WW1 War in the Air Flashcards
when were observation balloons first used on the battlefield?
1794
what was the purpose of using observation balloons?
used for aerial reconnaisance
when was the aeroplane pioneered?
1903 by the Wright Brothers
who dropped the first live bombs in combat and when?
the Italians against the Turks
in November 1911
when was the RFC founded?
April 1912
when was the RNAS founded?
July 1914
properties of aircraft in 1914
slow
flimsy- made up of wood and fabric
unreliable
could not fly in bad weather
why was there limited funding from the government for aircraft development?
most govt spending was spent on the production of Dreadnaught ships
what were the two main manufacturers of aircraft in Britain?
Avro
Sopwith
when was the Army Balloon Factory formed?
1912
how many military aircraft in Britain in 1914?
100
how many military aircraft in Britain in 1918?
22,000
how many workers in Britain’s aircraft industry by 1918?
350,000
what were the specialised roles for military aircraft?
- reconnaissance
- artillery spotting
- fighters
- ground-support
- tactical bombers
- strategic bombes
reconnaissance
used to locate enemy and update intelligence
artillery spotting
used to direct the fire of guns at unseen targets
fighters
used to control the sky and prevent enemy reconnaissance
ground-support
used to deal with enemy ground troops
tactical bombers
used to strike transports and reinforcements on the battlefield
strategic bombers
used tp attack the enemy homeland
what was an ‘Ace’?
a fighter who had five or more confirmed kills
what were the key aspects to scouting?
reconnaissance
observation
communication
what wars used reconnaissance balloons?
Franco-Prussian War
American Civil War
Boer War
when was the airship invented?
1850s
when did the German Army get it’s first Zeppelin?
1906
first British military airship was?
Beta 1 in 1910
what was Britain’s initial reconnaissance aircraft?
kite balloons
what were kite balloons used for on the battlefield?
taking pictures of the battlefield
checking maps
identifying targets
coordinating artillery fire
how did the armed forces encourage the shooting down of balloons?
a shot down balloon counted as a air-to-air kill
what was the initial aim for RFC aircraft?
to scout and artillery spot
when was the first RFC reconnaissance mission?
19 August 1914
when and what was the first RFC aircraft to be shot down?
22 August 1914
Avro 504 was shot down by German rifle fire
why was the use of aircraft reconnaissance important at the Battle of Mons?
British aircraft had observed the German Army trying to outflank the BEF
this information was passed to Haig who was able to plan
why was early reconnaissance flawed?
it was often difficult to tell who was on the ground and what they were doing
various cases of misinterpretation
how were British and French aircraft distinguished from German aircraft?
British and French had coloured roundels
Germans had the black cross
when was Morse Code invented?
1830s
what were the issues with the first airborne radio transmitter?
was bulky and heavy and filled the second cockpit which meant a co-pilot was not possible
what replaced the first airborne radio transmitter and when?
the Sterling Radio
in 1915
why could the pilots not receive a message?
aircraft were too loud.
why was the use of radio so effective against the Germans?
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
what was the ‘zone call’ system
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
by May 1916 how many British aircraft had wireless?
300
what were the difficulties of using wireless?
antennae could break easily
was difficult to fix mid-flight
why was air photography important at Neuve Chapelle?
Lt Darley had photographed the German lines which revealed new trench construction
this intel was vital in Britain’s plans for attack
what were mosaic maps?
map made by assembling overlapping aerial photos
how were mosaic maps used?
used to make detailed maps of German trenches as well as distances and heights
by 1916 how long did it take for a reconnaissance flight’s photos to be printed upon landing?
30 mins
how many aerial photographs were produced in 1916?
19,000
how many of allied sorties were for reconnaissance?
1/3
by 1918 at what altitude could British recon aircraft take pictures from?
15,000 feet
what was the Special Works Park and when was it set up?
Britain’s first camouflage unit
set up in 1916
what happened at Aubers Ridge in May 1915?
the British built dummy trenches to fool the German recon aircraft
what else was camouflaged?
buildings
aircraft on airfields
artillery guns covered in netting
when was the first air victory for the RFC?
25 August 1914
by 1918, what escorted reconnaissance aircraft for protection?
fighter escorts
where was Central Flying School?
Upavon
how many RFC squadrons when war broke out?
5 squadrons
how many aircraft in a squadron?
12
what was the initial role of the RNAS?
defending the home front
when did the RNAS start to do coastal patrols and why?
1913
to deal with the threat of Zeppelin airships
when did the RNAS raid the Zeppelin sheds at Friedrichshafen?
November 1914
result of RNAS raid at Friedrichshafen
11 bombs dropped
2 hit airship base
1 Zeppelin damaged
gaswork damaged
what was the initial way of dropping bombs?
pilots would throw grenades from above
when were bomb racks used and how did they work?
1915
pilot would pull a cable which dropped the bombs from the racks
who led the RFC at the Western Front?
Hugh Trenchard
what was Trenchard’s policy for the RFC?
- to attack when possible
- to cooperate with the Army through recon and aerial bombing
- to maintain British morale and weaken German morale
why did the actions of the RFC boost troop morale?
just seeing a friendly plane in the sky gave British troops the feeling of safety
how did the actions of the RFC destroy German morale?
German soldiers felt like they were prey every time British aircraft flew over
made them feel vulnerable
role of Trenchard in developing the RFC
he pushed for better planes and better trained pilots
role of Brooke-Popham and Henderson with the RFC
ensured supplies were consistent
helped push technological advances
ensured the logistics were well enough
in the Spring 1917 how many RFC planes lost?
700
in the Spring 1917 how many RFC pilots killed?
473
what were streamlined in January 1917?
the Air Board
the Admiralty
the Ministry of Munitions
the War Office
all to develop and produce aircraft
when was the Smuts report?
17 August 1917
what did the Smuts report outline?
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
what did Smuts report say about aerial bombing?
how air power could be used to strike strategic targets in Germany to disrupt the war effort
when was the RAF formed?
1 April 1918
at the end of the war how many aircraft did the RAF have?
22,000
why was mounting machine guns on aircraft a difficult thing to do?
they were heavy
what changes did the British make to a machine gun used on an aircraft?
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
which two machine guns were used on aircraft?
the Lewis gun
the Vickers gun
what was the German machine gun equivalent?
the Spandau
what type of plane were most aircraft?
biplanes
two winged
what was the ‘pusher’ design of biplane?
the propellor would be at the back of the aircraft and the gun at the front
what innovation did Roland-Garros introduce to his propellors?
he fitted metal plates to deflect bullets from his gun
allowed him to shoot forwards
who invented the interruptor gear?
Anthony Fokker
when was the interruptor gear invented?
April 1915
what did the interruptor gear allow?
pilots to shoot through the arc of the propellor without hitting the blades
what was the ‘Fokker scourge’?
Summer 1915
the German aircraft were superior to British and French aircraft which gave them control over the skies
what was the German aircraft responsible for the ‘Fokker scourge’?
the Fokker E1 Eindecker
what British aircraft came to challenge the Eindecker?
the Vickers-Challenger
also had interruptor gear
by 1918 what interruptor system did most British planes use?
the Constantinesco system
more improved
less prone to wear
what was deemed the best all-round British fighter?
the Sopwith F1 Camel
Camel’s max altitude
22,000
Camel’s max speed
120 mph
who wrote the Dicta Boelcke?
Oswald Boelcke
what was the Dicta Boelcke?
list of aerial manoeuvres for aerial combat
what was the Dicta Boelcke?
list of aerial manoeuvres for aerial combat
examples of Dicta Boelcke rules
- keep the sun behind you when you attack
- fire only at close range
- only take an enemy from behind ;)
what tactic had the RFC adopted?
formation flying
- sticking tight to the flight leader
- flying in echelon formation
most celebrated ace?
the Red Baron
how many kills did the Red Baron have?
80
most celebrated British ace?
Major Mannock
what was the view of generals about dogfights?
both Trenchard and Ludendorff saw the primary role of aircraft as reconnaissance and saw dogfights as unneccesary
what was flak?
artillery which would burst in the air
primary defence against aircraft
why were field guns poor for AA?
they were inaccurate (very unlikely to hit a moving target in the air)
what would bombers do to avoid AA fire?
bomb at night
how were night raids countered?
the use of searchlights in 1916
when was the Wimperis Drift Sight invented?
1916
what was a bombsight?
sight which allowed you to drop bombs more accurately
took into account the wind and aircraft speed
what did Haig warn the British government about in February 1917?
that the BEF needed air superiority in order to push the Germans back
what did Lloyd George tell the government in July 1917?
that the army needs to be sufficiently supplied in France
the army must take priority over home defence
by 1918 by how much was Britain out-producing aircraft compared to Germany?
5:1
how many RFC aircraft attacked German troops at Passchendaele in 1917?
300
how did commanders use airpower tactically?
used it to destroy bridges, roads and railways in the hope of isolating German troops on the battlefield
how did the Germans hold an advantage of the British in aerial combat?
had superior aircraft
had the advantage of the westerly winds
how many British pilots were killed by the end of the war?
6,166
how many German pilots were killed by the end of the war?
5,953
how many bombing raids did the British hope to achieve by the end of the war?
2 a day
between July 1918 and the end of the war how many tonnes of bombs were dropped?
543 tonnes
what was concluded about bombing raids in Germany?
they were largely ineffective with many bombs missing their targets
