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British Experience of Warfare > WW1 War in the Air > Flashcards

WW1 War in the Air Flashcards

1
Q

when were observation balloons first used on the battlefield?

A

1794

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2
Q

what was the purpose of using observation balloons?

A

used for aerial reconnaisance

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3
Q

when was the aeroplane pioneered?

A

1903 by the Wright Brothers

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4
Q

who dropped the first live bombs in combat and when?

A

the Italians against the Turks
in November 1911

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5
Q

when was the RFC founded?

A

April 1912

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6
Q

when was the RNAS founded?

A

July 1914

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7
Q

properties of aircraft in 1914

A

slow
flimsy- made up of wood and fabric
unreliable
could not fly in bad weather

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8
Q

why was there limited funding from the government for aircraft development?

A

most govt spending was spent on the production of Dreadnought ships

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9
Q

what were the two main manufacturers of aircraft in Britain?

A

Avro
Sopwith

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10
Q

when was the Army Balloon Factory formed?

A

1912

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11
Q

how many military aircraft in Britain in 1914?

A

100

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12
Q

how many military aircraft in Britain in 1918?

A

22,000

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13
Q

how many workers in Britain’s aircraft industry by 1918?

A

350,000

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14
Q

what were the specialised roles for military aircraft?

A
  • reconnaissance
  • artillery spotting
  • fighters
  • ground-support
  • tactical bombers
  • strategic bombes
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15
Q

reconnaissance

A

used to locate enemy and update intelligence

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16
Q

artillery spotting

A

used to direct the fire of guns at unseen targets

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17
Q

fighters

A

used to control the sky and prevent enemy reconnaissance

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18
Q

ground-support

A

used to deal with enemy ground troops

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19
Q

tactical bombers

A

used to strike transports and reinforcements on the battlefield

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20
Q

strategic bombers

A

used tp attack the enemy homeland

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21
Q

what was an ‘Ace’?

A

a fighter who had five or more confirmed kills

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22
Q

what were the key aspects to scouting?

A

reconnaissance
observation
communication

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23
Q

what wars used reconnaissance balloons?

A

Franco-Prussian War
American Civil War
Boer War

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24
Q

when was the airship invented?

A

1850s

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25
Q

when did the German Army get it’s first Zeppelin?

A

1906

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26
Q

first British military airship was?

A

Beta 1 in 1910

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27
Q

what was Britain’s initial reconnaissance aircraft?

A

kite balloons

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28
Q

what were kite balloons used for on the battlefield?

A

taking pictures of the battlefield
checking maps
identifying targets
coordinating artillery fire

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29
Q

how did the armed forces encourage the shooting down of balloons?

A

a shot down balloon counted as a air-to-air kill

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30
Q

what was the initial aim for RFC aircraft?

A

to scout and artillery spot

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31
Q

when was the first RFC reconnaissance mission?

A

19 August 1914

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32
Q

when and what was the first RFC aircraft to be shot down?

A

22 August 1914
Avro 504 was shot down by German rifle fire

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33
Q

why was the use of aircraft reconnaissance important at the Battle of Mons?

A

British aircraft had observed the German Army trying to outflank the BEF

this information was passed to Haig who was able to plan

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34
Q

why was early reconnaissance flawed?

A

it was often difficult to tell who was on the ground and what they were doing

various cases of misinterpretation

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35
Q

how were British and French aircraft distinguished from German aircraft?

A

British and French had coloured roundels
Germans had the black cross

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36
Q

when was Morse Code invented?

A

1830s

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37
Q

what were the issues with the first airborne radio transmitter?

A

was bulky and heavy and filled the second cockpit which meant a co-pilot was not possible

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38
Q

what replaced the first airborne radio transmitter and when?

A

the Sterling Radio
in 1915

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39
Q

why could the pilots not receive a message?

A

aircraft were too loud.

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40
Q

why was the use of radio so effective against the Germans?

A

once a British plane was attacked, it could radio in the position of the Germans
this information would be relayed to a local artillery battery which would almost immediately start to fire upon the German position

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41
Q

what was the ‘zone call’ system

A

pilots sent information about artillery targets by morse code to RFC signallers on the ground
each signaller was assigned to an artillery battery
each battery would fire at a specific zone guided by an aircraft

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42
Q

by May 1916 how many British aircraft had wireless?

A

300

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43
Q

what were the difficulties of using wireless?

A

antennae could break easily
was difficult to fix mid-flight

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44
Q

why was air photography important at Neuve Chapelle?

A

Lt Darley had photographed the German lines which revealed new trench construction
this intel was vital in Britain’s plans for attack

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45
Q

what were mosaic maps?

A

map made by assembling overlapping aerial photos

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46
Q

how were mosaic maps used?

A

used to make detailed maps of German trenches as well as distances and heights

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47
Q

by 1916 how long did it take for a reconnaissance flight’s photos to be printed upon landing?

A

30 mins

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48
Q

how many aerial photographs were produced in 1916?

A

19,000

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49
Q

how many of allied sorties were for reconnaissance?

A

1/3

50
Q

by 1918 at what altitude could British recon aircraft take pictures from?

A

15,000 feet

51
Q

what was the Special Works Park and when was it set up?

A

Britain’s first camouflage unit
set up in 1916

52
Q

what happened at Aubers Ridge in May 1915?

A

the British built dummy trenches to fool the German recon aircraft

53
Q

what else was camouflaged?

A

buildings
aircraft on airfields
artillery guns covered in netting

54
Q

when was the first air victory for the RFC?

A

25 August 1914

55
Q

by 1918, what escorted reconnaissance aircraft for protection?

A

fighter escorts

56
Q

where was Central Flying School?

A

Upavon

57
Q

how many RFC squadrons when war broke out?

A

5 squadrons

58
Q

how many aircraft in a squadron?

A

12

59
Q

what was the initial role of the RNAS?

A

defending the home front

60
Q

why did the RNAS start to do coastal patrols?

A

to deal with the threat of Zeppelin airships

61
Q

when did the RNAS raid the Zeppelin sheds at Friedrichshafen?

A

November 1914

62
Q

result of RNAS raid at Friedrichshafen

A

11 bombs dropped
2 hit airship base
1 Zeppelin damaged
gaswork damaged

63
Q

what was the initial way of dropping bombs?

A

pilots would throw grenades from above

64
Q

when were bomb racks used and how did they work?

A

1915
pilot would pull a cable which dropped the bombs from the racks

65
Q

who led the RFC at the Western Front?

A

Hugh Trenchard

66
Q

what was Trenchard’s policy for the RFC?

A
  • to attack when possible
  • to cooperate with the Army through recon and aerial bombing
  • to maintain British morale and weaken German morale
67
Q

why did the actions of the RFC boost troop morale?

A

just seeing a friendly plane in the sky gave British troops the feeling of safety

68
Q

how did the actions of the RFC destroy German morale?

A

German soldiers felt like they were prey every time British aircraft flew over

made them feel vulnerable

69
Q

role of Trenchard in developing the RFC

A

he pushed for better planes and better trained pilots

70
Q

role of Brooke-Popham and Henderson with the RFC

A

ensured supplies were consistent
helped push technological advances

ensured the logistics were well enough

71
Q

in the Spring 1917 how many RFC planes lost?

A

700

72
Q

in the Spring 1917 how many RFC pilots killed?

A

473

73
Q

what were streamlined in January 1917?

A

the Air Board
the Admiralty
the Ministry of Munitions
the War Office

all to develop and produce aircraft

74
Q

when was the Smuts report?

A

17 August 1917

75
Q

what did the Smuts report outline?

A

the importance of air power in the future
suggested that air power should be it’s own independent branch - laid down the foundation of the RAF

76
Q

what did Smuts report say about aerial bombing?

A

how air power could be used to strike strategic targets in Germany to disrupt the war effort

77
Q

when was the RAF formed?

A

1 April 1918

78
Q

at the end of the war how many aircraft did the RAF have?

A

22,000

79
Q

why was mounting machine guns on aircraft a difficult thing to do?

A

they were heavy

80
Q

what changes did the British make to a machine gun used on an aircraft?

A

the cooling system was removed as conditions in the sky were so cold that the gun would cool anyway
this made the gun far more lighter

81
Q

which two machine guns were used on aircraft?

A

the Lewis gun
the Vickers gun

82
Q

what was the German machine gun equivalent?

A

the Spandau

83
Q

what type of plane were most aircraft?

A

biplanes
two winged

84
Q

what was the ‘pusher’ design of biplane?

A

the propellor would be at the back of the aircraft and the gun at the front

85
Q

what innovation did Roland-Garros introduce to his propellors?

A

he fitted metal plates to deflect bullets from his gun

allowed him to shoot forwards

86
Q

who invented the interruptor gear?

A

Anthony Fokker

87
Q

when was the interruptor gear invented?

A

April 1915

88
Q

what did the interruptor gear allow?

A

pilots to shoot through the arc of the propellor without hitting the blades

89
Q

what was the ‘Fokker scourge’?

A

Summer 1915
the German aircraft were superior to British and French aircraft which gave them control over the skies

90
Q

what was the German aircraft responsible for the ‘Fokker scourge’?

A

the Fokker E1 Eindecker

91
Q

what British aircraft came to challenge the Eindecker?

A

the Vickers-Challenger
also had interruptor gear

92
Q

by 1918 what interruptor system did most British planes use?

A

the Constantinesco system

more improved
less prone to wear

93
Q

what was deemed the best all-round British fighter?

A

the Sopwith F1 Camel

94
Q

Camel’s max altitude

A

20,000

95
Q

Camel’s max speed

A

120 mph

96
Q

who wrote the Dicta Boelcke?

A

Oswald Boelcke

97
Q

what was the Dicta Boelcke?

A

list of aerial manoeuvres for aerial combat

98
Q

what was the Dicta Boelcke?

A

list of aerial manoeuvres for aerial combat

99
Q

examples of Dicta Boelcke rules

A
  • keep the sun behind you when you attack
  • fire only at close range
  • only take an enemy from behind ;)
100
Q

what tactic had the RFC adopted?

A

formation flying
- sticking tight to the flight leader
- flying in echelon formation

101
Q

most celebrated ace?

A

the Red Baron

102
Q

how many kills did the Red Baron have?

A

80

103
Q

most celebrated British ace?

A

Major Mannock

104
Q

what was the view of generals about dogfights?

A

both Trenchard and Ludendorff saw the primary role of aircraft as reconnaissance and saw dogfights as unneccesary

105
Q

what was flak?

A

artillery which would burst in the air

primary defence against aircraft

106
Q

why were field guns poor for AA?

A

they were inaccurate (very unlikely to hit a moving target in the air)

107
Q

what would bombers do to avoid AA fire?

A

bomb at night

108
Q

how were night raids countered?

A

the use of searchlights in 1916

109
Q

when was the Wimperis Drift Sight invented?

A

1916

110
Q

what was a bombsight?

A

sight which allowed you to drop bombs more accurately
took into account the wind and aircraft speed

111
Q

what did Haig warn the British government about in February 1917?

A

that the BEF needed air superiority in order to push the Germans back

112
Q

what did Lloyd George tell the government in July 1917?

A

that the army needs to be sufficiently supplied in France
the army must take priority over home defence

113
Q

by 1918 by how much was Britain out-producing aircraft compared to Germany?

A

5:1

114
Q

how many RFC aircraft attacked German troops at Passchendaele in 1917?

A

300

115
Q

how did commanders use airpower tactically?

A

used it to destroy bridges, roads and railways in the hope of isolating German troops on the battlefield

116
Q

how did the Germans hold an advantage of the British in aerial combat?

A

had superior aircraft
had the advantage of the westerly winds

117
Q

how many British pilots were killed by the end of the war?

A

6,166

118
Q

how many German pilots were killed by the end of the war?

A

5,953

119
Q

how many bombing raids did the British hope to achieve by the end of the war?

A

2 a day

120
Q

between July 1918 and the end of the war how many tonnes of bombs were dropped?

A

543 tonnes

121
Q

what was concluded about bombing raids in Germany?

A

they were largely ineffective with many bombs missing their targets

British Experience of Warfare (27 decks)

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