Article: The Start of the Age of Aerial Combat

Oct 26, 2024Aerial Combat

The Start of the Age of Aerial Combat

The Advent Of Military Aerial Forces

In 1908, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sought competitive bids for a two-seat observation aircraft. Winning designs had to meet a number of specified performance standards.

Flight trials with the Wrights' entry began at Fort Myer, Virginia, on September 3, 1908.

After several days of successful flights, tragedy occurred on September 17, when Orville Wright crashed with Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, the Army's observer, as his passenger.

Orville survived with severe injuries, but Selfridge was killed, becoming the first fatality in a powered airplane.

As a sidenote, I live in Michigan and Selfridge AFB is located just North of Detroit, MI, on the other side of the state from where we are located.

On June 3, 1909, the Wrights returned to Fort Myer with a new airplane to complete the trials begun in 1908.

Satisfying all requirements, the Army purchased the airplane for $30,000, and conducted flight training with it at nearby College Park, Maryland, and at Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas, in 1910.

In 1909 the Military Flyer was built in answer to the U.S. Army Signal Corps 1908 bid request for a 2-person Observation Aircraft.

The 1909 2-Place Wright Military Observation Flyer. It was given to the Smithsonian in 1911.

Specifications:

Length: 30 feet 8 inches;
Wingspan: 36 feet 5 inches;
Height: 8 feet;
Empty weight: 740 pounds;
Gross weight: 1,264 pounds;
Engine: Wright Vertical 4 4-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, 35 hp;
Propellers: 2-bladed Painted spruce elliptical propellers, 8 ft 8 in diameter.

The invention of heavier-than-air vehicles

This was a new phenomenon in the world, having only really taken off some ten years prior to the outbreak of World War I.

Despite this, many countries were indeed interested in the possibilities of these new inventions.

France would be one of the first adopters of aircraft, looking into how airplanes could be used for scouting and reconnaissance, replacing one of the roles traditionally performed by cavalry.

In the initial stage of the war, aircrews were seen less as fighter pilots, or even combatants at all, with many instances of aircraft coming across one another only for the pilots to wave at one another as they passed by.

Indeed, at this point, airplanes were so new that weapons for use in the sky did not exist – and the war so fresh that animosity had yet to grow between the sides.

Soon enough, this brief period of relative peace in the sky ended as first pistols and grenades would be ineffectual against one another before machine guns were mounted onto planes.

As the war progressed, it became increasingly obvious how crucial aerial recon and especially spotting for the modern massed artillery batteries really was.

Because of this, the focus of pilots started to shift away from exclusively reconnaissance and towards preventing their enemies from doing the same.

World War I

Prior to the first world war a number of countries, including the United States, have built up fleets of aircraft.

Just prior to the start of the war the six great European powers have a combined total of 2,110 airplanes and dirigibles which are manned by trained army offices, alll ready for the conflict.

The French have 750 aerial warships, including dirigibles, with trained crews. Germany comes next with approximately 500 airships, Russia third with a fleet of 380 aircraft.

Italy has 200, Austria 150, and England has 130 aerial warships.

France has for some time lived in constant fear that the airplanes of the German army would some day fly over and bring destruction to her cities and fortresses.

England has never permitted the fear to die that Germany would send her powerful fleet of death-dealing airplanes and dirigibles over to destroy and kill.

So the nations have feverishly added to their fleets of the air to meet such an emergency.

Air fleets have been built more rapidly than battleships. Torpedo boats have been held back to give the workmen more time for airplanes.

It would appear as if the time had now come to make a final test of the aircraft in time of war.

Experts predicted it.

The German and French nations on their respective frontiers established airplane camps which offer the paradoxical appearance of inland naval bases.

European Powers Increase Their Air Fleets

For France their budget for airplanes went from $ 1,240,000 in 1911 to $ 8,500,00 in 1913.

In turn, Germany had increased it's budget for it's aerial fleet to nearly $8,000,000.

Germany, for its part, built four huge military zeppelins with full crews who were kept in the air almost continuously. They were training themselves in the art of defense, experimenting with military tactics.

In addition, Germany had trained nearly 400 highly skilled pilots who were highly skilled aviators and soldiers.

A picture depicting German World War I Fighter Pilots known as "Knights of the Sky."

By the outbreak of the war, many countries had already begun experimenting with aircraft, mainly for the role of observing and reconnaissance.

However, it would not take long for pilots to take on a more dangerous and combative role in the skies above Europe.

It was here that the first fighter pilots were born, figures regarded as noble knights and daring heroes, free from the grime, mud, and misery of the trenches below.

An exact science of bomb dropping from on high for the destruction of property and human life from a swaying airship.

The German Krupp factory began turning out fire-bombs which immediately ignites and inflammable material with which it comes into contact with.

Another tactic the Germans used was to drag a torch hung from a moving airplane by a long wire which was dragged through towns and fields starting a conflagration which burned up entire communities.

The World's First Aereial Combat With Airplanes

The first air battle in world history took place over Longwy, France.

A French aviator circled above a German aircraft, fired down upon it, and sent it 300 feet to earth. The German aviator was killed.

Roland Garros, famous French pilot, dove his aeroplane into a German Zeppelin dirigible above the German frontier.

Both pilots of the big ships were killed in the fall to the earth.

These air battles give the answer to the question of whether the European war will be partially fought in the air.

On October 5th, 1914, the first real aerial combat battle took place between to aircraft during World War I over Jonchery, Reims, France.

A French Voisin III biplane of Escadrille VB24, flown by Sergeant Joseph Frantz with observer Corporal Louis Quénault, engaged a German Aviatik B.II.

Picutre of a French Voisin III bomber used in World War I.

Specifications:

Length: 31 feet 6 inches;
Wingspan: 52 feet 6 inches;
Crew: 2;
Empty weight: 3,030 pounds;
Maximum weight: 4,022 pounds;
Armament: .303 in Lewis machine-gun;
Maximum bomb weight: 200 pounds;
Ceilling: 19,000 feet;
Engine: Salmson R9 150 hp engine;
Top Speed: 68 miles per hour.

The Voisin III had a mounted machine gun which was operated by a standing observer.

The Voisin was armed with a Hotchkiss M1909 8mm machine gun.

On October 5, 1914, the Germans were flying a German Aviatik B.II which was being flown by Oberleutnant Fritz von Zangen and Sergeant Wilhelm Schlichting of FFA 18.

Aviatik B.II No. B 558 15, Hangest-en-Santerre, France, circa 1915.

Specifications:

Length: 27 feet long;
Wingspan: 46 Feet;
Crew: 2;
Cruising speed: 60 mph;
Engine: Mercedes Incline 6-cylinder 140 hp engine;
Range: 250 miles;
Armament: machine gun and bobm racks;
Ceiling: 16,000 feet.

During the air battle Corporal Quénault fired two 48-round magazines at the German airplane, whose crew returned fire with rifles.

Quénault’s machine gun jammed and he continued to fire on the Aviatik with a rifle.

The German airplane crashed and von Zangen and Schlichting were killed.

Thus ended the first air-to-air kill in the history of aerial warfare.

Check olut this video about the aerial battle:

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