War in the Air

• WW I aircrafts were small and dangerous to fly
• They were made of light wood frames and the wings were covered in canvas, which was very flammable
• The engines were heavy which made landing difficult
• Pilots sat on top of the gas tank and the cockpits were open, exposing you to oil fumes, fire and bullets
• Dogfights between you and your opponent were popular – if a pilot could shoot down five enemy planes, he would be considered an air ace
• As your kills increase you became a legend and were given adoration by the press
• The Generals encouraged lots of good press about their Ace pilots in order to divert peoples attention away from the trench warfare
• The Allied pilots flew Spads and Newports
• The Germans flew Brondenburg and Albatrass
• A Dutch engineer developed the Interruptor Timing Gear allowing pilots to shoot their machine guns between the revolutions of their propeller
• Planes were used best for:
• Taking pictures of your enemy positions
• Dropping steel darts or small bombs on your opponent
• Directing ground artillery fire
• Diving and firing at men in trenches or ammunition depots
• One on one dogfighting

Some famous air aces were:

1. Red Baren – Germany – 80 kills
2. Billy Bishop – Canada – 72 kills
3. George Guynamer – France – 54 kills
4. Ed Mannick – Britain – 74 kills
5. Ray Brown – Canada – 11 kills ( one of whom was the Red Baren)