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The use of aircraft for reconaissance
Initial campaigns of 1914 proved that cavalry could no longer provide the reconnaissance expected by their generals, in the face of the greatly increased firepower of twentieth century armies, and it was quickly realised that aircraft could at least locate the enemy. air reconnaissance played a critical role in the "war of movement" of 1914, especially in helping the Allies halt the German invasion of France -
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Aviation in World War 1
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Pyotr Nesterov - First air-to-air victory
Aircraft were unarmed at this early stage, and Nesterov became the first pilot to destroy an enemy airplane in flight. On 25 August 1914 after using a pistol to fire unsuccessfully at an Austrian aircraft, he used his Morane-Saulnier Type G monoplane to ram it and force it to the ground. However this led to his own plane crashing also. He died from his injuries the next day. -
Louis Quénault and Joseph Frantz
Pilot Frantz and Observer Quénault were the first fliers to successfully use a machine gun in air-to-air combat to shoot down another aircraft -
Zeppelin LZ-26
The Zeppelin LZ-26 became one of the more successful of the World War 1 German airships. Used as a reconaissance and bombing platform over the eastern front against the Russian Empire and against the Allies on the Western Front. -
Germany begin bombing campaign against England.
The first successful raid took place on the night of 19–20 January 1915. Two Zeppelins targeted Humberside but were diverted by strong winds, and dropped their bombs on Great Yarmouth, Sheringham, King's Lynn and the surrounding villages. Four people were killed and 16 injured. -
Rolland Garros
First aerial victory with forward pointing fixed gun achieved while aiming gun with aircraft. Garros achieved the first ever shooting-down of an aircraft by a fighter firing through a tractor propeller on 1 April 1915; two more victories over German aircraft were achieved on 15 and 18 April 1915 -
The Fokker Eindecker
The Fokker Eindecker monoplane fighter with its synchronized machine gun introduced armed aerial combat during World War 1. It was the first aircraft to enter service with a "synchronisation gear" which enabled a machine gun to fire through the arc of the propeller without striking its blades, became operational. This gave an important advantage over other contemporary fighter aircraft -
Lanoe Hawker - First British ace
Aces were pilots with five or more victories credited to them. He was the third pilot to receive the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was killed in a dogfight with the famous German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen ("The Red Baron") -
Battle of Verdun
When the battle of Verdun began on 21 February 1916, air superiority initially enabled the Germans to establish a blockade (luftsperre) on the French air squadrons. However the French were already arming their specialist fighter squadrons, the Escadrilles de chasse, with the Nieuport 11, and with a new offensive strategy they quickly overcame the luftsperre, establishing air superiority over the battle by April. -
Bloody April
Bloody April refers to April 1917, and is the name given to the British air support operations during the Battle of Arras, during which particularly heavy casualties were suffered by the Royal Flying Corps at the hands of the German Luftstreitkräfte. The tactical, technological and training differences between the two sides ensured the British suffered a casualty rate nearly four times as great as their opponents. -
Formation of the RAF
British Royal Air force founded after merging RFC and Royal Naval Ari Service (RNAS). At the start of the war in August 1914, British airmen were part of the British Army and commissioned officers had army ranks. By the end of the war in November 1918, the Royal Flying Corps no longer existed and was absorbed into the newly created Royal Air Force. This had its own command structure away from the army and introduced its own ranks. -
Death of Manfred von Richthofen “The Red Barron”
The Red Barron was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) during the First World War. He is considered the top ace of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Richthofen was shot down and killed near Amiens on 21 April 1918 -
The RAF
RAF is now world’s largest air force with 22,000 aircraft and nearly 300,000 personnel.
