WW1 In The Air: Technology, Air Power And Germa Bombingsn Flashcards
First RFC air-to-Ari combat casualty
22nd September 1914
The observer in a German Albatros C1 ‘scout’ wounded an RFC pilot with a rifle
Why couldn’t machine guns be fitted to planes initially in 1914?
They were too heavy
An RFC pilot in the No 6 squadron had a Lewis gun mounted to his plane but he was told by superiors to remove it
How was the solution of the extra weight of machine guns resolved?
They lightened the gun and removed the cooling system because the altitude they fly at was cold enough
What were the types of plane mostly in 1914-15?
Biplanes
They had a propeller on the front of the cockpit
How were machine guns fitted to early biplanes?
They were mounted on the upper wing to avoid hitting the propeller and aimed by the pilot
Or in a second cockpit aimed by the observer
The ‘pusher’ biplane design
Propellor on the back
Gave the pilot and observer a clear front and side view
Name a successful British ‘pusher’ design plane
Vickers 2 seat FB5 ‘Gunbus’
In action from July 1915
It had a Lewis gun firing 500 bullets per minute and swivelled on a pivot mount called a ‘scarff ring’
Interupptor gear
Produced by Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker
Linked the guns firing mechanism with the engine
Allowed the pilot to shoot through the arc of the propellor without the fish of hitting it
Who had air superiority in July 1915 and why?
The german Fokker El Eindecker monoplane proved superior to the British because of its interrupter gear
German air superiority at the time because of the ‘Fokker scourge’
British version of the interrupter gear
Vickers-challenger synchronised-firing gear in December 1915
Resembled the Fokker design by coincidence
No captured Fokker was examined until April 1916
What could an RFC pilot who used the Vickers-challenger gear do?
Hit an enemy plane up to 800 yards
Firing 600 bullets per minute but he had to reload after 250 rounds
What interrupter gear did most British planes have by 1918?
Constantinesco oil-hydraulic interrupter gear
It was less prone to wear than previous versions
What was most important about aircraft types in the war?
How easy it was to fly
Most new pilots had 20 hours of training
And how quickly battle damage could be repaired
What type of fighter plane was best?
Single seater fighters
What was the best British fighter aircraft?
Sopwith F1 camel from July 1917
Used as a dive bomber,carrier based aircraft at sea and an air defence fighter
Had a top speed of 120 mph
Maximum altitude of 22’000ft
How did aircraft speed increase between 1914-1918?
It more than doubled
From 60-70mph to 150mph
Engine power increased 6-fold
What matched the development in air technology ?
Fighting techniques and aerial manouveres
What air fighting technique did the British adopt?
Formation flying
Usually flights of 3 aircraft
Pilots used hand signals to communicate
How were air battles portrayed and what did this mean for pilots?
As ‘dogfights’
Pilots gained the ace fighter pilot hero status
Who was the wars most celebrated ‘ace’?
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen
He was german, known as the ‘red baron’
He has credited with 80 victories before he was killed on 21st April 1918
Who was the leading British ace?
Major Edward Mannock
He had 73 victories
He was shot down by ground fire on the 26th July 1918
How did artillery have to be adapted in response to aircraft?
They had to improve anti-aircraft defences
Field artillery guns were adapted as AA fun’s
Shells designed to explode on contact were rarely effective
But air-bursting shells with height-set fuses were deterrents
Incendiary bullets
Could ignigte the gas in balloons and zeppelins
What was the risk for low flying ground attack aircraft?
Machine gun and rifle fire
