Term Paper on "Development of Air Warfare in World"

Term Paper 6 pages (1934 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

air warfare in World War I

At the beginning of the First World War in 1914, aircraft technology was only a decade old. For this reason the military did not regard aircraft as being of much use except for reconnaissance. However, this situation was to change and as the military value of air warfare developed so did the number of aircraft manufactures. This led to developments in the technology of aircraft design. "For example, France had fewer than 140 aircraft when her war against Germany began; four years later that number had ballooned to approximately 4,500." (the War in the Air)

The first real use of aircraft for military purposes actually began before the First World War when the Italians used German built monoplanes to drop hand grenades on the Germans in the war against Turkey in 1911. (ibid) However, the Great War was to change the direction and importance of aircraft production for ever and during the duration of the war France alone produced more than 68, 0000 aircraft - of which 55, 0000 were lost in battle. (ibid)

This pattern of development was also seen in the production of Aircraft in other counties that were also involved in the war. For example, typical British aircraft at the outbreak of the war was the general purpose BE2c, with a top speed of 116 km/h (72 mph). Powered by a 90 hp engine, it could remain aloft for over three hours. By the end of the war aircraft were designed for specific tasks. Built for speed and maneuverability, the SE5a fighter of 1917 was powered by a 200 hp engine and had a top speed of 222 km/h (138 mph). (ibid)

The development and direction of aircraft design was largely determined by the necessities and requirements of the war. Firstly, the war necessitated that the aircraft be designed to be as easy to fly as possible as there was only a limited amount of time for training of the pilots. Some pilots began flying after with as little as 4-hour's actual flying time. (ibid) This also necessitated that the planes be designed to be as stable as possible. This requirement was to change as the momentum of the air warfare accelerated and maneuverability became a more dominant requirement.

The flowing quotation clearly relates the technological advancements to the military needs and vision.

The rapid pace of technological innovation was matched by a rapid change in the uses to which aircraft were put. If in 1914 there were few generals who viewed aircraft as anything more than a tool for observation and reconnaissance (and many of them had great reservation even to that use) by the end of the war both sides were integrating aircraft as a key part of their planned strategies. (ibid)

Aircraft therefore became an integral part of the battle strategy of the two sides and not just an adjunct to the military operation.

The type of aircraft used in the First World War went through various phases of development in line with their roles in the war. Firstly they were seen essentially as reconnaissance craft and then as strategic bombers, as well a being used for ground attacks and naval battles. Later, as the influence and military importance of aircraft accelerated, as well as their technology, there was a battle to control the air above the battleground and a more maneuverable fighter was developed.

2. Reconnaissance

As General Foch stated at the beginning of the war, "Aviation is a good sport, but for the army it is useless." (ibid) This was the general view which coincided with the relatively early state of development of the aircraft. This view was reiterated by other participants in the War. "There was a great deal of experimentation and speculation in all the major belligerent countries, but no clear agreement on the use to which aircraft would be put."

Robbins 98)

However, the early success of military balloons during the American Civil War provided a model for the possible role of aircraft in reconnaissance missions.

This role for aircraft was successful in the first year of the war and the generals on both sides began to realize the possibility of aircraft as a way of strategically and tactically staying ahead of the opponent. "General John French acknowledged that without the timely information provided by the RFC, Development of air warfare in world war I, Von Kluck's army would have succeeded in encircling his forces at Mons." (ibid) There were numerous dangers related to reconnaissance flying. These included anti-aircraft fire and artillery shell as the reconnaissance planes "typically flew at an altitude similar to the apex of the artillery shell's flight, and they flew along a line between the guns and their targets." (the War in the Air - Observation and Reconnaissance)

3. Bombing

The concept of using aircraft to drop bombs on the enemy is one that predated the war and was experimented with by Great Britain as well as Germany and Russia. The building of the Zeppelin Airship was also a development in this direction before 1914.

As the war progressed there came about the realization that aircraft needed to be developed which could operate in enemy territory and also be able to protect themselves from attack. While some aircraft such as the British De Havilland 6 were used both as a reconnaissance craft as well as a bomber, it was realized that a more specialized aircraft was needed to accomplish the military task. "The technological choice, however, was to develop large aircraft that could penetrate enemy defenses, defend themselves from aerial attack, and deliver massive amounts of bombs on a target far behind the battle front."

Bombing During World War)

The first bomber to be used was the French "Voisin" airplane. This aircraft was used to attack Zeppelin hangers at Metz-Frascaty on August 14, 1914 and in 1925 it was used in sustained attacks along the Western Front. (Ibid)

As the war continued the importance of the bomber became even more important as the following quotation points out.

All countries used bombers in a tactical capacity since bombers could reach areas that ground artillery could not. When an offensive was being mounted, traffic increased in the back lines. Bombers could target these high-traffic areas. During the build-up to the Battle of Mesines Ridge in the summer of 1917, the Germans struck the British munitions supply train. British artillery had to stop firing after three hours when they ran out of ammunition. (ibid)

One of the most infamous bombers was developed by the Germans in 1916. This was the Gotha C.V. bomber which was designed with the aim to conduct long-range bombing missions against England. "It was strong enough to carry more than 1000 pounds (454 kilograms) of bombs and also had a firing tunnel -- a hole through the bottom of the airplane that allowed the rear gunner to shoot the enemy below, a common blind spot." (ibid)

The Handley Page aircraft was developed in response to the German Gotha. This was intended but never used for extensive bombing raids into Germany.

In the final months of the war, ambitious plans were developed for bombing raids into Germany, making use of the capacity of the Handley Page aircraft, which could carry a heavier load than the Gothas. In the event, most of these schemes were not carried out. Constant saturation bombing was a dream left for the future.

(Robbins 101)

4. Fighters

The development of the fighter plane was a natural consequence of the other forms of air warfare. The more that one could destroy or deny the other force access to the skies, the better would be the military advantage. The development of effective fighter planes was dependent on new technology. One of the major technical issues was the fact that the bullets had to be fired between the propeller blades of the aircraft without hitting the pilot of the plane.

The problem with fighter aircraft was the propeller, which tended to get in the way when a pilot fired the gun at a target in front. He could even kill himself with his own bullets. The British were baffled, the French installed steel deflectors on the edge of each blade and the Germans, with the aid of a French aircraft which had fallen into their hands and a Dutch designer, Fokker, designed a gun whose rate of fire was itself controlled by the propeller. Temporarily, the Germans had an enormous advantage until the Allies learnt the secret from a captured German plane and did likewise.

Robbins 99)

This resulted in a number of developments in aircraft design and concomitant developments in air warfare. The aircraft also had to be more maneuverable. One of the most successful British aircraft developed was the Sopwith Pup, which had a single synchronized machine gun.

Conclusion

The development of the air conflict in the First World War was closely linked to technical developments in aircraft design. The necessities and the competition… READ MORE

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