Martinsyde G.100 'Elephant', With 'Dunsterforce' At Baku, September, 1918

[Old Man]

 

The Martinsyde G.100 Elephant was designed early in 1915 as a single seat machine for long range reconnaissance and bombing work. At that time, it was common for R.F.C. pilots to fly without observers to gain better performance for especially pressing missions, or to carry a greater weight of bombs, and the idea behind the Elephant was to regularize this practice by providing squadrons with a machine that combined good performance with easy handling in the air, and had excellent endurance and the ability to carry a good deal of weight.

 

 

The G.100 Elephant was powered by the 120hp Beardmore motor, with its radiator behind the engine inside the fuselage, and provided with a large fuel tank giving it an endurance aloft of up to five hours, as well as attachment points for a camera on the starboard side of the cockpit, and strong points for bombs under the lower wings. Combat in the air was not general when the Elephant was conceived, but became so as it was being developed for production, and a Lewis gun was fitted to the upper wing to fire forward over the propellor, to enable the Elephant not only to defend itself, but to be employed on escort and offensive patrol duties.
 

 

When the first handful of Elephants reached R.F.C. squadrons in France early in 1916, greatest priority was given to the fighting role, but the Elephant did not perform well in it. The Beardmore motor, and a relatively 'clean' design for the time, gave the Elephant a decent turn of speed, but it was nowhere near manouverable enough, and further hampered by the poor view forwards it offered the pilot. As the Somme offensive began, Elephants went on bombing duties, and a second Lewis gun was fitted to the port side of the cockpit to enable the pilot, with considerable contortion, to defend himself in some degree against attack from the rear.


All Elephants with the R.F.C. in France were concentrated in a single squadron, No. 27, which became a specialist bombing formation, its machines carrying up to 360 lbs. of bombs. Casualties became very heavy once the German Albatros fighters appeared, and the appearance late in 1916 of an up-engined Elephant, the G.102, with a 160hp Beardmore motor, did not improve matters much. Nonetheless, No. 27 soldiered on with Elephants through the summer of 1917, after which they were replaced in France with DeHaviland Dh4 two-seat bombers.

 

 

Elephants were sent to the Middle East as well from late 1916, forming the partial equipment of several R.F.C. squadrons based in Egypt and operating against the Turks in Palestine and Arabia. Elephants were also part of the equipment of No. 30 Squadron in Mesopotamia. In the Middle East, where aerial opposition was sparse and generally employed equipment contemporaneous with the design of the Martinsyde Elephant, the type gave a good account of itself as a general purpose machine, scouting and bombing and, on infrequent occasions, engaging Turkish or German aeroplanes.

Pilots in the Middle East generally discarded the rearward Lewis gun, though it can be seen in a few photographs of Elephants operating in Egypt. Operations in the desert conditions were greatly hampered by the internal position of the Beardmore's radiator, which led to the water frequently boiling away before the machine had reached any significant altitude. The conclusion of the Great War did not end fighting for the R.A.F. in the Middle East, and a handful of Elephants were still engaged in Mesopotamia and northwest Persia during 1919.

 

 

No. 7494, the subject of this model, was one of the first Elephants to arrive in the Near East, being shipped out from England in September of 1916. A G.100 with a 120hp Beardmore, it went to No. 30 Squadron in Mesopotamia, where it was employed in Gen. Maude's advance to Baghdad, and in campaigns later in 1917 north of that city. In March of 1918, No. 7494 went to No. 72 Squadron, a new unit which had arrived in Mesopotamia as personnel only, without any aircraft, and was equipped by a sort of 'whip around' among the squadrons already in the theater, in which it seems to have been mostly saddled with equipment those squadrons very much wanted off their hands. No. 72, even in such straits, does not seem to have wanted No. 7494 very much either, for when in April 1918 the squadron was ordered to provide aeroplanes to support the activities of 'Norperforce', No. 7494 was one of two Martinsyde Elephants the squadron provided.

 

 

With its detachment to the independently operating North Persian Force, commanded by one Gen. Dunsterville, and generally known in consequence as 'Dunsterforce', No. 7494 (and its pilot, Lt. MacKay) became part of an extraordinary, and now largely forgotten, episode of the Great War, that took place in a situation of tremendous political and military complexity, blending Persian Constitutionalist rebels, Ossetian cossacks, Armenian and Azeri nationalists, Bolsheviks, Social Revolutionaries, and many, many more ingredients into the stew. As this was what moved me to choose No. 7494 as the subject for this modeling project, I hope you will bear with my attempt to sketch in at least the major elements of the situation, in which No. 7494 was to end its long service career....
 

 

Though Ottoman Turkey suffered great defeats at English hands in its southern dominions during 1917, the collapse of Russia and the seizure of power there by the Bolsheviks opened great prospects for the Ottoman Turks in the north. Enver Pasha mustered one last fresh army, dubbed the Army of Islam, from which German personnel were excluded, and dispatched it into the Caucasus, towards the great prize of Baku and its wealth of oil. This clashed directly with German ambitions in the region, and by the time the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed with the Bolsheviks, Turkey and Germany were at daggers drawn in the region, with the Turks having much the upper hand as they advanced into largely islamic regions and the Germans shipped forces from the east to the Western Front.

Major-General Dunsterville, a childhood friend of Rudyard Kipling, and the model for the cunning young Stalky of the pre-eminent school days tale 'Stalky and Company', was selected at the end of 1917 to be chief of a small military mission to Georgia. The intent was to bolster the resistance that Christian enclave in the Caucusus might offer to the advancing Turkish soldiers of Enver Pasha's 'Army of Islam'. Gen. Dunsterville arrived at Baghdad from India late in January, 1918. While the bulk of the troops and officers who would become 'Dunsterforce; (officially North Persian Force, or 'Norperforce') was assembled, Gen. Dunsterville departed Baghdad for Tiflis in Georgia with a small party, approximately eighty men in automobiles and trucks, with one armored car.

Their route was over a grand road built with Russian money through northwestern Persia. An Anglo-Russian treaty before the Great War had given Russia extra-territorial rights in northwest Persia, and a large Russian garrison had been posted along the road, whose northern terminus was the Caspian port of Enzeli. The Russian garrison was particularly resented by the local populace, which had earlier given mass support to "Constitutionalist' rebels wishing both for modernizing Persia and defying foreign interference. These revolutionaries continued there under arms in large number, under the common rubric 'Jengalis'. At the time Gen. Dunsterville set out from Baghdad, the region was in a chaos, with the Russian garrison retiring in disorder to seek their homes, and Jegali partisans hurrying them along with gunfire.

Reaching Enzeli on February 17, after adventures too numerous and arcane to recount here, Gen. Dunsterville found it in the hands of a Russian revolutionary committee hostile to any English presence, and rife with German and Austrian agents to boot. Gen. Dunsterville led his little party in a retirement south down the road to Hamada, where radio communication with Baghdad could be had. Here he maintained himself through the winter snows of the mountain region, while managing to secure some political support from the local populace, and establishing working relations with the one Russian unit still under discipline in the area, a regiment of Ossetian cossacks hostile to the Bolsheviks.

 

 

When the snow began to clear from the roads, the main body of 'Dunsterforce' set out from Baghdad, reaching Hamadi and the general's advance party by the end of May, This constituted a battalion of English infantry, and included an aerial component of two Martinsyde Elephants from No. 72 squadron, and at least one R.E. 8. Over the winter, the aim of Gen. Dunstervilles northward trek ahd changed. Georgia had sought assistance from Germany, and could no longer be an object for English support. The intention now was that the North Persia Force of Gen. Dunsterville would be establishing a secure lodgement for England at the port of Baku, center of Russian oil production, one of the richest and longest established oil fields in the world.

In company with the regiment of Ossetian cossacks remaining from the departed Russian garrison, Gen. Dunsterville began an advance in force north along the road to Enzeli. This met stiff opposition from the Jangalis, who were as hostile to any English presence as they were to the Russians. After several fights in which his small aerial component provided important assistance, Gen. Dunsterville reached Enzeli, and in such force that the revolutionary committee could not resist his control of the place. Indeed, he reports in his memoir that he hanged several of them out of hand.

 

 

The situation at Baku was intricate and devious in the extreme. To the degree Baku was under the control of anyone, it was run by a Bolshevik committee ostensibly obedient to the current directive of Lenin that even the Turks were to be preferred to the English. The population of the place was largely Armenian, however, and in March of 1918 Armenian nationalists there had engaged in great massacre among its Azerbajani inhabitants. Many of the Bolsheviks were also Armenians, and knew perfectly well the consequences to themselves and their community of pressing Lenin's policy. Further, the sailors of the Caspian flotilla at Baku were Social Revolutionaries, a popular left body hostile to the Bolsheviks, and whether loyal to Lenin's directive or nationalists at heart, the Bolshevik committee wished this threat to themselves neutralized.

With the Turkish 'Army of Islam' drawing near, and recruiting a goodly number of militia to its ranks from among local Azerbajanis as it did, the Bolshevik committee, which already had made some overtures towards Gen. Dunsterville, was deposed, and the new Armenian Nationalist government invited Gen. Dunsterville to sail into Baku from Enzeli. This he did, arriving on August 16, 1918, with a force comprising a little less than a thousand infantry, some armored cars and field guns, and two Elephants, including No. 7494 and its pilot, Lt. MacKay of 72 Squadron.

 

 

What followed was a month long defense of the town against nearly twenty thousand Turkish troops, a mixture of Ottoman regulars and Azerbajani militia, by the soldiers of Dunsterforce, assisted by several thousand untrained Armenian militiamen. The Elephants brought important information on Turkish deployments on several occasions, assisting Gen. Dunsterville in parrying Turkish thrusts, but the outer defensive lines were pierced by the Turks before September; behind these there was little favorable ground for defense, and Turkish artillery was in range of the town. The Turks massed for their final offensive during a dust storm that kept the Elephants on the ground, though it would not have made much difference had they been able to observe the preparations.

 

The attack came on September 14. Gen. Dusterville could only fight a rear-guard action against it, seeking to hold the Turkish advance off long enough to enable his men to retire to his ships in the harbor for evacuation after nightfall. His account of the action credits the Elephants and their two pilots, Lts. MacKay and Pope, with providing great assistance through strafings and bombings of Turkish troops at critical points. Flying low throughout the day, the aeroplanes were shot ragged, and No. 7494 and its fellow Elephant were burned that night to prevent their falling into Turkish hands. 'Dunsterforce' got off intact during the night, but the little R.A.F. contingent never recieved orders to pull back to the port, and instead piled into several trucks and drove off into the steppe, falling in with anti-Bolshevik Russians and only reaching saftety after considerable adventure. The Turkish commander held his regulars out of Baku for several days, giving the place over to massacre by his Azerbajani militia. Fighting between the English and Jangalis in northwestern Persia continued into 1920.

 

 

This is a scratch-build in 1/72 scale completed some years ago, but I have since done some small touchings up on it, and taken new photographs in sunlight. The pictures put up on the old Aerodrome modeling forum are gone, as we had long since ceased using 'Boomspeed' to host pictures.

 

 

 

The great challenge in doing this one was the need to make the whole nose hollow, to accommodate the visible motor, and the need as well to create the many perforations in the cowling. These were necessary for airflow through the internal radiator and in many photographs daylight shows through them. Doubtless the air through the open 'throat' of the cowling provided some cooling for the motor as well. The cabanes, too, go visibly through the cowling to the longerons. Complicating matters even further was the distinct upward slope in front the cockpit, which must change section from rather flat and angular to smoothy rounded as one proceeds forward. The whole piece in front of the cockpit is an eggshell, most of it made from quarter millimeter sheet, and in places sanded even further. I developed a sort of 'just enough to hold and no more' grip while working on the thing that still popped up now and then to make me drop something I should have been holding tight. The next most tricky part was the bare spars at the root of the lower wing, a fairly common feature on English reconnaissance machines throughout the Great War. I took some pains to distress the national markings, as photographs indicate that in the Middle East, the paints employed could not stand up to the sunlight for long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by Old Man

[Tweener]

Thinking on it, I guess it isn't a surprise that the British operated in that region during and just after the Great War, but somehow, I'd never heard about the fact! This was a fascinating post for me - I've even gone out and bought Lionel's book about it all. And what's better than a great post is a great plane with it! I've always had a soft spot of sorts for the Buzzard, so it's nice to see another Martinsyde, much less one done so well!

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Fascinating detailed account and back story for your model most of which was unknown history to me.  The model by the way is excellent, great paint job and rigging.  I have always been interested in this aeroplane since i read an account of an RFC pilot  hanging on the the gun above the wing whilst the aeroplane was upside down.  He managed to pull his feet and kick the control column to right the aeroplane.

Colin

 

[stevehnz]

A beautiful build & utterly fascinating account of a little known (to me anyway) operation, thanks for such an informative post. More reading required I can see. 

Steve.

[Michael louey]

What a beautiful model, especially being scratch built. Also a very interesting story about obscure politics in the Middle East.

 

I've got an Elephant in the stash, a Choroszy resin kit, as the AFC operated them in the Middle East but I doubt it will get to the front of the queue any time soon.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[Tim R-T-C]

Fantastic build and a great history lesson too.

 

That whole region and period is continually fascinating.

[theskits62]

That would be magnificent if it was a kit - the fact it is scratchbuilt makes it even better. Superb work.

[malpaso]

2 hours ago, ColinChipmunkfan said:

I have always been interested in this aeroplane since i read an account of an RFC pilot  hanging on the the gun above the wing whilst the aeroplane was upside down.  He managed to pull his feet and kick the control column to right the aeroplane.

Colin

 

Colin, the Martinsyde in the Louis Strange story was an S.1, a much smaller scout type more the size of a Pup, Tabloid or Baby type.  Another attractive aircraft that could be kitted with only one possible image for fantastic box art! 😃

 

@Old Man that is a lovely model you have built, and the finish is very convincing.  Congratulations. 

Cheers 

Will

 

 

[Seahawk]

Fascinating story topped off with an excellent model.  Well done.

[Pete in a shed]

Excellent scratchbuilding and a facinating historical account of the conflict in that region.

Pete

[Ray S]

What an amazing build and story too. I also have the Chorozy Elephant in my stash and would be happy if it turns out half as good as your scratch built one!

 

Thanks for taking the time to tell us the story.

 

Ray

[veg]

Incredibly interesting back story, and a hugely impressive scratch build, when I see builds like these it makes me realise just how little I know, sticking bits of plastic together. Fabulous 👍

[clive_t]

Fantastic work OM as is your habit, and a most interesting and engaging back story. This was my coffee-time read this morning!

[Jonners]

Love it!

[Herb]

Outstanding! Thank you for 'freshening up' your Elephant and supplying its most interesting history!

[Spitfire31]

Fantastic Elephant and a fascinating lecture of previously unknown (to me) Mid East adventures!

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

[russ c]

Awesome job, looks superb!

[Wulfman]

A fabulous build, looks amazingly realistic !

 

Wulfman

[Old Man]

On 7/12/2021 at 9:27 PM, ColinChipmunkfan said:

Fascinating detailed account and back story for your model most of which was unknown history to me.  The model by the way is excellent, great paint job and rigging.  I have always been interested in this aeroplane since i read an account of an RFC pilot  hanging on the the gun above the wing whilst the aeroplane was upside down.  He managed to pull his feet and kick the control column to right the aeroplane.

Colin

 

 

I'm glad you liked the background and build, Colin. That this was a world war is often overlooked, and I have a fondness for odd ducks.

 

As Malpaso pointed out, a different type, though still a fascinating one.

 

I did a scratch-build of one, another Mespot machine.

 

 

Here's a link to more details....

 

L. A. Strange was quite a character who, amazingly, managed to die in bed at an elderly age.

 

There is a photograph in circulation of an early Martinsyde 'Scout' which I have seen captioned as the machine Lt. Strange flew (prior to fitting the Lewis gun).

 

 

The camouflage pattern is seen in 1915 on some RFC machines. It was most likely a green mottle over bleached linen, but grey has also been suggested.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Old Man

[Old Man]

On 7/12/2021 at 9:22 PM, Tweener said:

Thinking on it, I guess it isn't a surprise that the British operated in that region during and just after the Great War, but somehow, I'd never heard about the fact! This was a fascinating post for me - I've even gone out and bought Lionel's book about it all. And what's better than a great post is a great plane with it! I've always had a soft spot of sorts for the Buzzard, so it's nice to see another Martinsyde, much less one done so well!

 

How can somebody not love an aeroplane dubbed 'Elephant'. 27 Sqdn adopted a small green elephant as a marking on their Wapitis.

 

The neatest of the Buzzards, I think, were the ones fitted with Jaguars for (I believe) Finland by the A.D.C.

 

Glad you found this informative. it was fun looking into it.

[Old Man]

On 7/12/2021 at 9:57 PM, stevehnz said:

A beautiful build & utterly fascinating account of a little known (to me anyway) operation, thanks for such an informative post. More reading required I can see. 

Steve.

 

Thanks, Steve.

 

I first heard of it in an old issue of Military History magazine.

 

'A Peace to End All Peace' is a fascinating account of the Great war and afterwards in the Near East.

 

Gen. Dunsterville's memoir of the campaign is available on-line out of Internet Archive. It has bit of a 'Boy's Own' air about it, but that makes it a more enjoyable read in my view.

[Old Man]

On 7/12/2021 at 10:38 PM, Michael louey said:

What a beautiful model, especially being scratch built. Also a very interesting story about obscure politics in the Middle East.

 

I've got an Elephant in the stash, a Choroszy resin kit, as the AFC operated them in the Middle East but I doubt it will get to the front of the queue any time soon.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

Thanks, Michael!

 

Hope you get to that kit.

 

Start poking around in its Middle East service and there are fascinating little tales.

[Old Man]

On 7/12/2021 at 11:52 PM, theskits62 said:

That would be magnificent if it was a kit - the fact it is scratchbuilt makes it even better. Superb work.

 

Thank you, Sir.

 

This was an especially tricky one. Not sure the fingers and eyes would be quite up to it today....

[Old Man]

On 7/13/2021 at 12:25 AM, malpaso said:

Colin, the Martinsyde in the Louis Strange story was an S.1, a much smaller scout type more the size of a Pup, Tabloid or Baby type.  Another attractive aircraft that could be kitted with only one possible image for fantastic box art! 😃

 

@Old Man that is a lovely model you have built, and the finish is very convincing.  Congratulations. 

Cheers 

Will

 

 

 

Thanks a lot, Will!

 

I liked the 'Scout' from first sight in the old Harleyford Fighters 1914-1918 book. Looks awfully like the Tabloid for sure. I  did a scratch of it, also, but it would be nice to see even a resin kit. An early one in France would be quite a model.

 

 

I do not know if captions identifying this as Lt. Strange's machine (pre-Lewis fitted) are accurate, but it sure would be nice if they were....

[Old Man]

On 7/13/2021 at 12:29 AM, Seahawk said:

Fascinating story topped off with an excellent model.  Well done.

 

Thank you, Sir.

 

It is a 'ripping yarn' indeed. And the animosities which marked it are still being fought out in our day.