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The War in the Air
By the outbreak of war, all nations had an air force of some sort.
Despite their particular interest in airships (blimps), the Germans had
about 250 aircraft in 1914. Their setup and aircrew training were
generally superior to that of the Allies and the Austrian air force was
tiny compared to their German allies.
Compared to the Germans, the French were outnumbered in aircraft by
about 3 to 2 though the French had better designed airplanes. The
French were also able to manufacture airplanes quicker than the
Germans which was fortunate for their ally, Britain, which lagged behind
both the French and Germans in 1914. The Royal British Flying Corps
was created in 1912, two years after the French Air Force, and only had about 60 aircraft by 1914.
For the first year or two the British were heavily dependent on French airplane engines, but by
the end of the war, Britain had the largest and most advanced air force in the world.
Based on the unique geography of Great Britain, why might it have
been important for Britain to quickly catch up to its enemies in its
number of airplanes?
Because it was an island, planes were one of the only, two ways
that the British Isles could be attacked.
The Russians had more airplanes than the British at the beginning
of the war and produced the giant four-engine Sikorsky Ilya
Moroumetz, the world’s first heavy bomber in 1915. However, few were ever built due to their
complicated design. The Italians produced some excellent airplanes but due to their constant
military disorganization, Italy never had great success in the air war.
Aerial Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance by air was the most valuable task
performed by aircraft throughout the war. However,
since reconnaissance by airplane was so effective, the
enemy naturally took steps to prevent it while protecting
its reconnaissance operations. Nor did it take long to
realize that if you can see an enemy from above, you
The War in the Air
By the outbreak of war, all nations had an air force of some sort.
Despite their particular interest in airships (blimps), the Germans had
about 250 aircraft in 1914. Their setup and aircrew training were
generally superior to that of the Allies and the Austrian air force was
tiny compared to their German allies.
Compared to the Germans, the French were outnumbered in aircraft by
about 3 to 2 though the French had better designed airplanes. The
French were also able to manufacture airplanes quicker than the
Germans which was fortunate for their ally, Britain, which lagged behind
both the French and Germans in 1914. The Royal British Flying Corps
was created in 1912, two years after the French Air Force, and only had about 60 aircraft by 1914.
For the first year or two the British were heavily dependent on French airplane engines, but by
the end of the war, Britain had the largest and most advanced air force in the world.
Based on the unique geography of Great Britain, why might it have
been important for Britain to quickly catch up to its enemies in its
number of airplanes?
Because it was an island, planes were one of the only, two ways
that the British Isles could be attacked.
The Russians had more airplanes than the British at the beginning
of the war and produced the giant four-engine Sikorsky Ilya
Moroumetz, the world’s first heavy bomber in 1915. However, few were ever built due to their
complicated design. The Italians produced some excellent airplanes but due to their constant
military disorganization, Italy never had great success in the air war.
Aerial Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance by air was the most valuable task
performed by aircraft throughout the war. However,
since reconnaissance by airplane was so effective, the
enemy naturally took steps to prevent it while protecting
its reconnaissance operations. Nor did it take long to
realize that if you can see an enemy from above, you
