DEVELOPMENT OF AN AIR FORCE

• THE RFC AND RNAS GO TO WAR

  • RFC- had 5 squadrons by the outbreak of the war in 1914.
  • Each squadron had 12 aircraft- a total of 63 planes, around 900 men.
  • RNAS- home defence, given responsibility for coastal patrols.
• THE RFC IN WESTERN FRONT ACTION

  • Initial task was reconnaissance to support the ground offensives.
  • Hugh Trenchard- commanded the RFC on the Western Front.
  • Seeing ‘friendly’ planes overhead cheered soldiers in the trenches; seeing the enemy above was disheartening and frightening.
• HAIG AND TRENCHARD: A NEW STRATEGY

  • RFC required a constant supply of aircraft and pilots, fuel and ammunition.
  • Needed to quickly adapt.
  • Army commander Haig supported Trenchard, without knowing much about aviation technology, since he saw the value of aircraft in sustaining his ‘continuous offensive’.
  • Haig saw air power as a battlefield partner for artillery.
  • In the spring of 1917, the RFC lost more than 700 planes and 473 pilots killed, but by 1918 air superiority had been achieved.
• GROWTH OF THE RFC FROM 1914-18

  • At the start of the war, the British had fewer aircraft (113) than France (160) or Germany (246).
  • By 1915, 12 RFC squadrons in France had more than 160 aircraft.
  • By 1917, the RFC and the RNAS had three years experience of in
  • Air power could strike Germany itself, through the new tactic of long-range air bombing, hitting industrial centres and lines of communication to force the enemy to end the war.
  • Air Ministry 1918
  • April 1918- RFC & RNAS merged to form the RAF.
• ADAPTING AIRCRAFT FOR GUNNERY

  • Most 1914–15 aeroplanes were biplanes with a propeller in front of the cockpit.
  • The Vickers two-seat FB5 ‘Gunbus’ (in action from July 1915) was a successful British pusher, its Lewis gun firing 500 bullets per minute, and swivelled on a pivot mount.
  • Two-man crews fought as a team, but the extra weight meant slower speeds.
  • Interrupter gear- allowed a pilot to shoot through the arc of his propeller, without risk of hitting the wooden propeller blades.
• THE TECHNOLOGY RACE

  
  

  • Produced rapid changes in aircraft types
  • Most First World War aircraft were made of wood and fabric, so damage could often be patched up on the airfield by mechanics.
• AIR FIGHTING TECHNIQUES AND ACES

  • British squadrons adopted formation flying.
  • The portrayal of battles as individual ‘dogfights’ with ‘scores’ idealised the violence and gave the ace fighter pilot heroic status.
  • Leading British Ace- Major Edward Mannock- 73 victories.
• TECHNOLOGY FORCES ADAPTATION

  • Field artillery guns adapted as AA guns.
  • Against low-flying aircraft, machine guns and even rifle fire could be deadly.
  • To avoid AA fire, bombers took to raiding at night.