There was no aviation transport wing in World War I. Logistics was either by sea, truck or horse. In Palestine FA300 dominated the air; their aircraft were faster, better armed and more capable. However, logistics for them was a major hassle as petrol had to be brought in by donkey.
The allied supply lines were less extended and followed the ocean ports with the Royal Navy dominating the Mediterranean. The biggest concern were submarines. Aircraft were not powerful enough in WWI to sink a capital ship as they could in WWII.
There were instances were supply lines were stretched and one case in 1918 was when the AFC was supporting Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab irregulars near Deraa. The AFC forward base at Azrak required petrol, oil, ammunition and parts to be constantly flown in.
Fortunately, the AFC squadron had recently received a Handley Page 0/400. It was quickly pressed into transport duties.
The photo was taken by Richard Williams and is from the AWM Collections ID No.A00654. Under Australian copyright law no photograph taken before 1955 can be under copyright any longer.
The photo was taken by Richard Williams and is from the AWM Collections ID No.A00654. Under Australian copyright law no photograph taken before 1955 can be under copyright any longer. Richard Williams relates the supply issues with supporting a forward base at Azrak:
The aircraft [two Bristol Fighters] could not work in the desert area east of Amman without supplies and the normal line of supply was via Akaba on the Red Sea. This was useless, so the Handley Page was brought into service and used to transport petrol, oil, bombs and ammunition. It went out during day-light to arrive at Azrak just before dark. It was escorted by two bristol Fighters which went on to bomb the enemy aerodrome at Deraa to distract attention from it [the 0/400].Richard Williams called the 0/400 the best recruiting agent the British had with the Arab Irregulars. As the aircraft was so big and awe inspiring. He notes that the Biffs also knocked down two German aircraft the same day which meant the irregulars had local air superiority courtesy of the AFC and did not have to worry about being attacked from the air. Ross Smith was the pilot of the Handley Page and the story goes that when he landed the Arabs celebrated the arrival of the aircraft by firing their guns into the air and racing around his aircraft on their horses. As Smith's plane was loaded up with flammables and explosives this behaviour apparently made him a bit nervous.
