"The ungainly yet nimble DH 2 helped the Allies attain air superiority over the Somme in early 1916 and hold it through the summer. With its rotary engine 'pusher' configuration affording excellent visibility and eliminating the need for a synchronised machine gun, the DH 2 was more than a match for anything the Germans could put in the air until the arrival of the Albatros D I and D II, sleek inline-engined machines built for speed and with twin-gun firepower. Thus, the later part of 1916 saw an epic struggle in the skies above the Somme pitting the manoeuvrable yet under-gunned DH 2s against the less agile yet better armed and faster Albatros D Is and D IIs. This book tells the story of that confrontation and casts new light on the clash between the first British ace, MAJ Lanoe Hawker, and Manfred von Richthofen in one of World War I's greatest dogfights." -- from the back cover.

Introduction -- Chronology -- Design and development -- Technical specifications -- The strategic situation -- Combatants -- Combat -- Statistics and Analysis -- Aftermath -- Further reading.