WW1 - War In The Air

Question 1

When were observation balloons first used in warfare

Answer 1

1794

Question 2

Why were Ariel balloons used in warfare throughout the 19th century

Answer 2

Reconnaissance

Question 3

From what year did the Royal engineers had a balloon section

Answer 3

1890

Question 4

When did the wright brothers develop he first aeroplane

Answer 4

1903

Question 5

Did the military hold a progressive attitude towards planes in 1903

Answer 5

No they were slow to appreciate the potential of the aeroplane as a weapon.

Question 6

When did the US procure its first wright plane

Answer 6

1909

Question 7

In what year did the US experiment with bomb-drops

Answer 7

1910

Question 8

When did the french make a trail reconnaissance flight using a Farman aircraft

Answer 8

1910

Question 9

When did the Italians carry out its first operational air reconnaissance

Answer 9

October 1911 (during their war with turkey)

Question 10

When was the Royal flying corps founded

Answer 10

April 1912

Question 11

When was the Royal naval air service founded

Answer 11

July 1914

Question 12

What was the purpose of aircrafts at the start of the war

Answer 12

Aircrafts were used as “scouts” for reconnaissance

Question 13

How fast were aircrafts in 1914

Answer 13

Around 70 mph

Question 14

What were the first aircrafts made of

Answer 14

Light wood and fabric

Question 15

At the start of WW1, how many aeroplanes did Britain have

Answer 15

100

Question 16

How many were employed in the aircraft industry by 1918 in Britain

Answer 16

350,000 workers

Question 17

At the start of the war, how were aircrafts weaponised

Answer 17

Pilots had a pistol

Question 18

What was the first independent airforce in the world

Answer 18

The Royal Air Force

Question 19

When was the RAF established

Answer 19

1918

Question 20

What was the propaganda role of the airforce

Answer 20

Fighter pilot “aces” were hailed as heroic “knights of the air” despite it being no more violent than trench warfare

Question 21

How had air supremacy in 1918

Answer 21

The allies

Question 22

Who would traditionally gathers intelligence about the enemy army

Answer 22

Scouts and spies

Question 23

What was the traditional way that the navy conducted reconnaissance

Answer 23

Used fast ships to locate and the. “Shadow” the enemy fleet

Question 24

What was the first war that Britain used reconnaissance ballons

Answer 24

The second boer war

Question 25

When were airships invented

Answer 25

The 1850’s

Question 26

Who flew the first German airship in 1900

Answer 26

Ferdinand Von zeppelin

Question 27

In what year did the German army acquire its first zeppelin

Answer 27

1906

Question 28

What was the name of the first British airship

Answer 28

Beta 1

Question 29

When did the British army get the beta 1

Answer 29

1910

Question 30

What did the British army chose to use over airship as they found them to be more useful in the battlefield

Answer 30

Kite balloon

Question 31

How many feet could kite balloons ascend

Answer 31

4,000 feet

Question 32

How many miles was it possible to observe in a kite balloon

Answer 32

15 miles

Question 33

How were kite balloons defended

Answer 33

AA guns

Question 34

What made kite balloons had to shoot down

Answer 34

Bullets could pass through the fabric without igniting the gas inside

Question 35

What invention made kite balloons vulnerable to attack

Answer 35

Incendiary ammunition They would set fire to the kite balloons

Question 36

What was the ratio of British balloons to German balloons

Answer 36

15 to 1

Question 37

How effective were kite balloons in battle reconnaissance

Answer 37

Incredibly effective, the Germans complained they could pick out individual soldiers or machine gun posts and order artillery

Question 38

What was the first purpose of the Royal fling corps squadrons in 1914

Answer 38

To support the army by scouting and artillery spotting

Question 39

When was the first royal flying corps reconnaissance mission

Answer 39

19th August 1914

Question 40

Who flew the first RFC recon mission

Answer 40

Gilbert Mapplebeck and Phillip Joubert

Question 41

What happens to captain Mappleback on the ford RFC recon mission

Answer 41

He got lost and had to land near Cambrai and ask for directions

Question 42

What was the impact of mappleback getting lost

Answer 42

It fuelled scepticism around aeronautics in wars

Question 43

How did mappleback die in 1915

Answer 43

Testing a new aircraft

Question 44

How old was mappleback when he died

Answer 44

23

Question 45

What were the first military aircrafts called

Answer 45

Scouts

Question 46

What date was avro 504 scout of the 5th squadron shit down by German rifle fire over Belgium

Answer 46

22 August 1914

Question 47

What was the problem with aerial reconnaissance from aircraft

Answer 47

It was difficult since pilots could not identify accurately soldiers and trenches below

Question 48

Why were Union Kacks painted on the bottom of allied aircrafts

Answer 48

Often British soldiers shot down British planes as they were unaware who was the enemy and who was RFC this distinguished British and french aircrafts from German whi adopted a black cross insignia

Question 49

When was the RFCs wireless flight first operational in France

Answer 49

September 1914

Question 50

How many pounds was the first airborne radio transmitter

Answer 50

72 pounds

Question 51

What replaced the first bulky radio transmitters in 1915

Answer 51

The sterling lightweight set (under 20 pounds)

Question 52

What was the impact of the radio planes on the enemy

Answer 52

They became apprehensive to open fire on them as British planes would quickly respond in their Defense

Question 53

What was the role of aircraft in artillery

Answer 53

They could see the target that the gunner couldn’t see and tell them how to correct their aim

Question 54

How did aircrafts signal where the enemy artillery positions were

Answer 54

They dropped ribbons and circled above

Question 55

What’s artillery spitting system was set up in 1915

Answer 55

The zone call system

Question 56

What was the zone call system

Answer 56

Pilots sent out target information by radio in morse code to RFC signallers who were assigned to artillery batteries

Question 57

By may 1916, how many British aircraft were using the wireless zone call system

Answer 57

300 British aircraft

Question 58

By may 1916, how many ground stations were their in the zone call system

Answer 58

550 ground stations

Question 59

What was the downside of the zone call system

Answer 59

The wireless air elks were easily destroyed and ground operators were descended by loud artillery shelling

Question 60

Who experimented with air photography in 1912

Answer 60

Fredrick laws

Question 61

Was airplanes or balloons better for air photography

Answer 61

Easier from balloons but the aeroplanes mobility made it invaluable

Question 62

What role did sir photographs play in intelligence of the enemy

Answer 62

Photos were assembled into mosaic maps of the German lines allowing for detailed maps of German trenches and battle fronts

Question 63

What was the first battle which planes provided air intelligence

Answer 63

The Somme offences in 1916

Question 64

How many photos did the RFC produce over the battle of the Somme

Answer 64

19,000

Question 65

How many prints did the RFC produce if the battle of the Somme

Answer 65

430,000 prints

Question 66

As a result of air reconnaissance, what unit did the french establish in 1915

Answer 66

The first camouflage unit

Question 67

What does “camouflage” actually mean

Answer 67

To make up for the stage

Question 68

When did Britain set up its first camouflage unit

Answer 68

1916

Question 69

What was the name of the first British camouflage unit

Answer 69

Special works park

Question 70

What truck did the camouflage unit use to fool snipers

Answer 70

Fake trees concealing an observer or gunner

Question 71

In March 1915, how many scout planes did the RFC have

Answer 71

85 aircraft in France