Ne 8. bie x i BAe tice @: Ha VN ATT NOT OF WORLD WAR I 1914-1918 a $ AND BOB |ARCRAFT EMAAR GUE AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR I 1914-1918 ustrated with detailed artworks of combat aircraft and their markings, The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide: Aircraft of WWLis a comprehensive study of the aircraft that fought in the Great War of 1914-18. Arranged chronologically, with separate chapters covering the Eastern, Italian and Middle East fronts, this book offers a complete organizational breakdown of aircraft units throughout the war, alongside orders of battle, lists of campaign aces, and other extensively researched data. The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide: Aircraft of WWI features every type of aircraft used during the conflict, including the numerous Variations and types of well-known models, such as the Fokker Dr, the Sopwith Camel and the SPAD SVIL, through to lesser- known aircraft such as the Rumpler C.1 and Armstrong Whitworth FK.8. The use of airships, observation balloons and seaplanes is also explored in detail, as is the development of large strategic bombers such as the Sikorsky Ilya Muromets and the Handley Page ‘Type O. Each aircraft profile is accompanied by detailed specifications, as well as details of individual and unit markings. Featuring more than 250 colour profiles of every major combat type, alongside archive photography, The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide: Aircraft of WWI is an essential reference guide for modellers, military historians and airéraft enthusiasts, telling the remarkable story of the role and impact of aircraft on the cone of this epoch- making conflict.2H me Lanany in JBRARY raise D ;AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR | 1914-1918AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR I 1914-1918 JACK HERRIS AND BOB PEARSON amber BOOKSFirs published in 2010 by ‘Amber Books Ltd 74-77 White Lion Street London N1 9PF United Kingdom ‘wwwamberbooks.co.uk: Copyright © 2010 Amber Books Led Reprinted in 2014 Al ighs reserved. No par ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in a rezieval stem, or transmised in any form of by any ‘means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission ofthe copyright holder. A catalogue record for this book is availble from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-906626-65-5 Distributed in the UK by Casemate Led 17 Cheap Street Newbury RGI4 SDD, -www.casemarepublishing co.uk Project Editor: James Bennett Design: Hawes Design Picture Research: Terry Forshaw Printed in China Picture Creprrs ‘Al arworks courtesy of Bob Peron cxecot 6, 83,84 85¢(Ar-TechlAcrospace) and 62, 64 (Amber Boks Ls Diapers Arc Tech/ Aerospace: 20, 138; Obdy Images: 58,80, 82 90,167; Jack Hern 60, 94, 106128 De Olofsson/Keigsarkiver: 161; U.S. Department of Defense: 57 srecesnons Perrone Vanmons ecu eneat iene TeV IO ‘ome cases orginal sources do not agree andthe mos gene ger or Tower than the performance of arcat prosocpes unde t= °° ‘well-accepted values are given, Unfortunately, in many cases certain, test conditions the arcraft were normaly fired wt Kia pees ett! pene oe torre. ‘Stns ea ee may Sel = nro i opel nlecmenienmm crag” Susp gly head ed and man Rhea bev sek neateeticndion Gngumfjvemans rhea pore vr telnet mama Scher menor fur eared pcb eign seed ndioem Gye Gg Pea fom ene ia ESLER peneamasing ramet ede! tinged nie torre slecaes In the ees the highen ecole ped Wah Seamer Badlnk crsct Wl scat coors = *0dls cal spromied ye pctbeion nsfa (N Ne wed Contents Chapter 1 Opening Moves Chapter 2 Air Combat Turns Deadly Chapter 3 Strategic Bombing Chapter 4 Maritime Aviation Chapter 5 The Eastern Front Chapter 6 The Italian Front Chapter 7 The Middle East Chapter 8 Air Combat Comes of Age Index PUBLIC LIBRARY DANVILL! , ILLINOIS 20 58 80 94 106 128 138 188Chapter 1 Opening | Moves The potential of the airplane for reconnaissance and bombing was obvious to most military leaders. The key question was, could this immature and hazardous new technology actually deliver practical results? Once combat was joined, airplanes quickly proved themselves to be vital reconnaissance platforms and, after trench warfare had eliminated the cavalry's reconnaissance ability on the Western Front, aerial reconnaissance proved absolutely essential. 4 European Military Strengths, 1914 hee onbtrs sawn of ihe unter my eof, sa 4 9 thay had on tet th var heen As 144 Thoma ERB Cental Powers on Pa csets hay ed te les 2 ay 195, Bole eC Powers in Ober 1215 an in i 916 Ronnie he les Amara ie te A telgrent on 6A Fett Tot of Bsa vas mated mde 117 at NT partigation in the ern 11 Nene 18th Amie was ste. ra ea Wh urmany delat1910-1914 hn the airplane was still un foe new technology. ALLO! ‘AIRSHIPS were the first craft to carry B Sears ‘and, as early as the American Civil ‘War in 1862, tethered balloons were used for military observation. Though carly airplanes were largely experimental curiosities, military leaders quickly saw their potential for more practical use. The first flight Rea ies ieehae aeesclby hel American Wright brothers on 17 December 1903 was quickly followed by flights of airplanes in other countries. Great military potential — and skepticism While some saw the airplane's military potential for reconnaissance and bombing there was a great deal of skepticism about whether the early airplanes would prove reliable and able to perform in combat conditions. Before the war debate raged over the practical value of airplanes. Despite this disagreement, all the major combatant powers had small air services when war broke out, and the adjacent table gives the strengths of the various air arms. Perhaps surprisingly, the Imperial Country Austria-Hungary Germany ‘Subtotal Central Powers France Russia United Kingdom Subtotal Entente Expectations and concerns proven in war at this time, no combatant nation Could a AVIATION STRENGTH AT THE START OF ww Airplanes 73 Russian Air Service was larger tha power. Once combat attrition set in, ho was unable to replace her losses nex the other powers due to her small aviatio Early reconnaissance airplanes w seaters with a pilot and observer to px y from the concern, and high stability was generally «i> be important to successful reconnaissance reconnaissance. Visibil bint 8 jong 75 28 a 0817" na aru Ung Taabe Game viii thioEarly reconnaissance Aucust-NovemBer 1914 Aerial reconnaissance was decisive in the immediately proving the military value of the a ESPITE LIMITED PERFORMANCE and reliability, Dircislng Bice feare crucial service a Gol reconnaissance, fully vindicating the hopes of their supporters. ‘Compared to cavalry, airplanes were much faster, could easily overfly obstacles like rivers and enemy troop concentrations, and enjoyed a much broader view from above ground level. However, airplanes were fragile and grounded by bad weather. Tannenberg Within weeks of the start of the conflict, Ceimay, However they ver also sow with poe manceuraity a? a Asti, apd were ston place by faster, mare manoabl ares are atonal insignia. OPENING MOVES successes paatles of Tannenberg and the Battle of France, Russian thrust in the area was detected by airplanes, again enabling Germany to position their army in time to defeat the Russian attack. As a result, the Russian Second Army surrendered on 31 August. Schlieffen Plan shattered The next crucial victory made possible by aerial reconnaissance was in France, and possibly saved the Entente (at this time France, Britain, and Russa, also called the Allies) from early defeat. The key objective of the German Schlieffen Plan was to quickly capture Paris, thereby defeating France before her allies could effectively intervene. Holding on their eft and center, a strengthened German right flank attacked through Belgium and northern France toward the French capital. German troops had to march several hundred miles against strong French resistance to succeed, making the plan problematic militarily. However, the plan's fatal law was diplomatic; by violating Belgian neutrality, Britain was brought into the war against Germany, which eventually proved decisiveOPENING MOVES a AVG BL Unknown Fld Floger Abteilung /e.1915. The VG B was the mast numerous Geman reconnaissance biplane» ofthe war becuse ofits reliability, stbity, and god handing chr Lita most Bs, this example isin plain finish with no unit or percoa Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2C ‘No.6 Squadron, RFC /France /April 1915 Inthe eal war years the BE2 was the mst widely used Bish econcisanoe || cla. twas designed before th war, when eet stbily was tought to be very important for reconnaissance, This characteristic made the BE2a sete ‘clan tot but also made it especialy vulnerable to fighter attack from the Autumn of 1915 The areratis shown as of Api 1915; the rudder displays an, arly fisinia and there ae no unit markings, 4 Albatros B.1 Feld Flieger Abtellng 2 / Wester Front /ae 1914-early 1915 “The AbatiosB. mas @ mainstay ofthe eat Geman eennalasance units because fits robust elbility and god handing characteristics, This example, named forte hero of Tannenburg, ws flown by Wunerich and Ob Sel, “hore are no unit marines. 10 aan ee 2 3 i 8°OPENING MOVES 4 Plalz Al Feld Flieger Abteilung 90 / WestrnFront/Iate 1915 ‘The Platz Al was a eense-buit Mrane Saunier. They were eed in small umbers, primary by Bavarian wits bezause the fale company was ated in Bavaria. The black and white stipes are the unit marines, Unt /suvisy Kerodrome, France / 1918 Hratar biplane, the Caudron G3 used te bigh-Aae pus ita vey maest performace. The G3 as wel us 052 ad rier by France and aly and in smal umber PF oon marking isan indvival inser. ~ Caudron G4 -scasile © 68 France 1917 ‘Te Cuton Gnas. twin-engine develope othe ar 63. he tral pov ae bet sed, inh aad cen an ei 8-2 toe machine guns Unaunately, it ean the ih ra use onfguratin, wich ined ts pearance, The aes a2 individual ietiication matingrr OPENING MovES # 1915 I 116 Manufacturer and Type St Ave] 31 Oct] 31 bee] 26 Feb] 30 An] 30 un] 31 Aug] 31 Oct 31 Dec) 28 rea] 30 ay oa Albatros poe N13 eee | | | ang Sipe hy ces 23) = | - | - | A Sle lies Se ee = |S Al ee ea emeaieome 2). | | | - | All Sn pease ee Pals! = | Fokker } Ala Rea | | | | A cre eee) Ss | * | t Al =|) =| .6 | Gilg a0] 2 | aaa ies All eee iets lala | 4 | 3 Alli Anemia ay |) sievel2 | - | 2 Gotha AB BSeeerecy a2. | as}, - f= | | - Ala Smee A 2 ae a) > | 2 | 3 Ad oi 4b Se ei |) 2k ee Halberstadt All alee ecinfaro|05)8| silnemlomi| - | - E Hirth | A. See eee) | | Jeannin | a3 Saleen a| 24) alee | - Ala Sa /eOM Elza | ten | way i 1 i E Kondar WI3 Eelpeaet, — Seale =| - Alia eee feselen noha | ed a) he She | ive | A 1 aa | Ala = 1 eee | | Otte A ole jist ee ee = Parasol | A =i | ais |e e E Al Bo eee nee |s S eile E Pralz Al ese |e- | 2 | 3 All See leeel E eal: Alls Ses] ee pS - 1 Rumpler iB 2h alee tee ale Es . ana $6) Gules Total 44 | 36 | 55 | 63 | 66 | 37] 13 | 1a] Regardless, the German army advanced on Paris, bur as they neared the city a gap developed between two German armies. French aerial reconnaissance spotted the gap and on 6 Seprember the Allies attacked it starting the Bartle of the Marne, Thanks to acrial 12 feconnaissance, the German advance was halted! was saved, and the Allies avoided quick defeat Both sides dug in, and by mid Novembe' “ Western Front had settled into the bloody stl« 5 of trench warfare. ZazzR? Cun |OPENING MovES ich Warfare eliminated the cavalry’s ability to carry out i ati jthe sole means, making it Tauizponsabia Magee eae ‘immediately increase its importance, At a alry, the army's traditional reconnaissance 34/tant aro, Face 18 es of eal Goran ing bts nd 0A bisa as sine to Ht Hu Cet net ly stinging marking iis itary sei in combat, was doing, Cavalry stil had a role to play on the more ‘open Eastern Front, but the more critical Wester Front, where both sides knew the war would be decided, had set the precedent for aircraft being the essential reconnaissance tool. + Albatros B.l Feld lego Atlang 2/ Westar ront/lat 191¢-aa 1918 ‘The lable bates BU saw widespread sere on th aster and Wes Fn Tis examples named in oar of to Wedd, canto thot santo Roel Hay rar isn, Aooiand gue si stn an 2Setemer 1914 Th aout mains specifications ees ot ] me 3. 0 00) er ot ng 2D ‘ceed Fooein 137 cuo eet inte aman on 0 08 totence SinaiOPENING MOVES a 4 Farman ME11 'a.16 Squackon, RFC / Western front/ Summer 1915 The Maurice Farman series was widely used by France fo re scasioal ight bombing and ar combat ear inthe war. na Farmans were also widely exported to Aled ar seices. They ns all pushers, neabl to fighter attach The significance of te bia nacelle i unknown; they may have ben for decaration, GERMAN MISCELLANEOUS VISUAL RECONNAISSANCE AIRPLANES AT THE FRONT 1914 1915 1816 q = Manufacturer and Type [31 Aug] 31 Oct] 31 Dec| 28 Feb] 30 Apr] 30 Jun] 31 Aug] 31 Oct]|31 Dec| 28 Feb] 30 Amr 20 Brandenburg Bi Zs DFW Mars mt 5 ie Farman Parasol ae Meee eeemse2 [1 | - TOTAL ecm eacm Sale) \eisnasi| 2 | 1 The beginning of air combat Aucust 1914—Marcu 1915 Primitive early warplanes were soon replaced by more robust, powerful airplanes able t0 ¢2"” weapons, leading to frequent air combat, aa eg Tih 2s BCONNAISSANGE planes were generally weapons to take shots at one another ‘he | Tel unarmed. The crews often carried a pistol, andion their reconnaissance duties. In addition. Bin the Eastern Front it was common to carry a rifle to sometimes took grenades, darts or even brick aang hunc game for survival ifthe crew came down and had al on the enemy during their reconnaissan¢ While dangerous to individuals, these © ineffective in a wider sense. to make their way back to base on foot. Of course, it was not long before crewmen were using these 14OPENING MOVES UNARMED, SINGLE-ENGINE. Be 1915; 1316 oH 31} 31| 31| 28) 30] 30| 31) 31] 31] 28] 30] 30] 31] 31] 31 | 28] 30] 30] 31] 31] a1 vl ct bec| Fe] a un| aos bec| Fb] ap| Jun | Ag Sr es fe pm | A] Ot ee eisai.) 2) -|1)2|-|-|-| aaa lee elia)s) (2) 2|2| =] 2)cle 2 See | 3) —jiod 2} | =| =| 2) 2b otc Pe ee eet = Meisel tc) =| =| =| =| | ceva ele 16} 27| 55| 67|157] 144114 90| 42| 26] 7| 3 3] 8|2|-| =| =f ilale 5 | 9| 7| 14| 27| olradora iey s2| 40| 30] 8] 6|r2) 3| 3 | 4] 3|3| 2 Ele Se BR RBBE SESE a 34) 24) 13] 4) 4) 2] 1] 1 -faja -) =) oper Blea ® mete ies =| | 2) 2|2| 2) 2| sya) 22) Sie ial al 42| 4a| s1| 28) 63| ae] 35] 20] 11 | | -| -| -| =| -|=|-|=|-|- we ee =) =) 1 | 29) 38| 32/18] 7] 2] -| -| 2] | =| eye] oh > -|-|2]2)- -|-|-| =| 3] SIBIBISIFIBIE|= | = aie ya2| 2) -| - ele 5 | a hag Shee bsa. | Ec ‘Specifications es po ng (A) 206 / Western Front /c.1916 tees Ermer ‘an armed, mre powetl replacement fo the eae cay eee earn os Bar vet sine the older seating Gyan Sh B P an iters, the Aviatins retai 3 iors Retest conn ch side of cock.OPENING MOVES = Caudron 6.4 Franco-Belgian Escadile C 74 / Wester Front/ 1915 ‘The GA retained the outdated pusher configuration, which mae it vulnerable to fighter attack from the rer yet it was widely used by France and Italy and in smaller numbers by Russia and Bian. Albatros C.1 Unknown Unit Easton Front / 1918 ‘The Albatros 0. was a more powerful, armed development ofthe ear Abatros B-ype reconnaissance airplanes. inheted the robust reliability and good handling characteristics ofits predecessors and served widely on bath the Eastern and Western Fonts. This example has no unit or personal marhngs, the first air victory of the war occurred on 25 ‘August 1914 when three REC aircraft of No, 2 Squadron forced down a German Taube (Dove). Not long after, on 30 August, Ltn yon Hiddessen in an Aviatik bombed Paris. Two days later an RFC airplane dropped two bombs on German cavalry, the first such REC mission, The first example of true air ¢ a combat berween pair of enemy aisplan® with machine guns occurred on 5 Octob: French airplane downed a German Aviat"; world’s first true air-to-air victory: 1. encounters were primitive in nature * consisted mainly of manoeuvring t0 gv¢ 4 good field offre while denying thee"vibrant buttery onthe nose ofthis Franco- gan Caudron G4 was a personal insignia, not 2 “unit marking. The sie view is shown at et. yreunity. In reality, aircrew were in more y gained popularity as a milicary tactic. its first raid into Germany on 22 OPENING MOVES ZIXin its shed. On 21 November three RNAS Avro 504 aircraft bombed the Zeppelin sheds at Lake Constance, destroying another airship. Two days later the French formed G.B.1 (Groupe de Bombardement 1) for the purpose of bombing Germany. ‘The aerial arms race was now on. Airplanes that went to war at this time lacked the power and payload capacity to carry many bombs or machine guns, but were quickly followed by more robust and powerful types designed to carry such weapons [Aion ts nolo) eae tl nee intention for using it aggressively was clearly ‘demonstrated in the first weeks of the war. Aviation’s impact was to grow with its technical development.OPENING MOVES Voisin LA ‘Escalle V210/Rosnay Aerodrome / France 1918 Te isin was an ery French pusher series that served widely with Aled air services. Mest mere used for reconnaissance, bt cers were amed with 237mm cannon for attacking other airplane, However, the Visas wer too slow to catch them and the single-shot cannon wa inetfctve against moving tages, so they ‘were primary used for ground attack. The winged snail in red, white, or black, was used asthe unit marin in tribute to the type’ low speed. The red cle was personal marking. Observation balloons 1914-1918 Observation balloons were important for local reconnaissance ant artillery fire. They were a valuable tool and were rapidly targeted by BSERVATION BALLOONS HAD first been used in the American Civil War, and by 1914 all the combatants had them and continued to use them throughout the war. Ground tethers held observation balloons in position, and the observers used binoculars to scout enemy positions, Balloons became more important and more numerous on the Western Front when the fighting transitioned from a war of movement to static trench warfare, In addition to visual observation, these aerial observation posts were used to direct artillery fire; the observer normally had a telephone line to the ground and could direct the fall of shot. Unarmed, airborne and dangerous The balloons became a critical link directing artillery in addition to their basic observation role, even though they remained unarmed. As combat aircraft developed, the balloons became important targets to 18 destroy. Even i as another airplane, deal of courage at guns defended defending fighters against air attack. hydrogen gas, the | ignited. However, balloon, and then a flaming balloon it bulky parachutes | Upon sighting an att be pulled to the gi the observer took t Balloon designs e1 windy conditions. the site and stored site by a cumbersor‘a Drachen observation balloon ‘saown Unit ‘The Drachen (sausage) ballon served with bath ses this isa German example, Donon: mete 8750 (2, ng 188m Dott asa tL tt es ‘2x0 ei ane ae OPENING MOVES trent ures Y Caquot observ Tait eer bala The Caqut eign was an an improvement on he Drache, aes aches twas mare table windy than the rachen and raualy lace it : specications Pais on fai a2 eng 2m eo, mgt nee Capac 90 cae meres tno i aren vig lee Airships 1914-1918 Airships had greater range, payload and endurance than early airplanes, making them the initial choice for long-range reconnaissance and bombing. THE BEGINNING of the war, airships competed {with airplanes for the leading role in military and naval aviation, Airships had a number of advantages over the early airplanes: they were more reliable; hat aaa aa greater endurance; and grater load. But chey were bi, slow, more vulnerable 0 Hostile gunfire, and costly. Early actions Ct the battlefronts highlighted their vulnerability 38 bombers and reconnaissance craft, so they were GGatUiylegared to, naval reconnaisine where their strengths were most imporrant and their ability to ground fire was minimized. re, airplane performance fevolved. much faster than that of airships, making the airships peteasingly vulnerable to interception by airplanes. Zeppelins in the lead ‘Airship technology, especial ‘where Germany. “var, While Zeppelins were the weapon of Choice in the world’s first strategic bombing capslgay wey wean effective for naval reconnaissance, Allied airships were more useful in recomibmarine warfare that 28y other role, and ‘ ler airships were in service in this lly the large Zeppelins Tead the world until the humerous sma aapacity until the Armistice 19Air Combat Turns Deadly Aerial reconnaissance and bombing became more valuable as technology evolved and aircrews gained operational experience. It hecame even more important to stop airplanes from flying over enemy lines, and so air combat developed. Both sides experimented with multiseat airplanes with flexible guns, but the synchronized machine gun fitted to a fast, agile single-seat airplane proved its worth. Development of fighter tactics soon followed, and some pilots became expert at downing other airplanes. As the grim death toll of trench warfare grew, governments publicized successful fighter pilots in order to encourage their populations despite the terrible news from the Front. The fighter ace was born and became a fixture in the public imagination. 4 Royal Aircraft Factory FE.24 he gunner of an 26 damostates howto reat Inatioe guns, wile third Levis i ne in plae fe The FE.2¢ was powered by a 186K (25ho) ls Ry enie es FeDsnies was operatinl the Fret ngs han any thr ein of attaching tigers. The gunners tw ble eis it The camera isan th sife of the acl ite its prea, user sin, the he ieAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY - | The synchronized machine gun 1915-Apri 1917 There was general agreement that the machine gun was the most practical weapon for ai; combat, but what was the most effective way to use it? Bore Wore War sy people were thinking about air-to-air combat and what might be effective. Machine guns were generally viewed as the weapon of choice but the next question was how to mount them, Should guns be moveable or fixed to fire along the axis of the airplane? Ifthe gun were fixed and the engine was in front, this would involve firing the gun through the propeller arc, an arrangement that would inevitably damage the propeller blades with potentially catastrophic results. The solution would prove to be mechanical synchronizing gear that allowed the bullets to pass between the propeller blades ‘when the gun was fired. Interestingly, Franz Schneider, a Swiss engineer working with Germany's LVG company, patented a synchronizing device in 1912. France's Robert Esnault-Pelterie also patented a machine-gun synchronizing device before the war. Surprisingly, given the interest in such a capability, neither invention was taken up before the war, Even as World War I was under way, it was still not clear how air combat would be conducted. If most participants thought the machine gun was the most practical weapon, how it should be mounted and employed was a matter of dispute. Folk naval practice of guns mounted in turrets, of different aircraft were designed crewmembers, a pilot to fly the craft and 3 ; shoot at enemy airplanes. In the Spring of Vickers BB.5, a prewar concept know: Gunbus, was one of the first such typc combat, and others followed. To avoid the synchronizing the machine gun, the | designed as a pusher, with the propeller be fuselage nacelle, the pilot in the middle, gunner in front, where he had the maximun fire, The Gunbus was reasonably effective us slow, unarmed two-seat observation airplans. over the Front, but the main difficulty it b catching them because the EB.5 was so slow Germany had started developing multi-s engine battle planes before the ws: Kampfflugzeug was conceived as an armou engine biplane intended for ‘low alticuce amidst enemy fire’. Specifications were subm manufacturers in July 1914 and in January 19!* first AEG Kampfflugzeug flew. AEG soon 4 SPAD AZ nsnown Escadille / France early 1916 Pulp SPADS such a this type mere alles en operations, bt ther oust structure lea tothe excelent SPAD Vand al subsequent SPAD designs to see rational service nthe wat The gunner was stated ino nacle aead of he opel and was cea at risk incase fa cash. This oe sev in an tnkooen Fench escaile, The fuselage stipes wee an ndvdval making. 22 sung 8 tipper 29 rg 0" anon 3feature three crewmen, a pilot in the fore and aft. The slow machine ‘effective when used for bombing tion, and became the forerunner of ‘establishment struggled ro come to bar, a renowned prewar French id Garros, took the initiative to Garros, who had gained fame in the first person to fly across the to fly and was assigned to Tn December 1914 Garros was in nd Saulnier, co-owner of ‘manufacturer of the airplanes Garros fier had been working with carly found that even if the synchronizer es the gun fired late because in the bullets made some fire ‘Sometimes the result was a bullet- propeller, which could cause the 9 break off, causing severe vibration engine out of the airplane, which c situation. Saulnier had fitting metal bullet deflectors on it from this porential disaster os had become exasperated with of trying to manoeuvre his airplane AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY 4 Vickers FB.5 ‘No.1 Squaron,RFC/Brtangies Aerodrome, France Nevember 1915, The Vickers 8.5 was based on a prewar concept and served reliably onthe Westem Font from 1915-16 was oo lw to be vey fective intercepting German reconnaissance airplanes but scared some vctes and chased nary Intruders back bend their omn ines. Lt GS. M.Insall as awarded the Vira (Coss for a action in hs Gunbuson 7 November 1315. into position so his observer could get a good shor with a rifle. Garros asked permission to test Saulnier’s invention in flight. Many French authorities had strong misgivings about the practicality of precisely manoeuvring an airplane in flight so as to aim the entire airplane at an enemy airplane, but Garros soon received permission. When Garros and his mechanic, Jules Hue, examined Saulniers deflectors in more detail, Hue determined that the deflectors were roo weak and designed a stronger device attached to the propeller and its shaft, then fitted the modified propeller and ‘a Hotchkiss machine gun to a standard Morane- Saulnier L parasol monoplane. Poor flying weather delayed a combat test until 1 April 1915. Spotting an unsuspecting German ewo- seat reconnaissance plane, Garros swung in behind ic. “The German crew was shocked as Garros opened fire and, after a chase with the German plane desperately fying co escape, it fell in flames. Two weeks later Garros scored again, and on 18 April a third fell; che freed machine gun had proved itself, Later that day, pile actacking a train behind the lines, Garros was NJowned by ground fie that severed the fuel line of his Girplane, Garros tried co burn the aleplane and are, but he was soon caprared and che patily burmed airplane, complete with its armoured propeller and machine gun, was shipped back co Permany for technical analysis. 23AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY Ce = Foret ern Newt Face a Severin. Boson a 220 4 Nieuport 10 Mei 154: Escatile Unknown / France / 1915-16 mas The Neopor 10 as the firs of he classic Nuportsesquilane dsiens and was sed sa two-seat receonissance alan an a single-seat fighter. The les 6 the fuselage may identity this alan within its unknawn uni. 4 Gotha 6.1 ‘lege frst Abtling 3/ Darmstadt Aerodrome, Caroany / early 1915 Desi a "Momptarea ate lee si | ane the Rn ets > Su Font 185 ani sir dss, poe scat enemy Mot aca ‘irpanes. The high-mounted fuselage gave the two gunners clear fields of fire — Afte! » but proved problematic during landing accidents This airplane, known as the te nde ss ut FEA 3 ad senda pt Ww Gen despi, publi Flags copy ‘machi jacket Point, details and h- onas the G Breguet BrV — shown a3 Wing. Set Baie Bee in Bc a nce and Bian, This one few Fitton sere: Bel ton neuen nt ent ac rad 12 October 16, 24AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY a This on was ow by Flan Gnas. Morane-Saulnier Type eat ms 2, ner heron ‘Aprewar French de Se a eae ig, the mas idly eed by Aled ar services in te wars 2 eats and sal numbers man Pal conray ur ed small unter were bt a uit te Geman Pate company unde ltd before the war Iwas hy bit with a hing ules. Specifications ype L) omia2 mses pb Pop 126 ye leg ite ne opeste aay re nt tens ES tes ng ae ‘ae og 0n 800 Fokker and the first fighter planes Summer 1915 After examining Garros’s armoured propeller, effective machine-gun synchronizing gear an Ww HAPPENED NEXT is the subject o! Kfonflicting accounts. It is known that the Gefmanvmilicary had studied the problem, and despite Schneider's prewar parent (which had been Published! co months after the war began by Lae ion magazine); pe to opy the armoured propeller. However, the German ‘machine ane i thigher ‘muzzle velocity and stec!- jacketed bullets, tore the propeller apa int the authorities turned to Anthony Fokker. The hoe known, but it would seem that Fokker sgihecting team had already been working hronizer, probably with the knowledge of Buthorities, before Garross device was Bhim, and this prior work was probably “by brought in. Fokker and his tcam quickly a successful, cam-operated synchronii fadapted the new synchronizer 10 his M 5K phic was similar in configuracion roche f several a team lead by Fokker quickly developed an id used it to create the first fighter airplane. Morane-Saulnier H; the airplane was given the military serial E.1/15. The German authorities demanded that Fokker, a citizen of neutral Holland Shoot down an enemy airplane as a final proof of Concept and an unwilling Fokker soon found himself ge the Front in uniform with documentation co FRENCH AVIATION MIIAE, 15 AUGUST 1915 eel Meret Tomine Oe pas | VoisinAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY ‘4 Morane-Saulnier Type N No, 60 Squadron, RFC/Le Hameau Aerodrome, France /Auust 1916 ‘The single-seat pe 'W was faster and more manoeuabl than th ‘ete fer This example flown bythe RFC features an unynchronized machine gun; the armoured bul dels are shown on the propel The ase as patted eto distinguish itm sar fal manoplanes wit ick noses aking it prevent him being shot as a spy if he came down in Allied hands. After a week of flights, Fokker finally found a French Farman reconnaissance airplane and approached it, but could not bring himself to shoot it down, an act Fokker later described as simple murder. The airmen did not share his reluctance, and soon Lin Kurt Wintgens shot down a Morane-Saulnier over French lines to prove the concept worked. The nature of air warfare had changed forever. Fodder for Fokkers ‘Two of the Fokker Eindeckers (monoplanes), as they were known, were assigned to Lens Max Immelman and Oswald Boelcke. On 1 August they attacked a formation of British airplanes that had just bombed their airfield at Douai. A severe gun jam forced Boelcke to land to repair it, but Immelman attacked. After several jams he was able co clear, Immelmann succeeded in downing the British airplane. This combat, four months +o the day afier Garros’ first victory, started the so-called Fokker Scourge, when the Fokker fighters maintained air superiority over Allied airmen, many of wh vo fel ike Poa ae es Immelmann and Boeleke are two names that live on in history. Boelcke became known as the father of German fighter aviation and mentor of the Red Baron, and Immelmann became known for the 26 ion eg 8s min) Weg 0796 ana 117 200 invention of the aerial manoeuvre that si name to this day. The Allies soon recognized the perl the By September the air situation became the commander of the REC’ Third Win: that reconnaissance aircraft be escorted 5 Gunbus fighters. The Fokkkers were fas manocuvrable than the Gunbus, bus che with its flexible gun, was surprisingly s ‘combat with them. From then on German p to describe all Allied pusher fighters as “Vic Fokker itself was not a wonder plane: for had good speed, climb, and manocuss main attribute as a fighter was its machine gun. Indeed, both the Morin Ss" and the Bristol Scout had better perfor the Fokker, but neither had a synchroniz«! Morane relied on deflector plates as the Bristol Scout had a variety of g aimed the gun to miss the propeller synchronized gun mount that most ci“ and continued in use to the end of ‘mounting the gun above the cop wing "© Propeller arc. The drawback was that th Of convenient reach if a jam occurred Pilots many awkward moments duriv The Alllies did noc deploy » fs" synchronized gun until the Summer of LeezRD PAS £98+ Fokker Ell ols liege Atellng 53/France /October 1915 Thats similar tothe El andi ficult to distinguish in photographs hype used the some engine and had sniar dimensions. his Ei as town tyler von Crash, who scored his sle ity in this arf. The ‘usage bands rhs personal markings Fokker E.1Il ed leper Atetung 96 / france / Sumer 1916 Defoe Elan ae cific to istnguish tom oe anther. THs EM Das Vt Eduard Bdnme; the black and white fuselage ses and Back (stati ust mains Sharing ts asic coniuratin wt te Meare the Foter vas faster and much more manaeuwable Appeared. Until then, the Allies had to fighters and those, like the Nieuport of fighter tactics pilots developed tactics that Ware still used today. A Fokker pilot AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY Specifications core Severe ton 00 Poe 14791009) henson tt me te 20a hp 248 Main tn a8) tng sm done 0 | eat 0312 ‘specication Comet ane 5 1000 in 1479 anil DoetL Sma ote ND vay "ine ape bi 2 2808 smn pet HO ie me) nb 3008 root 1700 el Sti would cruise over the Frone and, on spotting 20 Mind alzplane, would attempt ¢o position hire aavane it and beeween the sun and che target, which apeald make him invisible to the crew, Wing for wouighe time, the Fokker pilot would then ive the Bom behind the enemy alpine, 10 fire a devastating, burst from close Fang: the enemy 2AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY Ha Ss z a oe aot fall immediately, the Fokker pilot avoid the observers defensive fire, using the dive, zoom back to altitude and of the enemy plane to block vie CcPezt the attack. If the enemy was an armed wo- then 200m up undemeath nee Pe aa ‘eates the Fokker would initially dive beneath ict range into its belly. These were va eu" “Fokker bounce’. If the Fokker did FRENCH AVIATION MILIAIRE, FEB 1816 Plane altitude advantage, the pilot might «ai Munber | airplane from behind and below so ; i ___ ee f Breguet 4 22__| fot see him approach. Of course, the A, Breguet 5 a | the Same tactics when they fielded fighex Capron RER EQ forward-firing guns. aproni (REA 7 Fi Rope Caudron G3 =a importantly, the Germans were alloc, Saucon G3 141} Fokkcers in singles and pairs to reconna:. / Coutron G.417 URINE) MTOZN etosresd of grouping them into squad } Caudron R.4 1__| continued to win victories and had | Maurice-Farman 7 | but operating individually and in s Maurice Farman 1 aoa | limited their effectiveness. Certainly» ————————— could have been increased, and the fic: poet SS eae) 208) Fe oeetiez ith allure to group the Fo | Nieuport 1) 90 squadrons, gave the Allies the oppo } Morane-Saulnier ULA 38 | continue their reconnaissance behind Ge PomnieN S| despite increasing losses. The REC rep arming all reconnaissance planes w 29 | machine guns and escorting them with airplanes. But Hugh Trenchard, the « Noemie 159 _| the REC in France, avoided large changc: Total 937. | thar he feared might make the Germans Fe better tactics of their own, such as group.rs a = 6 eS ARG SRSh THRROOS aAneen meen a Fokker El EK Aviles Ailes Aerosrone, France /1916 (Original Fobars wer assigned alone rin pairs to econaissance unis. Later they were sometimes assigned to KEKs (Kampfeinsiter Nommando, a single-seat fighter detachment befor creation fg squats. This empl was town | by Ob Hans Ber, neal ace and rcpt ofthe Pour le Mert, Ber scored 10 vies blr being ile § or 1817 na micas rng combat ] 28 26 |‘Trenchard realized the RFC but he wanted to continue s peak in January 1916, the everely limited RFC operations to escort each reconnaissance three other armed airplanes. more airplanes to fly each ate costly to both sides. But sive, the evolving aerial both sides. the French had already hers into units that fought escadrille was in position battle started, but within a hr reconnaissance escadrilles sre opposed by a mixed force ‘and even four Zeppelins. ‘to the offensive in principle rome, France January-March 1978 ul engine and two machine eu" sEindsckes Unfortunatly, teen avraility The basic desi Na rice ee desis were cele was flown byte eat ace AP and donned 40 oppress. to ipove AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY as Trench: a ward and the RFC, the French decided to pt an offensive strat we cs a cee ft they asked for, and word aac RT WR aucita |, much equipment from i RES in support. Of equal imporence ie rene t escadrilles now flew the Ni minutive biplane with an over-wing Levis n ae uf The Nieuporchad natow opee@ Rare Goyerard visibly [20d rele ep manoeuvrable than the Fokker Eindecker. The Fokkers represented the first gencration of fight Fees Slgy fide Nieapater ae ae generation fighters Tn contrast, the Germans adopted an air blockade defensive strategy known as Lufisperr, which was ineffective and wasteful of resources. This strategy. combined with the new French technical superiority, gave air supremacy back to the French, who ruled the Skies over Verdun by the middle of April. Known as the Groupe des Cigognes (Stork Group), the French fighter pilots included many stars who became feznous aces, such as Jean Navarre, Georges Guynemer and Charles Nungessr. Prom this time che Germans, realizing they would alwvays be outnumbered by Allied airplanes, sayed on are errategic defensive, and incercepted Allied area i or on ee on create oo ager pt2ra ‘eu oon 0g ‘eon em T08 0 Hee te 2AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY y een the B, air services was maintained from their units. The prevailing westerly winds aided the Battle of the Somme Germans, usually blowing airplanes towards German ‘The British had long planned lines, which could be crucial during air combat. Somme, but by the time they acrai ) j The air battle over Verdun provided some hard 1 July 1916, much of its aed / lessons. First, the success of the offensive strategy pressure off the French at Verdun. 0, : convinced the Allies that was the most effective the British sustained 60,000 ; employment of airplanes, and they pursued the aerial change in the front lines. The hac 1 offensive from then until the Armistice, Second, ground on until November with, : Germany realized the ineffectiveness of the air both sides but no real change in), ; blockade and abandoned it. Third, the effectiveness The Allied situation was much | of specialized fighter units operating in strength was The French Nieuport 11 encerca 4 clear; and the fighter emerged as a full-fledged partner January 1916, soon followed by to the reconnaissance airplane and bomber. Finally, and FE,2b, Both these second-gen: ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION German Order of Battle atthe Battle ofthe Somme German Order of Bate atthe Battle ote aly 1918 etber 1916 ———+—_, 4 Artllerie Fieger 26 Feldioger 20s Abteilungen Abteilungen Fieger —___}+—_ 1 Kampstafel Kampfgeschwader 1 4 Jagdstatoin amis Nieuport 11 Escadille N 67// Verdun sector, Franc / Spring 191 Fin his distinctively mared Nieuport 11, French ace Jean Navarre became famous a he Sentinel of Verdun fr yng in constant patos oer that batted, Navare scored 12 vitries blo rely wounded in ari ‘ama on 17 June 1916, which ended his wartime thing 30ed as fighters. The FE.2b was a two- er in front of the pilot with two firing forwards and one back over Fairly manoeuvrable for a large b was a well armed and dangerous Fokkers. The DH.2 was a single- ‘was superior to the Fokker in every “respect. These fighters quickly superiority over the Fokker in the 4 Nieuport 11 scadrille N 124 (Lafayette Escadille)/ etonneAerocrone, Fence / June 1916 This isa 1 as own yan afer he ean 0178 Bt atayete sieved 16 vitro beng Escedrile, who eventually achieved = etn on 19a 1918 ni Weupot 28 while commanding the Sh AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY $e as Sopwith 1% Strutter fention should also be made of Strutter, so-called because of its ut interplane struts. The Strutter was Seat fighter with its engine and proy gunner had a flexible machine gui a fixed, synchronized gun, first ewo-se the Sopwith 1% inusual W-shaped a handsome, rwo- ppeller in front. The in and the pilot had making the Strutter the at fighter with this configuration to appear. In addition to its effective armament, the Strutter had good performance; it was faster and had better climb and ceiling than its contemporary, the FE.2b. The Strutter had good handling characteristics and, ‘specifications mel Fyn at) atte ein eS he) (etree? See cng ti 1 ‘ns 7508 tt i D208 8 ge 5 mane 17 3 ersnal ati Saat, UAS. Tein te seg mee Luter enon main = Nieuport 16 Toca n 124 cataene esc) ‘August 1916 “The Nieuport 16 mas create engine, but theft the ype was used | flown by Se Paul Paves #84 trom the Wevpost 1 9 ae the je fre Btn ne ass pesonal me, France / enone Aero more power yy Nae age al ssa, Ts canoul aha 9 te 886 pe senha 05AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY together with its pusher contemporaries, contributed to the end of the ‘Fokker Scourge’. The Strutter was a flexible design used as a single-seat bomber and night fighter in addition to its roles as a ewo-seat fighter and reconnaissance airplane. It was also built in large ‘quantities in France, but delays in licence production meant that ic arrived in quantity a year later than its British predecessor, resulting in greatly reduced combat effectiveness. While literally holding theit ground « Germans were facing defeat in the air. ce rose significiantly as the Allies gained ar su along the Western Front. Even Immelme combat with FE.2bs, although ic is uncler was structural failure or British gunfire the demise, He had 15 confirmed victories and more the day he died, for a total of 17. Wi of Immelman the Fokker Eindecker ra wis 0 a May nn fj hee 4 DeHavilland DH.2 No, 24 Squadron, RFC /BertzgiesAsrodrame, France / Summer 1916 Anivng atthe Fot eat in 1916, the DH2 together wth the Weupat 1, ended ‘he Feet Surg! The OH2was faster, more maceuwrable, and nad better rate a in than the ober Endcters Howe its pusher nfiguration Seva linted its development potential. = Aviatik 6.1 ‘chutes! 16 or 26 / Wester Front 1916 Wen the iti Cas designe the was no peal experince to mine for ean which seating arrangement (observer in ronan bac was more efertve. Su the AA was specified to have te oben up et whl competing Abats and VG esha th obseverin the back w ‘icy proved to be mae eect in ar ambat, 32 Sieh Specifications Ce aa m F178 cae tee ste Yom Oy eee B24 (eng Cree rata engine Weis Yorn bh ooh eet mm fearon: “Soci 257 410% Aisne 25008 ‘crows a wet Pein eee ry Vassar =o Bod bbe ave? au ssp, and heenig os, Heed by Immelmann’s death, the Kaiser ordered _ with 18 victories, away from the front Bae RCE ou of conte. bythe ume ee ie ccibhe were famous throughou Iapeeeeweenernest of) the air Guynemer and Sree ei arly Famous in France. Ina ime Rare etlntehtec|the home fronts needed ibe merite Cgnicr aces Aled that need. ‘Their eal courage and exploits could be celebrated as ind fhope and knightly courage and prowessas the see aind on with countless soldiers dying wetoymousy in the horror of trench warfare ‘4 Martinsyde Elephant Unknown RFC Squadron / Western Front/ 1916 a Teharne pt was singel nb io ab fee ti a motes bids shu fo self ae tm power pelea heave, more conventional two-seat desi Fay a AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY Se ___—_—__ The bloody Somme a stalemate had further implications. For one, the last hope for a negotiated Peace died with the tens of thousands of casualties. In addition, Germany recognized that Britain was a more serious threat chan France, and the bulk of the fighting shifted to the British Particularly true in the ais, where ‘Trenchard’s telentless offensive strategy resulted in Germany having to fight far more air combats with Briain than with France. This is hardly to suggest chat air combat with French airplanes was easy o unimportant; itis just that French aviation was not consistently on the offensive like the RFC and RNAS. sector. This was ‘Specifications ove acm see se ng 050 (0 specications S vr 118 0 ae mt ima et ha ene om 08 ‘om 0 voenraet on west woes UG Roland cu etnias tet eg on tksownUnt/ Wate Fon 1918 Bade i inp aun map Cetin nity not nant, ie Foun aan ai HOP | cel ed amamet ts fslge nas mae Nn wand re Rarer ce coat Ant racemose oy 3 bbe get, making it song and steantine tig wt rs Hessincave sure was ter sdb for aAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY 4 Rumpler C.1 Unknown Unt/ 1916 The fist Rumplr C-type was an exclet design frit tne Rule and manoeuvrable, it served lng and widely in German ose ts. hevrons on the fn ae an individual marking, Pres: bea | 10 9 tan My Wee nh eg a conn sant + 4 Albatros C1 es Kagotl 1, State! 20/ Wester from/ 1918 f woes The Albatrs Cl was a robust, elle two-seater of good performance that . ot ‘saved in arge numbers. The umber 20'i the State number, andingividval an ‘machines had black and white fuselage bands in ferent patterns This Gallic rooster was the fist of several 2s the escatrile symbol of N62 and yeared on Nieuport 16s ofthis uit Nieuport 14 ‘Escaarie N 62 /Cachyherotame, france / Summer 1916 a ‘Te feeipert campay i ehnost synonymous with rotty-engine sesqupanes, ut heres an example ot te 14 romance bomber ith sate Sua Vl power ener bit the pe wast et sz Engines wer badly needed for PAD fighters,AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY a» Farman F.40 Specifications sie 24/arancor Raton, Farce / September 1918 coe? tino 0 tne tne puter covigutn lg ater Rshldhve been Pn AL ‘a eo rea. The 40 superseded earlier Farmans in production and was wide used poe va ea Wie 120) act rrr oa Bun cet fs atid ana evo er) Gamage frinet 220 2) eee Pee essence io, twas io sed er isthonbeg (a Pree en se & ‘and traning, The star was the escadrille insignia. ee E August—OcTober 1916 Their loss of air superiority at Verdun forced the Germans to develop & and a new organization to regain the initiative. id eee ron Verdun forced the Germans out of their lethargy and they started searching for solutions. An effective response had to be both technological and tactical, because the Allies ‘were superior in both areas. Even as the Fokkers were oe driven from the sky over Verdun, new German ee swere being designed and tested. Fokker delivered a new family of biplane fighters, the WID.I/D.I which, while superior to his megane: ‘were still not as good as the Nieuport. See setadt company delivered an ‘excellent new eet of biplane fighters thac were strong aoeuvrable and a pleasure to fly. The Halberstadt Ea ‘brought the Germans to technical parity wi heAllies, but more needed to be done. advance was delivered by the powerful firm, the largest airplane manufacturer in iany. The sleek new Albatros D.I and Dll ined good streamlining with a powerful 120kW )) Mercedes six-cylinder engine, giving them enough power to carry two < guns. The resulc was a fighter that w heavily armed than the Nieuports and DH Allies. Hedging their bets, the German au decided to copy the French Nieuport, wh hhad more development potential than th DH.2, Passing some captured Nieuports around key manufacturers resulted in the Siemens-Schukert D.L. Geentially a copy of the Nieuport powered by 2 semative Siemens councer-rorary engine. Iewas used qarcall numbers at the Front but by the dime it wa combat newer designs had outclassed it. pusher reacl Come fly with me a ah ghe vechnology advantage once more on TS Me neds co che Albatros fighters, the Germans srteded to close the cactical and ‘organizational gaps. eset they decided they must emulate the fighter squadrons of the Allies, and Boelcke was re-called co reifrone co form one of the firs Jagdstaffeln literally 354 1 AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY FIGHTER TACTICS ~ BOELCKE'S DICTA Number | Tactic i Ty to secure the upper hand before attacking, If possible, keep the sun behind you. = 2 ‘Always follow through an attack once you have started it a Fire only at close range, and only when your ‘opponent is properly in your sights. 4 ‘Always Keep your eye on your opponent, and never let yourself be deceived by ruses. 5 Tn any form of attack itis essential to assail your opponent from behind, 6 If your opponent dives on you, do not try to evade his onslaught, but fly to meet it. When over enemy lines, never forget your line of retreat 8 For the Staffek Attack in groups of four or six When the fight breaks up into a series of single ‘combats, take care that several do not go for ‘one opponent. hunting squadron), abbreviated as fasta, During his travels Boelcke met many German airmen, and while on the Russian Front before returning home, met a number of eager young pilots and told them he was returning to the Western Front to form a Jasta with pilots he chose, The pilots quickly realized he was > evaluating them. The next morning he spp, the hut of cwo of them and asked “Wane 2% the Somme with me?” Lin Erwin by, Ulanenleumnant Manfied von Ru enthusiastically accepted. Boelcke returned to the Western Fro August and formally established Jagds called Jasta 2) by the end of the month, fighters, an Albatros D.I and two Fokker Dj arrived on 1 September: In ealy Sepcember jor! trained his pilots thoroughly in combat fying « developed a set of eight rules, known as Bay Dicta, for successful fighter combat. These rules left) still apply today. As well as training his ». pilots Boelcke also flew missions by himself. s It in more victories, On 17 September came graduation exercise. Boeleke led five of his patrol and they soon spotted a Brit» formation BE.2cs and FE.2bs below them. ish droppe their bombs just before the Albacre ‘ers arucie The Germans caught the British prise nd violent dogfight erupted. When ove, fn FE.2bs and two BE.2cs had ix Alba fighters of Jasta 2 returned hom: los. The next month the Germans nized the entire air service. As carly as 916 Ob Hermann von der Lieth-Thom: dynam German Feldflugchef (Chief of F tion), ba Fokker Dil Jasta2/ elu Rrodome, Fane /Septamber 1916 Tis eke bpane fpr was town yy by Hot Osrald Boo, vido act, be bates tars wer dlr st 2. Ther ar Dilan reel nt match competing Abas and abet ihe at until th superlative Fete: OM ober pou a secs bane ines 36 Specitications the ‘omar Up ae Oa nn pat uaa et tn 0p) san, 0s “Seneca th 00) Bin 801" symite spot ?20 78" el 2 (a,ing on a of ped Ked. da our ros vcr role nic nad AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY Specifications Co 7 yer ean pS fsarves em a Fokker D.tI See nig nt te 9 KEK Ensisheim /Ensisheim Aerodrome, France / October 1916 Som Te aysoend lias oo Spe! esa Oe teas ouch susie them te Dias intanonaod he mem comping bat anes fates Ths tape ws lo yn. to Desh 00 of EK Ens, yh sen velo bre riding Sate i St nesta =< owe es “ Halberstadt OL oe ston oie at nn on 188 net gn “mame abate rman itn ater teh the Fan nn Hcp ignoring ns arn 202" ei = neritic Continued descent 6° CL et atteAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY proposed thar all German aviation organizations should be combined under one central authority. While the German navy did not like this idea, the initial failure of German aviation at the Somme eliminated doubrs, and on 8 October the Kaiser issued a decree placing all army aviation units under the authority of the commanding officer of the air services. Generalleumant Ernst von Hoeppener, a professional cavalry officer, was appointed to this position, Kommandierenden General der Lufstreihrifie (Kogentufi), General in command of the German Army Air Service. Thomsen was appointed as his chief of staff, and Major Siegert remained at Idflieg CInspektion der Fliegertruppen ~ Inspectorate of Aviation Troops). These three men ran the Lufsreitkrafie (the Imperial German Ait Service) until the end of the war. Like the RFC, the Lufstreithrifie was part of the army, not a fully independent air service. In von Hoeppner’s words, the Germans now realized ‘numbers, leadership, fighting spirit and the technical excellence of fighter airplanes themselves would increasingly determine the outcome of the struggle for air superiority. ‘The Germans had learned their lessons; they had combined the latest tactics, training, and organization with the best available technology. The result was German air superiority until the late spring of 1917, when new Allied fighters arrived. The German fighter pilots became significantly more aggressive and started scoring heavily against Allied airmen. The improved training instigared by Boelcke and adopted by other Jasta leaders aso came at atime when British training standards had reached a low point. In September the RFC lost 170 airmen in combat, more than two-thirds in the last half of the month following introduction of the new Jasta tactics. British casualties continued to tise in ‘October, and the life expectancy of a new REC pilor at the Frone dropped to three weeks, ‘Tragically, although he played a key role in resurrecting German air superiority, Boelcke was not to enjoy it for long. On 28 October 1916, with his victory score standing at 40, the first ace on either side to reach this number, Boclcke was killed as the result ofa mid-air collision during combat. Taking off with Bohme, his closest friend, von Richthofen, and. three other pilots to intercept British airplanes that had just crossed the lines, they came ‘upon two DH.2s of No. 24 Squadron, RFC, During the attack 38 that followed, Bahme and Boclcke by same DH.2 when another flew Berl A Bhme and Boelcke manceuvred se collision, and in doing so lost sigh?" because their wings blocked their so. recovered from this manoeuvre, Boe! a wing lightly touched Bohmes ct breaking it, Bohme quickly recovered sn growing concern as Boelcke's Albatros if an ever steepening dive, crashing ney artillery battery. Unrestrained by’ 2 safe Boelcke was killed in a crash that he likely 2, ni, otherwise survived. a ‘Our brave and chivalrous foe’ Boelcke’s death shocked the German § community and the nation. An RFC air over Boelcke's elaborate fun id. dog wreath with the inscript the mene Captain Boelcke, our brave alrous foe. the British Royal Flying ( per the Kaiser renamed Jas 2 Bee Boeleke’s life to serve as forall a fighter pilots. More than Boelcke was the firse grea tii Dicta became the official German fighter forces. He example by intensely tr combat. And he was one of of chivalry in an air war that pethaps partly in comparison tc the ground. Early in his Ayn a drowning French boy and French government requesting he for his heroic action. Not surpris medal was forthcoming, although German lifesaving medal for his decd On 23 November yon Richthofea * Boeleke’s death by shooting down Male!" Hawker, VC, who was CO of No. 24 which had figured in Boelcke’s death. excellent pilot and early ace who was 3 Victoria Cross awarded for air com we a airplanes after shooting down ovo Gee while flying the Bristol Scoue wich its obliat= armament. In September 1915 Hawker WP command newly formed No. 24 Squedrom to be the RECS firse fighter squadron. Af up and receiving its DH.2s, the squed™ ae be comt was € Orde Corp. On endec his 2 advar Hal sta 4/) The DY fa Tis Hae desta 4.1) Vitis ineS the Path id g Sth, they lef Tia sed Wn in may iness, dhave fighter re flew a laurel ory of 1, From decree with pilot, nd his of the dented, before amples seeds , rescued grote the a me French receive * avenged ae ; n 8 February 1916. Hawkers eee vipler than Bock; a board combat Pin the squadron area that said: “Tactical was ef O.C. No. 24 Squadron, Royal Flying Orders eack everything’. It was signed by Hawker, Corps Hal day, Hawker, now with 12 victories, Op the iin single combat with von Richthofen in ended UP s Dil. The DH.2 was easier to his Albaryat the Albatros possessed every other miomage, and ding the fight lasting, some antag 4+ Halberstadt DA ‘nko Uit/ West Font 1916 a. 3 earie D1 aly ints use ofan “Theta il tere from te pene ‘ogonin plc fa Mercedes. retained the strength ané excelent handing area of the Dl AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY minutes, Richthofen had the initiative and Hawker Was on the defensive. In the course of the fight the Prevailing westerly wind was pushing the wo Combatants further into German lines. Finally, Hawker had to break off combat and run for British lines; Richthofen shot him down and Hawker was killed. Both pilots were experienced aces, and Richthofen owed this victory, his 11th our of an eventual 80 that made him the leading ace of the war, to the superiority of the Albatros * Halberstadt 0.V 2847 Westen fom 1918 ted dv Pedant beng sts wimp es TiPin ys ten ct inci tte at Meet ca winte ort, Buse = eee jarch 1918. SiiesinFrance and the Mice East before being HA 10M on aoe ‘specications Sees on tac 048 So ee opt 1300100 ra uate enn oe rie 8 tn enAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY SB New Allied Fighters ‘The French SPAD company’ fis heer >> While the Germans introduced the superior Albatros and other new biplane fighters, the Allies also continued developing new fighters. The 60kW (80hp) Nicuport 11 was given a more powerful 82kW (110hp) engine to create the nose-heavy Nieuport 16; an enlarged, more balanced airframe resulted in the Nicuport 17 that artived in June, In most Nieuport 17 fighters a synchronized gun replaced the over-wing gun. tie unusual SA series of ‘pulpit’ cvo-seat fhe 5. Ths series were tractor biplanes with a gin, mounted infront ofthe engine and py wide field of fire. As wel as is addition 28 nacelle limited propeller efficiency and in flow of cooling air to che engine, limiting de the engine that could be fitted. The ona failure and only about a hundzed were built Oy Der Peller tog, 4 Albatros D.1 Jasta Boole (Honor Name for asta 2)/LaglcoutAeradrome, France / November 1916 The Albatros D was the fasts, must powerful fighter atthe Fat when fest ‘ve and immediatly estalishodsuprty ver Ale fighters. Tiss the Dio in aren Bute fasta Bele, who was downed 16 November 1916 by Capt Parte and Lt Harvey of. Sqn, RFC in 2 BEC. 4 Albatros DI {sta Boeleke (Honor Name for Jats 2)/Lgnicout Aerodrome, France / late 1916 The Abts il fered fom the ata Dy ite upper ving positon, which was lweed to nprove te olf of vie, This Di was flo by Ob Stephan Kai, StafletteotJsa Zafer Bell's death, who achieved 11 vitor before being A22 Novem 19 Specifications te me Pow 1H 6 ses Ot e ine ose eae run se sp) Enya 30 ne ts si Saves nig i (7000 Specifications te iano tn memo Shc io 78we R COMBAT TURNS DEADLY os A succeeded in downing a German the underpower Fe jhough afew more victories were scored by 112k fogiey A eK ih Ai Russian service. The story could have ended ihe eh failure. However, the SA series, while flawed lj in coneeP™ success stories of the war, the failed SA to Fe eloped into the highly succesfal SPAD ‘6 Yl that was iminating dinipaynshvoized machine gun, and replacing Arriving at the Front the cae set i a Nibatros D.I VG ay ‘ut 22( Vue Aerodrome, Western Front / March 1917 c [npn Ds had an irl radiator instead ofthe ear ratiatox shown Jee Teil ator reduced dap and retained water inthe engine never of ‘ak eailngte engine to run longer. This Dll was own by Lin se actbs Ulich 1317 cos went on to sor 48 vires and was awarded he Four le et abs sane the war Yabs’ was his personal marking “Wisp 17 13. Sins) /cacty Aeration, Fane / 1918 AT tombined the engine ofthe Nieuport 16 with » sight enlarged Hat mares an thine charac. ts wed Bay si an Bain. ale was own 2 4 Tiered stk was the uit insignia, the silhouette on the rudder W28 Hee enti’ yas aed 08 dot rats with te FH transformed the SA 1 had a robust airframe, and in one of the from the SPAD Vil one of the best fighters of the war. By 112kW (150hp) Hine”, the woublesome gunners nacelle, co 134KW (I80hp). are wn ae boosted = MB KoBe5) Al the innovative Hispano-Suiza V-8, Spap failure into the SPA I subsequent warime SPAD sieafeare eon raft were develoy and SPAD fj ae er Britain, Italy, Belgium, Russia andthe Usa ee The SPAD Vil was ave eee d y strong airplane and its gave the same month as the righ sca bl was eu re the most 0005 | aire aa i 57 ‘The storks the aviation Ml specifications oem oem rt se aoe Pe rem ore! ian 0 iAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY Albatros, its main shortcoming was its single machine gun compared to the two guns of the Albatros. Bue the SPAD also had teething problems with its engine and radiator and initially this limited its combat effectiveness and, for a time, slowed the numbers that reached service; eventually it was produced in great quantity. While French industry was focusing on Nicuports and the new SPAD VII, 4 Nieuport 23 Some Escatille Belge De Moeren Aerodrome, Belgium / 1917 This Nepor 23 wasflnn by Ai dnd They, Belgium’ hcanking ace vio scored 10 vistas before bing shat down bya two-seater and bing taken soe. Te Meopct 23 fered rm the Neuprt 17 in mior tlie the sychaning ear nd seed angie the Nieuport 17 inate ais B the British developed the Sopwith ‘Puy g, called because it looked like a smaller yp catlier Strutter. The Pup vias enjoyable yf good match for the Albatros in a dogigy GOKW (8Ohp) engine only enabled iets synchronized machine gun. The first of« 1” successful Sopwith fighters, th the DH.2 pusher in all respects along lng Pup was supe Specifications oe . : Fort 15981209) wo umes eee unum pe i eng) ava mas Sac t0n 23.050) 4 RAF FE.2B No.11 Squadron, RFC/Fance/ September 1916 The FE2 srs ative atthe Font in Janay 1916 ad sere to war’ td establishing he longest edt combat vie fay World War ain ‘esp ts pusher efiguration. LE Burton and 24 FN Gin ware domed ‘and take prisoner inthis example an 2 September 1916, The whit ale on the nase was anunfeil suadon marking 42 Specifications | Porm tx 4901209 Barun 1H Be ep em crn 8 | darans Sle * Xe Bloody April Aprit 1917 AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY New German airplanes, tactics, training and organization resulted in a period of growing ai superiority culminating in the Allied disaster of Bloody April’ 1917.) ne Di, Ze NEE Allied fighters being introduced, momentum remained with the German Jastas. In late 1916, the powerful, two-gun Albatros was the best fighter at the Front, and the new Jastas made the most of it. And this time, the Germans did not rest on their technology laurels; with the Albatros D.II superior to Allied fighters and strength building rapidly, the Germans introduced the Albatros D.IIl with even better performance. The D.Ill adapted the Nieuport sesquiplane (one and a half wing) wing cellule to the basic Albatros design, improving its downard visibility, speed and climb rate, However, the single-spar lower wing of the Nicuport was not robust, a weakness exacerbated by the greater weight and speed of the Albatros D.LII, which subjected the wing to greater stresses. This would lead to problems. Meanwhile, Trenchard was alarmed about the appearance of superior German fighters, their use of 4 RAF FE.2B. 23 Squadron, RFC /Fance/ September 1916 FE2 served os a dy fig, reconnaissance plane ay bomber on ist ingits long career hen lawn infomation he F-2s were dangeoss the Red Baron was severely wounded in combat wih a 2 While craton 17 Solember 1915, LF Ter ant Buck wre doaned ner of HG 1 and made prisoners of wor better tactics, and their growing numbers. He communicated his concern as early as September, and in December visited London to urge that his fighter strength be increased dramatically and soon. The only effective way this could be done was to introduce a signficant number of new fighter types with better performance. Unfortunately, production and training difficulties delayed delivery of most of these better airplanes until late spring 1917. In January 1917 von Richthofen awarded the Pour le Mérite, known famili Blue Max, Germany's highest award, aft victory and given command of Ja: Richthofen arrived, Jasta 11 had not victory. Richthofen immediately sol the day he arrived at Jasta 11 he shotAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY Specifications + Royal Arraft Factory BE.20 ary Pang 1.19 Sudan, RF Face / 1818 eden * tot 4c ate | Teritleut aeab 2 sees mae te Fret ng teres (AMR peel sky, sling eno Geman fiers, Oy te ces coos emma Ee | uae tem 00 eet cases, ‘Specifications: om en hi, Tia it gt mai) Gram Movosoupape B2, B24W (110h9) g pte ‘ nal . un kh pa sei 0) Esopus meson pa tn 0 : No. 66 St Est Yanche Aerodrome, France / Sepa $8 (198 di eight 3:30 (in) iguedtody RFC/ Estee Blanche Aero ips tanaisarese The Soph Pup was alt airplane eed ys ps De Aare: (8) Wee hal the engine poner ad freponer ofthe Abts, cud al oataht. Ths example was flown by Lt. Tyron Ete Bi in September 1917 Specifications ee revi ac ‘ea 1090 rasan ilo en ayn citi cn cio aon Late” acne 58 fest san cg 540028 Ten Sent, ROMS /$tP0 Aaa, France mua Fobra 1917 eso nb {Refer ois ame fms exenbace tote eaer, and rg, Sow | EBERT Site. iy as probably own by FS. sso 89 by SL. Simpson, who few ia ne ated Sopwith Tilane inky Eximorer se dnivy ears Sopwith PupSpecifications Facet nun pb OG fee hs 8 is Sang 25016000 ‘ren 01.8 ‘ge 29 ight 282 ions) i121 7H aed Aenea: +7. (300) a Woes “ oan 1x7 (3 ete od 4 Albatros Dut Spring-Summer 1917 "Nbatos Df Lin Vener Voss of lst Bsc, Vss scared 48 vitor before being ili 1917 while hing aprotaype ober plane in single-handed combat witha fight Kom 55 Sen, famous dofihts of th wat Hewas 20 and already alder ofthe Pure Mie The vere Vos’ erstnal markings; the wit tal waste unit marking at this tme “ Albatros D.t asta Boelcke (Honor Name for sta 2)/ Prone Rradrome, France / Sming-Summer 1917, Abate lf Ln. Hemenn Fommber af Jats Boll. Fronmhee sae 32 Wiles and was nominated the Pour le Marie, but the Kiser aise Dror it coud be awarded The wie tal was the unit marking at this tme pes were Fromnher’s personal marking the ‘asta Boelcke (Honor Name fr fasta 2)/ Pani Aerorome, France / AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY ‘4 Bristol F.2A No. 48 Squatton, RFC /LaBalewe Aerodrome, Franc /Aeil 1917 The Bist F2A and 28 was ae ofthe great warplanes of WH but inti was risused, being flown a apical to-satr wit painful lasses. This FA Hom by ike and Grits was one ofthe two suis fhe disastrous st combat with Jasta 1 whe four f the sic Bristol were downed. Whe own 2 2 wo sat fighter the Bristol excel Specifications oma De rm en 560298 and sasti Specifications ae ness gant 2 Pema 1191080 lng 72302 m2 Ge) ar Bn i a eg ae ina sn 2 ene? 3S Wt dv 2a Saecie Ss HNAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY fighter, a pusher design much like the DH. Fa obsolete when it reached the Front. The next day he downed an FE.2b. Richthofen also instructed his pilots in Boelcke’s Dicta and thar, together with hi dynamic leadership by example, transformed the unit. Arras Offensive approaches In March 1917 the weather improved significantly, enabling increased air activity. Air fighting became much more intense, and British losses rose to 120 aircraft, almost half over the British lines. Trenchard now faced a dilemma; his losses were high in the face of German technical superiority, but the imminent Arras offensive required extensive reconnaissance well bbchind German lines. British hours flown per casualty fall from 186 hours in October 1916 to a mere 101 hours in March 1917. At the same time, the demand for more and deeper reconnaissance missions increased as the date for the Arras offensive approached. Despite increasing casualties, Trenchard was compelled to order the essential reconnaissance flights. March was a difficule month. On the 24th, No. 70 Squadron dispatched six Sopwith Strutters on a reconnaissance mission. A dozen Albatros fighters bounced them, shooting down ewo and riddling the rest, which barely made it home. The next day 70 Squadron attempred to complete the mission with another group of six Strutters. One survived because it tumed back early with engine trouble; the other “& Albatros 0. asta 11 / Dual Arotrome, Fane Spring 1017 Wen the ed Bava reached asta 1 sits commons dot domed a snl enemy silane. Riche 9 ‘asta he yh aves nha bis peonn into a ere iter uit Red waste uni’ colr rarhng of he uke pit. 46 ei January 1917, the unit Er sist eto with leadership ans it th design was he persona Ss five were shot down over the ¢ Albatros fighters of Jastas 5 and 6. In il ling : Serurter had gone from triumph over the ps to obsolescence against the Albatros, S¢ the casualties that the RFC had to tecruip from the infantry. Frank Courtney commander in 70 Squadron, related that 4 infantry gunner atrived at the squadron an) his briefing, asked why the squadron was bac the Suicide Club; he was posted missing the no". At this time the British had 754 aircraft sin a ns front, including 385 fighters, arrayed agin’ German airplanes, 114 of which were fgher of the British fighters were Nieuport, Sopwikt and SPADs, but most of them were the old 0 and FE.2b, Trenchard decided to go on the of on 4 April, five days before the Arras ground ofe was to begin. Things went bad formation of six new Bristol E2A :wo-seat fk from No. 48 Squadron, the firs Front, flew their first mission Hines lel Capt Leefe Robinson, VC, on had awarded the VC for shooting di cman at night over Britain in 1 fortun Robinson had no experience ans On 5 Ap fighters, and he insisted on foll « whereby the pilor was suppos: nocu 4 airplane to give the gunner the uni Tm shot. These tactics were appr for a np Ss ar at Unk Dias ie teh 73 029 ed er | Jeno 257500 2 Pom)AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY ‘specifications tier owen 1x18) ‘Mee DI i pst nee ium pe 168 EN pes =e Seo a Saas Piss ‘enum 217 Sm (3180) Seen ‘Flieger Abteilung (A) 263 / Western Front / 1917 i This Albatros was fitted with a camera for high-speed reconnaissance and flown ‘n, the fica din in 18 rerenceiROME ave ct Ceo ease FRO meets errr eo = as SUPP ig Westem Fronts, Tis Cl was flown by Frick ureck and Lt Christensen Pepe aliens unmet Eel) of ttl 6 Rao Severin 80 03.1290 anton wyere 0 i | aif are AWC, Specifications ee c ee. Paneer — ee CD a ae stom ‘Some Eeineniomiaue te mont race Pare feahed the Frnt, On 28 Never 1916 alone CV was the fst ala © Sang Me 50 4788 PannAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY sy Bristol E2A the other two returned riddled i Fighters ran ine five Albatros fighters the worldwide flu epidemic six Bristol Rehr Richthofen. The Bristols ‘This disaster was a major setback to ‘ from fasta 11 lead by von Mrwo-seaters and Jasta 11 hopes for the new fighter. Fortunately flew like any other BrO¥P Albatros fighters shot inexperience and poor tactics overcomin ieee thet at auls, including Robinsons, and technology; this would be resolved asthe Ke lown four of the Bristols, inclu reconnaissance two-seater, was designed as a fighter. rsa Bz With " bl g exe, 4 Farman F.40bis Type 60 ‘Specifications me ome Escarille Bele /CoudekerkeAerotome, France /Juy 1917 Cent cae ‘The Faman Ye 60 nas 2 Farman F40bis with 2119 (60H) Renault Be facia g es Se en ia ‘ng. Infact vas on man viatonson he bast 4 he eta ponr mem tea wasted inseaseThisoe ws flom ty aunt and Sous aca gua iy outers fom Cour ercrame in uy 117, gar it was obsolete inthe face of contemporary fiers, The insignia for Escadrill 58 was a black based on that of the newspaper La Ve Par (Parisian tite, 4 Salmson-Moineau SM.1 ‘cate F58/ France /1917 peericaioat TS was an sul ngange rennaissnc, ay pls vi etsion hts aed the wre une small runes ia atts, bt out as tose onthe sd ith ant mating. Sania cae He ne On erie doe vo /PANDMAATN Gh Sian ae ——_vinnins n 248 Stoeand ah Reelin |b eee) ti ecvipped witht, The | ASSP mig si ema 2-317 48- t ee AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY [Levoine BELGIAN AGES LEADING UNITED KINGDOM ACES S = esa LeWilly Coppens: Lt Col William Bishop 73. Lt Andre Demeulemeester Lt Col Raymond Collishaw 62. ‘Skt Edmond Thietfry Major Edward Mannock + é1 Major James McCudden # 57 Saar lyme learned to exploit the Bristol’s performance as a fighter. When properly used it became the best two- seat fighter of the war. The E2A model was powered by a 141kW (190hp) Rolls Royce Falcon V-12, and the E2B had a more powerful, 205kW (275hp) version of the Falcon that gave it even better speed and climb, With good manoeuvrability for its size, excellent performance, and good armament (a synchronized Vickers for the pilot and flexible Lewis for the gunner) it could be flown offensively like a single-seat fighter, but with the added protection of the rear gunner. Sadly, this learning curve took too long to avoid the heavy casualties of Bloody April. Weapon of ruthless efficiency The intense fighting that opened April continued without respite for the month. The twin-gunned Albatros wrecked havoc with the single-gunned Allied fighters and obsolescent reconnaissance planes. DFW ov Feld BlogerAbtiung / landers / Summer 1917 inate 191, te DAC. was the uitssental German to-sats i were bat than ayer Geman warplane anit eve wth unite end ofthe war. ough, manoeurabie and wth god handing ls, the DPW. nasa dangerous opponent of een the best ers. Capt Anthoy Beauchamp Proctor Meprooaionetaren Major Willa Barker Srkoier | Haj Tom Hazel mz Captain Pap Fuld 40 Tote? indicates Killed n the war. Gordon Taylor, an RFC Pup pilot, had opportunity to fly a captured Albatros D.tI weeks after Bloody April; he thought war machine, a weapon of ruthle ‘whereas he viewed the Pup as suitable after the war. While the Pup could c ‘Albatros, the Albatros had twice th twice the engine power, and being faste ‘out-climb and out-dive the Pup, usu initiative. The Albatros could also break oAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY Specifications (en? Poet ay anon 18 iy Enc 30 i Stra 50610 ism 1270 Bg ‘legerAbsitang (A) 48/ Wester Front / 1916 7m 3188 wors2nan | ‘to production to protect the engine in case of alto leaks The robust oe | DFW CGV sn sone Une 1976 ° es ‘Ths tcl FU CVs he later teat outed abet ence a ‘Aviat built 75 of thelr C.l type designed to the same requirement as the DFW Ns per CLikiAiK weno! Kite soeir OM mde ioma.Teope i a tence piste navel meade eine, oe \ es ee. ror 1 ones il + Sopwith 1 Stuter two-seater ee eneiies. om Ne 3 Wing, NAS acess ecto, ane /Ocotr tore enw wpe me score | ‘Th Sopwith Suter was the ist two-seat ihr ith a gun fe bth an se 64m on) ewe 117008 crewmen. Ths ramp fe fo. 3¥ing, MS was fon fom Lue biny— GMIMERAIARDH= thom O mms yeas 28c He | eros eth oy Ober io! 12 tte 116 Ean wate \ aAIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY ee 6 ew LEADING FRENCH ACES a LEADING GERMAN ACES score _| | Ace Captain René Fonck 75 Rittm Manfred von Richthofen f a Captain Georges Guynemer t 53. Obit Ernst Udet za Captain Georges Madon 41 Lit Josef Jacobs a = Lt Maurice Boyau + Lt Werner Voss t 48 ‘Lt Michel Coiffard + Lt Fritz Rumey ¢ 45 Lt Jean Bouriade Hotm Rudolf Berthold 44 Captain Armand Pinsard Ut Paul Batimer a S-Lt René Dorme t Hptm Oswald Boelcke t 40 Lt Gabriel Guérin + Lt Franz Bochner 40 ‘S-Lt Claude Haegelen Lt Lothar von Richthofen 40 S-Lt Pierre Marinovitch Captain Alfred Heurtaux Captain Albert Deullin ‘Note: F indicates Killed in the war. will if a Pup got the tactical advantage. Among the REC fighters the Nicuports took especially heavy losses; in two weeks 60 Squadron lost 13 pilots. Within the first four days of the aerial offensive, the REC lost 75 airplanes in combat and a further 56 airplanes in accidents. Squadron Commander Sholto Douplas recalled that his unit, 43 Squadron, rook more than 100 percent casualties during April while flying the Strutter; 32 pilots and gunners were authorized the squadron and 35 were lost. - Sopwith 1% Struter single-seater a3 Wing, AAS tay Krome, France / Janay 1817 Tie Sigh Srtewas as wn a sige tobe: 18 m0s ecu oft tp’ nied ad; wit wiht of» ne aw on tatary wats This ample on No.3 Wine, RAS nasa 197 as lca inne unbrsnFne tore cs use Sees ‘Note: indicates hfed inthe war Replacements arrived just in time to be shot do and six or seven of the original 32 squadron m survived April. So many escorts had r0 be at least five for a reconnaissance nominal REC numerical superiority British losses were severe; 245 airp directly as a result of combat, 21 missing, or died of wounds, 108 116 wounded in action. In com 499 aircrew in the four and a half mons July and 22 November 1916, the perio Somme. British aircrew never gave up, but b of April 1917 RFC morale was at its nadir. sn 88 Sh ‘eg 75h cst e128 ae al 10g 2 et toe Fen 1 030) Ge 1 ait ct x2 010) ieee ee ottartn =e, Simson Sa cin onc) 51AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY || Speci lead Itong, Poet ay ty, Vase a tne en swe & Nieuport 20 a a 45 quiron, RFC/Ste Marl Cappel Aerodrome, France / acces ‘Aart May 1917 itn maf The Neu 20 was essential a development ofthe Newport 12 wih 2 2 MBB Hag (10h) Le Rn engine, horseshoe owing and oter changes On 21 vere SBA pucaset the RF, snus, a an energy tye un the Sept | ut il | 1 Snutr became aval in greater numbers | , 9 \ — 2] 4 Albatros DV | asta 11/Dousi Aerodrome, France 7 “The more steamlned Abatos DY rea ina 8.8 to noticable perfomance improvement os =. Tee ‘Manfred von Richthofen, the famous Ret Bs: ye 1917. Ret livery and Richton airlan was ale. esr 0 him he wars lang ace before fang on 2 918. an was given both o RAF Capt AR, Bow + Albatros CVI Uskaown Unt/ Western Front/ 1916-17 ‘The Atos company was the lags pane mantature in Garman du the naan padced may leet designs. Te CM Wasa adele cenasace plane ht see in ge umber oth Easton and et Fron Tis apical example of thee ath Font the mating onthe fuselage erie hs mace win its unt 52AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY lo [Pm Speciiations tet oh na ee Poin xB ecteN erase ih 1 ON) att 4 Albatros C.VIL ‘run yD no enue 181 5 tous at ame eee ‘ oles prodctin, Flamboyant markings were a raiy on the Cut twas ‘amoutaed ontop of the wings and talplne atthe faction. The fuselage fs rathing was an individual marking The stkingE fscatrile 4 Caudron 66 cadre €56/Toujen Aerodrome, France /1917 ‘ra auton G6 pace th Gin prot ad fay ued a mer renga that improved prtrane Te ana nen ent tet hth eae of re fear cetera inred capi. nis xanplewas ated at Tolan 117 ns 17220516 ect oh wet 28 ON2N cle in ung 17 a et ent 1799933 MEAIR CO 4 Dorand AR.1 -scatille AR 44/ France /1917 Desperate replace the obsolete and extremely wheal pte up, for recomaissance, France introduced the AR to he Ftia ex) bar matking isthe escadril insignia ‘The black chimera holding 2rd she wi White Cross of Lorraine was the unt inigiay Escattrille 14. It replaced the ear unt marking of a simple white Coss of Loran. “4 Dorand AR.1 scarile AR 14/ France / 1917 The AR was an ieegant design of metre performance, Nevertheless, even i itspeeomance was itl ete than the Farman E40 pusher its configuration fered super sit-tence compared tthe obslt pushes use by he Ales {or fr oo ong wos the tactical umber within the escadile, Who volunteered? 1914-1918 Despite the obvious dangers, th there were always enough volu GEE 75, who wouta cut le prestige of aviation ant fe in the trencttes & teers for aviation, acts of ie int © would volunteer for such sh ; he Fron 8 ‘ime when Ding war Senate ecalyar sedge ete ete Me A someone shooting at you? While eee Feyaaprie Tomance and gon) Ty, OF 54 Combat flying in the minds of ™*AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY -'1— considered the alternative, the abomination of trench warfare, and decided that air combat, if not safer, would at least offer better living conditions until the inevitable. And unlike today, it was also a time of great patriotism and naiveté and limited cynicism. Ac the time of World War I Britain still ruled over a huge empire and had a very large population to draw from. OF course, flying required basic skills that were not spread evenly throughout the Empire, but there were many aircrewmen from Canada, 4 Avro 504K "No.187 Nght Taning Squadron, RAF/ Retford, United Kingdom / 1918 The ro SOAK as widely used for traning: this example i rom No 187 Night Tlnng Squadion at Retford Aerodrame. The long-serving Faro was also used as aight iter Curtiss INGA No, 85 Canadian Replacement Squadron, RFC (Canada) / Raton ‘Aereérone, Canada / 1917 Te Curtiss series were bit nde cence in Canad to tran Canadians fr RFC. This example was bated at Rathbun in Outs; he lack at was he mashing fo No.5 CRS Many of No. 85's rca atck mars on the tal attoincicte the number a crashes that avert was nvotve in Ts br crt ao whitefeced cat ot sen on ters in he squat. Australia and New Zealand in the RFC. Flight schools were established in Canada and eventually ‘Australia as well as Britain, Many Americans went to Canada before the United States entered the war to volunteer to fly for Britain, A few Americans even went to Germany to volunteer. However, Canada was much closer and more convenient, and not a few were primarily adventurers for whom getting into the action was perhaps more important than which side they found themselves fighting on Specifications ioe? tee Pm Fave = BL, Save aes ISN C)_——_Dosven ct 13794 cn anim one 902 ei 8% mare Aa inne om essl “rot eae. Pe emenetmes —‘cmuanaximmeimt = us Hloolebegete ‘me I ee + age 240m (158 ee) hemes ose + sven cing: 3852 (1.00‘AIR COMBAT TURNS DEADLY h and Germany also had empires, althoug ae much smaller eo tte British ete | especially for Germany, Si clio hema ‘var, nearly every aviation volunteer came from the snery. a ur vas under way, there was a continuous stream of volunteers for aviation from the armies and navies. The cavalry provided an especially fertile field for volunteers because after the Western Front trenches were extended from Switzerland to the sea, the cavalry was unable to perform their normal scouting function and was forced to fight as infantry. ‘Many cavalrymen soon tired of this, and, with no end. to it in sight, decided to volunteer for aviation. Manfred von Richthofen, the war's greatest ace, was one of many former cavalrymen who moved to aviation after trench warfare became the norm on the Western Front. Many infantrymen also wanted an honorable way out of the miseries of trench warfare and volunteered for aviation. Another source of aviation volunteers was recovered wounded. Many who were wounded in ground fighting wanted to continue serving their country but now lacked the physical strength and agility required of infantrymen. Often these men volunteered for flying. After all, while flying, a pilot was sitting down, an activity viewed as less strenuous than infantry fighting, Ic is alve8. ‘Herzog Kar Eduard Fogrschue/ ne sli Ur ees fem rata the survivors were sent to the raining schools a to ive Hah van Pls. Female matings tow are eet af fom thee rontine serie, The Saad whe cochde masthead Flgercule resting to compare that perspecne , atirude during and since World War "4 airmen must maintain the highest physg > stands Early Allied aviation training ‘Aviation was in its infancy during the ya, ight training, Initially, che key pretequisieiy." a flying instructor was being a pilot. There y,.° organization of the training sylijh.. understanding was limited. As further exper, gained in flight, more rigorous standards for of. flight instructors were used and,“ comprehensive training syllabus was devised, All pilot training involved instruction in wich an instructor aboard the training airplay details differed. The French preferred a sytem included students first learning ¢o taxi a Sighs aitplane, or rolleur (often called a penguin), mex the controls and get a feel for ban

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