The War in the Air (1914-18) Flashcards
How useful were aeroplanes in 1914? Give 5 details.
- They were very limited
- They had top speeds of 70 mph
- They weren’t sturdy, as they were made of lightweight wood and fabric
- Their engines were unreliable
- They often crashed
- They could not fly in bad weather
What were the military spending most of their funding on in the lead up to WW1? What did this mean for aeroplanes?
- Dreadnoughts
- The developments of aeroplanes was therefore mostly led to private aircraft makers
What development had there been in the army with regards to aircraft before the war? What did this show?
- The army’s Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was formed in 1912
- The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was formed in July 1914
- This showed that aircraft were expected to be used in support of the army and the navy, rather than for the purpose of aerial warfare
What is reconnaissance?
- Gaining intelligence by surveying enemy territory
List 3 examples of tasks that come under reconnaissance.
- Artillery spotters directed artillery towards targets that they the gunners could not see/ improved their accuracy
- Spotting troop columns on roads
- Noting enemy positions on the battlefield
How had reconnaissance been carried out previously? Give 2 examples.
- Using balloons
- During the Franco-Prussian and Second Boer wars
What were 2 advantages of using balloons for reconnaissance?
- Balloons were hard to shoot down (until the invention of incendiary bullets)
- They could ascend to up to 4000 feet and see up to 15 miles away
What were 2 disadvantages of using balloons?
- They could be set on fire by incendiary ammunition
- They were usually defended by anti-aircraft (AA) guns
What did all the limitations of early aircraft lead the British military to think about them?
- That they would only be useful for reconnaissance as ‘mobile balloons’
When was the RFC’s first reconnaissance mission, and how successful was it?
- 19th August 1914
- Captain Mappleback got lost, and had to land to ask for directions
In what 2 ways was aerial reconnaissance limited? How was one of these issues dealt with?
- Pilots could not accurately identify soldiers and trenches due to their height
- Soldiers tended to shoot at any plane
- Roundels were painted onto the underside of British aircraft
How did pilots initially communicate their findings?
- Hand signals
- Messages dropped from the air
- Waiting until they were back on land and delivering any information verbally
What types of technology did the RFC start to use for communication?
- Radiotelegraphy (wireless) using Morse code
- Then, radio
What limitation was there with using radios for communication?
- The first radio transmitter that could be used in aeroplanes was so bulky that it filled the second cockpit
- This meant the pilot had to fly, navigate and observe on their own
What improvements was made to radios in 1915?
- The Sterling lightweight set came into use, which weighed under 9kg
How did using technology help artillery spotting?
- From 1915, pilots were assigned to an artillery battery
- Both the pilots and the gunners had their own numbered zones on a map
- The artillery fired into their zone, and were guided by the aircraft using wireless
What were an advantage and a disadvantage of using planes to take photos of battlefields?
- The mobility of aeroplanes made them very useful
- Taking photographs was easier from balloons, as they stayed still
Give 2 examples of how air photography developed during the war.
- At first, cameras were mounted outside the rear cockpit
- From 1915, the L/B model pointed down through a hole in the floor
- Originally, for the best quality images, air cameras used glass or metal plates
- By 1918, the cameras were automatic and film-loaded
What were 2 ways that photographs taken from aeroplanes were used?
- Different photos were pieced together to form ‘mosaic maps’
- Photographs were used by commanders to see the entire battlefield as the fighting progressed
In which battles did photographic intelligence have an important role? Describe how.
- The Somme offensives; the RFC took more than 19,000 photos of the battlefield in 1916, which supplied the intelligence for them
- The same then happened for all future battles, and for the first time technology alone was providing more intelligence than the human eye
How can it be proven that photographs were a huge advantage for the British? Did this change?
- In 1918, the Germans became concerned by the number of reconnaissance planes flying above
- They stepped up fighter attacks to stop them
- However, by 1918 this was no longer effective, as planes could fly 15,000 feet high (too high for AA fire and fighters), and could take pictures of six square miles of ground
What did the army do to prevent the Germans from being able to carry out effective reconnaissance? Give 3 examples.
- In 1916, they set up a camouflage unit (following the French, who had done this the previous year)
- They prepared dummy trenches at Aubers Ridge in 1915
- Artillery guns were covered in netting
- Single-track railway lines were surrounded by fences to make them harder to spot
What did the importance of being able to carry out reconnaissance lead to? What issue did this make evident?
- A struggle for air superiority
- At first, aircraft were unarmed
What was done to make reconnaissance planes less vulnerable? What change was then made, and why?
- The observer in a two-seater plane would be armed with a machine gun
- Many reconnaissance planes were slow, so they were given fighter escort
Why were fighter aircraft introduced?
- Both sides recognised the importance of reconnaissance; they therefore wanted to shoot down enemy reconnaissance planes and protect their own
When were the RFC’s activities expanded, and why? Give an example.
- Commanders started to consider aircraft as a way to break the stalemate
- As early as 1915, aircraft were fitted with racks of bombs
Who was in charge of the RFC on the Western Front? What was his policy for the RFC? Give 3 details.
- Hugh Trenchard
- To attack whenever possible
- To cooperate with the army through reconnaissance and low-level bombing
- To maintain British morale, while weakening German morale
What was Haig’s opinion of using aviation on the Western Front, and why?
- He was supportive of it
- It was very useful for his strategy of ‘continuous offensive’ as it could partner with artillery to end the deadlock
When was the RAF created, and what were 3 reasons why?
- April 1918
- The RFC had grown considerably
- The potential of aviation as its own independent branch had been recognised
- Bombing Germany into submission was seen as a realistic possibility by October 1917, but more planes were needed to achieve this
Did bombing Germany into submission become a reality? Why?
- In total Britain dropped 665 tons of bombs on Germany
- In the end the Allies did not have enough planes to do major damage to German infrastructure or morale
How had the number of aircraft grown throughout the war?
- In 1914 at the start of the war, Britain had just over 100 military aeroplanes
- In 1918, by the end of the war, the Royal Air Force had more than 22,0000
When did air-to-air combat begin?
- In September 1914, the observer in a German Albatross C1 shot an RFC pilot with a rifle
How was technology used to develop air combat, and what initially made this difficult? How was this overcome?
- Machine guns were fitted to planes
- This initially wasn’t possible as they were too heavy
- However, engineers realised that at that altitude it was cold enough that a machine gun’s cooling mechanism was not needed
How were aircraft adapted for machine guns, and why was this necessary?
- Originally, the observer would operate the machine gun from the back of the cockpit
- However, machine guns were easiest to aim when shooting forwards, but this led to a risk of hitting the wooden propeller
- In 1915 the French pilot Roland Garros fit steel plates to his propeller, which deflected bullets
- A plane with this design was captured by the Germans, who then developed Fokker planes in mid-1915 with interrupter gear (linked the gun’s firing mechanism to the engine, so the machine gun would not shoot when the propeller was in front of it)
How effective were Fokker planes?
- It gave the Germans an advantage in the second half of 1915
- They shot down more than 1000 Allied aircraft
How did the British respond to the interrupter gear fitted to Fokker planes?
- In December 1915 they developed the Vickers-Challenger synchronised-fighting gear
How did aircraft themselves improve during the war? Give an example with 4 details.
- The Sopwith F-1 Camel was the best British fighter after its introduction in 1917
- It had a top speed of 120mph (double what planes had been capable of at the start of the war)
- Maximum altitude of 22,000 feet
- It had 2 synchronised machine guns
- It was agile and had a good rate of climb
How important was technology in aerial warfare? Give 2 examples.
- Extremely important
- Fokker planes and the advantage they had over the Allies
- At the Battle of Arras, the British had a 3:1 advantage when it came to the number of planes, but this didn’t matter as their planes were no match for the German Albatros D-types
Other than technology, what else developed aerial warfare? Give 3 examples.
- New techniques
- Attacking from out of the sun, so your opponent would be dazzled
- Attacking opponents from below
- Flying in formation
Why did pilots fly in formation?
- It was risky to fly alone, especially for novice pilots
Who was the war’s most celebrated ‘ace’? Give 4 details.
- Baron von Richthofen, also known as the ‘Red Baron’
- He led a combat wing known as the ‘Flying Circus’
- Their aircraft were painted extravagantly, which added psychological impact
- He had 80 victories
- He was killed in April 1918, most likely by ground fire
How was the RFC used at the Battle of Amiens in August 1918, and why? What was the problem with this?
- Ground attacks became increasingly effective as commanders recognised their potential to destroy infrastructure and isolate the enemy
- Pilots were given the task of destroying the bridges over the River Somme
- It was very risky for pilots as they were flying so low
- They lost 243 aircraft in just 4 days
What ground weapons were air forces vulnerable to?
- Low-flying aircraft were vulnerable to machine guns and rifle fire
- Field artillery guns were adapted as AA guns
How were field guns adapted to make them more effective against aircraft?
- Shells that exploded on contact weren’t effective
- Instead, air-bursting shells with a height fuse were used
What did bombers do to avoid AA fire? How did ground troops respond?
- They carried out raids at night
- Searchlights were used from 1916
- Sound detection equipment was also used
How effective was British bombing against German targets? Give 4 reasons why.
- Not very, as:
- pilots failed to find their targets
- several planes crashed or were shot down
- raids were prevented by bad weather
- many bombs failed to go off
What was introduced to increase bombing accuracy, and when? How did it work?
- Bombsight in 1915
- It allowed targets to be located and bombed more accurately through taking variables such as wind and aircraft speed into account
What concern did Haig have about the RFC in 1917?
- The RFC was inferior both in terms of numbers and quality
- This could have led to the Germans achieving air superiority
How did Lloyd-George respond to Haig’s concerns? What did this lead to? Give a figure.
- He made producing aeroplanes the top priority
- Production was reviewed, and factory output rose
- By 1918 the Allies were outproducing Germany by nearly 5:1 when it came to aircraft
What were both Haig and Trenchard criticised for? Was their policy successful?
- Wasteful policy:
- the casualty rates for British pilots was almost 50% due to Haig’s policy of continually going on the offensive
- They did achieve air superiority by 1918; by the end of the war allied superiority was more than 2:1
How did the number of aeroplanes change during the war?
- At the start Britain had just over 100
- By the end the RAF had over 22,000
What proportion of aerial sorties during the war were for reconnaissance?
- Over 90%
How did the Germans expect to use Zeppelins, and how did this change?
- For reconnaissance over the sea
- In 1915 the Kaiser authorised their use for bombing raids in Britain
When were the first Zeppelin raids on Britain carried out?
- 19-20th January 1915
What was the main impact Zeppelin raids had, and how did this compare to the physical impact?
- The psychological effect outweighed the physical impact by far
- The official British history of the war puts them in a 20:1 ratio
Why did Zeppelin raids have such a big psychological impact?
- British civilians were not used to directly dealing with war (unlike civilians on the continent)
How did the press tend to present Zeppelin raids?
- They tended to minimise the damage
Who was given the role of protecting against Zeppelin raids? Starting from when?
- The RFC
- December 1915
Were RFC squadrons effective against Zeppelins? Why?
- Most Zeppelins flew too high to be attacked, as aeroplanes at the time could not climb very fast or high enough
Give 2 examples of ways the RFC improved their methods of fighting against Zeppelins.
- They used incendiary bullets
- They also used tracer bullets (these bullets would glow, so pilots could see their trajectory)
How did the government initially want to deal with Zeppelin raids, and why?
- They did not want to use measures like air raid sirens
- They were more afraid of the shock caused by the sirens, and crowd behaviour
What forced the government to change their stance on the use of air raid sirens, and how?
- The press
- They created an uproar
Other than air raid sirens, what were 2 other civil defence measures introduced by the government?
- Restrictions on lighting and a semi-blackout at night
- Gas and electricity supplies were cut off during raids
Was carrying out Zeppelin raids effective from the German perspective? Why?
- No as Zeppelins costed a lot more to build than the damage they caused
Overall, how many Zeppelin raids were carried out, and how many people were killed/ injured?
- 51
- Killed: 557
- Injured: 1300+
What were Zeppelin raids stepped up to, and when?
- Gotha (a heavy bomber plane) raids
- 1917
What were the German High Command’s aims when they started to carry out Gotha raids?
- To disrupt Britain’s war industry, communications and supply to crush their will to fight
How effective were Gotha bombers?
- 14 of them caused London’s worst raid of the war
- 162 people were killed
What did raids by Gotha bombers cause the government to do?
- Diverting 2 RFC squadrons from the Western Front for home defence
How did the public respond to Gotha bombers? Give 3 details.
- There wasn’t mass panic
- However, there were reports of absenteeism at Woolwich Royal Arsenal, which was a high priority target for the Germans as it produced munitions
- There were also reports of 800,000 people taking shelter underground (in basements/ tube stations)
What were 4 defensive measures introduced to deal with Gotha bombers?
- Night-fighter aircraft
- Searchlights
- AA guns were used to create ‘curtains of fire’ between zones in London
- An improved air raid warning system was introduced
What were the 2 main functions of AA guns, and why?
- They acted as a deterrent and reassurance for civilians; they had limited success at stopping rauds
How many Gothas did the Germans lose? What reason was behind the majority of these losses?
- 60
- Over two-thirds of these were due to pilots falling into the sea, or a crash caused by mechanical or pilot errors
In what way were air raids useful to the government?
- They were used in propaganda
What did Lloyd-George do in response to the bombings? How was this done?
- He promised to bomb Germany ‘with compound interest’
- Almost 3000 fast bombers and 200 heavy bombers were rushed into service
