03/31/2009. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "The prototype of the D.H.2 pictured shortly after construction, it was flown for the first time on June 1, 1915, and after flight trials were successfully completed in July, an order was placed for 452 aircraft.

On July 26, the aircraft was assigned to No. 5 Squadron in France for operational trials. However, the trials period was brief as on August 9, the aircraft went missing, subsequently the Germans reported the pilot, Captain R. Maxwell-Pike, had died. Most likely the aircraft fell victim to the unreliability of the 100 hp Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine, and overturned on landing behind the German lines, fatally injuring the pilot.

The first production aircraft went into operational service with No. 24 Squadron on January 10, 1916, and that unit became the first single-seat fighter squadron to enter the hostilities the following month from St. Omer, France.

Eventually 400 aircraft were produced, most of them powered by the Monosoupape engine, while the 110 hp Le Rhône was used as well. The type remained in operational service in France till March 1917, whereafter it served in Palestine till the end of 1917. Its last duties were training in the UK before final retirement in 1918."