CA Task 1: Air Warfare in WWI and WWIILO: To investigate the impact of new technology on methods of fighting in the air during the First and Second World Wars.

What is the point of Air Warfare?

With a partner consider why a country would want to fight in the air?

Air warfare: Aims, Strategy and Tactics

Win air superiority – I.E. Control the sky Help defeat the enemy

Have a superior air force Have an air force capable of various tasks

Reconnaissance Attacking enemy air force Attacking enemy ground forces Bombing important enemy targets Bombing an enemies country and cities

What Technology do you need to fight in the air?

5

Military aviation in Britain begins

1878 Royal Engineers Balloon unit

Royal Flying Corps (RFC) founded 1912 with one squadron of airships and three of aircraft. Each squadron had twelve machines.

WWI: A New technology

Heavier than air vehicles (aeroplanes) had only been in operation since 1903 but had quickly grown in civilian use.

Militaries had seen their potential and they had already been used prior to WWI by the Italians against the Turkish in 1911.

Balloons and Airships were much older and had already seen action as observation tools in previous wars.

Planes were simple constructions of wood and canvas.

The sky is about to become another battlefield no less important than the battlefields on land and sea....In order to conquer the air, it is necessary to deprive the enemy of all means of flying, by striking at him in the air, at his bases of operation, or at his production centres. We had better get accustomed to this idea, and prepare ourselves. — Giulio Douhet (Italian staff officer), 1909

WWI: Reconnaissance

At the start of the First World War, aircraft like this B.E.2 were primarily used for reconnaissance. Due to the static nature of trench warfare, aircraft were the only means of gathering information beyond enemy trenches, so they were essential for discovering where the enemy was based and what they were doing

These early aircraft were not fitted with radio sets, but messages about enemy troop movements needed to be communicated quickly. Pilots could either drop messages in weighted bags or use message streamers to drop messages to forces on the ground. This message streamer was dropped on 9 September 1914 during the Battle of the Marne.

Reconnaissance CamerasAs trench systems developed and became more complex, it became harder for pilots to accurately

record what was happening on the ground and formal aerial photography was introduced early in 1915. The first experimental photographs were taken by hand, but aerial reconnaissance was most effective when using cameras which were attached to the aircraft, like this C Type camera.

Aerial PhotographsAerial reconnaissance was a dangerous job. Taking photos of enemy positions required the pilot to fly straight and level so that the observer could take a series of overlapping images. This made them an easy target. Here we can see a series of overlapping images being turned into a larger map of the German lines near Arras in February 1918.

WWI: Reconnaissance

WWI: Air combatAs the importance of aerial observation grew, both sides developed tactics to try and shoot

down enemy aircraft and to protect their own. By 1915, forward-firing machine guns were being fitted onto aircraft, however there was the danger of damaging the engine, tail or propeller with the aircrafts own gun!

The real breakthrough came with the invention of an interrupter mechanism which allowed machine guns to fire through moving propeller blades. The first one was fitted to the German Fokker Eindekker (model above). This development gave the Germans a strong advantage for several months until French and British designers succeeded in adapting the device for their own use about one year later. The period of German dominance was known as the ‘Fokker Scourge’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faZiS1CYZs0 – Gear in action

Air-to-air combatThroughout 1916 and 1917 aerial warfare developed from lone fighting to ever larger

formations of aircraft and patrols. Patrol leaders would try to give themselves an element of surprise by positioning themselves above the enemy before attacking. At this point the formations would break up into individual dog fights. 'Air aces' were celebrated as heroes and used for propaganda by their governments.

Painting of a Dogfight commissioned by the British Military in 1919

WWI: Myths and Realities

As the war went on and airplane technology improved, large battles in the sky became an ever more common occurrence, and fantastic legends and stories grew around great air aces, such as Manfred von Richthofen (the “Red Baron”) and Eddie Rickenbacker. These men came to be seen by the public as modern-day knights, fighting a more exotic and elegant war than the grotesque nightmare happening on the ground below.

The truth was quite different. Newly recruited pilots were often sent into the skies with only a crude understanding of how to fly (typically less than five hours training). As the war progressed, it actually became unusual for a new pilot to survive the first few weeks of his duty.

Due to this lack of experience, pilots not only fell victim to enemy aces but also succumbed regularly to bad weather, mechanical problems, or loss of control due to pilot error. It was also common for pilots simply to become lost and then run out of fuel over enemy lines. Most of those who were shot down lost their lives not in spectacular dogfights but after being shot from behind without ever having even been aware of their attackers

WWI: Early Bombing

Disrupting the enemyAircraft were also used to support ground troops. Ground attacks were aimed at disturbing

enemy forces at the front, often during active battles. At the same time crude attacks were made on troops on the ground. Darts like these and other dangerous objects were used by both sides. They were usually dropped in bundles from aeroplanes, as this method ensured a wide dispersal. During ground attacks explosives, such as grenades and bombs, were dropped from a low altitude to ensure accuracy and machine guns were fired at targets on the ground.

WWI: Strategic Bombing

Air raid in WWI http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zddy4wx

Danger at homeFrom 1915, air raids by aeroplanes and airships brought the realities of war to the home front. They became a common threat with attacks aimed at both civilian and industrial areas. The use of Zeppelin airships caused fear throughout Britain and the government used this fear to help the recruitment drive. Incendiary ammunition that could shoot down airships was eventually developed making defence easier, but air raids continued until the end of the war.

Selection of poster produced by Germany and Britain in response to bombing raids. (1915-1918)

Governments used the threat of the new technology as Black Propaganda against the enemy and as a method of recruitment to their own armed forces. Newspapers in Britain organised relief funds for victims of Bombing and produced identification charts to help warn the public of the threat.

© IWM (Art.IWM PST 12052)

WWI: Bombing - Propaganda

Zeppelin Raids

British defences were totally inadequate to deal with the Zeppelin threat. However, by 1916 a range of anti-airship defence measures were introduced. Many more guns were deployed, and searchlights. Fighter aircraft were also sent against them. British defences learnt to pick up their radio messages, so had warning of their approach, and a central communications headquarters was set up.

It was realised that Zeppelins were extremely vulnerable to explosive shells, which set light to the hydrogen, often in spectacular fashion. Zeppelin raids were called off in1917, by which time 77 out of the 115 German Zeppelins had been shot down or totally disabled. However raids by heavier than air bombers continued,. By the end of the war over 1500 British citizens had been killed in air raids.

British Bristol Braemar Mk. I 1917 German Gotha Bomber Artist Rendition 2000

Aircraft became larger as the need for bombers grew. These aircraft could carry large quantities of explosives to drop on strategic targets, like factories and dockyards. They depended on long range and reliability as targets were often well behind enemy lines. By the end of the war aircraft had developed and improved dramatically.

© IWM (Q 67529)

WWI: Strategic Bombing

Sea Raids and Aircraft Carriers

On Christmas Day 1914, for the first time, ship-borne aircraft were used offensively when they attacked the Zeppelin bases at Cuxhaven and Wilhelmshaven.

On the 12th August 1915, C.H.K. Edmonds became the first pilot to sink a ship by torpedo.

Planes were used to locate U-boats and force them to remain under water until they were to surface to recharge their batteries leaving them vulnerable.

On 20th May 1917, the UC36 became the first submarine to be sunk by a plane.

The British experimented with planes taking off from ships, but they had no way of landing on the deck and had to ditch into the sea and await recovery. HMS Argus in Autumn 1918 became the first true aircraft carrier.

WWI Recap

How the air war led to victory: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zysy4wxI wonder page http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zgxhpv4

Did not play a truly decisive role in the war but proved their capabilities in various roles that were created and experimented with:

Tactical and Strategic bombing

Reconnaissance

Ground attack

Naval warfare

Dogfights

Furthermore Air Technology had developed significantly for example: 1914 BE2c biplane: 72mph, 90 horsepower1918 SE5a fighter: 133 mph, 200 horsepower engine

Inter War Years

Between 1918 and 1939 aircraft technology developed very rapidly. In 1918 most aircraft were biplanes with wooden frames, canvas skins, wire rigging and air-cooled engines. However, by 1939 military biplanes were in the process of being replaced with metal framed monoplanes, often with stressed skins and liquid-cooled engines. Top speeds had tripled; altitudes doubled; ranges and payloads of bombers increased enormously. Most industrial countries also created air forces separate from the army and navy.

Some theorists, especially in Britain, considered that aircraft would become the dominant military arm in the future. They imagined that a future war would be won entirely by the destruction of the enemy's military and industrial capability from the air. This led to what would later be called a strategy of deterrence and a "bomber gap", as nations measured air force power by number of bombers.

Others, such as Generals in the United States, saw the potential of air power to augment the striking power of naval surface fleets.[German and British pilots had experimented with aerial bombing of ships and air-dropped torpedoes during World War I with mixed results.

WWII: Advanced TechnologyMilitary aviation came into its own during the Second World War.

The increased performance, range, and payload of contemporary aircraft meant that air power could move beyond the novelty applications of World War I, becoming a central striking force for all the combatant nations. - Overy (1981)

Radar Radio Communication Pathfinding beacons Rockets Multipurpose aircraft

WWII: New AircraftAircraft continued to develop along specialised lines of bombers and fighters. Fighter planes such as the Supermarine Spitfire were much quicker and agile whilst bombers such as the Avro Lancaster were large long range bombers with multiple crew carrying out different functions.

WWII: New Aircraft

Prior to World War II, general limitations in available engine and aeronautical technology required that each proposed military aircraft have its design tailored to a specific prescribed role. Engine power grew dramatically during the early period of the war, roughly doubling between 1939 and 1943. This opened the door to creating aircraft capable of multiple roles.

Planes were created that could be used as fighters, dive bombers, high speed photo reconnaissance, fast bombers and in ground attack roles.

The development of rockets and very high frequency radio also greatly improved the roles an aircraft could undertake.

WWII: Battle of Britain

Hitler had planned to invade Britain using Operation Sealion. This required the Luftwaffe to destroy the RAF’s ability to defend the UK. The Battle of Britain started officially on 10 June 1940, when the Luftwaffe attacked a convoy of ships off Dover.   But the real air war started on 12 August (when the Luftwaffe attacked the RAF), and lasted until 31 October. 

      At first the Luftwaffe attacked radar stations and airfields.   Although the Luftwaffe lost more planes than the RAF, by the 31 August the RAF was at its last gasp – in the previous fortnight the RAF had lost 295 planes destroyed and 170 damaged, 103 pilots killed and 128 wounded.  Flying five or more ‘sorties’ a day, the young British fighter pilots (nicknamed ‘Dowding’s chicks’) were becoming exhausted; more importantly, the RAF was not training new pilots as fast the pilots were being killed.   The weekend 30-31 August was the worst weekend of the battle for the RAF, with 65 fighters destroyed and 6 of the seven sector stations in the vital south-east Group out of action.  

  Just as Fighter Command was about to collapse, however, a miracle happened.   On 24 August, by

accident, some Luftwaffe bombers had dropped their bombs on London.   The next few nights, the RAF replied by bombing Berlin.   Hitler was angry.   On 2 September he ordered his bombers to attack London.   On 7 September the Nazi bombing raid was so huge that a false alarm went round the south-east of England: code-word ‘Cromwell’ – invasion imminent.   Church bells rang and the Home Guard mobilised.   

      Hitler’s decision to stop attacking the RAF gave it time to recover.   On 15 September, the Luftwaffe came by day in huge numbers.   It expected to sweep the RAF from the skies.   But the RAF fought them off.   At one point every British plane was in the sky – soon, some would have to come in to refuel and there were no reserves to protect them.   But the Luftwaffe, too, was at the limit and – just in time – it turned back unable to win the decisive victory required.  

WWII: Battle of Britain

Britain was able to win the battle of Britain due to several factors.

Firstly, Britain had built a series of radar stations (July 1935).   British radar was superior because, not only could it tell where the enemy planes were coming from, but it had a way to telling the fighters so that they could go and attack them.

Secondly, in July 1937, Air Chief Marshall Dowding was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command.   He was a brilliant commander who – on a small budget – was able to reorganise the RAF into four Groups, each divided into a number of sectors (each with a main sector airfield with a number of supporting airfields).

Thirdly, the British developed two brilliant planes – the Hurricane (Nov 1935) which was reliable and was used to shoot down the Luftwaffe bombers; and the Spitfire (March 1936), the fastest plane in the world, which was used to destroy the Nazi fighters which protected the bombers.

Fourthly, in May 1940, Churchill put Lord Beaverbrook (owner of the Daily Express) in charge of aircraft production.   He ran one appeal for aluminium  – ‘We will turn your pots and pans into Spitfires and Hurricanes’ – and another scheme where towns, groups or individuals could ‘buy’ a Spitfire (for £5000) and send it off the fight the Nazis.   He also set up a Civilian Repair Organisation, which made new planes from the left-over pieces of planes which had been shot down.   Beaverbrook cut through government red tape, and increased the production by 250%; in 1940, British factories produced 4,283 fighters, compared to Germany’s 3,000.

Finally though greatly advanced from WWI ranges German planes could only operate over Britain for a limited time due to the fuel they needed to return to their bases. This left their bombers vulnerable. RAF planes could spend much longer in the air due to their proximity to their airfields.

Chain Home by William Thomas Rawlinson (1946)British Scientists had developed radar technology during the decade prior to the Second War (1939-1945). Chain Home was a series of ground based radar stations which could detect approaching aircraft. This information was used to direct British fighter aircraft, like the Supermarine Spitfire, to intercept the German raiders. During 1940 and 1941 radar technology was developed for use in aircraft. This enabled Royal Air Force night fighter pilots to determine their enemies’ position even when they were out of visual range.

© IWM (Art.IWM ART LD 5835)

WWII: Bombing - Blitz

Blitz over Swansea http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zpgs34j

This photograph, published in the Daily Mail in December 1940Strategic Bombing had been

greatly improved by the advanced nature of the bombers used. Long range planes carrying large payloads of bombs could be deployed on mass to target an enemy cities such as the German attacks on London, Manchester and Liverpool

The Blitz - Bombs

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2243951/The-astonishing-interactive-map-EVERY-bomb-dropped-London-Blitz.html -Map of Bombs dropped on London during the Blitz Both sides had

developed technologies that allowed different bombs to be used in raids.

Incendiary shells would start intense fires.

High explosives caused great damage to buildings.

Timed explosives could wreck havoc after the bombing raid had finished.

The Blitz"Everything was blown to pieces, you could

see it all by the red glow reflecting from the fires that were still raging. I looked out the back and saw that where my father's shed had been was just a pile of rubble. Then I saw two bodies, two heads sticking up. I recognised one in particular: it was a Chinese neighbour, Mr Say. He had one eye closed and I realised he was dead. I just convulsed, I was shaking all over. I thought, well, I must be dead because they were, so I struck a match and tried to burn my finger. I kept doing it to see if I was still alive. I could see, but I thought, I cannot be alive. This is the end of the world.“

Len Jones recalls emerging from an air raid shelter in east London after the first night of the Blitz (from The Blitz: The British Under Attack)

Blitz Propaganda

Staged picture of a milkman during the Blitz (1940) Posters showing evacuation and the role of the Fire Service

WWII: Aerial Combat

Whilst the fundamentals of aerial combat ‘dog fighting’ remained the same, technology greatly improved the ability of fighters engaged in combat.

Radio was used to communicate between both pilots in the air and coordinators on the ground. Belt fed machine guns located in the wings of aircraft meant that pilots fired weapons via simple trigger mechanisms in their cockpits. Speed and manoeuvrability of aircraft meant that it advanced manoeuvres could be used to both attack and evade enemy aircraft.

In many instances fighter planes were deployed to shoot down enemy bombers rather than enemy fighter planes, slower moving bombers would be strafed by fighters who in turn tried to avoid the bombers machine guns. Fighters would engage enemy fighters who were escorting the bombers to their targets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Mvy7uNHxY

Dogfighting WWII

Pulling up into his blind spot I watched his plane grow larger and larger in my sight. But this German pilot was not content to fly straight and level. Before I could open fire his plane slewed to the right, and seeing me on his tail, he jerked back on the stick into the only defensive manoeuvre his plane could make. I banked my 47 over to the right and pulled back on the stick, striving to get him once more into my ring sight. The violent manoeuvre applied terrific G’s to my body, and I started to black out as the blood rushed from my head. Fighting every second to overcome this blackness about me, I pulled back on the stick, further and further, so that the enemy would just show at the bottom of my ring sight to allow for the correct deflection.

We were both flying in a tight circle. Just a little more and I’ll have him. Pressing the [trigger] I waited expectantly for the 109 to explode. I’ve hit his wing. A section two-feet long broke loose from the right wing as the machine gun cut like a machete through it. Too low, a little more rudder and the bullets will find his cockpit. I could see occasional strikes further up the wing, but it was too late. The 109, sensing that I was inside him on the turn, slunk into a nearby cloud. Straightening my plane, I climbed over the top of the bank, and poised on the other side, waiting for him to appear. But the 109 did not appear, and not wishing to tempt the gods of fate further, I pushed my stick forward, entered the protective cover of the clouds, and headed home.

Unnamed British Pilot Reporting an incident in 1942

WWII: Bombing – Bomber Command

The British returned the experience of the Blitz on the people and cities of Germany. Using long distance bombers they carried out sorties over Germany and did considerable damage to her cities and production areas.

61 German cities were attacked by Bomber Command between 1939 and 1945 containing a combined population of 25 million inhabitants;3.6 million homes were destroyed (20% of the total)   7.5 million people were made homeless

300,000 Germans are thought to have been killed as a result of the raids, and  800,000 were wounded.

Berlin was 70% destroyed by bombing; Dresden 75% destroyed.

WWII: Bombing – Bomber Command

On-board Radar H2S was the first airborne, ground scanning radar

system. It was developed in Britain for the Royal Air Force and was used in various RAF bomber aircraft from 1943. It was designed to identify targets on the ground for night and all-weather bombing.

In addition a second display was added, this showed the relatively stationary blips from the bomber formation and, most importantly, the rapidly moving returns from the German night fighters. It was designed to give early warning of night fighters approaching the aircraft out to a range of 30 miles (48 km).

By the end of the war both sides had also developed various Radar jamming techniques to block the enemies Radar.

In addition various beacons, radio signals and navigation aids were used to help pilots navigate and return home from missions.

By the end of the war Radar was fitted directly to some guns meaning that the gunner could fire at an enemy fighter in complete darkness, due to information being fed to the turret.

Dresden

The bombing of Dresden was an American and British attack on the German city of Dresden. In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and 527 of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped more than 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city. The bombing and the resulting firestorm destroyed over 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) of the city centre.  An estimated 22,700 to 25,000 people were killed.

Whilst controversial in terms of being targeted, Dresden demonstrates some of the Technologies used by the RAF. Pathfinders carrying Magnesium flares located Dresden and following them coloured target indicators flew ahead of the main force in fast moving aircraft to mark various targets. A mixture of explosives and incendiary bombs were used to maximise the devastation. Planes involved also used Radar to help locate Dresden and scan for enemy fighters.

The same aircraft dropping its mixed payload 1944

American Boeing B-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress was the largest Allied bomber of Second World War. It had pressurised crew compartments which meant that crews no longer had to endure sub-zero temperatures on long-range bombing missions. Superfortresses dropped the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and Nagasaki ( 9 August 1945).

© IWM (NYP 69366)

Germany defeated from the AirThe real importance of the air war consisted in the

fact that it opened a second front long before the invasion in Europe ... Defence against air attacks required the production of thousands of anti-aircraft guns, the stockpiling of tremendous quantities of ammunition all over the country, and holding in readiness hundreds of thousands of soldiers, who in addition had to stay in position by their guns, often totally inactive, for months at a time ... No one has yet seen that this was the greatest lost battle on the German side. — Albert Speer Nazi Minister for Armaments and Ammunition (1959)

Ballistic Missiles -The V2 rocketThe German V2 rocket was the world’s first long range ballistic missile. It was armed with a one ton warhead which caused considerable loss of life and damage when detonated. 1,115 V2s landed in the UK between 8 September 1944 and 27 March 1945. The V2 heralded both a new age of rocket and missile technology and the arms race between the superpowers with both the Soviet Union and the USA using German scientists who had worked on the V2.

© IWM (BU 11149)

Jet Fighters - Messerschmitt Me 262 The German Me 262 was the world’s first operational jet fighter. It was far faster than propeller driven aircraft and was capable of a maximum speed of 559 miles per hour. It went into service with the Luftwaffe (German air force), in April 1944, the same month the first British fighter aircraft, the Gloster Meteor, became operational. This new technology meant that aircraft could fly faster and higher than ever before.

WWII: Birth of Modern Air Warfare

Key differences WWI –WWII WWI A new technology! Heavier than

air flight only achieved in 1903. Technology was new and simple Technology helps overcome

obstacles such as shooting through the propeller and stable photography but still very simple.

Air warfare shows the traits that will become common i.e. bombing, dogfights etc. but very early stages

Planes still largely canvas and wood biplanes at end of the war.

One of the first true threats to civilians and the homefront, but still very basic.

WWII Air warfare established strategy. Large scale bombing of civilian

and home front targets. A wide range of aircraft adapted

for specific roles and multipurpose

Technology developed from WWI during interwar years and much more advanced by commencement of WWII

Further technological development of missiles, jet engine, pressurised crew compartments and Radar.

Technology involved in production techniques also greatly increased allowing a greater number and type of aircraft to be produced

Air Warfare Impact

WWI During the course of the War,

German Aircraft Losses accounted to 27,637 by all causes,

The Entente Losses numbered over 88,613 lost 52,640 France & 35,973 Great Britain

Civilian casualties small in comparison to the death toll of the war.

Whilst present at key battles and important in the development of warfare, not yet decisive in the same way air warfare was in WWII

WWIILarge Scale Civilian casualties

from bombing: 330,000–500,000 Japanese civilians, 60,595 British civilians, 305,000–600,000 German civilians

2,770,540 tons of bombs dropped by the allies in Europe

Incorporated as a key strategic option from the start of the war

Important factor in major events:

Blitzkrieg, Blitz, Battle of Britain, D-Day, Bombing of Germany, Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Own Research

WWI

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zgxhpv4

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/zeppelin.htm

http://firstworldwar.com/airwar/bombers_intro.htm

WWII http://

www.johndclare.net/wwii6.htm

http://www.battleofbritain1940.net/contents-index.html

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/famous-battles-of-world-war-two/battle-of-britain/

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