World War I saw the first use of aircraft for combat, reconnaissance, and bombing roles. Although a recent technological development, the military potential of the airplane led to rapid developments in aircraft design and innovation in just four years.
After reviewing this module, you will be able to:
Identify and explain at least three changes in aircraft design or use that resulted from World War I.
For this lesson, let's start with a video that summarizes several ideas we want to cover, and then we will unpack those ideas in more detail below.
Initially military leaders envisioned using the airplane to supplement the reconnaissance role of the cavalry. Aircraft quickly excelled in this role, making critical observations of troop movements on both the western and eastern fronts in late August 1914. French and British aviators again spotted German movements on the Marne River in early September, 1914, an engagement that repulsed the German assault and created a stalemate that led to both sides creating entrenched positions. Trench warfare become the hallmark of war on the Western Front, and above every trench there were aircraft flying throughout the rest of the war. Planes and dirigibles (balloons) continued to play an important role in observing troop movements and directing artillery fire or ground attacks for the remainder of the war.
Aerial combat evolved early in the war: French pilot Sgt. Joseph Franz scored the first aerial victory (in history) when he shot down a German aircraft using a forward-firing machine gun mounted on his observation plane on October 5, 1914. It would take until 1915 for aircraft designed with attack and pursuit missions in mind to reach frontline units, and later in 1915 for Anton Fokker to develop technology to make firing machine guns through the propeller of an aircraft possible. By 1916 iconic WWI aircraft like the Sopwith Camel, the Nieuport 17, and the Albatros D.III were escorting bombers or attacking enemy aircraft.
Aircraft design evolved so rapidly during the war that often times a plane was obsolete within months. British, French, German, and Russian designers rolled out more maneuverable, faster, or better armed aircraft continuously and the shift in design gave pilots just enough advantage in combat to control of the skies until the next innovation. None-the-less, the lifespan of the average WWI pilot was measured in weeks given the many dangers. Ground fire, mechanical issues, and crashes were as deadly as enemy guns.
Still, thousands flocked to try their hand as pilots. The allure of flying through the skies (rather than living in the trenches) appealed to many, and propaganda glorifying the 'knights' of the sky as national heroes was just as attractive as the living conditions. Aerodromes--essentially grass or dirt airports--may have been where the pilots departed for missions, but they lived in nearby homes and had access to the best foods and alcohol.
The plane also proved its utility in war as a bombing platform. Early bombers like the Voisin III carried very limited loads and often pilots simply dropped shrapnel or bombs by hand over the side of the cockpit. However, just as aircraft designed for attack evolved rapidly, so did bomber designs and capabilities. Long-range bombers like the Gotha G.V were in-use by the latter months of the war, which had the capability to fly over 500 miles carry a crew of 3 and a payload of 14 sixty-pound bombs.
German Zeppelins (dirigibles or balloons) were used early in the war to bomb the city of Liège in Belgium on August 6, 1914. They mounted bombing attacks on coastal English cities like Yarmouth in May of 1915 and bombed London itself starting in September 1915. These attacks came at night with little warning inspiring fear among civilians across England. The actual damage and loss of life was usually limited, especially compared to bombing campaigns we think of in World War II, but the psychological terror they inspired was widespread.
Zeppelins were costly to maintain and frequently were lost during missions, and by 1916 Germany focused more on aircraft for bombing missions much like Russia, France, and Britain were already doing. Aerial bombing proved effective against enemy trenches and soldiers as well as civilian targets.
Aircraft also played roles in communications and dropping or delivering supplies. Through the use of signals or by landing to report information, aircraft could rapidly share observed troop movements or assist the artillery in range finding or focusing their efforts on a weakened position. Pilots could carry messages or information from different parts of the line, or drop supplies to positions on the ground.
Almost all the military roles an aircraft can fulfill grew out of developments during World War I. The technology of the early years of flight limited features like the speed, payload, and reliability of aircraft, but none-the-less the plane demonstrated its utility as a weapon on war for reconnaisance and observation, bombing enemy positions as well as cities, communications, delivering or dropping supplies, and for aerial combat.
Here is actual black-and-white footage of aircraft from World War I. Note: this is silent film, so there is no sound.
Here is footage from for a dirigible (balloon) in 1919 over France, showing the devastation of the war but also showing you what the view of the ground would be for aircraft or balloons of this era (for observations, dropping bombs, etc.).