Handley Page Type O - Operational History

Operational History

The first O/100s to be deployed to France were received by 7A Squadron of the RNAS's 5th Wing at Dunkirk in late 1916. Their first combat came on the night of 16 March 1917 when a single aircraft was sent to bomb a railway junction at Moulins-lès-Metz. Initially, they were also used for daylight attacks, damaging a German destroyer on 23 April 1917, but the loss of an aircraft to fighter attack two days later resulted in a switch to exclusive night attacks, usually by single aircraft against German occupied Channel ports, railway targets and airfields. O/100s were also used for anti-U boat patrol off the mouth of the River Tees in September 1917.

The improved O/400 started to enter service in April 1918, gradually allowing the re-equipment of more squadrons, being used for both support for the ground forces on the Western Front, particularly during the German Spring Offensive, and for strategic bombing under the control of the Independent Air Force. The O/400s could carry a new 1,650 lb (750 kg) bomb which were aimed with the Drift Sight Mk 1A bombsight. In service, they were deployed in force, with up to 40 aircraft participating in a raid.

Away from the European theatre of war, a single O/400 served with 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps in the Middle East. There, flown by Lt. Ross Smith, it was used for night attacks against the Turkish and supplying the small number of aircraft flying in support of Lawrence of Arabia. As part of the Dardanelles campaign a single O/100, 3124, was flown to Moudros on the Greek island of Lemnos. On 9 July 1917 squadron commander Kenneth Savory used it to bomb the battle cruiser Goeben at anchor in Constantinople, winning a bar to his DFC After being used for anti-submarine patrols and to bomb Adrianopolis and Panderma it was lost and the crew taken prisoner on 30 September when, flown by John Alcock, it was forced to ditch due to a broken oil-pipe in an attempt to bomb railway marshalling yards near Constantinople.

After the war, O/400s remained in squadron service until replaced by the Vickers Vimy towards the end of 1919. War-surplus aircraft were converted for civilian use in the UK and nine were used by Handley Page's pioneering airline, Handley Page Transport.

Eight 0/400s were fitted with passenger accommodation and operated by the 86th (Communication) wing, formed at Hendon to provide quick transport between London and Paris for officials engaged in the negotiation of the Treaty of Versailles. Two were finished in silver dope and named Great Britain and Silver Star and fitted as VIP transports, while the others, seating eight, retained their dark green finish.

Six aircraft were assembled post-war for sale to Republican China under the designation O/7, principally for use as transports. These were delivered to China and re-assembled at Nanyuan near Beijing. The aircraft flew their first service, carrying both airmail and passengers, between Beijing and Tientsin on 7 May 1920. These services were disrupted by the outbreak of civil war, with the aircraft being taken over by various warlords.

Prior to 1924, Handley Page used an alphabetical system for aircraft designations and the Type O followed the Type M and Type N. Type O aircraft are very frequently misnamed as "Handley Page 0/100" and "0/400" with a numeral "0" instead of the letter "O". The company designations "H.P.11" and "H.P.12" were applied retrospectively after the change to the use of type numbers in 1924.