To what extent did the aerial forces of the First World War impact the course of the war and its outcome?
“The day has passed when armies on the ground or navies on the sea can be the arbiter of a nation's destiny in war. The main power of defense and the power of initiative against an enemy has passed to the air.” -Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. November, 1918.
The Italo-Turkish war, which lasted from 1911-12 and was predominantly fought in Libya, was the first recorded event of a bomb dropped from an aeroplane onto the enemy. The 1912-13 Balkans also witnessed elementary aerial bombing executed against the opponent from aeroplanes and airships. However, World War One was the first major conflict to implement forces on a large scale …show more content…
Did the vividly coloured bi-planes and cumbersome airships flying over the muddy, blood-soaked trenches actually alter the course of the war, or were they just prototypes seen to have a great deal of potential? The key objective of this essay is to examine the impact that aerial forces had on the war; to determine if and how they shaped the outcome. Therefore, it is not the purpose of this essay to prove the monumental significance of military aviation in the First World War, but rather to investigate the importance of the role that it played. For the purposes of precision and brevity, we will focus mainly on the British –and to an extent, German- involvement in aviation during the First World War. Although other nations that were involved, such as France, USA and Austria-Hungary, contributed significant achievements to the field of military aviation in WWI, analyzing the impacts made by the air forces of these countries would make an essay –meant to be concise- far too complex. However, it is difficult to understand the impact of Britain’s Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) on the war without comparing them to the …show more content…
Hearn, Peter. ‘The First War in the Air’. Flying Rebel: The Story of Louis Strange. HMSO. London, 1994. Pg. 28.
[ 14 ]. Top Spot (The Amalgamated Press). Found in: Hearn, Peter. Flying Rebel: The Story of Louis Strange. HMSO. London, 1994. Pg. 47.
[ 15 ]. Spaight, J.M. The Beginnings of Organized Air Power. Longmans, Green and Co. LTD. London, 1927. Pg. 17.
[ 16 ]. Spaight, J.M. The Beginnings of Organized Air Power. Longmans, Green and Co. LTD. London, 1927. Pg. 28.
[ 17 ]. Grey, C. G. A History of the Air Ministry. George Allen & Unwin LTD. London, 1940. Pg. 24.
[ 18 ]. Terraine, John, White Heat: the New Warfare 1914–18. Book Club Associates. London, 1982. Pg. 31.
[ 19 ]. Hyde, Montgomery. British Air Policy Between the Wars: 1918- 1939. Heinemann. London, 1976. Pg. 22.
[ 20 ]. Hyde, Montgomery H. British Air Policy Between the Wars: 1918- 1939. Heinemann. London, 1976. Pg. 21.
[ 21 ]. Sykes, Frederick. From Many Angles: An Autobiography. Harrap, London, 1942. Pg. 105.
[ 22 ]. General Trenchard to Sir Douglas Haig, September 1916. Found in: Hyde, Montgomery H. British Air Policy Between the Wars: 1918- 1939. Heinemann. London, 1976. Pg. 31.
[ 23 ]. Spaightm, J.M. The Beginnings of Organized Air Power. Longmans, Green and Co. LTD. London,
“The day has passed when armies on the ground or navies on the sea can be the arbiter of a nation's destiny in war. The main power of defense and the power of initiative against an enemy has passed to the air.” -Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. November, 1918.
The Italo-Turkish war, which lasted from 1911-12 and was predominantly fought in Libya, was the first recorded event of a bomb dropped from an aeroplane onto the enemy. The 1912-13 Balkans also witnessed elementary aerial bombing executed against the opponent from aeroplanes and airships. However, World War One was the first major conflict to implement forces on a large scale …show more content…
Did the vividly coloured bi-planes and cumbersome airships flying over the muddy, blood-soaked trenches actually alter the course of the war, or were they just prototypes seen to have a great deal of potential? The key objective of this essay is to examine the impact that aerial forces had on the war; to determine if and how they shaped the outcome. Therefore, it is not the purpose of this essay to prove the monumental significance of military aviation in the First World War, but rather to investigate the importance of the role that it played. For the purposes of precision and brevity, we will focus mainly on the British –and to an extent, German- involvement in aviation during the First World War. Although other nations that were involved, such as France, USA and Austria-Hungary, contributed significant achievements to the field of military aviation in WWI, analyzing the impacts made by the air forces of these countries would make an essay –meant to be concise- far too complex. However, it is difficult to understand the impact of Britain’s Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) on the war without comparing them to the …show more content…
Hearn, Peter. ‘The First War in the Air’. Flying Rebel: The Story of Louis Strange. HMSO. London, 1994. Pg. 28.
[ 14 ]. Top Spot (The Amalgamated Press). Found in: Hearn, Peter. Flying Rebel: The Story of Louis Strange. HMSO. London, 1994. Pg. 47.
[ 15 ]. Spaight, J.M. The Beginnings of Organized Air Power. Longmans, Green and Co. LTD. London, 1927. Pg. 17.
[ 16 ]. Spaight, J.M. The Beginnings of Organized Air Power. Longmans, Green and Co. LTD. London, 1927. Pg. 28.
[ 17 ]. Grey, C. G. A History of the Air Ministry. George Allen & Unwin LTD. London, 1940. Pg. 24.
[ 18 ]. Terraine, John, White Heat: the New Warfare 1914–18. Book Club Associates. London, 1982. Pg. 31.
[ 19 ]. Hyde, Montgomery. British Air Policy Between the Wars: 1918- 1939. Heinemann. London, 1976. Pg. 22.
[ 20 ]. Hyde, Montgomery H. British Air Policy Between the Wars: 1918- 1939. Heinemann. London, 1976. Pg. 21.
[ 21 ]. Sykes, Frederick. From Many Angles: An Autobiography. Harrap, London, 1942. Pg. 105.
[ 22 ]. General Trenchard to Sir Douglas Haig, September 1916. Found in: Hyde, Montgomery H. British Air Policy Between the Wars: 1918- 1939. Heinemann. London, 1976. Pg. 31.
[ 23 ]. Spaightm, J.M. The Beginnings of Organized Air Power. Longmans, Green and Co. LTD. London,