War in the Air

Observation baloons were firest used in 1794 and throught the 19th century. They British Army formed a balloon section in 1890
The Wright brothers pioneered the plane in 1903 but the army didn't see its potential in war at the time
In 1909, the USA army bought a plane and experimented with using it to drop bombs. This was tested in 1911
In April 1912, the British Army establieshed the Royal Flying Corps and in June 1914 the Royal Navy Air Service
There was a high level of popularity about planes at the start of the war

They were quicker than balloons and were able to cover a wider area in a shorter time
They could fly harder, making it easier to avoid enemies
They could fly longer distamces
They were less vulnerable to weather conditions

Trench warfare was static so both sides needed to prioritise monitoring and defence
The flat land in the Western Front allowed plains to fly over the battlefield and spot enemies

Early airtactics focused on oservation so they were linked with the idea of scouts on the ground who would spot enemies and report back

Lack of radio, they had to rely on visual signals to communicate, which was often slow
There was a delay in relaying information and ir was hard to coordinate quick changes
Poor weather affected visibility
Errors were often made

Planes could locate enemy artillery positions, supply lines or troops
Planes cold fly over artillery bombardments and report back real time feedback to improve accuracy
Using their information, they were able to execute more detailed bombardments
Planes also began to be equipped with weapons and cameras,, making them more affective

Early radios had a short range so communication could be hard
Early radios were heavy and often took up the place of a second pilot in the planes
They often struggled with signal, leading to misunderstandings
There wasn't a coordinated system to link all military branches
Pilots communicated with morse code

It replaced the role of cavalry for observation
The first planes weren't used for fighting - putting guns on them was an advancement
Planes developed heavily through the war
Planes were ued to helo wipe out German guns in the 100 days offensive
1st April 1918, RFC became RAF
In 1912, they began plane millitary training, ran by Haig

It allowed soldiers to see areas and the whereabouts of the enemy that they wouldn't have seen otherwise
This benefitted them as they could make plans based on new information

The soldiers on the ground preacted to the rise of camoflague
The already wore neutral uniform but began to hide/ make smaller buildings, weapons and railways

Many people assumed that it would be the future of war
In 1937, historian Basil Liddell Hart said that although air attack was phschological and the public would associate the war with air raids
People were told to familiarsie themselves with German and British aircraft. If they saw a hostile aircraft they should report it and seek shelter

German air raids were portrayed as "Ravening Huns" in Belgium and France
Air attacks were used as opportunities to paint Germans as the instigators of a new "total warfare"
National War Aims Committee set up in 1917 - propaganda talking about frightfulness of German war in the air
Cinemas showed damage from raids
Media stressed the resilience of the public
Ministry of Information set up in 1918 by Baron Max Artken and Lord Beaverbrook continued the campaign
Lloyd George promised to bomb Germany with "compound interest" - the public demanded revenge

New British bombs were rushed into service nearly 3000 DH4 fast day bombers and 200 0/400 heavy bombers
Trenchard was told to direct RF bombers in a continous air offensive against targets in Germany
No. 41 wing was formed for offensive in October 1917

First night fighter aircraft were deployed in December 1917 and the first Gotha was shot down at night in January
London was divided into air defence zones, with AA guns positioned to create "curtains of fire"
Improved air raid warning system was announced - police would go through the streets alerting people to take cover
There were initially doubts about issuing air raid alarms due to fear of panic - apparently people thought that the sounds would make people mad/ encourage them to go outside and see what was happening

RFC took over home defence in December 1915 and 11 squadrons were deployed against German raiders with mixed results
6-7th June 1915 - RNAS pilot Warneford dropped a bomb over France
2nd September 1916 - Shutte-Lanz airship shot down. Celebrated as headline news
They eventually restricted lights in shops and trams to semi blackout across England

Raids by small German planes began in 1914
28th November 1916 - a LVG C11 aircraft dropped 6 bombs near Victoria Station
Germany planned a serious air offensive using their new Gotha heavy bomber - 14 planes attacked Lonodn in 13 June 1917 killed 162 people
Gothas were smaller than Zeppelins and harder to shoot down - this meant that there was no debate for air raid sirens
4th July 1917 - 24 Gothas flew in across the North Sea. 100 GB planes tried to intercept them without success

In 1917, it was suggested that the appointment of an air defence chief and a London Air Defence Area with 3 extra air squadrons and an eastern barrier of AA guns. Designed to reassure the public
In East London 300,0000 people took shelter in tube stations, causing disruption to transport
500,000 people took shelter in basements and cellars
There were raids across the Uk in September - Octover 1917. They caused over 100 deaths
Towards the end of 1917, Germany switched from day to night raids - they started using larger aircraft (Giant R Types) which could drop 1000lbs bombs
In 1918, Germany developed a new incendiary bomb but didn't use it due to jepordising any peace settlements

The last German air raid was 19th May 1918
People felt vulnerable as the navy couldn't protect them from air raids