Figure 1.--The Germans used Zeppelins for bombing raids on Britain. They had little military impact and after the British began shooting them down, the Germans concluded that the craft were of no military value. The raids had, however, a substanbtial impact on the British public and was one reason that the British after the War built a sophisticated air defense system. This French postcard is undated, but was probably sent about 1915. The caption has the little boy saying to his mother, "Maman il est sale ballon Boche ... y pète." That translates as, "Mommy it is the dirty German (Boche is the pejorative French word for German) balloon ... it farts." (Notice the black smoke and fumes coming out of the Zephlin.) A French reader provides a better translation, "Mommy, how dirty is this bursting Boche balloon... he is really farting!" The French sentence is suitably childish as if the boy is talking. A French reader tells us, "Today, we never will use such a quote written like this. For example "Y" will be written "il" (it). Publisher/series: Gloria., no.180. Click on the image to see a discussion of translation and the address and short message on the back.

Military airplanes when the war began were primative, unarmed craft. Many military experts dismissed them as a weapon of war. At the time, the principle recognizance tool was the cavalry. Machine guns soon put an end to cavlary and commanders began turning to airplanes. The major role of the air arm became recognisance. It was a French pilot who spotted the deformation in the German lines that resulted in the Miracle on the Marne (1914). Recognisance and artillery spotting became the major role of the air arm during the war. Stunning technical advances occurred throughout the War as air superiority sung back and forth between the Germans and Allies. The Allies could outbuild the Germans, but the Germans came up with important advances that at time gave them air superority over the trenches. Flying was one of the most dangerous activities in the War. A new pilot arriving at the front had on average only a few weeks to live. The Germans attempted to use Zepplins as bombers, but they proved easy targets for fighters. Fixed-wing bombers were not employed to any extent because they were still being developed. Both sides were, however, preparing bombing operations had the War lasted into 1919.

Early Aviation

The first heavier than air flight was conducted by the Wright brothers in America (1903). People in Europe and America were fascinated. We note many postcards with children in mock-up aircraft. We note Other individuals were working on flight at the time. The Wrights managed to figure out how to conttrol a plane in flight. This put them several years ahead of other designers. The American military gabe little attention to aviation. Thus when American entered World War I (1917), American aviators had to use French planes. Early planes were dangerous because they lacked the flight controls the Wrights developed. Individuals in all the major European countries were working on aviation. One of the most active countries was France. Some of the designs which followed the Wright brothers were rather fancifal. France emerged as a leader in the aviation industry. It had active designers and was the first country where independent companies were formed to building aircraft. Gabriel Voisin and Ernest Archdeacon's organized the Syndicat d'Aviation (1905). Voison's early planes were not very successful and could not compete with the Wright flyers. Gradually Voison and other designers improved their designs. Voison built planes during the War not only for France, but also Belgium, Britain and Russia. Henri Farman also established an aircraft plant begining with a Voison plane. His plant negan production (1909). He perfected controls and added a50-horsepower Gnôme rotary engine. His plane would be the most widely used aircraft in the years before World War I. Farman partnered with his brother Maurice creating the Société Henri et Maurice Farman. The Farnham plant was the largest aircraft plantvin the world and as a result, their planes were the most widely used during the war. They produced both reconnaissance planes and bombers. Louis Breguet began with “gyroplanes” (1907), but soon turned to fixed-wing aurcraft. The Breguet Bre. 14 was rolled out during the War (1917). Aviation expers judge it the best French design of the War. Edouard de Niéupor founded the Société Anonyme des Establissements Nieuport (1910). It was another important French aircraft company. A Nieuport plane was one of three planes chosen by the French Air Forces (1911). The plane was the first aircraft fitted with a permanently installed machine gun (1912). Nieuport 11s and 17s were extensively used used in the War by both the French and the American Expeditionary Forces. They were also used by Belgium, Britain, Italy, and Russia. Anthony Fokker in the Netherlands built and flew his first plane (1910). The Germans who were behind the French turned to Fokker to help them catch up. The British War Office established a research establishment at Farnborough. The resulting state monopoly had disastrous consequences for aircraft development in Britain. The result was that the Royal Flying Corps began the War with inferior aircraft which led to the Fokker Scourge (1915).

Military Aircraft

Military airplanes when the war began were primative, unarmed craft. Many military experts dismissed them as a weapon of war. They soon became critical for both recognisance and artillery spotting. Innovations came at a rapid pace expanding the utility of the airplane. Both sides made important advances. As a result, there were sharp swings in the ballance of the air war. Because relatively simple steps could make a major difference the balance swing rapidly back and forth. Planes were short down over the trenches of both sides of non-man's land. Neither side was able to keep secret the advances that they made. As a result, any advance by one side wa quickly detected and adopted by the other side.

Usage

At the time, the principle recognizance tool was the cavalry. Machine guns soon put an end to cavlary and commanders began turning to airplanes. The major role of the air arm quickly became recognisance. Recognisance soon became combined with and artillery spotting became the major role of the air arm during the war. Artillery was the most powerful weapon of World War I. But effectively using artillery requirred spotters. Sucessful usage of artillery required spotting so the shells could be acurately aimed at the target. The best spotting platform were baloons because two-way telephone lines could be strug to the baloons. Thus a primary assignment of figters became to shoot down the opponents artillery spotting baloons. This was called baloon busting.[Keegan, p. 359.] ork was being done on radios for the planes, but the technology was not very successful. They did send morse code messages. Fighters were needed to attack the enemy recognisance aircraft and to protect youur own. The air war over the trenches orimarily revolved around this dybamic.

Conduct of the Air War

The impact of the air plane was felt very early in the War. A French pilot who spotted the deformation in the German lines that resulted in the Miracle on the Marne (1914). The early planes were not armed. Pilots began taking pistols and shot guns to take pot shots at each other. The initial problem was how to fire forward so the pilot could aim is plane and not the gun. The problem here of course was the propeller. A Frenchman created the first effective if primitive sollution by armoring the propeller blades. The Germans solved he problem first by inventing the interuptor device. This was fitted on a Dutch-built Foker plane the Eindeker. The result was the Foker Surge in which large numbers of British and Fremnch planes were shot down (1915). It was the Germans who also created the first tactical doctrine of aerial warfare. The author was Oswald Vilkie, a German air ace. He advises attacking from the sun leading to the British phrase, "Beware of the Hun in the sun." He advised fighter pilots to attack only when they had an advantage and to rush in, get in c;ose, fire, and get out. The air war evolved into mass fighter engagements in which fighters in dog fifhts attempted to control the skies. A low pont for the Allies came in 1n 1917 with Bloody April. The Germans introduced the highly effective Albatross plane. It was built with plywood and the regidity of the fusulage reduced the need for bracing, making it the most aerodynamic plane in the conflict. The inline engines gabe it extra power which allowed the Germans to mount two machine guns, doubling the fire power. The Royal Air Corops (RAC) lost 189 planes in April. The Allies had much great industrial resources and thus could outproduce the Germans, gradually leading go Allied air dominance over the trenches in 1918.

Air Aces

Each side had their own air aces. Verner Voss was an importanr German ace and wrote a manual on dog fighting. He was credited with 48 kills. The leading ace of the war was the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, who led the Flying Circus. Herman Göring flew in the Flying Circus. The Germans had the largest kill counts in large part because of their innivative aircraft, especially Fokker Triplane. The British Royal Flying Corps by 1917 began receiving high performamce air craft like the Sopwith and the Bristol Fighter which turned the tide of the airwar.

Advances

Stunning technical advances occurred throughout the War as air superiority sung back and forth between the Germans and Allies.

Country Forces

All the beligerant powers fielded air forces of some kind or another. The three most important countries involved in the air war were Britain, France and Germany who were involved in intense air combat over the trenches of the Western Front. All three countries began the war with planes of limited capability which were not even equipped for air combat. And all three ade enormous advances in aircraft design during the War.

Britain

The first British air units were formed eight years after the 1903 Wright Brothers' flight took place in America (1911). The Royal Engineers formed an air battalion made up of one balloon and one airplane company (1911). The Admiralty also formed the first naval flying school, at the Royal Aero Club ground at Eastchurch, Kent a few months later (1911). The British decided to set up a combined Royal Flying Corps (RFC) with naval and army wings and a Central Flying School at Upavon (1912). The specialized training needed for naval aviation soon became apparent. Separate organization were estanlish just before World War I broke out. The the naval wing of the RFC became the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), the military wing retaining the title Royal Flying Corps (1914). The RFC at the outbreak of hostilities had 179 aircraft although obly a small number were actially seviceable. They dispatched four squadrons to France with the BEF. Britain sought to significantl expand The RRC. At first they had to but engines from French manifactuers. The Sopwith Camel was one of the best known British fighters during the War. Near the end of the War, the British decided to reform a combined army-navy air service. They combined the RNAS and RFC were into the Royal Air Force (RAF) (1918). The RAF was constituted as a separate service with its own ministry under a secretary of state for air. The strength of the RAF at the end of the War was almost 291,000 officers and airmen (November 1918). It had organized 200 operational squadrons and about the same number of training squadrons having a combined total of 22,647 aircraft. After the War the RAF set up a cadet college at Cranwell, Lincolnshire to train nofficers (1920). The RAF staff college was opened at Andover, Hampshire (1922).

France

The French in their military aviation exercises (1911, 1912, and 1913) worked out techniques of using aircraft to supplement cavalry in reconnaissance) and artillery (spotting). It was the French aircraft that supplied most of the airfraft used by the Allies at the onset of the War. Very quickly it became obvious that that cavalry could no longer provide the reconnaissance meeded by commabders. Although reconissance methods were primitive, the value of aerial rconisance was quickly realized. Although the small size of the air units and primitive air craft were ubablr to supply the level of air reconnissance demanded. French pilots did supply valuable information that led to the Battle of the Marne which stopped the German advance short of Paris. The French air arm was not like the French Army itself devestated and was throughout the War capable of offendive operations.

Germany

Germany gave considerable emphasis to Zeppelins before the War. Thus the Germans did not give as much attention to fixed wing aircraft as either the British and French. The Germans had 230 aircraft at the onset of the War, but only about 180 were of any real use (1914). The Germans were slower than the Allies in schronizing firing through propellers. The Germans began deployikng the Fokker E.I. (August 1915). It had a "synchronization gear" (commonly called an "interrupter gear") which enabled the pilot to fire his machine gun through the propeller without hiting the blades. This gave the Germans an important advantage over other Allied aircraft. The Fokker E.I and successors, the Eindecker ("Monoplane"). This allowed the Germans to join battle on the Western Front with some success. The Germans were this able to achieved air superiority (Late-1915). This curtailed Allied aerial reconnaissance flights. The first German acesbegan to pileup notable kills. The first German ace was Max Immelmann.

United States

The first heavier than air flight was conducted by the Wright brothers in at Kitty Hawk, North Carolinaa (1903). The Wrights were Ohio bicycle mechanics without formal engineering training. The Wrights after their success, dismatled their flyer and kept their design a scret. This did preent Europeans from copying their desisn. It also impaired their efforts to sell their flyers. Europeans who were working on aviation were shocked that two American bicycle mechanics had achieved the first flight. The Wrights managed to figure out how to conttrol a plane in flight. This put them several years ahead of other designers. The American military gave little attention to aviation. Europeans were involved in an arms race. Thus the Wrights turned to Europe to sell their planes. Military spending in Europe meant that after the Wrights, most early aviation advances occurred in Europe. Thus when American entered World War I the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy air components were hopelessly outdated (1917). American pilots had to use British and French aircraft. American aces are well known, including Eddie Rickenbacker, Raoul Lufbery, Quentin Roosevelt, Frank Luke, Joe Werner, Carl Spaatz, Everett Cook, Billy Mitchell and others. The United States Air Service deployed 45 fighter, bomber and observation squadrons. They participated in seven campaigns and shot down 781 enemy planes and 73 balloons. They dropped 140 tons of bombs in 150 bombing runs. They lost 289 planes and 48 balloons and 237 men. The War ended before America could begin to mass produce aircraft.

Other countries

The Russians had made some strides in aviation, but did not have the industrial capacity to produce aircraft in quantity.

Aircraft Industries

The Allies could outbuild the Germans, but the Germans came up with important advances that at time gave them air superority over the trenches.

Danger

Flying was one of the most dangerous activities in the War. A new pilot arriving at the front had on average only a few weeks to live.

German Frustrations

It was the Germans that took the first steps toward strategic bombing in World war I. The Germans were frustrated by the effectiveness of the Royal Navy maritime blockade which had a significnt impact on Germany, especially as the War dragged on. The Navy in particular wanted to strike back, but the strength of the Home Fleet made that very dangerous. It was Rear Admiral Paul Behncke, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, promoted the use of the Navy's Zeppelins to bomb London. Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, was oppsed to limited scale attacks, but thought the idea of setting Lodn ablaze might win the War. After the failure of the Zeppelin raids, heavy bombers were sent against London. Again there was only limited damage done. The principal impact was the reation of the Royal Air Force.
Zeppelins

The Germans attempted to use Zephlins as bombers, but they proved easy targets for fighters and artillery. Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917) was born in Konstanz, Baden (1838). His name became virtually synonamous in Europe with rigid, lighter than air craft or dirigibles. (The non-rigid craft are known as vlimps. He was an officer in the Prussian Army who fought in the Austro Prussian War (1866) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). He also was a military observer with the Union Army during the American Civil War (1863). It was during the Civil war that he first worked with baloons. He developed working derigibles in the early 20th century and convinced the German military that they had potential military applications. Zeppelin's LZ-3 was commissioned by the Germany Army as the Zeppelin Luftschiff 1 (1909). The Germans deployed 115 Zeppelins during World war I. They were used for reconnaissance and bombing. Some even raided Britain. They proved to be vulnerabile to attack and unsafe in rough weather. The Germans essentially discontinued the use of Zeppelins for active combat during the Verdun campaign (1916). By that time the Allies were deploying high performance aircraft that were easily shooting the Zepplins down. The Germans introduced models that could reach higher altitudes, but this reduced their ability to hit targets. The mounting losses of Zepplins and the superior performance of fixedwing aircraft caused the Germans to withdraw the Zepplins from active service (1917). Count von Zepplin also died (1917).

Strategic Bombing

Fixed-wing bombers were not employed to any extent because they were still being developed. There were some limited bombing operations in 1918. Both sides were, however, preparing bombing operations had the War lasted into 1919. The bombing that did take place did prove emensensly significant, ironically in World War II not World War I. When the War began neigher the Alklies or Germans had bombers. Once country had worked on a bomber. Igor Skikorsky created the Ilya Muromets (Sikorsky S-22) at the Russo-Baltic Carriage Factory (RBVZ) in Riga (1913). Russia at the time did not have the industrial capacity to manufacture planes in the numbers needed to make them an important factor in the War. The plane impressed the Germans who created the Gota bomber, influenced by Skikorsky's work. The German raided London with their Gotha bombers (June 13, 1917). Ther were 162 Londoners killed. The British were shocked. This and other raids succeeded in hitting cities, but not important targets. They were essentially nusince raids, forcing the Btotish to divert resources and take counter measures. The Germans did not have the technology or the industrial capacity to launch an effective strategic bombing casmpaign. The Allies did and had the war continued into 1919, German cities would have been heavily bombed. The German Gota bombers abs Zephelin attacks made a significant impression. And after the War the British took several important steps. One was to create the Royal Air Force (RAF), the world's first indeoendent air force. As a result the British began to prepare for aerial war and trained professionals to assess stratehies and tactics. The most significant outcome of this was preparations to defend Britain from another aerial assault. The RAF was underfunded and unprepared for World War II, but they did create a defensive system including the Chain Home radar system which was just enough to defeat the vaunted Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain (1940).

Sources

Keegan, John. The First World War (Knopf: New York, 1999), 475p.

Created: 3:45 AM 1/10/2006
Last updated: 2:31 AM 11/13/2009