<p>Contracts were placed in September and October 1917. The Curtiss Aeroplane Co. was signed to build 3,000 S.P.A.D. fighters, 500 Caproni bombers, and 1,000 Bristol F.2Bs. The Dayton-Wright Airplane Co. was to produce 2,000 de Havilland D.H.9 day bombers, and the Fisher Body Co. was to build 3,000 more.
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<p>The industry had nine months to meet those goals. It would have been impossible under the best of conditions, but the production program produced some of the worst. The Italians wanted to redesign their bomber in the US. The British wouldn't send a sample Handley Page until long after it was in full production. The French claimed they could produce all the fighters needed, so American plans for fighter production were cancelled.
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<p>There were conflicting reports from Europe, command changes, and organization of the Air Service with two branches, one responsible for training and operations, and the other for production. They were independent agencies, and without a single commander initially.
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<p>The final result was nothing to brag about. Only one type of airplane—the US-built DH-4 day bomber and reconnaissance aircraft—was delivered to Europe in any quantity. Although 1,100 per month were being built by the time of the Armistice, only 1,213 were shipped to France and the combat zone. Of those,499 were sent to front-line squadrons, and 417 of those were actually used in combat operations.
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<p>It was, incidentally, loved by the observation squadron and hated by the day bomber units. Loaded with bombs, its performance was mediocre; with 500 lb (227-kg) of bombs it took one hour to climb to 10,000 ft (3,048 m) and its top speed was under 100 mph (161 km/h). Without those bombs, it was not a bad performer. Even so, the observation units preferred the French Salmson 2A.2. America did build a total of 11,760 airplanes during its war years, and the bulk of them were Curtiss JN-4 trainers. At the Armistice, the annual production rate was 23,000 aircraft of all types. For comparison, the British rate in July 1918 was 41,000 per year and 31,000 for the French.
