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Overview
How much can you really find out about the War in the Air during the First World War in five minutes? This handy little history book will surpass all your expectations and leave you well versed on all you wish to know, and maybe even a little bit more… Who was the highest-scoring ace? Which plane looked like a dog begging? What was the Black Flight? How many died in the first Blitz? What was the Fokker Scourge? Jam-packed with facts, stats and first-hand accounts of the action, all woven together in an accessible way by an expert in the field, this 5 Minute History is a valuable addition to anyone's bookshelf, ready to be delved into at a moment's notice.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780750956925 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The History Press |
| Publication date: | 04/07/2014 |
| Series: | 5 Minute History |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 128 |
| File size: | 256 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
5 Minute History: First World War in the Air
By Norman Ferguson
The History Press
Copyright © 2014 Norman FergusonAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7509-5692-5
CHAPTER 1
THE FIRST MILITARY FLYERS
BRITISH MILITARY COMMANDERS were slower than their French and German counterparts to grasp the potential of aviation. From the beginning of the twentieth century, Germany had developed their huge Zeppelin airships for army and navy use and at one point just before the war Britain's military pilots numbered nineteen while France had 200.
There had been some interest shown, however. In the 1860s experiments with balloons had been carried out and the Army Balloon School had formed in 1878. Balloons were seen as potentially useful for aerial observation duties and were sent to South Africa for the Boer War. An observer raised to a decent height could see much farther than a horse-riding cavalryman; however, many of the army commanders had a cavalry background and were not overly keen on these newfangled contraptions. (They also thought aeroplanes would frighten the horses.)
DID YOU KNOW?
Geoffrey de Havilland was paid royalties for each aircraft produced from his designs. He became wealthy as a result and founded the de Havilland aircraft manufacturing company, which built the legendary Mosquito aircraft in the Second World War.
SAMUEL F. CODY
Another innovation brought to the military's attention was that of kites, able to lift soldiers or sailors to give them a high vantage point for observation purposes. The man promoting their use was Samuel F. Cody. Cody was a larger-than-life American who had run Wild West shows before turning his attention to aeronautical matters. He was also involved in the advent of airships in Britain. Britain's first military flying machine – the airship Nulli Secundus – first flew in 1907, with Cody having helped with the steering and engine installation.
However, it was the heavier-than-air machines, as opposed to lighter-than-air balloons and airships, that were to ensure Cody a place in aviation history. On 16 October 1908, he made Britain's first sustained and powered aircraft flight, aboard British Army Aeroplane No. 1a. At Farnborough he flew for a distance of 1,400ft and, despite crashing while trying to avoid a gorse patch, he had shown his design was capable of flight. However, the army authorities were not keen and funding was withdrawn.
I WAS THERE
Colonel Cody's Funeral Military Honours for Dead Aviator
The high esteem held by the public for the late Mr S F Cody was demonstrated in a remarkable manner yesterday afternoon when the funeral took place at the Military Cemetery, Thornhill, Aldershot. The route from the deceased's house to the cemetery gates, a distance of two miles or more, was lined many deep by thousands of spectators.
Covered with a Union Jack the coffin was conveyed to the cemetery on a 13-pounder gun carriage. The whole of the Naval and Military Wings of the Royal Flying Corps followed, warrant and non-commissioned officers acting as bearers. On the Union Jack rested one floral tribute in the form of the steering wheel of the deceased's aeroplane but with a broken spoke. This was from the widow and bore the inscription 'In Loving Memory of my dear Frank.'
The Scotsman
DID YOU KNOW?
There was a real Captain Scarlett. He was the Admiralty's Inspecting Captain of Aircraft, who evaluated aeroplanes to assess their suitability for use in the Royal Naval Air Service.
In August 1912 the Military Aviation Trials were held to select a flying machine for the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), which had been established in May that year. A prize of £4,000 was to go to the winning design. Samuel Cody's 'flying cathedral' machine (so named because of its size) won the competition but it was an outmoded design and was not put into production. Instead, the Royal Aircraft Factory's BE.2 was chosen.
EARLY TRAINING
Up until late 1914, military pilots had to pay for their own flying tuition (though if they passed the course they were reimbursed). The aeroplanes used for training were not designed for the role and some pilots learnt to fly on versions of the aircraft the Wright Brothers had made the first powered flights on. They were very unstable and notoriously difficult to fly. The first aviation fatality was an American army officer killed in a Wright Brothers aircraft in 1908.
I WAS THERE
'L'aviation pour l'armée, c'est zéro.' (Aviation for the army, it's worthless.)
French General Ferdinand Foch, 1910
Two-seater machines weren't always available and a budding pilot would be shown what to do by an instructor, patted on the back and sent airwards on his own. A short hop would be made, then longer flights, until a student could fly a complete circuit around the airfield. If a two- seat training machine was available, the instructor would have to shout instructions over the engine noise or use a stick to get his point across more directly.
The early pilots were not fully trained in navigational techniques, such as using a compass, and instead they would follow railway lines, sometimes landing beside a station to find out where they were. Instrumentation was rudimentary: one pilot used a piece of string to tell him if he was flying level or not. Autopilot was a thing for the future and each aircraft had to be flown manually throughout the flight.
For the early aviators there was little in the way of restrictions; there was no air traffic control and they had the sky all to themselves. Pilots doing cross-country flights to improve their skills would sometimes take a week – enjoying the hospitality provided en route to these daring young men in their flying machines. These early machines were not reliable or stable, and accidents were common, but without these early pioneers willing to take to the air, the later developments would not have been possible.
CHAPTER 2FLIGHT TO WAR
IN APRIL 1911, an air battalion was formed as part of the Royal Engineers. The battalion would operate with army units in the field and use balloons, kites and aeroplanes to provide aerial reconnaissance on troop movements. It was equipped with five winged aircraft and thirty-six horses.
The battalion was to be composed of 'expert airmen' and officers would be considered if they fulfilled the following requirements:
Special recommendation by commanding officer, possession of aviator's certificate, experience of aeronautics, rank not above captain, medically fit for air work, good eye-sight, good map-reader and field sketcher, unmarried, not less than 2 years' service, under 30 years of age, good sailor, knowledge of foreign languages, taste for mechanics, light weight (under 11st 7 pounds). (Special Army Order, 28 February 1911)
DID YOU KNOW?
The Royal Flying Corps was called the Suicide Club due to the high casualty rates. More pilots and observers died in training accidents than in combat.
It was clear that one battalion would not be enough to cope with all the demands and the Royal Flying Corps was established in May 1912. It had five components:
• Military Wing
• Naval Wing
• Central Flying School
• Reserve
• Royal Aircraft Factory
The navy aviators felt their requirements were separate from the army's, and so by the time war broke out in August 1914, the naval wing had been moved under the control of the Admiralty as the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). As First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill was in charge of naval aviation. He had always seen the benefits of aircraft to the military – even learning to fly – and he saw to it that the Royal Naval Air Service was in charge of home defence. To this end, he stationed navy aircraft in Belgium to ward off Zeppelin attacks. This saw results when, on the night of 6 June 1915, Flight Sub-Lieutenant R.A.J. Warneford attacked and brought down Zeppelin LZ.37 near Ghent.
I WAS THERE
Airman Killed At Montrose
Biplane Turns Turtle
Pilot Falls 2000 Feet
A sad blow has been struck at aviation in Montrose, and one of the most expert young officers of the Upper Dysart Aerodrome is numbered among those who have given their lives in the attempt to conquer the air. Lieutenant Desmond L Arthur, of No 2 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, fell from a height of 2000 feet and was killed instantaneously ... His body sank through a field of three years' grass to a depth of four feet and was frightfully mutilated. His helmet and goggles were however still on when he was discovered. The fatality is conjectured to have been the result of one of the wings failing but a report was also heard to emanate from the machine, which turned turtle, and following upon that came like a flash the apparent collapse of the aircraft.
The Scotsman. Lieutenant Arthur later became the subject of the wartime phenomena, known as the Montrose Ghost, when a spectre of a pilot was seen on several occasions at the Montrose airfield during the war
TO FRANCE
Shortly after war was declared, a small group of Royal Flying Corps aircraft flew to France to support the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) as they faced the German Army, which was advancing through Belgium towards France. The first aircraft touched down at 8.20 a.m. on 13 August 1914, flown by Major Hubert Harvey-Kelly of 2 Squadron. Four squadrons arrived – 2, 3, 4 and 5 – with a mixture of types: BE.2as, Avro 504s, Farmans and Bleriot monoplanes (the latter was the same type that had first flown the English Channel five years previously). Sixty-three aircraft were flown over. Airfields were few in number and suitable land had to be negotiated with local farmers. Pilots had to avoid hitting the cows that had remained on one Royal Flying Corps airfield.
DID YOU KNOW?
The iconic 'Mod' roundel came from the war. British aircraft originally carried no nationality markings and were fired on by their own side's troops: at least one Royal Flying Corps aircraft was shot down by French troops. To improve identification, Union Jacks were painted on the undersides of the wings, but at a distance they resembled the Iron Crosses painted on the German aircraft. The circular roundel design was adopted, based on that of the French air force, but with blue on the outside, then white and red bull's eye.
FIRST VICTORY
These first British war machines were unarmed and crews had to carry whatever armament they had to hand, such as revolvers and rifles. On 25 August 1914, the Royal Flying Corps shot down its first German aircraft, a Taube monoplane, hit with bullets fired by Lieutenant Euan Rabagliati of 5 Squadron using a rifle.
RECONNAISSANCE
The main role of the Royal Flying Corps was to provide aerial reconnaissance. Not all in higher command saw the need for aircraft, but General Haig, who was later to command the whole of the British Army on the Western Front, had experience of the effectiveness of airpower. During a pre-war exercise, his opponent made better use of aircraft in spotting troop movements and won the day.
In the battles for real, the first British airmen showed their worth in the retreat from Mons and at the subsequent Battle of the Marne in September 1914. They were able to spot German troops and relay the information back to HQ, where it could be acted on. With the trenches being dug in late 1914, and the war not about to be finished by Christmas, the Royal Flying Corps would have to adapt to flying in a war of attrition no one had planned for.
DID YOU KNOW?
The last surviving pilot of the Royal Flying Corps died in 2002. Hubert Williams joined in 1915 and said of his time in the corps: 'I'm no hero – I just consider myself a remarkably lucky man to have survived.' He had been shot down in Macedonia. He was 106 when he died.
CHAPTER 3EYES IN THE SKY
THE EARLY BRITISH aircrews struggled to gain appreciation of the usefulness of aerial reconnaissance. In the first days of the war, one pilot's report was mistakenly dismissed by a senior general. The pilots and observers persevered and their value was proven when aircraft revealed the exposed position of British troops after the Battle of Mons. After trenches were established on the Western Front, there was no longer the need to scout for mass movements of troops and equipment across the battlefield. Instead, aircraft would overfly fixed enemy positions looking for potential weak points to attack. They would also search for concentrations of troops, indicating an imminent attack.
THE AIRCRAFT
As reconnaissance was the main role of the Royal Flying Corps, they were keen to have aircraft that were stable, allowing the aircrew to make notes and sketches easily on a straight and level course. The RE.8 biplane was so steady that when the pilot and observer of one plane were killed their aircraft continued to fly on, travelling 30 miles before slowly descending to the ground. However, a slow and steady aircraft was not suited to the quick turning manoeuvres required for aerial combat, and they proved vulnerable to enemy fighters.
OBSERVATION
At first, only visual observation was carried out. This meant having to fly relatively low, which brought the aircraft within range of enemy rifle and machine-gun fire. As aircraft flew higher to escape, they moved out of range for the naked eye to take in details, even with binoculars. Also, with visual observation, only so much information could be gathered. A more accurate record was needed, and photography was brought in to achieve this.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Royal Flying Corps' standard reconnaissance aircraft from 1917, the RE.8 biplane, was given the rhyming nickname 'Harry Tate' after a music hall entertainer.
I WAS THERE
I wish particularly to bring to your Lordships' notice the admirable work done by the Royal Flying Corps under Sir David Henderson. Their skill, energy, and perseverance have been beyond all praise. They have furnished me with the most complete and accurate information which has been of incalculable value in the conduct of the operations.
Sir John French, Commander British Expeditionary Force, September 1914, dispatch to Secretary of State for War
PHOTOGRAPHIC RECONNAISSANCE
The first cameras were bulky, heavy and had to be held over the side of the fuselage. Glass plates were used to record the image and these had to be changed manually each time a picture was taken – a task made harder with the aeroplane being buffeted by enemy anti-aircraft fire. Eventually cameras were mounted on the sides of the aircraft's fuselage, and mechanisms were introduced that could wind on the plates.
Once developed and analysed back at HQ, the images showed enemy positions in great detail. Individual soldiers could be seen, and a good photographic interpreter could even tell if a train was loaded or empty. They could also spot artillery guns through camouflage. Through photography, a map was produced of the whole trench system.
DID YOU KNOW?
500,000 aerial reconnaissance photographs were taken by the British.
I WAS THERE
4.02pm A very little short. Fire. Fire.
4.04pm Fire again. Fire again.
4.12pm A little short; line OK.
4.15pm Short. Over, over and a little left.
4.20pm You were just between two batteries. Search two hundred yards each side of your last shot. Range OK.
4.22pm You have them.
4.26pm Hit. Hit. Hit.
4.32pm About 50 yards short and to the right.
4.37pm Your last shot in the middle of 3 batteries in action; search all round within 300 yards of your last shot and you have them.
4.42pm I am coming home now.
Royal Flying Corps artillery observation aircraft to a battery in the first use of airborne radio in warfare, 24 September 1914
ARTILLERY OBSERVATION
Another vital task was helping the army's artillery batteries find their targets. Flying thousands of feet in the air, a spotter could see the fall of shot relatively easily. Range and accuracy information was passed down by lights, flags, flares, and then by wireless messages sent via Morse code. The first wireless transmitters were so heavy that the observer couldn't go up and the pilot had to send the signals himself, while also flying the aircraft. The airborne radio sets only worked one way, so the artillery batteries had to send their message skywards using large cloth strips laid out on the ground.
One drawback of artillery observation was having to fly close to the shells' trajectories. One pilot watched fascinatedly as a large howitzer shell went past him at 8,000ft as it slowly reached the top of its arc. He was lucky: others were killed by their own side's shells.
DID YOU KNOW?
In 1918 the Germans introduced a reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying at 24,000ft. The Rumpler C VII used an automated camera but the crews suffered decompression sickness (the bends, normally associated with deep-sea divers) when descending.
CONTACT PATROLS
Keeping the generals up to date with the progress of an offensive was always difficult in the heat of battle, and one way of doing this was to carry out contact patrols. Aircraft flew low over the battlefield, watching for signs from troops indicating their position, which the aircrews would report back to HQ. The aircraft would announce their arrival over their assigned sector by blowing klaxon horns. Troops below were then to light smoke candles, flares or wave their hats from the tips of their bayonets. Mirrors were even attached to soldiers' backs to reflect sunlight to make them easier to spot. Understandably, troops were not keen to give away their position in ways that could be easily seen by the enemy, but contact patrols proved useful to army chiefs.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from 5 Minute History: First World War in the Air by Norman Ferguson. Copyright © 2014 Norman Ferguson. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Title,Author's Note,
Introduction,
The First Military Flyers,
Flight to War,
Eyes in the Sky,
The First Battle of Britain,
Fighters,
Bombers,
Allied Aircraft,
German Aircraft,
The Air Aces,
Life on a Squadron,
In the Air,
Bravery in the Air,
Planes at Sea,
Notes,
Bibliography,
Copyright,