Advent of the Air Age: World War I 1

Overview How the airplane was employed during WWI Condition of air service at the beginning of WWI Beginnings of strategic bombing Early airpower theorists

World War I -- Missions Reconnaissance -- Collecting visual and photographic information Counterair -- Air-to-air combat Close Air Support -- Support of ground forces Interdiction -- Striking enemy resources close to the battlefield Strategic Bombing -- Strikes deep into enemy territory to destroy war making capabilities 2

WW I -- Early Uses of Airpower Reconnaissance and artillery spotting Took away the element of surprise Hampered by weather / unserviceable aircraft Pursuit aviation (Air superiority) Grew out of attempts to deny reconnaissance 1st air-to-air kill occurred in Oct. 1914 Developed rapidly in WW I Key to winning the air war 3

WW I Technological Developments Roland Garros (French) -- Developed metal strips for propellers so machine bullets would not shatter the props Anthony Fokker (Dutch) -- Designed synchronizing gear so bullets would pass through the spinning propeller blades 4

WW I Technological Developments Nieuports and Spads (French and British) -- most reliable and flexible aircraft in 1916 Fokker Triplane -- German aircraft that put the Germans back on top in 1917 5

American Participation in WW I When US entered the war in in April 1917, the US Air Service was totally unprepared Aviation Section had 56 pilots and less than 250 airplanes -- none ready for combat Congress approved $640 million in July 1917 to raise 354 combat squadrons At the end of WW I, Air Service had 200,000 personnel and 185 squadrons 6

Strategic Bombing in WW I Limited in scope and intensity Had a negligible outcome on the war Laid the foundation for future thought 7

Bombing of Britain Germans conducted daylight bombing raids against Britain using Zeppelins - 1915-16 Stopped because of poor results Germans reinitiated daylight raids using Gotha bombers in 1917 -- ineffective Germans begin night bombing using Zeppelins and Reisen bombers - 1917-18 -- primarily terror raids Strengthened British morale, destroyed little war making capacity 8

Allied Bombing of Germany Began in 1914 -- generally ineffective British bombed German cities and airfields in retaliation for German strikes - 1917 Allies created the Inter-Allied Independent Air Force (IAIAF) in 1919 for the purpose of bombing Germany War ended before IAIAF was used 9

Strategic Bombing Theorists Sir Hugh Trenchard Guilio Douhet Billy Mitchell

Strategic Bombing Theorists: Sir Hugh Trenchard Commander of Royal Air Force Primary target should be civilian morale Believed allies should attack German homeland Attack around the clock

Strategic Bombing Theorists: Guilio Douhet General in the Italian Army Believed airpower was supreme after WW I Believed bombers would win all wars Air weapon would be used against ports, railroads and economic structures Best way to gain air superiority was to destroy the enemy’s ground organization 10

Strategic Bombing Theorists: Guilio Douhet (cont) Once air superiority was achieved, bombers would concentrate on cities to destroy industry and morale Influenced by Italian geography where there was little threat of a ground invasion His doctrine led to total war concept -- war on the nation as a whole, not just military forces 11

Strategic Bombing Theorists: General Billy Mitchell Commanded Army combat units in WW I Believed Navies were obsolete Believed enemy cities should be attacked to destroy war production and morale Advocated destruction of the enemy’s ability to make war -- factories, food production, communications, fuel supply 12

Strategic Bombing Theorists: General Billy Mitchell (cont) Felt airpower could be used against ground forces -- bombers should not be the only type of aircraft Saw airpower in global terms Overestimated the speed of technological development Passionate advocate of airpower -- made many powerful enemies within military 13

Summary How the airplane was employed during WWI Condition of air service at the beginning of WWI Beginnings of strategic bombing Early airpower theorists