During the Great War, battlefields, for the first time, extended into the sky with both sides initially taking advantage of new, fragile planes for reconnaissance. However, aerial combat required innovative solutions to the problems posed by firing from a moving plane. The synchronization gear allowed pilots to shoot at timed intervals so that the bullets traveled between the spinning propeller blades. When two opposing aviators meet; a “dog fight” ensued: a set of aerial maneuvers between pilots to evade the enemy and gain the upper hand by flying behind their adversary. Despite their home’s neutrality, many adventurous Americans volunteered, flying for the French Lafayette Escadrille. The daredevil nature of aerial combat contributed to the tight camaraderie that many units developed and their special status within the armed forces.
Later in the war, larger and sturdier planes carried bombs which they dropped on targets behind enemy lines, the beginnings of strategic bombing. Air supremacy mattered during the war, in four years the Central Powers produced 53,968 planes, the Allies built 165,831. The Great War, on land and in the air, was a training ground for new technology and tactics.
The Great War saw the rise of a new breed of military hero: Flying Ace. Aerial combat and the daring men who flew these missions became legendary. To be an Ace, a pilot needed 5 confirmed victories, no small feat considering that some pilots survived only days. Manfred von Richthofen (Luftstreitkräfte), known as the Red Baron, had an unmatched 80 victories. Billy Bishop (Royal Air Force) clocked in with 72 victories and his French Service Aéronautique counterpart Rene Fonck count 75 victories. Eddie Rickenbacker (U.S. Army Air Service) had 26 confirmed victories.
By Micheal Williams
Planes, both pictures source: Alan Wood and Alan Sutton. Military Aviation of the First World War. Stroud: U.K., Fonthill Media Limited, 2016
For Further Reading/Sources:
Frandson, Bert. "The Birth of American Airpower in World War I." Air & Space Power Journal: Afrique Et Francophonie 8, no. 1: 27-40
http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/aces.htm
Alan Wood and Alan Sutton. Military Aviation of the First World War. Stroud: U.K., Fonthill Media Limited, 2016
Alan Wood and Alan Sutton. Military Aviation of the First World War. Stroud: U.K., Fonthill Media Limited, 2016