipped with the FE.2b and French Nieuport 11, began putting an end to the 6 month long “Fokker scourge”.
Undeterred by this not insignificant setback, development continued and full scale production began in November. The prototype AMC DH.2 (Aircraft Manufacturing Company de Havilland 2) first flew in June 1915 and was sent to the front for evaluation in late July where it was promptly captured by the Germans in early August.