WW1 - War In The Air Flashcards
When were observation balloons first used in warfare
1794
Why were Ariel balloons used in warfare throughout the 19th century
Reconnaissance
From what year did the Royal engineers had a balloon section
1890
When did the wright brothers develop he first aeroplane
1903
Did the military hold a progressive attitude towards planes in 1903
No they were slow to appreciate the potential of the aeroplane as a weapon.
When did the US procure its first wright plane
1909
In what year did the US experiment with bomb-drops
1910
When did the french make a trail reconnaissance flight using a Farman aircraft
1910
When did the Italians carry out its first operational air reconnaissance
October 1911 (during their war with turkey)
When was the Royal flying corps founded
April 1912
When was the Royal naval air service founded
July 1914
What was the purpose of aircrafts at the start of the war
Aircrafts were used as “scouts” for reconnaissance
How fast were aircrafts in 1914
Around 70 mph
What were the first aircrafts made of
Light wood and fabric
At the start of WW1, how many aeroplanes did Britain have
100
How many were employed in the aircraft industry by 1918 in Britain
350,000 workers
What was the first city bombing by air
When the Germans bombed Paris on the 30th August 1914
When did the first German bomb hit Britain
December 1914
What were the aircrafts used by the Germans in city bombing runs
The zeppelin airship and gotha bombing planes
When did London first suffer from city bombing
1917
What did England introduce to tackle the threat from the air
Anti-aircraft Defense (AA guns)
At the start of the war, how were aircrafts weaponised
Pilots had a pistol
How big were the bombs that planes dropped following the air revolution
1000 pounds
What was the first independent airforce in the world
The Royal Air Force
When was the RAF established
1918
What was the propaganda role of the airforce
Fighter pilot “aces” were hailed as heroic “knights of the air” despite it being no more violent than trench warfare
How had air supremacy in 1918
The allies
Who would traditionally gathers intelligence about the enemy army
Scouts and spies
What was the traditional way that the navy conducted reconnaissance
Used fast ships to locate and the. “Shadow” the enemy fleet
What was the first war that Britain used reconnaissance ballons
The second boer war
When were airships invented
The 1850’s
Who flew the first German airship in 1900
Ferdinand Von zeppelin
In what year did the German army acquire its first zeppelin
1906
What was the name of the first British airship
Beta 1
When did the British army get the beta 1
1910
What did the British army chose to use over airship as they found them to be more useful in the battlefield
Kite balloon
How many feet could kite balloons ascend
4,000 feet
How many miles was it possible to observe in a kite balloon
15 miles
How were kite balloons defended
AA guns
What made kite balloons had to shoot down
Bullets could pass through the fabric without igniting the gas inside
What invention made kite balloons vulnerable to attack
Incendiary ammunition
They would set fire to the kite balloons
What was the ratio of British balloons to German balloons
15 to 1
How effective were kite balloons in battle reconnaissance
Incredibly effective, the Germans complained they could pick out individual soldiers or machine gun posts and order artillery
What was the first purpose of the Royal fling corps squadrons in 1914
To support the army by scouting and artillery spotting
When was the first royal flying corps reconnaissance mission
19th August 1914
Who flew the first RFC recon mission
Gilbert Mapplebeck and Phillip Joubert
What happens to captain Mappleback on the ford RFC recon mission
He got lost and had to land near Cambrai and ask for directions
What was the impact of mappleback getting lost
It fuelled scepticism around aeronautics in wars
How did mappleback die in 1915
Testing a new aircraft
How old was mappleback when he died
23
What were the first military aircrafts called
Scouts
What date was avro 504 scout of the 5th squadron shit down by German rifle fire over Belgium
22 August 1914
What was the problem with aerial reconnaissance from aircraft
It was difficult since pilots could not identify accurately soldiers and trenches below
Why were Union Kacks painted on the bottom of allied aircrafts
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
When was the RFCs wireless flight first operational in France
September 1914
How many pounds was the first airborne radio transmitter
72 pounds
What replaced the first bulky radio transmitters in 1915
The sterling lightweight set (under 20 pounds)
What was the impact of the radio planes on the enemy
They became apprehensive to open fire on them as British planes would quickly respond in their Defense
What was the role of aircraft in artillery
They could see the target that the gunner couldn’t see and tell them how to correct their aim
How did aircrafts signal where the enemy artillery positions were
They dropped ribbons and circled above
What’s artillery spitting system was set up in 1915
The zone call system
What was the zone call system
Pilots sent out target information by radio in morse code to RFC signallers who were assigned to artillery batteries
By may 1916, how many British aircraft were using the wireless zone call system
300 British aircraft
By may 1916, how many ground stations were their in the zone call system
550 ground stations
What was the downside of the zone call system
The wireless air elks were easily destroyed and ground operators were descended by loud artillery shelling
Who experimented with air photography in 1912
Fredrick laws
Was airplanes or balloons better for air photography
Easier from balloons but the aeroplanes mobility made it invaluable
What role did sir photographs play in intelligence of the enemy
Photos were assembled into mosaic maps of the German lines allowing for detailed maps of German trenches and battle fronts
What was the first battle which planes provided air intelligence
The Somme offences in 1916
How many photos did the RFC produce over the battle of the Somme
19,000
How many prints did the RFC produce if the battle of the Somme
430,000 prints
As a result of air reconnaissance, what unit did the french establish in 1915
The first camouflage unit
What does “camouflage” actually mean
To make up for the stage
When did Britain set up its first camouflage unit
1916
What was the name of the first British camouflage unit
Special works park
What truck did the camouflage unit use to fool snipers
Fake trees concealing an observer or gunner
In March 1915, how many scout planes did the RFC have
85 aircraft in France
