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Objectives

Objectives. Know the role of air power during World War I Know the contributions of US pilots during World War I Know how air power theory was shaped during World War I. World War I. Most World War I battles were fought on land or at sea

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Objectives

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  1. Objectives • Know the role of air power during World War I • Know the contributions of US pilots during World War I • Know how air power theory was shaped during World War I

  2. World War I • Most World War I battles were fought on land or at sea • Airplanes were still fragile when the war started in 1914 • But during the war, aviation engineers made tremendous technological advances • Fokker Eindecker I-III (1914) • Pre-war design, similar to Bleroit’s design • Very unstable; difficult to fly • Max Speed: 87 MPH • Range: 125 Miles • Armed with single machine gun • Fokker D.VII (Spring 1918) • Best German Aircraft of the War • Easy to fly, incredibly acrobatic • Max Speed: 125 MPH • Range: 220 Miles • Armed with 2 Spandau 7.92 mm machine guns

  3. The Initial Role of Aircraft • Until WWI, the world’s military commanders thought the role of aircraft was limited to aerial reconnaissance, like earlier balloons • Dropping bombs from the sky seemed an unlikely idea • Conducting battles between squadrons of planes also seemed far-fetched But then, a couple of things happened…

  4. Strategic Bombing • London, 1915: German airships floated over the city and dropped bombs • Through 1917 the Germans worked on perfecting these long-range strategicraids • Strategicmeansdesigned to strike at the sources of an enemy’s military, economic, or political power

  5. The Machine Gun • In March 1915, Roland Garros, a French pilot, bolted an automatic rifle to his plane. • In 2 weeks he downed five German aircraft, an achievement that led to his being dubbed an "ace" in an American newspaper; the term stuck and was adopted throughout the war to signify a pilot with five air victories similarly achieved five successes • Dutch aircraft designer Anthony Fokker improves the design for the Germans by building an interrupting gear • Shortly all sides are arming planes and the dogfightsbegan……

  6. Germany Austria - Hungry United States Great Britain France

  7. Aerial Innovators • Max Immelman • First German Ace • Developed revolutionary aircraft maneuver • that still bears his name today • Killed in combat 1916 • Manfred von Richthofen • Top World War I Ace (80 air victories) • Developed forward combat dispersal and • airstrip design employed still today • Killed in combat 1918

  8. The Lafayette Escadrille • Some American pilots didn’t wait for the United States to join the war • The French Foreign Legion could sign up these volunteers • In April 1916 seven American pilots formed a fighting group called Escadrille Américaine • They had to change the name to the Lafayette Escadrille • By the time the United States Air Service brought the unit under its supervision in 1918, its pilots had made 199 kills

  9. Raoul Lufbery • Raoul Lufbery was the most famous pilot of the Lafayette Escadrille • He had 17 combat victories during the war • He died in action when his plane became engulfed in flames after being shot by a German aircraft

  10. US Contributions to the Air War • In August 1917 the US Congress vowed to “darken the skies over Europe with US aircraft” • Congress had good intentions, but it had made an empty promise • While the United States never built more than a handful of airplanes during the war years, it did provide considerable manpower in the air

  11. Edward Rickenbacker • America’s ace of aces started out as a professional racecar driver • Rickenbacker rose from an enlisted Soldier to the rank of captain and took command of the 94th Squadron • Survived the war with 26 air victories

  12. Eugene Bullard • Bullard was the only African-American to serve as a pilot during World War I • Bullard signed up with the French Foreign Legion in October 1914 • He tried to join the US Air Service, but the Army turned him down • He shot down two German aircraft while in the French Air Service

  13. The Impact of Aircraft • Airplanes now offered possibilities that challenged age-old warfare strategies • In traditional battles, troops dug trenches and assaults were from the front • But airplanes could fly over an enemy’s trenches and bomb from overhead • They could also hit important targets behind enemy lines, such as factories

  14. Necessity Is the Mother of Invention • Throughout WWI, Allied and Central Powers’ air power technology would leapfrog one over the other: • Speeds picked up • Aircraft became stronger and sturdier • Maximum altitudes climbed from 10,000 feet to 24,000 feet • By 1918 three specialized types of aircraft had emerged: • The fighter • The observation aircraft • The bomber

  15. Future of Aviation • Each nation learned something a little different from World War I in regard to aviation that would shape the Interwar Years and eventually World War II • Britain – Strategic Bombing • France – Observation/Land Centric • Americans – Isolationism and Service Prejudices • Russians – Defense in Depth • Germans – Close Air Support as a Shock Force

  16. Objectives • Know the role of air power during World War I • Know the contributions of US pilots during World War I • Know how air power expanded during World War I

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