Planes in WW1
What impact has planes had on WW1?
How have planes improved cartography?
Quick Research Questions
Who invented the planes?
How were the planes used in the war?
Were the planes more effective than other weapons and methods?
How did this change military strategies?
How did fighter planes evolve over time?
The Wright Brothers invented the airplane in 1903, 11 years before the war began. The planes weren’t used much in the beginning of the war because they weren’t well developed. By the end of the war they became an important part of the armed forces.
Over time there were many improvements made to fighter planes. From only being able to carry small bombs they had machine guns attached to their wings to shoot down enemy planes. The planes became faster and stronger making them be able to move around faster.
Planes were first used in the war for spying. They would fly above the opponents territory and determine the opponent’s location. In the first Battle of Marne, the allied planes spotted a gap in the German lines and attacked. Further on in the war, planes were also used to drop bombs on the enemy, especially on trenches.
Planes were more effective than machine guns because they could attack from above. The trenches were open at the top so the bombs the planes dropped killed many people. Since planes were also used for spying, they helped the other weapons be used more efficiently to save more resources.
Planes changed military strategies drastically. Both sides realised that they could attack further then the trenches and started going beyond them. This resulted in many civilians losing their lives and villages destroyed.
The Royal Flying Corps (RCF) was the flying corps for the British Army during most of the war. Their responsibilities on the Western Front were to spot heavy range materials and do aerial photography of the enemy's land.
The Royal Naval Air Service(RNAS) were able to maintain squadrons (air forces) on the Western Front.
Evolution of Air Power
"Military aviation did not determine the outcome of World War I, but the airplane did establish its very real significance in support of the army on the battlefield." - John H. Murrow Jr.
In 1914 aviation was experimental and new. By the end of 1914 there were 3 or 4 important parts of air power roles identified. Control of air, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). Attack was also a part of these principles.
The Western Front was where the most crucial development occurred about aircrafts. Photography was developed by the French and British. This led to the supplying of image-based assessments that mapped the enemy's positions.
These techniques were put into use at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. This was the first battle to be planned by images. Even though these developments didn't solve all the problems, they showed the effect that planes can have in battle.
Important Aircrafts.
British B.E.2
This plane was mostly used to drop light weight bombs and spy on the enemy. It was not built for air-to-air combat.
British Sopwith F1 'Camel'
French Nieuport 17 C1
British Bristol F.2
German Fokker Dr-1
The Fokker Dr-1 was exceptional in manoeuvrability but became unnecessary since the Allier were producing faster planes.
This plane was considered very reliable and effective. The creation of this plane ended the 'Fokker Scrouge' period where Germans were dominating.
Dogfights
This plane was credited for shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, which is more than any other Allied fighter plane in the war. Even though it was difficult to handel, experienced pilots had a lot of manoeuvrability to use.
This plane evolved into a great enemy for the Germans. This was a very sharp and popular plane.
A dogfight is an air battle that occurred between fighter planes in close range. Dogfights first happened in Mexico in 1913, shortly after the invention of airplanes.
Dogfights were very difficult when planes were first invented. There were machine guns that could be fit into a plane but the pilot would have to listen to the gunner while having to go through the fire of other planes.
Improvements made on planes were very beneficial for dogfights. There were deflector plates added to the propeller to protect from bullets and straps created so that gunners could stand up and shoot all around.
Planes helped both sides improved their maps everyday with the positions of the enemy.
50 different types of planes created and over 200,000 planes created.
Now a days in dangerous countries like Afghanistan and Iraq people don't use airplanes but they use drones instead.
Aerial photography vastly improved maps. They provided images of the land shot from above so that you could see the enemies location or their trenches.
Analysts would look over these new photos taken everyday looking for the slightest change.
Mapmakers developed the film in the field and later updated the maps with the enemies location.
Planes were a great impact on world war one. They were responsible for attacking (machine guns, dogfights, bombs), aerial photography (maps), spying (reconnaissance). With all of these different things that planes could do, they were a huge asset to any country who had them.