Aircraft & Exhibits, 1918, London, Hangar Two, 72/A/992
The Bristol Fighter was designed in 1916 as a replacement for the B.E. two-seaters. No.48 Squadron received the first production aircraft and introduced them into service during the Battle of Arras in April 1917. Flown in the tight defensive formations normal to two-seaters at the time, this baptism of fire was unsuccessful but it became an excellent fighting machine when the tactics were changed to allow it to be flown in the more aggressive manner of a single-seater. By the end of the war the type had been used for offensive patrols, photographic reconnaissance, escort fighting and ground attacks.
