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
How were low flying aircraft protected from artillery on he ground?
Metal armour to protect the pilot and the fuel tank
How did bombers avoid AA defences?
By raiding at night
How were night raids counteracted?
Search lights used from 1916
Sound detection equipment
Development of bombing planes
They became larger with 2 or more engines
First British bombing raids were relatively unsuccessful
Bomb aiming was unsophisticated
By mid-1915 a more scientific bombsight was developed by bombing was still rarely accurate
How prepared were the British for attacks at home?
The war office had made little preparation for home defence in September 1914
They thought any air threat from german airships would be on naval force bases
Zeppelins
They were the largest aircraft of the time
The biggest was over 150 m long
The Germans planned on using them from reconnaissance but the kaiser authorised them for bombing raids in britain in 1915
When was the first air raid on London
31st May 1915
Killed 7 and injured 14
How many zeppelin raids were there in total on britain?
51
Mostly on southern and eastern areas
the last air raid on Britain that caused civilian casualties
12th April 1918
How many bombs were dropped by airships?
200 tons
How many causalities were there because of airship bombings?
557 killed
More than 1’300 injured
Impact of zeppelin raids on the British public
It was disproportionate the the numbers and damage- mostly psychological
Anxiety was heightened by increased newspaper reports
They were nicknamed ‘baby killers’
Press tended to minimise the damage caused but condemned the air raids are further evidence of how barbaric the Germans were
How did home defence change after December 1915?
RFC took over from the RNAS
And had 11 squadrons deployed against German raiders
Difficulty of home defence in the air after December 1915
Planes of the time couldn’t climb fast or high so had difficulty intercepting airships
Why did authorities initially doubt air raid warnings?
They would cause panic and crowds would flood into the streets to watch the zeppelins
Why did the authorities decide civil defence measures were needed?
Because of the outrage bombing caused in the press
Civil defence measures against air raids used in England
Air raid warnings
Restrictions on lights in shops and trams
Semi-black out at night
Gas and electricity supplies were cut off during raids
What other aircraft were used for german bombings on britain?
Gotha airplanes
What was the first mass raid of the war?
14 heavy gotha bombers used to attack London on the 13th June 1917
Lodons worst raid
162 killed including 18 children at school in poplar
Problems with gotha bombers
Smaller than zeppelins
Harder to intercept and shoot down
4th July 1917
24 Gotha’s flew in across the North Sea and over east anglia
100 British planes tried and failed to intercept them
What did the war cabinet committee suggest in 1917?
The appointment of an air defence chef and a London air defence area with 3 extra air squadrons and an eastern Barrier of AA guns
Measures were designed to reassure public opinion
Impact of gotha raids on public
There was no mass panic but people were alarmed and some people refused to go to work
Example of absenteeism during gotha raids
By workers at Woolwich’s royal arsenal
It was a munitions target, very important to the Germans
Example of people being alarmed by gotha raids
300’000 people were reported to be sheltering in tube stations in east London and it caused disruption to transport
Further 500’000 said to be in basements and cellars
How did Germans change their bombing techniques by 1917?
Went from day to night raids
Used larger aircraft that could drop 1’000 pound bombs
What did the Germans develop in 1918 that caused particular concern to British authorities?
Incendiary bomb
There was the threat of uncontrollable fires as a result
Why did the German government reduce raids?
It would invite reprisals and jeapordise peace settlements
When were the first night fighter aircraft deployed over Britain?
December 1917
When and where was the first gotha shot down?
At night over Essex in January 1918 by 2 British camel fighters
Unorthodox air defence suggestions
Floodlighting in most of the southeast
Flying tethered balloons linked by steel wires
More practical air defence methods used
London divided into air defence zones with AA guns
Improved air raid warnings
The government used the press to publicised new measures and official reassurance
People were told to familiarise themselves with german and British aircraft- leaflets used that contained the silhouettes of 11 german and 13 British planes
Air defences in the LADA in April 1918
266 AA guns
353 searchlights
More than 270 day and night fighters
How successful were AA guns?
Limited but they were deterrent and reassurance to civilians
How effective were civilian defences?
Limited victories
Of 60 gothas lost, 2/3 came down in the sea or crashed on landing due to mechanical or pilot errors
How did german air raids impact propaganda?
Increased german barbarism
New opportunities to depict Germans as evil
What did the National war aims committee do about german bombings?
Was set up in 1917 to counter pacific IM’s and defeatism
They screened a film of damage from the air raids as part of the propaganda campaign
The public opinion demanded retaliation to german bombings. What did the military/government do in response?
3’000 DH4 fast day bombers and heavy bombers were rushed into surface
The No.41 wing was formed for the purpose of offensive targets against germany in October 1917
When was the last german raid?
19th may 1918
What was the public told at the end of the war?
Air force and air defence had countered german attacks but zeppelin and gotha raids created a new sense of vulnerability
Despite the island being protected by the worlds largest navy, it was still a target for air raids which cannot be stopped
Civilians would inevitably be in the front line in any futrure war
