Aerial Warfare Flashcards
Before WW1, how was aircraft used in warfare?
- Balloons for aerial reconnaissance from 1780s
- Aeroplane (pioneered by Wright brothers)
- Dropping live bombs
When was the army’s Royal Flying Corps founded and the Royal Naval Air Service founded?
- RFC: April 1912, Army Balloon Factory also renamed as Royal Aircraft factory
- RNAS: July 1914
What were pre-war attitudes to aircraft in war like and give 5 reasons for this:
- Seen as scouts for reconnaissance but never for offensive operations
Because aircraft was: - Slow
- Flimsy (made of lightweight wood and fabric)
- Unreliable/often crashed
- Unable to fly in bad weather
Compare the number of aeroplanes between 1914 and 1918:
Just over 100 military aeroplanes to more than 22,000
What various roles was aircraft used for by the end of the war? (7)
- Reconnaissance to locate enemy
- Air photography
- Artillery spotting
- Ground support planes for low-level battlefield attacks
- Tactical bombing to isolate a battlefield by striking transport and reinforcements
- Strategic bombing to attack enemy homeland
- Air to air combat
Artillery spotting:
Identifying targets for artillery guns out of sight and reporting on accuracy of guns’ fire
Which 2 planes were used for city bombing?
- Zeppelin airships
- Gotha bombing planes
Why did Britain begin bombing raids?
Germany was bombing their cities, which meant that civilians were being harmed
Strategic bombing:
Long-range bombing from the air of enemy industry, communications and civilians to weaken the enemy’s war effort
What were anti-aircraft defenders (AA) used for?
Detecting and combating enemy aircraft using balloons, fighter planes and guns on ground
Traditionally what was used for reconnaissance?
- Scouts
- Spies
- Fast ships for navy to shadow enemy fleet
3 key aspects of gaining intelligence:
- Reconnaissance –> surveying territory
- Observation –> accurate recording
- Communication –> Relaying info back
When were airships invented and give the name of one:
- 1850s
- Zeppelin
How were balloons constructed and how far could they see?
- Tethered by a very long cable to ground
- Winch crew ready to reel balloon down if enemy threatened
- Hydrogen/coal gas inside
- As high as 4000 ft and up to 15 miles
Why were balloons not that easy to shoot down?
- Bullets could not pass through the fabric without igniting the gas
- Incendiary ammunition was required which only developed later
Who flew the first reconnaissance missing, when was it and how did it go?
- Mapplebeck and de la Ferté
- 19 Aug 1914
- Captain Mapplebeck got lost and had to land near Cambrai to ask for directions
What was the issue with aerial observation and why?
- Frequent errors
- Pilots could not accurately identify soldiers and trenches below them
At first what was communication like and what was developed to aid this?
- Used hand signals
- Used messages dropped from air
- Radio communication
- Reporting in person
- Dec 1914 –> No. 9 Squadron formed to develop radio communication
By 1915, what did each British Expeditionary Force have that helped with radio communication?
A RFC reconnaissance squadron w/ 3 flights, one of which had wireless (radiotelegraphy using Morse code)
What initial problems were there with radio communication? (2)
- Very heavy
- Engine was so loud that radio signals could only be transmitted not received by fliers
How did people responsible for artillery spotting communicate their findings with others?
- Pilots dropped maps/messages in containers on ground
- Artillery laid out white cloth strips to indicate that guns had fired and in which direction
What was the ‘zone call’ system? (2)
- Pilot sent target info by radio in Morse to RFC signallers on ground and assigned to artillery batteries
- Relied on maps w/ numbered zones, each battery firing into designated map zone
By May 1916, how many British aircraft and ground stations were using wireless?
- 300 British aircraft
- 550 ground stations
Why was air photography helpful and how did its usefulness vary from balloons to aeroplanes?
- Photos from above enabled army commanders to see whole battlefield and create ‘mosaic maps’
- Easier from balloons because they are stationary but covered ground more quickly in aeroplanes
Initially where were cameras mounted on an aircraft and how did this change with later aircraft?
- Mounted outside rear cockpit
- Pointed down through hole in floor
How did the inside of the camera change over time?
- Metal/glass plates
- Magazine-loading
- By 1918, automatic film-loaded
By mid 1915 had detailed how many scale maps derived from air reconnaissance?
1:10,000
How many aerial photos were taken by RFC during the battle of Somme?
19,000
Initially, what was a problem for air photographers and how was this solved?
- 1917 –> Germans would step up fighter attacks when they saw the planes
- By 1918 –> Planes were taking air photos from 15,000 ft, which was too high for most anti-aircraft fire
When did the British army set up a camouflage section, what was it called, why was it used and what techniques were used?
- 1916
- Special Works Park (Royal Engineers)
- Fakery used to fool snipers and aircraft eg dummy trenches, painting buildings
By 1915, aircraft had largely taken over the reconnaissance role but the number of scout planes were small. How was they protected?
Providing fighter escort, where fighters would take an offensive role to contest air space
Give one example of a specialist combat unit that was formed:
The German ‘Jastas’
How many squadrons were in the RFC and the British Expeditionary Force when war broke out?
- RFC: 5
- BEF: 4
What was the initial role of the RNAS and how did this change after 1913?
- Look after home defence (later taken over by RFC)
1913 onwards: - Coastal patrols
- Scouting for navy
- Attacking German airship bases
What was the role of the RFC? (2)
- Support army’s ground offensives
- Adopted wider range of activities eg air bombing
Who was the commander of the RFC and what were the 3 terms of his policy?
- Hugh Trenchard
1. Attack whenever possible
2. Co-operate w/ army through reconnaissance and low-level bombing
3. Maintain British morale and weaken Germans’ morale
What was the psychological impact of air power on ground troops? (2)
- The enemy’s troops made them feel frightened
- Their own planes boosted their morale
What did Trenchard want from the government, who supported him on this (who was he) and why?
- Better planes and better trained pilots
- Army commander Haig
- Because he saw the value of aircraft in sustaining his ‘continuous offensive’ (ending trench stalemate)
What were the effects of getting better planes and better trained pilots? (2)
- Both Haig and Trenchard were criticised for a policy wasteful of material as in spring 1917, RFC lost more than 700 planes
- However by 1918, air superiority had been achieved
What had PM Asquith done as early as Feb 1916 but what problems did this bring?
- Set up a committee headed by Lord Derby to report on reorganising the air forces
- Army-navy rivalry
As a result of the failure of the committee, what was set up and what did they agree to do?
- Air Board
- Agreed to streamline the research, production and operation of aircraft
When was the Air Board replaced, by what and what were the 2 leaders during the period of the war?
- Jan 1918 –> Air Ministry
- Lord Rothmere (resigned)
- Sir William Weir
Initially reconnaissance pilots had no air-to-air weapons other than…? (3)
- Pistols
- Rifles
- Flechettes
Which 2 guns were fitted to British planes?
- Lewis gun
- Vickers gun (both machine guns)
Where were machine guns mounted on biplanes, how was it aimed and why does this work on a biplane?
- On upper wing/second cockpit
- Aimed by pilot
- Has propeller at back, which means there is no risk of bullets hitting it
How did planes vary according to the number of men in it?
The more the men (up to 2), the slower the plane but less need for easily aimed forward firing gun
In April 2015, how was the issue of bullets hitting the propeller solved?
Interrupter gear was produced, which allows a pilot to shoot through the arc of his propeller
Why did the air war turn to Germany’s favour in July 1915 and how was this solved?
- German Fokker Eindecker monoplane was better because of its interrupter gear
- Resolved by the creation of Vickers-Challenger synchronised-firing gear
Give 3 features of Vickers-Challenger synchronised-firing gear:
- Can hit enemy plane up to 800yds
- Fires 600 bullets per min
- Reload after 250 rounds
Despite the brilliance of interrupter gear, why did still some shoot their propellers?
Due to wear on the mechanical gearing
By 1918, which interrupter gear did most British planes use and why?
- Constantinesco oil-hydraulic interrupter gear
- Improved system less prone to wear
What was most WW1 aircraft made of and which flights predominated: single-seat fighters or two-man crews?
- Wood and fabric
- Single seat fighters
Give two examples of some of the best British fighter planes:
- The Camel –> top speed of 120 mph
- SE5 –> good at angling Lewis gun to shoot enemy’s underside
Give one example of a new air-fighting technique that was developed:
Attacking out of the sun to dazzle opponent
What type of flying did British aircraft develop, what were the 3 categories and how did they communicate?
- Formation flying
- Line abreast, line astern (each at slightly diff heights), echelon (each slightly to side of one ahead)
- Hand signal communication
How were air combats portrayed?
Dogfights with popular appeal
Give examples of AA defences that were adapted to counter enemy defences: (3)
- Field artillery guns
- Flak
- Incendiary bullets
- Machine gun
- Rifle
Flak:
Air-bursting shells w/ height set fuses
Against which aircraft was machine gun and rifle fire especially deadly?
Low-flying aircraft
In order to avoid AA fire ,at the end of 1917, what did bombers do but what further issue did this create?
- Raiding at night
- Rarely found targets accurately
Which two AA defences were added following the start of night raids?
- Searchlights
- Sound detection equipment
How did the British change bombing planes to counter enemy AA defences?
Made them larger w/ 2 or more engines
Initially what problems were there with bomb-raiding and how did this change?
- Failure to find targets
- Relied solely on eyesight
- Several planes crashing
- Mid 1915 –> Bombsight developed at Central Flying School (despite this accuracy was still bad)
- 1916 –> Wimperis Drift Sight
Bombsight:
Bombing aid enabling aircrew to locate target and drop bombs with greater accuracy
How did the nature of air combat change in 1917 and why?
- Mass aerial battles were more common than traditional one-on-one
- Germans began forming larger air units like Jagdgeschwader 1 (4 squadrons)
In Feb 1917, what did Haig warn the government about? Despite this issue, what did he do, why and what were the consequences?
- May lose air superiority by April due to inferior numbers and performance
- Continued the aggressive approach of air combat
- Determined to use it to support continuous offensives
- High casualties (over 30% pilots died)
To counter the losses from air combat in 1917, what had to be done and give stats to show final comparisons?
- Increased aircraft production and pilot training
- By Nov 1918, Britain had 3300 frontline aircraft and 2600 Germans (US, FRA and GBR superiority in total was 2:1)
Give one example of the successes of aircraft in battle:
1917 –> at Passchendaele, more than 300 British aircraft attacked German aircraft
What was the tactical thinking behind air attacks?
- Key sectors of battlefield could be isolated by destroyed roads, railways etc
- Prevents enemy receiving reinforcements
What other purpose was aircraft being used for by 1918?
Carry supplies
Compare the casualty rate between infantry soldiers and aircrew and explain why so many died in the air:
- Same rate: 1 in 4 killed
- German pilots were often in faster, high-flying aircraft
- Prevailing westerly winds that favoured GER
What type of war can the air war be described as?
War of attrition
Until the middle of 1918 what were air forces and technology like among the Western front?
Evenly matched
Following the attacks on Britain by German Zeppelin airships, what did Britain want to do and why was this not achievable at first?
- Bomb Germany
- RFC and RNAS lacked adequate technology (no Zeppelins and no heavy bombing planes)
How did the strategy of bombing Germany become doable and how did Haig feel about this?
- Air Board was confident of a production surplus to provide new aircraft for this
- Insisted ‘terrorising the civil pop’ was no way to win war
Following the decision to use strategic bombing, what force was created, when and by who?
Air Ministry created Independent Air Force (new bombing force)
How many raids were roughly made between June 1918 and the end of the war?
Around 250 raids
What conclusion was made when assessing the impact of air raids post-war?
Little real damage, as even though they had disrupted German industrial production, civilian morale was not seriously damaged
When was the RAF formed and how?
- 1 Apr 1918
- RFC and RNAS merged
By Nov 1918, how many aircraft were there in RAF, how did this change post-war and why?
- 23,000
- Rapidly reduced in size as disarmament was the theme after 1918
How big was the Zeppelin?
Largest of all time - Over 500 ft long
What were Zeppelins initially planned to be used for and why did this change?
- Reconnaissance
- 1915 –> Kaiser authorised bombing raids
How many Zeppelin raids were there in Britain?
51
What was the most significant effect of the Zeppelin raids?
Considerable psychological effects as British civilians were not used to war on their doorsteps
What were the newspapers’ take on the Zeppelin raids?
Dismissive of raids, minimising damage as ‘not very serious’ and that the raids were not very successful
From Dec 1915, how many squadrons were deployed against German raiders and how successful were these?
- 11
- Partially successful because Zeppelins were targets for guns/bombs when within range, but also the squadrons themselves could not fly very high
What new technology improved the accuracy of pilots’ shooting?
Tracer bullets
What initial doubts did the government have about air raid warnings?
Feared causing panic or crowds flocking to see the Zeppelins overhead
What civil defence measures were taken against the raids? (4)
- Air raid warnings
- Restrictions on lighting in shops/trams
- Semi-blackout at night
- Gas and electricity cut off
From 1917, what planes were used by Germany for a more serious air offensive and compare this to the Zeppelin?
- Gotha heavy bomber
- Smaller but harder to intercept and flew in greater numbers
When was London’s worst raid of the war, what planes were used and how many were killed?
- 13 Jun 1917
- Gotha bombers
- 162
What measures were taken in 1917 to reassure public opinion? (2)
- Appointment of an air defence chief
- London Air Defence Area (LADA) w/ 3 extra air squadrons and careful positioning of AA guns
- Improved air raid warning system
What was the new and improved air raid warning system?
- Police would go around w/ ‘take cover’ placards, calling out, blowing whistles
- Should remain in shelter until bugles sounded ‘all-clear’
Where were people advised to take shelter and how did they know which aircraft was British/German?
- Nearest available house
- Leaflets w/ silhouettes of 11 German and 13 British aircraft for identification
Was there mass panic about the Gotha raids?
No but there were reports of absenteeism and people taking shelter in tube stations
In 1918, what type of bomb had the Germans developed?
New incendiary bomb
How many AA guns did the LADA have by Apr 1918 and how successful were these?
- 266 AA guns
- Not very successful
How did the German air raids have an impact on the propaganda war?
- Chance to depict Germans as instigators of a warfare that made no distinction between soldier and civilian
What committee was set up in 1917 and what were its aims?
- National War Aims
- Counter pacifism and defeatism
What did the National War Aims committee do in terms of propaganda?
- Screened film of damage from air raids
- Kept air raids firmly in eye of public, even though majority had never experienced air bombing
What ministry was set up in 1918 that helped to continue this propaganda campaign?
- Ministry of Information
- Seeking to influence foreign opinion, particularly in USA
What did public opinion demand from the air force hence what changes were made?
- Retaliation
- New British bombers rushed into service
- Oct 1917 –> No 41 Wing formed to direct RFC bombers in continuous offensives
When was the last air raid?
19 May 1918
