1. Air Power in World War I Overview & Objectives
KNOW:
Contributions of U.S. pilots during WWI
Role of air power during WWI
How air power expanded during WWI
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

2. World War I Most WWI battles were fought on land or at sea
Airplanes were still fragile when the war started in 1914
But during the war, aviation made tremendous advances
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

3. Aircraft in War
In a few key instances, aircraft contributed to the Allied victory
Aircraft had important functions:
Aerial reconnaissance
Shooting down enemy aircraft
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

4. Outbreak of WWI
Because of alliances among different nations in Europe, one country after another soon joined the war
Soon the Allies were at war
against the Central Powers
The Allies
The Central Powers
Russia
Germany
France
Austria-Hungary
Serbia
Turkey
Britain
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

5. The US Enters the War U.S. President Woodrow Wilson vowed
that the U.S. would remain neutral
Proved impossible
German U-boats targeted all American
ships headed toward Britain
Germany also made a secret deal w/ Mexico
Zimmerman Telegram
If win – can have TX, AZ & NM!
U.S. declared war on Germany & entered WWI in:
April 1917
Unterseeboot
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

6. The Lafayette Escadrille (Es Kah Drē)
Some American pilots didn’t wait for U.S to join the war
Volunteered w/ French Foreign Legion (April 1916)
Called themselves the Escadrille Américaine
Forced to change the name to Lafayette Escadrille
By the time U.S. Air Service brought the unit under its supervision in 1918, its pilots had made 199 kills!
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

7. Raoul Lufbery Most famous pilot of the Lafayette Escadrille
17 combat victories during
the war
Killed in action
His plane became engulfed in flames after being shot by a German aircraft
Chapter 2, Lesson 3
Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force

8. Edward Rickenbacker America’s ace of aces Started out as a:
Over 24 kills
Started out as a:
professional racecar driver
Col William “Billy” Mitchell helped Rickenbacker become a pilot
Started as an enlisted soldier
Promoted to rank of captain
Took command of the 94th Squadron
Won Medal of Honor
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

9. Frank Luke As soon as U.S. entered the war,
he joined Army Signal Corps
Luke sometimes went off by himself to look for German aircraft even though he risked court-martial
Luke’s career was short…
Died just 17 days after his first kill
In that time, he shot down 15 balloons & three airplanes
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

10. Eugene Bullard
Bullard was only African-American to serve as a pilot during WWI
Bullard signed up w/ French Foreign Legion in Oct 1914
He tried to join the U.S. Air Service, but the Army turned him down
He shot down 2 German aircraft while in the French Air Service
Chapter 2, Lesson 3
Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force

11. Fly Boys Video Look for: The Lafayette Escadrille
Frank Luke - lead (Blaine Rawlings)
Raoul Lufbery (Reed Cassidy)
Eugene Bullard (Eugene Skinner)
Manfred von Richthofen (Red Baron)
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

12. Stalemate By 1917, war in Europe was at a stalemate
Needed a force to tip the balance
The Allies hoped it would the U.S
Aug 1917, U.S. Congress vowed to “darken the skies over Europe with U.S. aircraft”
Good intentions, but was an empty promise
While U.S. never built more than a handful of airplanes during WWI, it did provide considerable “manpower” for the air war
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

13. The Role of Aircraft in Reshaping the War
Until WWI, people thought aircraft in combat was limited to
aerial reconnaissance
Dropping bombs from the sky seemed an unlikely idea
Conducting battles b/w squadrons of planes VERY unlikely!
BUT airplane reshaped way countries fight wars more quickly than any other weapon in military history!
A motto emerged by war’s end: “If you control the air, you cannot be beaten; if you lose the air, you cannot win”
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

14. The Long-Range Raid
London, 1915: German airships floated over the city, dropping bombs
Through 1917 Germans worked on perfecting these long-range strategic raids
Strategic - to strike at the sources of an enemy’s military, economic, or political power

15. The Machine Gun Another WWI innovation was
airplane-mounted machine gun
French pilot Roland Garros was
first to bolt an automatic rifle to
his airplane
Germans asked Dutchman
Anthony Fokker to improve it
He built an “interrupting gear”
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

16. The Battle of Saint Mihiel
Sep 1918: Air power played a vital role in this offensive
Billy Mitchell commanded nearly 1,500 Allied airplanes
Had 2 goals:
Destroy German planes in the air
Destroy German aircraft in hangars on the ground
Helped lead to Allied victory 2 months later
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

17. How the Airplane Revolutionized War
Both sides sent up airplanes to shoot down observation aircraft
Each side had to protect its observation aircraft
Aerial combat was born!
Once machine guns were mounted on planes, pilots could also use them to strafe soldiers
Strafe: to shoot targets on the ground Video
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

18. Challenging Old Strategies
Airplanes now offered possibilities that challenged
age-old warfare strategies
In traditional battles:
Troops dug trenches
Assaults came from
the front
But airplanes could fly over trenches & bomb from overhead
Also hit important targets behind enemy lines (factories)

19. Necessity Is the Mother of Invention
Technology of Allied & Central Powers’ air power would leapfrog one over the other:
Aircraft speeds increased
They became stronger & sturdier
Maximum altitudes climbed from 10,000 feet to 24,000 feet
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

20. New Developments in Aviation
Once war broke out, the pace of invention picked up
By 1918, THREE specialized types of aircraft had emerged:
The Fighter
Observation aircraft
The Bomber
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

21. Sopwith Camel Most Successful Fighter Plane of World War I
Fighters
The fighter gained status w/ the birth of the dogfight
Fighters needed 3 qualities:
Lightweight
Fast
Maneuverable
By early 1918, fighters zipped
at a blazing 130 mph
Sopwith Camel Most Successful Fighter Plane of World War I
Chapter 2, Lesson 3

22. Why War Sped Up US Aviation Development
Congress appropriated $64 million for airplanes in 1917
U.S. was far behind other nations in air power
Curtiss Aircraft was only aviation manufacturer in the country
The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company's production line as it appeared on Armistice Day of 1918.

23. Future of Aviation Army staff officers still focused on the infantry
No plans for their aviation section
But Brig Gen Billy Mitchell believed strongly in the future of aviation as an instrument in warfare
USAF still considers Mitchell
one of its founding fathers
Chapter 2, Lesson 3
Courtesy of the U.S. Air Force