Military Aviation Of The First World War

Author : Mark C. Wilkins
Publisher : Casemate
Page : 194 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2019-11-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781612006208

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German Fighter Aircraft in World War I by Mark C. Wilkins Pdf

This fully illustrated volume explores German military aviation during WWI through archival photographs and authentically detailed replicas. Fighter aircraft were developed during World War I at an unprecedented rate, as nascent air forces sought to achieve and maintain air supremacy. German manufacturers innovated at top speed, while constantly scrutinizing the development of new enemy aircraft. The Germans also utilized the concept of modular engineering, which allowed them to disassembled or reassembled their aircraft quickly in the field. The pinnacle of their aeronautical innovations was the iconic Fokker D VII—the only aircraft specifically mentioned in the Treaty of Versailles, which forbade Germany from building it after the war. German Fighter Aircraft in World War I explores how German fighter aircraft were developed during the war, the advancements and trials that made the Fokker D VII possible, and the different makes and types of aircraft. Using unpublished images including photographs of surviving aircraft, archive images, and models and replicas, this volume shows details of aircraft that were kept top secret during the war. Extensively illustrated with 140 photos and ten color profiles, this is will be essential reading for all WWI aviation enthusiasts and modelers.

Author : Lee Kennett
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 261 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 1999-07-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781439105450

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The First Air War by Lee Kennett Pdf

Historian Lee Kennett takes on the vital task of detailing the World War I aviator in this complete overview of the first air war, that Richard P. Hallion calls, "A welcome and long overdue addition to the literature of military aviation." "The whole subject of the first air war is like some imperfectly explored country: there are areas that have been crisscrossed by several generations of historians; there are regions where only writers of dissertations and abstruse monographs have ventured, and others yet that remain terra incognita," historian Lee Kennett tells his readers. There are very few books that explore military avition and its history to the fullest extent as Kennett has done in First Air War. The purpose of this book is to act as a complete overview on topics and histories that have previously gone unexplored. He tells of World War I fliers and their experiences "on all fronts and skillfully places them in proper context" (Edward M. Coffman, author of The Old Army). In considerate detail, Kennett tells the full story on how a few planes became the armies of the sky.

Author : William Alexander Binny Douglas
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 1986
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0802023797

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The Creation of a National Air Force by William Alexander Binny Douglas Pdf

Author : Vital Ferry
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2015-01-31
Category : Airplanes, Military
ISBN : 2352503701

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French Aircraft in the First World War by Vital Ferry Pdf

During the cradle of aviation, at the beginning of the Great War, France had access to only a few dozen military aircraft, with a staff who didn't quite know what to do with them. However, during the course of the conflict, the embryonic Air Force, dedicated to the creation of reconnaissance and bombing missions, evolved like wildfire to the point that by the Armistice of 11 November 1918, French military aviation had become one of the world's most powerful as a result of the construction of 10,000 aircraft spread throughout nearly 300 squadrons. Having became the first nation equipped with an air force, the French aviation industry in its infancy before the war, had been able to produce in four years 50,000 aircraft, may of which would go on to support a number of her allies, including Britain, Russia and especially the United States. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the French Air Force from 1914 to 1918 through a historical narrative peppered with anecdotes and illustrated with many unpublished pictures from the period and profiles of the most iconic devices. The work is complete with full specifications of aircraft built and used by France during the four years of the Great War.

Author : Ian Sumner
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 254 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2018-01-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781526701817

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The French Air Force in the First World War by Ian Sumner Pdf

The French air force of the First World War developed as fast as the British and German air forces, yet its history, and the enormous contribution it made to the eventual French victory, is often forgotten. So Ian Sumner's photographic history, which features almost 200 images, most of which have not been published before, is a fascinating and timely introduction to the subject. The fighter pilots, who usually dominate perceptions of the war in the air, play a leading role in the story, in particular the French aces, the small group of outstanding airmen whose exploits captured the publics imagination. Their fame, though, tends to distract attention from the ordinary unremembered airmen who formed the body of the air force throughout the war years. Ian Sumner tells their story too, as well as describing in a sequence of memorable photographs the less well-known branches of the service the bomber and reconnaissance pilots and the variety of primitive warplanes they flew.

Author : John H. Morrow,John Howard Morrow
Publisher : University of Alabama Press
Page : 511 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2009-01-13
Category : History
ISBN : 9780817355456

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The Great War in the Air by John H. Morrow,John Howard Morrow Pdf

Starting in 1909 with the beginnings of military aviation and the aviation industry and ending with their catastrophic postwar contraction, the book examines the totality of the air war: its heroism, romantic myths, politics, strategies, and cost in men and materiel. John H. Morrow, Jr., also elaborates on the advancements in aircraft and engine technology and production during airpower's development into a viable and threatening military weapon within a decade of its origins.

Author : Alan Sutton,Alan C. Wood
Publisher : Fonthill Media
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2017-04-21
Category : History
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Military Aviation of the First World War by Alan Sutton,Alan C. Wood Pdf

- over 470 black-and-white photographs! This beautifully illustrated book provides details of every power that took part in Military aircraft activity during the First World War. The war was a global conflict with 57 nations involved but with aviation being in its infancy only eight nations had a major air arm to their fighting Services. The Allies: Britain, America, Italy, Belgium, France, and Russia and then the Central Powers comprising Germany and Austria - Hungary. The book covers the formation, establishment and wartime exploits of all the major air powers during the war, as well as providing thumbnail sketches of all the major aces for each country, giving full coverage to: The Allies: The Royal Flying Corps, The French Military Air Service, The United States Air Service, Aeronautica de Region Esercito (Italy), The Belgian Air Arm, The Russian Imperial Air Services. The Central Powers: The Imperial German Air Service, and the Austro-Hungarian flying service However, smaller powers (at the time) like Australia, Canada and Japan as well as Portugal, Serbia, Romania and South Africa are all featured is this fascinating book.

Author : Office of Office of Air Force History,U. S. Air U.S. Air Force
Publisher : CreateSpace
Page : 478 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2015-03-06
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1508745420

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Early Concepts of Military Aviation: the U. S. Air Service in World War I by Office of Office of Air Force History,U. S. Air U.S. Air Force Pdf

There has been a tendency to belittle the work of the U.S. Air Service in World War I while singing the praises of heroes like Rickenbacker and Luke. Compared with the bombing of the U.S. Eighth Air Force in World War II or the B-52's in Southeast Asia, the 138 tons of bombs dropped by the U.S. Air Service in France in 1918 may seem almost too insignificant to mention. Any such comparison, however, should not lead to a conclusion that World War I was of little importance in the overall history of the U.S. Air Force. The U.S. Air Service should be viewed in relationship to its own age. World War I was fought when aviation was still young. The first ace of the U.S. Air Service won his victories in a French plane that had a top speed of about 125 miles per hour and a tendency to shed the fabric of its upper wing in a dive. The American-produced DH-4, used by the 1st Day Bombardment Group, usually carried about 220 pounds of bombs for a mission, which meant a lot of sorties to deliver 138 tons of bombs. Aviation technology was not always equal to the tasks to be performed. A major goal of the U.S. Air Service, one not attained during the war, was the development of a bomber force capable of hitting strategic objectives in Germany. Targeting for the strategic campaign involved the identification of "a few indispensable targets without which Germany cannot carry on the war"-an idea that would be used years later against Hitler and the Third Reich. Interdiction, close air support, and some other types of missions carried out by the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, and by the U.S. Air Force at later times, had already been tried by the U.S. Air Service. Some documents illustrating various concepts and ideas for the employment of the U.S. Air Service in World War I have been selected for publication in this volume, one of a series being published by the Office of Air Force History.

Author : James Streckfuss
Publisher : Casemate
Page : 273 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2016-05-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781612003689

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Eyes All Over the Sky by James Streckfuss Pdf

The impact of the unsung heroes of WWI—“a must for any aviation enthusiast to further complement work on aerial reconnaissance in modern warfare” (Roads to the Great War), Beyond the heroic deeds of the fighter pilots and bombers of World War I, the real value of military aviation lay elsewhere; aerial reconnaissance, observation, and photography impacted the fighting in many ways, but little has been written about it. Balloons and airplanes regulated artillery fire, infantry liaison aircraft followed attacking troops and the retreats of defenders, aerial photographers aided operational planners and provided the data for perpetually updated maps, and naval airplanes, airships, and balloons acted as aerial sentinels in a complex anti-submarine warfare organization. Reconnaissance crews at the Battles of the Marne and Tannenberg averted disaster. Eyes All Over the Sky fully explores all the aspects of aerial reconnaissance and its previously under-appreciated significance. Also included are the individual experiences of British, American, and German airmen—true pioneers of aviation warfare. “With an interesting selection of photos, the book is not only an excellent reference—it is historically important.” —Classic Wings “This well-researched history belongs on the shelf of anyone with a serious interest in the air war or the ground war of 1914-1918.” —Steve Suddaby, former president of the World War One Historical Association

Author : Mike Bechthold
Publisher : University of Oklahoma Press
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2017-04-06
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780806157863

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Flying to Victory by Mike Bechthold Pdf

Canadian-born flying ace Raymond Collishaw (1893–1976) served in Britain’s air forces for twenty-eight years. As a pilot in World War I he was credited with sixty-one confirmed kills on the Western Front. When World War II began in 1939, Air Commodore Collishaw commanded a Royal Air Force group in Egypt. It was in Egypt and Libya in 1940–41, during the Britain’s Western Desert campaign, that he demonstrated the tenets of an effective air-ground cooperation system. Flying to Victory examines Raymond Collishaw’s contribution to the British system of tactical air support—a pattern of operations that eventually became standard in the Allied air forces and proved to be a key factor in the Allied victory. The British Army and Royal Air Force entered the war with conflicting views on the issue of air support that hindered the success of early operations. It was only after the chastening failure of Operation Battleaxe in June 1941, fought according to army doctrine, that Winston Churchill shifted strategy on the direction of future air campaigns—ultimately endorsing the RAF's view of mission and target selection. This view adopted principles of air-ground cooperation that Collishaw had demonstrated in combat. Author Mike Bechthold traces the emergence of this strategy in the RAF air campaign in Operation Compass, the first British offensive in the Western Desert, in which Air Commodore Collishaw’s small force overwhelmed its Italian counterpart and disrupted enemy logistics. Flying to Victory details the experiences that prepared Collishaw so well for this campaign and that taught him much about the application of air power, especially how to work effectively with the army and Royal Navy. As Bechthold shows, these lessons learned altered the Allied approach to tactical air support and, ultimately, changed the course of the Second World War.

Author : Robert F. Grattan
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 308 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2009-04-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9780857715340

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The Origins of Air War by Robert F. Grattan Pdf

Air power has come to be seen as a country's first line of defence; in the First World War views were vastly different. Aircraft were a novelty not always welcomed by the traditionalist military, and there were no tactics, doctrine or strategies available for the deployment of air power. Yet, within four years, proponents of the new force were making claims, often extravagant, of what aircraft could achieve. Here Robert Grattan traces the remarkable history of the emergence of air power as a force to reckon with, and its dramatic impact on military strategy. He discusses the details of aircrafts, their engines and manufacture - including the Fokker, Bristol Fighter, the Zeppelin and the DH2 - the weaponry and prominent figures, such as Albert Ball and Werner Voss. "The First Air War" is indispensable for military historians, aviation and military enthusiasts as well as those interested in strategy.

Author : Maurer Maurer
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 1978
Category : Electronic
ISBN : LCCN:75042296

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The US Air Service in World War 1 by Maurer Maurer Pdf

Author : Malcolm Cooper
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 206 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2021-03-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781000338850

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The Birth of Independent Air Power by Malcolm Cooper Pdf

In forming the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918, Britain created the world’s first independent air service. Britain entered the First World War with less than 200 ill-assorted flying machines divided between the army and the navy, but by the end of the war the RAF mustered almost 300,000 personnel and 22, 000 aircraft. Originally published in 1986, more than 65 years after the event, the decision to form the RAF remained poorly understood and Malcolm Cooper presented the first detailed modern analysis of its creation, shedding new light on the process by which Britain entered the air age. Set against the background of the build-up of air power during the First World War, the book explains how deepening political concern at failures in home air defence, public demands for retaliatory air action against Germany, problems of mobilization and expansion in the aircraft industry, and disagreements between the existing army and navy air services combined to create the conditions for an independent air force. The author argues that the pressures of war were insufficient to give real substance to the RAF’s independence and that its failure to escape from its wartime role as an ancillary service was also of crucial significance in the evolution of British air strategy in later years. Based on an extensive study of official documents and private papers and amply illustrated with contemporary photographs, this title will prove invaluable in understanding both strategic thinking in the Great War and the early development of a form of warfare which dominated military and naval operations in the twentieth century.

Author : Jack Herris
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2010-04-01
Category : History
ISBN : 1906626669

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Aircraft of WWI by Jack Herris Pdf

Illustrated with detailed artworks of combat aircraft and their markings, 'The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide: Aircraft of WWI' is a comprehensive study of the aircraft that fought in the Great War of 1914–18. Arranged chronologically by theater of war and campaign, this book offers a complete organizational breakdown of the units on all the fronts, including the Eastern and Italian Fronts. Each campaign includes a compact history of the role and impact of aircraft on the course of the conflict, as well as orders of battle, lists of commanders and campaign aces such as Manfred von Richtofen, Eddie Rickenbacker, Albert Ball and many more.

Author : Herbert A. Johnson
Publisher : Univ of North Carolina Press
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2003-04-03
Category : History
ISBN : 9780807860236

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Wingless Eagle by Herbert A. Johnson Pdf

At the start of the twentieth century the United States led the world in advances in aviation, with the first successful engine-powered flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and Dayton, Ohio, beginning in 1903. Fifteen years later, however, American airmen flew European-designed aircraft because American planes were woefully inadequate for service on the Western Front. Why was the United States so poorly prepared to engage in aerial combat in World War I? To answer this question, Herbert Johnson takes a hard look at the early years of U.S. military aviation, exploring the cultural, technical, political, and organizational factors that stunted its evolution. Among the recurring themes of Johnson's narrative are the damaging effects of a chronic lack of governmental funding for military aeronautics and the disruptive influence of a civilian "aeronaut constituency" both on military discipline and on public and Congressional attitudes toward army aviation. In addition, the Wright brothers' patent litigation hindered the technical development of American aircraft and crippled the domestic aviation industry's manufacturing capacity. Wartime experience helped correct some of these problems, but the persistence of others left the postwar Air Service with an uncertain and stormy future.