The Unsorted BBS Collection/thegreatunsorted.tar/thegreatunsorted/texts/term_papers/ww1.txt

Text File | 1996-04-06 | 7KB | 98 lines

    During World War One, the role of airplanes and how they were used
changed greatly.  At first planes were only used for sport, but people started
realize that not only could airplanes be useful but they could even influence an
outcome of the war greatly.  Soon the war was filled with blimps, planes, and
tethered balloons.  By the end of the war, planes became a symbol of fear, but
they were not always treated with such respect.
      In the time leading up to the war, the general feeling about planes was,
they were a sneaky, unfair tactic that should not be used in warfare.  During The
1899 Hague Peace Conference it was put on record that the dropping or shooting
of any projectiles or explosives from the air during a time of war was forbidden
and was considered a crime of war.  It was also decided that airplanes could only
be used for reconnaissance or spying missions. (Villard-227)  ôThe airplane may
be all very well for sport, but for the army it is uselessö (Quoted in Villard-227)
Even by the beginning of the war in 1912, the use of planes in war was still
prohibited by the War Office.  Shortly thereafter this changed, people awakened
to the possibilities of air warfare.  The world soon started to realize the
effectiveness of planes in war and how the control of the skies could influence the
outcome.
    Although the French were the first to have a working, conscripting air force
and to license fliers, their trust in airplanes still was not up to par. Their lack of
trust was justified, for the planes had no armaments, too many wires, and no
reliable motor. (Villard-228)
     Soon all countries in the war effort had their own little air force, built
hangers, and started to train pilots.  The first bombing occurred in November
1911.  Although the first bomb was dropped by the Italians, soon all countries
were involved in bombing raids. (Villard-229)  It was followed by the first aerial
dogfight in 1912. This consisted of a primitive exchange of pistol fire between
British and German planes . (Harvey-95)
        The first flying experience for the United States occurred in 1862,
during the Civil War.  General McClellan went into battle against the South with a
balloon corps floated by hydrogen and pulled by four horses. (Saga-51)
    Literary fiction started to breed ideas about the use of planes in warfare.
The most famous writer to explore the idea was H.G. Wells.  He wrote  The War
In The Air, a book about the future in which battle is conducted with planes.
(Wohl-70).  In Germany, literary fiction preceded the actual development of
warfare in the air.  Rudolph Martin was a writer who predicted that the GermanÆs
future was not on the sea, but in the air.  He also believed that further
development in aviation would kill the importance of distance and help to lead
toward the German unification of the world.   (Wohl-81)  MartinÆs novel helped to
prepare the Germans for their use of planes in the war.  The fiction soon became
scientific fact.  (Wohl-71)
      The United States, ultimately  was slower than France and Germany to
develop an air force.  On March 3, 1911, Congress appropriated $125,000 to start
an air force, which consisted of five planes.  The first squadron was organized by
the Americans on March 5, 1913, in Texas City.  It consisted of nine planes.
Although the United States entered the war in 1917, it did not use planes in the
war at that time. (Villard-231)
    U.S. pilots had little or no experience in ôcross-country navigation.ö  They
did not have good maps and sometimes they became lost, ran out of fuel and
would have to land behind enemy lines.  (Villard-233)
    As the Americans advanced in the use of planes in warfare, so did the
Germans.  Initially, the Germans made no effort to hide their skepticism about the
use of planes in warfare.  In the beginning of the war, many Germans raised in
newspaper articles and on government committees the possibilities of warfare in
the air, but the country as a whole was not quick to initiate the effort.  (Wohl-70)
This quickly changed, however, because the  development of airplanes during the
war was mostly credited to the Germans.  The Germans came out with advances
in planes that outdid anything that France had to offer.  Even though France had
the largest air force in the world, they soon became second-best.  No matter how
hard the other countries tried, the Germans were always one step ahead in
airplane advances.  These advances were so great that even though the
Germans were outnumbered eight to one, they still came out on top.  For
instance, the mounting of a machine gun behind the propellers seemed like
suicide, but the Germans came up with the idea of a timed switch that would
allow the gun to fire in-between rotations.  This made it easier to aim and fly at
the same time.  Roland Garros, an allied flier, who mounted a gun in the cockpit
and put protective plates on his propellers was trying to match the German timed
device, but it was a faulty, unsafe rip-off . (Harvey-95)
    Another advancement used by the Germans was the introduction of
luminous paint so that pilot would not fly into each other or shoot each other
during night raids. (Duke-130)  The allied countries tried many times to duplicate
this and many other German inventions, but failed each time.
    The Germans started putting up hangers and domes around itÆs boarders.
They introduced more and more types of planes.  As the war went on, Germany
introduced the BI-planes and Tri-planes which made the use of one winged
planes obsolete.  The more wings, the more mobility, stability, and speed the
plane had.  The mobility made it easier to evade gun fire or to maneuver better in
dogfights.  The stability made these new planes handle better in turbulence, and
in reconnaissance missions the speed was most important for escaping the
enemy.  These new German planes dominated the skies and made lumber of the
alliesÆ ôflaming coffinsö (old mono-planes)
    The BI-plane was considered to be the best all-around plane.  It was the
favorite of the German Flying Ace, Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the
ôRed Baronö  The Red Baron was the best pilot in the war, and was credited with
shooting down 80 allied planes.  He was equally respected by both sides, and
when he was shot down, his enemies held a service for him to show how much
respect they had.  This show of chivalry was not uncommon, for in the beginning
of the war, it was tradition to throw down a wreath if an enemy plane was shot
down, to show respect and honor.  However when bombing was introduced, the
feeling about planes turned from noble flying knights into fear, death from above.
    The evolution of aircraft during World War One was profound and
unmatched by any other advancements in any other field at the time.  From
Reconnaissance to bombing, the use of airplanes in the war became a necessity
and by the end of the war airplanes and pilots had earned the respect they
deserved.  TodayÆs warfare relies heavily on the use of aircraft, not only for
destruction and transportation of troops and supplies, but also for itÆs initial use of
reconnaissance.