Landships II

Mark Hansen wrote:

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It looks good... but why, oh why, do the Germans always have to be using Fokker Triplanes and why, oh why, do they always have to be overall crimson???

OK, rant time over

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Back in the 1920's many film producers equiped their fliegertroopen with Thomas Morse Scouts. This aircraft was the first indigenous US single seater fighter to enter production. It looked and performed very much like the Sopwith Pup (not surprising since the designer, a Mr Thomas, no connection with the name,  was recruited from Sopwith). By the time any numbers were available the Pup was being out performed by later German fighters and had been relegated to training duties and so was the Tommy Morse, which meant a lot were available for sale to film units. A quick lick of dope and some black crosses and they doubled as Abatri and DVIIs (despite the rotary engine!), a different lick of dope and some roundels and they became Camels or Nieuports. Still its no worse than a Harvard (much the same as a Wirraway) desperately pretending to be a FW 190 as I've seen in WWII. period films.

Manfred Von R and his red tripe does get too much coverage. What about Collishaw and his black Sopwith triplane for example? Or how about Willey Coppens the Belgian ace sometimes known as the Green Baron from the colour of his Hanriot and the fact that he really was a baron? And poor old Lothar von R rarely gets a look in despite the fact that he may well have been a better pilot than his brother (and a somewhat nicer guy too).

Ah well that feels better