World War One

1. World War One The War in the Air and At Sea

2. The War in the Air Prior to the declaration of war, Germany and Britain both built up their air force. By the time the war started, the German air force outnumbered the British and French air forces combined. At the outset of war, Canada didn’t have its own air force, so if men wanted to fly they had to join the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC). By 1918, approx. 40% of British air force pilots were Canadian. Early in the war, the most important role for airplanes was aerial reconnaissance – photographing and reporting on enemy positions and movements. Eventually, fast maneuverable fighting planes were developed to protect or attack these low-flying observers.

3. Some pilots carried handguns and bricks to throw at enemy planes, but early in the war, there was minimal combat. This changed, however, when machine guns were mounted on the planes.

5. As the war went on and new planes were developed, opposing pilots became engaged in “DOGFIGHTS”, where they would dive on the enemy from behind and then fire. Those who were hit went down, and these pilots did not have parachutes!

6. In 1915, the Germans introduced a superior fighter plane called the Fokker. It was armed with a machine gun that had a timed firing mechanism that fired bullets so they wouldn’t hit the plane’s propeller blades. The introduction of this plane revolutionized the use of planes in battle forever. Allied troops would often refer to the German airplanes as the “Circus”, because they would paint their planes different colours. Manfred von Richtofen (the Red Baron), for example, flew a blood red plane.

7. Since trench warfare offered no glory, many young men desired to become pilots. They received better food, pay and uniforms than those on the trenches, and got to sleep in warm beds at night – BUT, the average lifespan of a pilot in 1916 was only 3 weeks. The air service was nicknamed the “suicide service”, and planes were referred to as “flying coffins”. The most successful pilots were those who had good sharpshooting skills, cool nerves, quick thinking, and a lot of luck. Pilots had to keep record of their flights and contact with enemy planes, and when a pilot could prove that he shot down five enemy aircraft, he was identified as an “ACE”. In their home countries, aces were the war “heroes”. TOP 10 FLYING ACES OF WW1

8. Manfred von Richtofen (the Red Baron), was known as the greatest flying ace of the war. The Red Baron, had 80 kills in his career, however his luck ran out in 1918 when he was shot down by Canadian pilot Roy Brown.

9. Billy Bishop (1894-1956) • Born William Avery Bishop in Owen Sound, Ontario. • Became a fighter pilot in 1916. • Was not known for his flying skill but earned a reputation as a crack shot. On his first day behind enemy lines, shot down a German plane. Later destroyed 13 planes in five days. • Perfected strategy of aerial “chicken” – flew straight at enemy plane, fired machine-gun burst at last minute, and then veered away. • Shot down 72 enemy planes, more than any other Allied visitor. • Awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest British honour for bravery in battle. • Helped organize the Royal Canadian Air Force near the end of World War I.

11. Zeppelins were also used as reconnasance (spy) tools during WW1.

12. THE WAR AT SEA • At the beginning of World War One: • Britain was the greatest naval power, but Germany was fast on the rise; • a BIG fight between the Brits and the Krauts (Germans) was expected, but neither country could afford to have their navies devastated, so the big battles for naval supremacy never really happened. • CANADIANS AT SEA • Canada had its own navy in 1910. Nicknamed the “tinpot” navy because it was so small , it consisted of: • 2 warships - the Rainbow (on the west coast), and the Niobe (in Halifax); • 2 submarines (bought from Germany); • hundreds of small patrol boats, patrolling the coasts. • Not enough to really contribute to the war effort, so, as with the air force, men enlisted with the British navy.

13. The British and Germans Collide in the North Sea • JUTLAND, MAY 31, 1916 • the one major battle between the Germans and the British; • Took place off the coast of Denmark in the North Sea; • result was indecisive - it appeared Germany inflicted the most damage, but German leaders felt the larger British navy could defeat them in the long run, so they focused on submarine activities from then on.

15. SUBMARINE WARFARE • Before the war, Germany had outpaced Britain in developing submarines. • The German submarines were called U-boats, which stood for Unterseebooten (undersea boats). • U-boats were armed with torpedoes, which were used to sink enemy ships. • the submarines left their Belgian bases undetected and torpedoed any ships they thought were supplying assistance to the Allies; • The British were able to confine German ships, but the submarines were a different story.

16. HALIFAX HARBOUR • Halifax became a refueling and repair base for Allied warships; it also was an important shipping center for Canadian and American cargo bound for Europe. Merchant marines, who were civilian ships and sailors, transported food, weapons, and other munitions to the Allies in Europe, from Halifax harbour. • Both the Allies and the Central Powers relied on ships to bring them supplies: food, raw materials, soldiers, and weapons. As a result, both sides used their navy to set up blockades to try prevent supplies from reaching the enemy. • To cut off the Allies’ supplies, German U-boats began attacking all ships bound for Britain. Forty-five Canadian steamships were sunk by U-boats during World War I. • To counter this threat, the Allies set up a convoy system. Merchant ships began travelling in packs with naval escorts to detect and sink U-boats before they could attack the convoys. • Halifax, Nova Scotia, became the port where many convoys were put together before starting the trip across the North Atlantic Ocean. The convoy system worked. After the Allies started using this system, fewer ships were sunk by U-boats.

18. Canada and Convoy Success •  World War I helped the Canadian navy grow. By 1918, the Royal Canadian Navy had more than 100 ships, including cruisers, destroyers, submarines, trawlers, and minesweepers. • These Canadian ships – and the men who sailed them – played an important role in escorting convoys across the North Atlantic.

19. UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE • In April, 1917, the Germans announced they would use UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE, vowing to sink any ship, regardless of whether or not it was a military ship. This action brought the United States into the war. • HOW DID THE ALLIES DEAL WITH U.S.W.? • 1. Q-SHIPS • military ships disguised as merchant ships; • were used to carry men and munitions, and were equipped with guns, echo-sounders, and depth charges to find and destroy submarines. 2. CONVOY SYSTEM • military ships would accompany cargo ships to protect the cargo; • they would surround the cargo ships to locate and destroy submarines, and prevent the cargo ships from attack; • released smoke screens to prevent the enemy subs from attacking the cargo ships.

20. The Sinking of the Lusitania • In 1915, the Germans made what would prove to be a fatal decision when they sunk an American passenger ship, the LUSITANIA, and killed approximately 1200 civilian passengers. Why was this fatal? It would become the first step to bringing the United States into the war. • More than half the people on board – including many Americans – went down with the ship. The incident sparked outrage in the United States, who was not involved in the war at the time. • As a result, the United States joined the Allies. This helped swing the fighting in favour of the Allies.

21. THE LUSITANIA ON HER VOYAGE

22. With its superior strength in the sea, the Royal Navy was able to blockade German ports, preventing them from receiving cargo from their colonies and allies, to the point where by the end of the war, the Germans were almost starving.