'Dark Flight' Biplanes

Spinners · August 26, 2015

Bristol Bulldog IIA - 'D' Flight, No.23 Squadron, RAF Air Defence of Great Britain, 1933

Little or no notice was taken when, in 1926, the restrictions on German airship construction were relaxed by the Locarno treaties. But the first flight of the huge dirigible 'Graf Zeppelin' in September 1928 came as a reminder of the potential military use of such airships and especially when it arrived at Lakehurst, New Jersey on it's 112-hour maiden long-range voyage just one month later. Whilst the United States welcomed the huge airship with confetti parades and an invitation to the White House, the UK Government were much more nervous due to the still vivid memories of the sporadic but devastating airship raids of the 1914-1918 war and watched the situation with suspicion. By 1931 the 'Graf Zepplin' had toured Europe, made an epic tour to Brazil and an impressive seven-day research trip to the Arctic leading to the production of more Zepplins and by 1933 the newly formed Nazi Party had an impressive propaganda tool with the Zepplins displaying the Nazi swastika on their fins whilst loudly playing march music and propaganda speeches to the people.

In October 1933 the UK Government instructed the Air Ministry to come up with a solution to the potential military threat from German airships and whilst acknowledging that such airships would be sitting ducks for the RAF's fighters in daylight they would be a real threat at night. As an interim measure, Air Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham of the RAF's Air Defence of Great Britain instructed all existing day fighter squadrons to immediately create an additional flight within each squadron, all to be named 'D' Flight but universally known as 'Dark Flight'. Painted overall in a flat black paint scheme the 'Dark Flight' aircraft were remarkably unchanged from normal aircraft except for improved aircraft radios, powerful hand-held lamps and special 'green light' barium salt tracer ammunition (with the tracer ammunition ratio increased to three-to-one). 'Dark Flight' aircraft remained as part of the RAF's day fighter squadrons until July 1936 when Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, head of the newly formed Fighter Command, ordered the immediate disbandment and the creation of dedicated night-fighter squadrons.