War in the air Flashcards
When was the Royal Flying Corps formed?
13th April 1912
Development of the RFCs
In 1908, Asquith approved the formation of a committee for aero-nautics which was comprised of politicians, army and navy officers. Haldane was a great supporter of the development of aeroplanes and made efforts to encourage the British army to adopt them into military service. Within 6 months the RFC comprised 3 squadrons of 12 manned balloons and 36 aeroplanes (not that much). Also the creation of the Royal Navy Air service formed in 1914 for planes for the navy.
Hugh Trenchard assumes command of the RFC in August 1915
He changes aircraft from being focused on reconnaissance to multiple goals; changes the ideology of the air force and introduces training for the RFC thats focused on having educated engineer pilots. Four main goals were; to perform reconnaissance and gather information, prevent the enemy from reconnaissance, engage the enemy in combat, and strategically bomb the enemy position. This led to air to air combat and dog fights in the sky - a fight for air superiority.
Information of the early planes
The first ones used by the RFCs were made of fabric and wood and there was no weapons on board. Also wanted engineers to fly the planes so if there’s an issue they know what to do. Planes were painted in vibrant colours for identification reasons - also positive morale affect on civilians if they see their planes doing well.
Balloons
Observation balloons that had a two man crew / who had a telephone line that ran to the ground. Had binoculars, cameras, a barometer, maps and paper to draw what they saw. Would be stationed behind the trenches so they could look out above at the enemy. Shitty parachutes that did not always open. The balloon men were given parachutes but not men on planes (reverse psychology).
Comparison with the German airforce
The Germans had air superiority until late 1916, because they had the Fokker interrupter gear that means they can have a machine gun on the front of the plane that’s in sync to never shoot the propellers. Germans put an immediate focus on using planes offensively instead of just for observation - why they develop their planes quicker.
Importance of aerial reconnaissance
The army first experimented with air photography in 1912
The main aircraft from 1914-16 was the BE2, which was chosen for its relative stability. Cameras were mounted outside of the aircraft. Used just for reconnaissance - no weapons on board to defend. Later cameras were mounted on the floor of the cockpits. German cameras were much better than the British. In 1916 the RFC took 19,000 aerial photographs - produced 430,000 prints of the Somme battlefield. As time moves on the cameras become more compact and efficient.
Photos used to create maps - planes gave them the ability to ‘see over the hedge’ and see the enemy position. Due to photographs they start to create fake trenches to confuse the enemy and also leads to them concealing their strengths from the enemy - eg hiding planes and weapons.
Technology developments
Dec 1903 - First self-propelled aircraft
March 1917 - Vickers challenger interrupter gear perfected and mass produced.
July 1917 - Wireless radio becomes widely adopted.
