Aerial Warfare During World War I

Airplanes were in a similar position as tanks - the technology was really too new and immature for effective combat use. At best, the airplane provided better observation and reconnaissance ability than previously available, but, in a static trench-warfare setting (with the commonly poor European weather), the amount of benefit this provided is easy to overstate. Tactical and strategic bombing was non-existent; the airplane would have to wait for the wars of

But, the aircrafts were eventually used for more than scouting ahead it later turned into a point of emphasis of where the war would take place. Using this source to support my thesis will help give a better understanding of what I will be writing about. I will be using this source to help the development of sub-points that I will be using in my research paper. The context of this source will help out on the claims and development of things I will discuss in my paper, and I will not use this document to disagree

Ships were also revolutionized during the World War II era. Naval technology was very poor at the time, but once radar technology was developed, navigation and detection was made much easier for submarine and ship pilots. The invention of radar was still very new — being developed only 2 years prior to the start of World War II. Hours of experimentation and development were poured into enhancing radar technology so that the allied forces could better combat the Nazi fleet. Aircrafts were also made more advanced during World War II. Aviation in general was very new at the time, so optimizing what basic aircrafts we had at the time for battle (by equipping them with guns and bombs) was a challenging feat. Considering the first powered flight had taken place only in 1903, only 40 years before

While airborne the Soldiers in the basket could give guidance on walking in artillery to a target or have the ability to spot the enemy. On the defensive side, they could often spot enemy camps and artillery batteries not visible from the ground and hidden in the trees. Advances in weapons technology, specifically the rifled bore, significantly raised the numbers of casualties on the other side where old style tactics were

World War I, although originating in Europe, affected people on a global scale. Advancements in technology across the globe were at a peak, and flying was at the forefront. Later in the war capabilities in the air, whether offensive or defensive, would play a pivotal role in the successes and failures across all avenues of combat.

Before and during the Second World War people were fascinated with flight, the speed and the idea of flying high in the sky has kept people interested. Bombers and fighters alike both change dramatically in the twenty years after the Great War. From cloth wings to metal wings planes became bigger, faster, agile, and can hold a lot more fire power. The air war has changes significantly since the First World War. During the First World War bombers played a big role in the air war and after it left many questions whether it is the way to win wars. There has been speculation that future wars would be won by bombers and it can crush and the enemies at home and also the soldiers. Both book, Wartime by Fusslle and Why the Allies Won by Overy explain in depth what was the actual outcome of bombers and their roles before and after the war.

The British pilots were blessed to have the Hurricane and Spitfire fighter aircraft. These were fast, highly maneuverable, small fighter planes that had a great deal of speed. They could fly faster than bombers, and were

The weapons used in World War II drastically changed from the weapons used in World War I. Assault rifles changed from bolt action which were used later back in the late 1800’s to semi and fully automatic weapons that were made at the beginning of World War II and to be used throughout the rest of the war. The tanks also were upgraded putting bigger and better lightweight machine guns at the top to keep enemies down while infantry advanced (Crowl and Love 163). The advancement in the aviation department increased heavily, by time the war approached the Pacific, the Americans had several different type of aircrafts for certain duties. They had medium bombers, heavy bombers, fighter bombers, and fighters (Crowl and Love 158).

From placing the howitzers on the actual firing point to ammunition resupply, the new air mobile concept was a breakthrough for artillery. Another breakthrough for Field Artillery during the battle of Ia Drang was the use of danger close fire missions. These fire missions were essential in keeping U.S. safe from the enemy (Warren, 2015). The Battle of Ia Drang was influential through the incorporation of air mobile missions on the battlefield and firing danger close missions in combat.

Although early airplanes were flimsy and primarily used for scouting, both sides focused on developing and improving aircraft technology. The US alone spent $675 million during WWI to create an air force. As the aircraft used on both sides improved, they started to be used for fighting purposed in addition to scouting. Early fights between aircraft, called dogfights, involved pilots shooting at each other from open cockpits with pistols. Soon, planes were developed that had machine guns mounted on the front and others were designed to carry bombs.

To counter machine gun nests and strongholds tanks were used but were ineffective. Mustard gas was used instead of chlorine gas. Planes were used originally for intelligence purposes but became more known for the ability to dogfight now the war was in the air of air superiority. Normal guns like the rifle were modified to be more

Later on planes were made to have machine guns in front of the planes so pi-lots could shoot those guns. Soon later bigger and more ar-mored planes were made to last longer and drop giant bombs on the battlefield to clear the way for ground troops. Simple enough these planes were called Giant Bombers. Having machine guns in front of the cockpit led to planes having “dog fights” up in the sky. The term dog fight meant that two aerial aces battled it out in the sky trying to shoot one another down. A famous aerial Ace was the Red Barron (Marshall 318). His name was Manfred von Richtofen he was a feared pilot in the first war. He died on 21 April 1918 and he was buried with full Mil-itary Honors (Yaughman

After the creation of an aircraft brought a whole new era. Many people couldn’t begin to understand how aviation was going to be used. Many people feared the thought of Airplanes being used since it was almost the start of a war. By having the availability of aircraft, it opened many possibilities at the start of World War 1. During World War 1, many Airplanes were used primarily for reconnaissance or in other terms a military observation of a region to locate an enemy. Following World War 1 was mainly trench

Flying was a new technology that fascinated many people but still created a lot of scepticism when it came to practical applications. Most of the first aircrafts (Source E) were very slow, fragile and barley enough power to lift a single pilot. By the end of the war aircrafts had become classier and had differentiated into fighters, bombers and long-range bombers. At first the aircrafts were used to observe the enemy’s troops. As the aircrafts efficiency became known to the enemy’s they realised that the aircrafts were capable of being shot down with weaponry from land.

Towards the end of the War the airplane becomes a practical device of war being able to carry weapons. Anthony Fokker and Louis Bleriot create the most successful of early modern biplanes known as the D-VII and D-VIII. Biplanes are eventually taken over by the monoplane, or one wing. This new design allowed for faster flight and better visibility for the pilot. Air-cooled engines lead the way for commercial aircraft, and Boeing introduces the first modern airliner the 247. Airplanes are effected the greatest by supply and demand of war. New styles of war begun to emerge so did new and improved types of aircraft. The population of the U.S. also begun to grow which leads to the modern most sophisticated commercial airliner the 777. Most aircraft improvements are found in the military and intelligence field. The most high tech aircraft known today for such things as spying are the SR-71 Blackbird, and the U-2 Spy plane. The most complicated and best aircraft performance is still held by the space shuttle and probably always will be. The last 200 years have seen incredible changes in aircraft from the man with wings to heavier than air flying machines that can travel at supersonic speeds.