War in the Air

The First World War introduced a new form of battleground: to ground and sea warfare could now be added aerial conflict. Nascent aircraft technology was quickly and relentlessly developed to produce machines capable of serving each country initially in reconnaissance missions (ideal in conditions of trench warfare) and later in fighter and bombing raids.

During WW1, planes were armed with machine guns and werenít very accurate or effective, but everybody used them. Towards the end of the war they built bomber planes that could hold two to three bombs each. So, to have any effect they had to build a lot of these types of planes. There were about 70 different types of planes used during the war. Some of these are the Aviatik D.l, 5 different types of Junkers, Fokker E.L, Martinsyde G.100, and the Curtiss. Fighter Planes

Later in the war zeppelins were used by Germany to do most of the attacking. The Germans would have huge fleets and at night they would attack London with them. But zeppelins werenít always used for attacking. They were used for transpiration too. After world WW1 there was a famous zeppelin called the Hindenburg. The Hindenburg was a huge zeppelin that carried several hundred people but unfortunately it exploded and crashed. There were very few survivors. This resulted in the end of these large airships being used for passenger service. There was also one type of trainer plane that the US invented and let it’s allies use it. It was called the Curtiss JN-4. Air Ships

As the stalemate developed on the ground, with both sides unable to advance even a few hundred yards without a major battle and thousands of casualties, aircraft became greatly valued for their role gathering intelligence on enemy positions and bombing the enemy's supplies behind the trench lines. Large aircraft with a pilot and an observer were used to scout enemy positions and bomb their supply bases. Because they were large and slow, these aircraft made easy targets for enemy fighter aircraft. As a result, both sides used fighter aircraft to both attack the enemy's two-seat aircraft and protect their own while carrying out their missions. Bombing & Reconnaissance While the two-seat bombers and reconnaissance aircraft were slow and vulnerable, they were not defenseless. Two-seaters had the advantage of both forward- and rearward-firing guns. Typically, the pilot controlled fixed guns behind the propeller, similar to guns in a fighter aircraft, while the observer controlled one with which he could cover the arc behind the aircraft. A tactic used by enemy fighter aircraft to avoid fire from the rear gunner was to attack from slightly below the rear of two-seaters, as the tail gunner was unable to fire below the aircraft. However, two-seaters could counter this tactic by going into a dive at high speeds, aided by their heavy weight. Pursuing a diving two-seater was hazardous for a fighter pilot, as it would place the fighter directly in the rear gunner's line of fire; several high scoring aces of the war were shot down by "lowly" two-seaters, including Raoul Lufbery and Robert Little.

Dog Fights "Dogfight" means an aerial battle between two or more planes. Dogfights were a big part of World War 1. Since the war broke out soon after planes were invented, there had not been time to create guns that could be built to the body of the plane. Early planes had guns connected to the top wing. Also, they had two seats. There was a pilot in the front and a gunner in the back. The pilot had to listen to the gunner while dodging enemy fire, making early dogfights difficult. A British pilot, Louis Strange, developed a safety strap to allow the gunner to stand and be able to fire all around the top of the plane. With Rolland Garros' deflector plates added to planes, machine guns could be used, and a single seat fighter was possible. Once Anthony Fokker developed his synchronized gear, true fighter planes and dogfights were created. With so many new developments for fighter planes, tactics were changed. Originally fighters had the 'lone wolf' tactic, now they traveled in groups. When attacking, most pilots dove towards the target from the sun. This reduced the time the pilot being attacked had to react and avoid being hit. Later pilots placed mirrors in line with their gun, so rays were reflected into the eyes of pilots using this tactic against them. Many pilots also used clouds for cover when attacking

Flying Aces Godwin Brumowski (26 July 1889 – 3 June 1936) was the most successful fighter ace of the Austro-Hungarian Air Force during World War I. He was officially credited with 35 air victories, (including 12 shared with other pilots) with 8 others unconfirmed because they fell behind Allied lines. Brumowski rose to command of all his country’s fighter aviation fighting Italy on the Isonzo front. Major Edward Mannock (May 24, 1887 – July 26, 1918) was the most successful fighter ace of the British Air Force during World War I. He was credited with 73 victories which earned him the Victoria Cross. Mannock has been the highest-scoring British Empire ace of all time and is regarded as one of the greatest fighter pilots of the war. Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of that war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories, more than any other pilot