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War

War. In the. Air. The Code of the Pilot. “No honourable aviator attacks an aeroplane that is already on fire. Such a foe has enough trouble to deal with; he is regarded as out of the fight.” PAC 1917 4550. Air Strength of Germany and Allied Nations in the First World War. Date and Location.

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War

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  1. War In the Air

  2. The Code of the Pilot “No honourable aviator attacks an aeroplane that is already on fire. Such a foe has enough trouble to deal with; he is regarded as out of the fight.” PAC 1917 4550

  3. Air Strength of Germany and Allied Nations in the First World War

  4. Date and Location • Date: 1914 – 1918 • Locations: England, France, Germany, Turkey and Eastern Africa

  5. German Jagdstaffeln German Army Air Service Jagdstaffeln sometimes operated out of tents, achieving mobility and flexible operations

  6. Importance of the Air • 1914 the plane was used for reconnaissance • Top speed of 75 miles per hour (120kph) • Carried no guns or bombs • By 1918 the best fighters could reach 175 miles per hour (280kph) • Bombers could carry 3 tonnes of bombs • Before sophisticated bombing devices pilots simply dropped the bombs over the side of the cockpit • Synchronized machine gun made it possible to fire between the rotating blades of the propellers thereby increasing the accuracy of the shooting

  7. The Air Plan – In the Beginning • Planes were originally without weapons, and used for scouting instead • It wasn't long before the pilots improvised; started throwing bricks, wrenches, using grappling hooks, dropping bombs, firing pistols etc.

  8. The Air Plan – Things Got Better • Development of faster, more maneuverable aircraft • A French pilot, Roland Garros, bolted steel deflectors to his propeller, which permitted him to fire a machine gun through it, the airplane became an offensive weapon. • Anthony “Tony” Fokker, a Dutch airplane builder and entrepreneur working for the Germans, installed interrupter gear, permitting a machine gun to fire through the prop with much more reliability. • For a time, the Fokker gave the Germans an edge.

  9. Zeppelins • Hydrogen-filled gas-bags inside a steel skeleton • Used for bombing raids • They had 5 machine guns and could carry 2,000kg of bombs • 115 Zeppelins were used by Germany with 77 being shot down by Britain and France • June 1917 Germany changed the Zeppelin operation from bombing to transporting supplies

  10. German Fokker Triplane • Manufacturer: Anthony Fokker • Range: 185 miles • Maximum Speed: 115mph (184kph) • Ceiling: 20,000ft http://www.historichollywood.biz/drawings-ww1/fokker-triplane.htm

  11. Baron Manfred von Richthofen • Born May 2, 1892 • Started out as a reconnaissance pilot and then a bomber • Leader of the German “Flying Circus” • Credited with 80 victories • Died in a Dogfight April 21, 1918 • Given a full military funeral by the British

  12. Life of a Fighter Pilot • living conditions of the fighter pilot were better than that of the trench soldier: better pay, better food, and better uniforms. • However, the life expectancy of an RFC pilot could be as short as 3 weeks—the plane was sometimes known as the "flying coffin"

  13. Challenges Skills Required of a Pilot Flying Map reading Reconnaissance Aerial Photography Meteorology Wireless telegraphy Artillery Observation Bombing Gunnery • Open Cockpit • Rain • Cold • Identification of Enemy • Sunlight – screen enemy

  14. What was the Black Flight • This was the best group of British Fighter pilots during the First World War. • The German equivalent was the “Flying Circus.”

  15. Canada's Pilots and Perception • When WW1 began Canada had no air force of its own. Canada would not have its own Royal Canadian Air Force until 1924.(symbol above) • Canadians who wanted to fly in the war did so in the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC.) The RFC was renamed the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1918 • Also, Canadians served as mechanics and aircrew • Canadians gained a reputation for bravery and by 1918, 40 percent of the British Air Force pilots were Canadian.

  16. Billy Bishop • Canada’s Leading Ace • Born in Owen Sound, Ontario on February 8, 1894 • Not a very good pilot in the beginning • Duelled the Red Baron in 1917 • Participated in 170 Air Battles, credited with 72 kills • Shot down 25 German planes in 12 days after being ‘grounded’ • Helped to create the Royal Canadian Air Force • Germans nicknamed him “Hell’s Handmaiden” • Died September 11, 1956

  17. Bishop’s first plane R.E.7

  18. Nieuport Type 17

  19. S.E.5 and S.E.5.A British Fighter Plane

  20. Significance to Canada • 22 800 Canadians served in the Royal Flying Corps as pilots, observers and mechanics • 3960 soldiers switched to a branch of the Royal Flying Corps. • 1389 Canadians in England volunteered for air service. • 10 010 cadets were recruited in Canada (4280 went overseas) • 7453 mechanics were recruited

  21. Letter from the Front “Flying is very cold these days, and we have to slobber whale-oil on our faces to prevewnt frost bite. After doing four hours at 1500 feet we are numb when we get back, but a square meal, and the rum ration help a lot.” OPA 1918 33

  22. “Air Raid” Night shatters in mid-heaven-the bark of guns, The roar of planes, the crash of bombs, and all The unshackled skyey pandemonium stuns The senses to indifference, when a fall Of masonry nearby startles awake, Tingling, wide-eyed, prick-eared, with bristling hair, Each Sense within the body, crouched aware Like some sore-hunted creature in the brake…. Wilfred Gibson

  23. BOMBING CIVILIAN TARGETS • Aircrafts first hit industrial targets but found that night bombing civilian targets might demoralize the civilian population • 1915 Germany begins to bomb English cities, British bomb Ruhr and Rhineland • little effect on the course of the First World War BUT this was a new development that would have an impact on civilians that would increase during WWII

  24. Zeppelin Attacks of Britain

  25. Defense of London 1917-1918

  26. Germany Attacks Paris

  27. Work Cited Baker, David. William Avery ‘Billy’ Bishop. London, Outline Press, 1990. Book. Gilbert, Martin. First World War Atlas. London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1985. Book. Hardy, Wilf. “World War One Dogfight." Illustration Art Gallery. n.p.. n.d.. Website. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://www.illustrationartgallery.com/acatalog/info_HardyDogfight.html>. Santor, Donald. Canadiana Scrapbook Canadians At War 1914-1918. Scarborough, Prentice-Hall of Canada, 1978. Book. Sherman, Stephen. “Legendary Aviators and Aircraft of World War One." Ace Pilots. Website. 30 Sept. 2011. <http://acepilots.com/wwi/main.html#top>.

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