WW1 In The Air: Technology, Air Power And Germa Bombingsn Flashcards

1
Q

First RFC air-to-Ari combat casualty

A

22nd September 1914
The observer in a German Albatros C1 ‘scout’ wounded an RFC pilot with a rifle

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2
Q

Why couldn’t machine guns be fitted to planes initially in 1914?

A

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

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3
Q

How was the solution of the extra weight of machine guns resolved?

A

They lightened the gun and removed the cooling system because the altitude they fly at was cold enough

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4
Q

What were the types of plane mostly in 1914-15?

A

Biplanes
They had a propeller on the front of the cockpit

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5
Q

How were machine guns fitted to early biplanes?

A

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

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6
Q

The ‘pusher’ biplane design

A

Propellor on the back
Gave the pilot and observer a clear front and side view

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7
Q

Name a successful British ‘pusher’ design plane

A

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’

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8
Q

Interupptor gear

A

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

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9
Q

Who had air superiority in July 1915 and why?

A

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’

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10
Q

British version of the interrupter gear

A

Vickers-challenger synchronised-firing gear in December 1915
Resembled the Fokker design by coincidence
No captured Fokker was examined until April 1916

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11
Q

What could an RFC pilot who used the Vickers-challenger gear do?

A

Hit an enemy plane up to 800 yards
Firing 600 bullets per minute but he had to reload after 250 rounds

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12
Q

What interrupter gear did most British planes have by 1918?

A

Constantinesco oil-hydraulic interrupter gear
It was less prone to wear than previous versions

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13
Q

What was most important about aircraft types in the war?

A

How easy it was to fly
Most new pilots had 20 hours of training
And how quickly battle damage could be repaired

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14
Q

What type of fighter plane was best?

A

Single seater fighters

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15
Q

What was the best British fighter aircraft?

A

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

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16
Q

How did aircraft speed increase between 1914-1918?

A

It more than doubled
From 60-70mph to 150mph
Engine power increased 6-fold

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17
Q

What matched the development in air technology ?

A

Fighting techniques and aerial manouveres

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18
Q

What air fighting technique did the British adopt?

A

Formation flying
Usually flights of 3 aircraft
Pilots used hand signals to communicate

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19
Q

How were air battles portrayed and what did this mean for pilots?

A

As ‘dogfights’
Pilots gained the ace fighter pilot hero status

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20
Q

Who was the wars most celebrated ‘ace’?

A

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

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21
Q

Who was the leading British ace?

A

Major Edward Mannock
He had 73 victories
He was shot down by ground fire on the 26th July 1918

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22
Q

How did artillery have to be adapted in response to aircraft?

A

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

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23
Q

Incendiary bullets

A

Could ignigte the gas in balloons and zeppelins

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24
Q

What was the risk for low flying ground attack aircraft?

A

Machine gun and rifle fire

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25
Q

How were low flying aircraft protected from artillery on he ground?

A

Metal armour to protect the pilot and the fuel tank

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26
Q

How did bombers avoid AA defences?

A

By raiding at night

27
Q

How were night raids counteracted?

A

Search lights used from 1916
Sound detection equipment

28
Q

Development of bombing planes

A

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

29
Q

How prepared were the British for attacks at home?

A

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

30
Q

Zeppelins

A

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

31
Q

When was the first air raid on London

A

31st May 1915
Killed 7 and injured 14

32
Q

How many zeppelin raids were there in total on britain?

A

51
Mostly on southern and eastern areas

33
Q

the last air raid on Britain that caused civilian casualties

A

12th April 1918

34
Q

How many bombs were dropped by airships?

A

200 tons

35
Q

How many causalities were there because of airship bombings?

A

557 killed
More than 1’300 injured

36
Q

Impact of zeppelin raids on the British public

A

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

37
Q

How did home defence change after December 1915?

A

RFC took over from the RNAS
And had 11 squadrons deployed against German raiders

38
Q

Difficulty of home defence in the air after December 1915

A

Planes of the time couldn’t climb fast or high so had difficulty intercepting airships

39
Q

Why did authorities initially doubt air raid warnings?

A

They would cause panic and crowds would flood into the streets to watch the zeppelins

40
Q

Why did the authorities decide civil defence measures were needed?

A

Because of the outrage bombing caused in the press

41
Q

Civil defence measures against air raids used in England

A

Air raid warnings
Restrictions on lights in shops and trams
Semi-black out at night
Gas and electricity supplies were cut off during raids

42
Q

What other aircraft were used for german bombings on britain?

A

Gotha airplanes

43
Q

What was the first mass raid of the war?

A

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

44
Q

Problems with gotha bombers

A

Smaller than zeppelins
Harder to intercept and shoot down

45
Q

4th July 1917

A

24 Gotha’s flew in across the North Sea and over east anglia
100 British planes tried and failed to intercept them

46
Q

What did the war cabinet committee suggest in 1917?

A

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

47
Q

Impact of gotha raids on public

A

There was no mass panic but people were alarmed and some people refused to go to work

48
Q

Example of absenteeism during gotha raids

A

By workers at Woolwich’s royal arsenal
It was a munitions target, very important to the Germans

49
Q

Example of people being alarmed by gotha raids

A

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

50
Q

How did Germans change their bombing techniques by 1917?

A

Went from day to night raids
Used larger aircraft that could drop 1’000 pound bombs

51
Q

What did the Germans develop in 1918 that caused particular concern to British authorities?

A

Incendiary bomb
There was the threat of uncontrollable fires as a result

52
Q

Why did the German government reduce raids?

A

It would invite reprisals and jeapordise peace settlements

53
Q

When were the first night fighter aircraft deployed over Britain?

A

December 1917

54
Q

When and where was the first gotha shot down?

A

At night over Essex in January 1918 by 2 British camel fighters

55
Q

Unorthodox air defence suggestions

A

Floodlighting in most of the southeast
Flying tethered balloons linked by steel wires

56
Q

More practical air defence methods used

A

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

57
Q

Air defences in the LADA in April 1918

A

266 AA guns
353 searchlights
More than 270 day and night fighters

58
Q

How successful were AA guns?

A

Limited but they were deterrent and reassurance to civilians

59
Q

How effective were civilian defences?

A

Limited victories
Of 60 gothas lost, 2/3 came down in the sea or crashed on landing due to mechanical or pilot errors

60
Q

How did german air raids impact propaganda?

A

Increased german barbarism
New opportunities to depict Germans as evil

61
Q

What did the National war aims committee do about german bombings?

A

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

62
Q

The public opinion demanded retaliation to german bombings. What did the military/government do in response?

A

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

63
Q

When was the last german raid?

A

19th may 1918

64
Q

What was the public told at the end of the war?

A

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