War in the Air - Air to Air Flashcards
Who was conscripted into the airforce and what were the incentives to do so?
They aimed to conscript people aged 18 - 30 as they needed faster reflexes and they also needed to be able to maintain their own aircraft and in turn be engineers. It was incredibly high risk therefore, they were paid far more than soldiers in the trenches.
When was the royal flying corps established and who was it founded by?
It was founded in April 1912 by David Henderson but he was replaced in mid 1915 by Hugh Trenchard as he wasn’t seen as aggressive enough.
From where in society were new recruits often from?
They were generally made up of the aristocratic elite and received their positions through nepotism and viewed flying as a sport.
How did pilots fight in the air before machine guns were introduced?
They used a selection of pistols and flair guns however, they were very ineffective and up until 1915 there was very little air combat.
What was the initial problem with machine guns with planes?
They were unable to place them at the front of the plane as it risked destroying the propellers so instead they had to be fitted to the sides which made it more difficult to use them effectively.
How did a French ace try and solve the machine gun problem?
He chose to line his wooden propeller with metal so that any bullets that did hit them were deflected.
What allowed the Fokker Scourge to happen?
The Focker Scourge continued throughout 1916 until the Summer as the Focker Eindecker was far more effective than the British planes that were available. They also installed an interrupter module which would prevent bullets from destroying the propellers. The allies were able to reverse engineer them. The German plane was the first uni-wing plane and was designed solely for combat whilst the British planes were much slower and multirole.
What was the Sopwith camel?
It was a British fighter introduced in January 1917 and was the favourite fighter of many British pilots, it was more reliable than previous British models and over 5000 were built during the war.
What was the Sopwith Tri-Plane?
It was created in 1917 as a response to the Focker Eindecker however, only 150 were built as many British pilots found them to be too uncontrollable as their high manoeuvrability made them difficult to fly but the Germans were very keen.
When was the RAF founded?
It was created In April 1918 in part because of the threat of Gotha raids but also it was recommended by the Smutts report. The RFC and RNAS were founded.
Who was Micky Mannock?
He was a British fighter ace who had worked as an engineer before the conflict broke out. He was trained by Jimmy McCudden and was able to shoot down 61 aircraft. He was shot down 3 months after McCudden died and was given a Victoria cross posthumously.
Who was Jimmy McCudden?
He was a trained engineer which in turn enabled him to make his plane far more effective and predominantly used the SE5a and was able to down 60 enemy planes. He was able to survive bloody April but was killed on his way back to France as his plane suffered from a mechanical problem.
What was the average life expectancy of a fighter pilot?
It was only around 11 days as pilots had to have rapid reaction times otherwise they would be shot down, the lack of parachutes also made combat incredibly dangerous.
What was bloody April?
Bloody April was the air support operation carried out by Britain during the offensive at Arras. The German planes were better and their crews were better trained leading to a far worse casualty rate for the British. Britain lost 245 aircraft and 400 crew whilst the Germans lost 66 aircraft. This was due to the fact that German planes few in squadrons which allowed them to overwhelm British forces - flying circus is a notable example.
