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subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-The_early_years_of_war-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Early_Western_Front_reconnaissance_duties" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Early_Western_Front_reconnaissance_duties"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>Early Western Front reconnaissance duties</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Early_Western_Front_reconnaissance_duties-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Early_bombing_efforts" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Early_bombing_efforts"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>Early bombing efforts</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Early_bombing_efforts-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-The_dawn_of_air_combat" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_dawn_of_air_combat"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>The dawn of air combat</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-The_dawn_of_air_combat-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle The dawn of air combat subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-The_dawn_of_air_combat-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Evolution_of_fighter_aircraft" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Evolution_of_fighter_aircraft"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Evolution of fighter aircraft</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Evolution_of_fighter_aircraft-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-The_pusher_solution" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_pusher_solution"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1.1</span> <span>The pusher solution</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_pusher_solution-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Machine_gun_synchronisation" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Machine_gun_synchronisation"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1.2</span> <span>Machine gun synchronisation</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Machine_gun_synchronisation-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Other_methods" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Other_methods"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1.3</span> <span>Other methods</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Other_methods-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-1915:_The_Fokker_Scourge" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#1915:_The_Fokker_Scourge"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>1915: The Fokker Scourge</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-1915:_The_Fokker_Scourge-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-1916:_Verdun_and_the_Somme" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#1916:_Verdun_and_the_Somme"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>1916: Verdun and the Somme</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-1916:_Verdun_and_the_Somme-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-1917:_Bloody_April" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#1917:_Bloody_April"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>1917: Bloody April</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-1917:_Bloody_April-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-1918:_The_Spring_Offensive" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#1918:_The_Spring_Offensive"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>1918: The Spring Offensive</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-1918:_The_Spring_Offensive-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle 1918: The Spring Offensive subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-1918:_The_Spring_Offensive-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Readying_for_battle" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Readying_for_battle"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.1</span> <span>Readying for battle</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Readying_for_battle-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Impact" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Impact"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>Impact</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Impact-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Anti-aircraft_weaponry" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Anti-aircraft_weaponry"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>Anti-aircraft weaponry</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Anti-aircraft_weaponry-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Anti-aircraft weaponry subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Anti-aircraft_weaponry-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-First_shooting-down_of_an_aeroplane_by_anti-aircraft_artillery" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#First_shooting-down_of_an_aeroplane_by_anti-aircraft_artillery"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8.1</span> <span>First shooting-down of an aeroplane by anti-aircraft artillery</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-First_shooting-down_of_an_aeroplane_by_anti-aircraft_artillery-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Bombing_and_reconnaissance" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Bombing_and_reconnaissance"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>Bombing and reconnaissance</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Bombing_and_reconnaissance-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Strategic_bombing" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Strategic_bombing"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">10</span> <span>Strategic bombing</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Strategic_bombing-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Observation_balloons" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Observation_balloons"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">11</span> <span>Observation balloons</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Observation_balloons-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Leading_aces" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Leading_aces"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">12</span> <span>Leading aces</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Leading_aces-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Pioneers_of_aerial_warfare" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Pioneers_of_aerial_warfare"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">13</span> <span>Pioneers of aerial warfare</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Pioneers_of_aerial_warfare-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Aircraft" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Aircraft"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">14</span> <span>Aircraft</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Aircraft-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">15</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">16</span> <span>Notes</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Notes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">17</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">18</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> 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Available in 17 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-17" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">17 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84%D9%89" title="الطيران في الحرب العالمية الأولى – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="الطيران في الحرب العالمية الأولى" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ast mw-list-item"><a href="https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviaci%C3%B3n_na_Primer_Guerra_Mundial" title="Aviación na Primer Guerra Mundial – Asturian" lang="ast" hreflang="ast" data-title="Aviación na Primer Guerra Mundial" data-language-autonym="Asturianu" data-language-local-name="Asturian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Asturianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviaci%C3%B3_en_la_Primera_Guerra_Mundial" title="Aviació en la Primera Guerra Mundial – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Aviació en la Primera Guerra Mundial" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennundus_Esimese_maailmas%C3%B5ja_ajal" title="Lennundus Esimese maailmasõja ajal – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Lennundus Esimese maailmasõja ajal" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%91%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1_%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD_%CE%91%CE%84_%CE%A0%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%BA%CF%8C%CF%83%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%BF_%CE%A0%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%BC%CE%BF" title="Αεροπορία στον Α΄ Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Αεροπορία στον Α΄ Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviaci%C3%B3n_durante_la_Primera_Guerra_Mundial" title="Aviación durante la Primera Guerra Mundial – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Aviación durante la Primera Guerra Mundial" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_durant_la_Premi%C3%A8re_Guerre_mondiale" title="Aviation durant la Première Guerre mondiale – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Aviation durant la Première Guerre mondiale" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hy mw-list-item"><a href="https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D4%B1%D5%BC%D5%A1%D5%BB%D5%AB%D5%B6_%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%B4%D5%A1%D5%B7%D5%AD%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%B5%D5%AB%D5%B6_%D5%BA%D5%A1%D5%BF%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%A6%D5%B4%D5%AB_%D5%A1%D5%BE%D5%AB%D5%A1%D6%81%D5%AB%D5%A1" title="Առաջին համաշխարհային պատերազմի ավիացիա – Armenian" lang="hy" hreflang="hy" data-title="Առաջին համաշխարհային պատերազմի ավիացիա" data-language-autonym="Հայերեն" data-language-local-name="Armenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Հայերեն</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesawat_pada_era_Perang_Dunia_I_(1911-1935)" title="Pesawat pada era Perang Dunia I (1911-1935) – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Pesawat pada era Perang Dunia I (1911-1935)" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviazione_nella_prima_guerra_mondiale" title="Aviazione nella prima guerra mondiale – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Aviazione nella prima guerra mondiale" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94_%D7%90%D7%95%D7%95%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%AA_%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%AA_%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%9D_%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94" title="לוחמה אווירית במלחמת העולם הראשונה – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="לוחמה אווירית במלחמת העולם הראשונה" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia%C3%A7%C3%A3o_na_Primeira_Guerra_Mundial" title="Aviação na Primeira Guerra Mundial – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Aviação na Primeira Guerra Mundial" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avia%C8%9Bia_%C3%AEn_Primul_R%C4%83zboi_Mondial" title="Aviația în Primul Război Mondial – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Aviația în Primul Război Mondial" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9%D0%BD%D1%8B" 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href="/wiki/File:Nieuport_23_C.1_(colour).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Nieuport_23_C.1_%28colour%29.jpg/300px-Nieuport_23_C.1_%28colour%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="300" height="218" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Nieuport_23_C.1_%28colour%29.jpg/450px-Nieuport_23_C.1_%28colour%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Nieuport_23_C.1_%28colour%29.jpg/600px-Nieuport_23_C.1_%28colour%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="704" data-file-height="512" /></a><figcaption><i>Colour <a href="/wiki/Autochrome_Lumi%C3%A8re" title="Autochrome Lumière">Autochrome Lumière</a> of a Nieuport Fighter in <a href="/wiki/Aisne" title="Aisne">Aisne</a>, France 1917</i></figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/World_War_I" title="World War I">World War I</a> was the first major conflict involving the use of <a href="/wiki/Aircraft" title="Aircraft">aircraft</a>. Tethered <a href="/wiki/Observation_balloon" title="Observation balloon">observation balloons</a> had already been employed in several wars and would be used extensively for <a href="/wiki/Artillery_spotting" class="mw-redirect" title="Artillery spotting">artillery spotting</a>. <a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">Germany</a> employed <a href="/wiki/Zeppelin" title="Zeppelin">Zeppelins</a> for <a href="/wiki/Reconnaissance" title="Reconnaissance">reconnaissance</a> over the <a href="/wiki/North_Sea" title="North Sea">North Sea</a> and <a href="/wiki/Baltic_Sea" title="Baltic Sea">Baltic</a> and also for <a href="/wiki/Strategic_bombing" title="Strategic bombing">strategic bombing</a> raids over Britain and the Eastern Front. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Airplane" title="Airplane">Airplanes</a> were just coming into military use at the outset of the war. Initially, they were used mostly for <a href="/wiki/Reconnaissance" title="Reconnaissance">reconnaissance</a>. Pilots and engineers learned from experience, leading to the development of many specialized types, including <a href="/wiki/Fighter_aircraft" title="Fighter aircraft">fighters</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bomber" title="Bomber">bombers</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Ground-attack_aircraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Ground-attack aircraft">trench strafers</a>. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Fighter_ace" class="mw-redirect" title="Fighter ace">Ace</a> fighter pilots were portrayed as modern knights, and many became popular heroes. The war also saw the appointment of <a href="/wiki/Air_commanders_of_World_War_I" title="Air commanders of World War I">high-ranking officers</a> to direct the belligerent nations' air war efforts. </p><p>While the impact of airplanes on the course of the war was mainly tactical rather than strategic, the most important role being direct cooperation with ground forces (especially ranging and correcting artillery fire), the first steps in the strategic roles of aircraft in future wars were also foreshadowed. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="The_early_years_of_war">The early years of war</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: The early years of war"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:GermanFightingMonoplane1917.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/GermanFightingMonoplane1917.jpg/220px-GermanFightingMonoplane1917.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="339" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/GermanFightingMonoplane1917.jpg/330px-GermanFightingMonoplane1917.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/GermanFightingMonoplane1917.jpg/440px-GermanFightingMonoplane1917.jpg 2x" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="925" /></a><figcaption>Front page of the New York Times Mid-Week Pictorial, January 1st 1917. Caption reads: "A German Fighting Monoplane Flying Very Near the Ground Photographed from Directly Underneath." The aircraft is of the Taube type, either a <a href="/wiki/Rumpler_Taube" class="mw-redirect" title="Rumpler Taube">Rumpler Taube</a> or a copy from one of the other manufacturers involved in Taube production.</figcaption></figure> <p>At the 1911 meeting of the <a href="/wiki/Institute_of_International_Law" class="mw-redirect" title="Institute of International Law">Institute of International Law</a> in Madrid, legislation was proposed to limit the use of aeroplanes to reconnaissance missions and banning them from being used as platforms for weapons.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This legislation was rooted in a fear that aeroplanes would be used to attack undefended cities, violating Article 25 of the <a href="/wiki/Hague_Conventions_of_1899_and_1907" title="Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907">Den Hague <i>Reglement</i></a> (the set of international laws governing warfare)<i>.</i><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>At the start of the war, there was some debate over the usefulness of aircraft in warfare. Many senior officers, in particular, remained skeptical. However the initial campaigns of 1914 proved that <a href="/wiki/Cavalry" title="Cavalry">cavalry</a> could no longer provide the reconnaissance expected by their generals, in the face of the greatly increased firepower of twentieth century armies, and it was quickly realised that aircraft could at least locate the enemy, even if early air reconnaissance was hampered by the newness of the techniques involved. Early skepticism and low expectations quickly turned to unrealistic demands beyond the capabilities of the primitive aircraft available.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Even so, air reconnaissance played a critical role in the "war of movement" of 1914, especially in helping the Allies halt the German invasion of France. Aircraft were first used in <a href="/wiki/Alexander_von_Kluck" title="Alexander von Kluck">Alexander von Kluck</a>'s <a href="/wiki/1st_Army_(German_Empire)" title="1st Army (German Empire)">German First Army</a> during the <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Mons" title="Battle of Mons">Battle of Mons</a> to target its guns on <a href="/wiki/II_Corps_(United_Kingdom)" title="II Corps (United Kingdom)">British II Corps</a> positions.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> On 22 August 1914, British Captain <a href="/wiki/Lionel_Charlton" title="Lionel Charlton">L.E.O. Charlton</a> and Lieutenant V.H.N. Wadham of the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Flying_Corps" title="Royal Flying Corps">Royal Flying Corps</a> (RFC) reported von Kluck's forces were preparing to surround the <a href="/wiki/British_Expeditionary_Force_(World_War_I)" title="British Expeditionary Force (World War I)">British Expeditionary Force</a>, contradicting all other intelligence. The British High Command took note of the report and started to withdraw from Mons, saving the lives of 100,000 soldiers. Later, during the <a href="/wiki/First_Battle_of_the_Marne" title="First Battle of the Marne">First Battle of the Marne</a>, observation aircraft discovered weak points and exposed flanks in the German lines, allowing the allies to take advantage of them.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In Germany the great successes of the early <a href="/wiki/Zeppelin" title="Zeppelin">Zeppelin</a> airships had largely overshadowed the importance of heavier-than-air aircraft. Out of a paper strength of about 230 aircraft belonging to the army in August 1914 only 180 or so were of any use.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The French military aviation exercises of 1911, 1912, and 1913 had pioneered cooperation with the cavalry (reconnaissance) and artillery (spotting), but the momentum was, if anything, slacking.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> had "started late" and initially relied largely on the French aircraft industry, especially for aircraft engines. The initial British contribution to the total allied airwar effort in August 1914 (of about 184 aircraft) was three squadrons with about 30 serviceable machines. By the end of the war, the <a href="/wiki/British_Armed_Forces" title="British Armed Forces">British Armed Forces</a> had formed the world's first air force to be independent of either army or naval control, the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Air_Force" title="Royal Air Force">Royal Air Force</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <a href="/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces" title="United States Armed Forces">United States Armed Forces</a> air services were far behind; even in 1917, when the United States entered the war, they were to be almost totally dependent on the French and British aircraft industries for combat aircraft.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The Germans' great air "coup" of 1914 was at the <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Tannenberg_(1914)" class="mw-redirect" title="Battle of Tannenberg (1914)">Battle of Tannenberg</a> in <a href="/wiki/East_Prussia" title="East Prussia">East Prussia</a>, where an unexpected <a href="/wiki/Imperial_Russian_Army" title="Imperial Russian Army">Imperial Russian Army</a> attack was reported by <i><a href="/wiki/Leutnant" title="Leutnant">Leutnants</a></i> Canter and Mertens, resulting in the Russians being forced to withdraw.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Early_Western_Front_reconnaissance_duties">Early Western Front reconnaissance duties</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Early Western Front reconnaissance duties"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Aerial_reconnaissance_in_World_War_I" title="Aerial reconnaissance in World War I">Aerial reconnaissance in World War I</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Mercedes-d-vi.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Mercedes-d-vi.jpg/220px-Mercedes-d-vi.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="181" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Mercedes-d-vi.jpg/330px-Mercedes-d-vi.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Mercedes-d-vi.jpg/440px-Mercedes-d-vi.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="987" /></a><figcaption>The 517 Hp 18 cylinder <a href="/wiki/Mercedes_D.VI" title="Mercedes D.VI">Mercedes D.VI</a> engine was the strongest aeroengine which was ever developed during WW1</figcaption></figure> <p>By the end of 1914 the line between the <a href="/wiki/Imperial_German_Army" title="Imperial German Army">Imperial German Army</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_I" title="Allies of World War I">Allied powers</a> stretched from the <a href="/wiki/North_Sea" title="North Sea">North Sea</a> to the <a href="/wiki/Alps" title="Alps">Alps</a>. The initial "war of movement" largely ceased, and the front became static. Three main functions of short range reconnaissance squadrons had emerged by March 1915. </p><p>The first was <a href="/wiki/Imagery_intelligence" title="Imagery intelligence">photographic reconnaissance</a>: building up a complete mosaic map of the enemy trench system. The first air cameras used <a href="/wiki/Photographic_plate" title="Photographic plate">glass plates</a>. (<a href="/wiki/Photographic_film" title="Photographic film">Photographic film</a> had been invented by <a href="/wiki/Kodak" title="Kodak">Kodak</a>, but did not at this stage have sufficient resolution).<sup id="cite_ref-illustrated_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-illustrated-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Marconi_crystal_receiver_mark_3.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Marconi_crystal_receiver_mark_3.jpg/220px-Marconi_crystal_receiver_mark_3.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="268" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Marconi_crystal_receiver_mark_3.jpg/330px-Marconi_crystal_receiver_mark_3.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Marconi_crystal_receiver_mark_3.jpg/440px-Marconi_crystal_receiver_mark_3.jpg 2x" data-file-width="464" data-file-height="565" /></a><figcaption>A Marconi Crystal Receiver, Mark III, known as a 'Cat's Whisker receiver', and used on the ground to receive signals from aeroplanes. Displayed at Porthcurno Telegraph Museum.</figcaption></figure> <p>Artillery "spotting" enabled the ranging of artillery on targets invisible to the gunners. Radio telephony was not yet practical from an aircraft, so communication was a problem. By March 1915, a two-seater on "artillery observation" duties was typically equipped with a primitive <a href="/wiki/Transmitter" title="Transmitter">radio transmitter</a> transmitting using <a href="/wiki/Morse_code" title="Morse code">Morse code</a>, but had no receiver. The <a href="/wiki/Artillery_battery" title="Artillery battery">artillery battery</a> signalled to the aircraft by laying strips of white cloth on the ground in prearranged patterns. Observation duties were shared with the tethered <a href="/wiki/Balloon_(aircraft)" class="mw-redirect" title="Balloon (aircraft)">balloons</a>, which could communicate directly with their batteries by field telephone, but were far less flexible in locating targets and reporting the fall of shot. </p><p>"Contact patrol" work attempted to follow the course of a battle by communicating with advancing infantry while flying over the battlefield. The technology of the period did not permit radio contact, while methods of signalling were necessarily crude, including dropping messages from the aircraft. Soldiers were initially reluctant to reveal their positions to aircraft, as they (the soldiers) found distinguishing between friend and foe problematic. </p><p>Reconnaissance flying, like all kinds, was a hazardous business. In April 1917, the worst month for the entire war for the RFC, the average life expectancy of a British pilot on the Western Front was 93 flying hours.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Early_bombing_efforts">Early bombing efforts</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Early bombing efforts"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Marcel_Louis_Courmes_en_fourrure_1915.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Marcel_Louis_Courmes_en_fourrure_1915.jpg/220px-Marcel_Louis_Courmes_en_fourrure_1915.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="197" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Marcel_Louis_Courmes_en_fourrure_1915.jpg/330px-Marcel_Louis_Courmes_en_fourrure_1915.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Marcel_Louis_Courmes_en_fourrure_1915.jpg/440px-Marcel_Louis_Courmes_en_fourrure_1915.jpg 2x" data-file-width="693" data-file-height="619" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Marcel_Courmes" title="Marcel Courmes">Captain Marcel Courmes</a>, pilot of the French 2nd Bombardment, Group GB 2, August 1915</figcaption></figure> <p>Typical 1914 aircraft could carry only very small bomb loads – the bombs themselves, and their storage, were still very elementary, and effective bomb sights were still to be developed. Nonetheless the beginnings of strategic and tactical bombing date from the earliest days of the war. Notable are the raids by the RNAS on the German airship sheds at Düsseldorf, Cologne and Friedrichshafen in September, October and November 1914, as well as the formation of the <i>Brieftauben Abteilung Ostende</i>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="The_dawn_of_air_combat">The dawn of air combat</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: The dawn of air combat"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>As Dickson had predicted, initially air combat was extremely rare, and definitely subordinate to reconnaissance. There are even stories of the crew of rival reconnaissance aircraft exchanging nothing more belligerent than smiles and waves.<sup id="cite_ref-illustrated_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-illustrated-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This soon progressed to throwing <a href="/wiki/Grenades" class="mw-redirect" title="Grenades">grenades</a>, and other objects—even <a href="/wiki/Grappling_hook" title="Grappling hook">grappling hooks</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The first aircraft brought down by another was an Austrian reconnaissance aircraft <a href="/wiki/Aerial_ramming" title="Aerial ramming">rammed</a> on 8 September 1914 by a Russian pilot <a href="/wiki/Pyotr_Nesterov" title="Pyotr Nesterov">Pyotr Nesterov</a> in <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Galicia" title="Battle of Galicia">Galicia</a> in the <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Front_(World_War_I)" title="Eastern Front (World War I)">Eastern Front</a>. Both planes crashed as the result of the attack, killing all occupants. Eventually, pilots began firing handheld <a href="/wiki/Firearm" title="Firearm">firearms</a> at enemy aircraft;<sup id="cite_ref-illustrated_11-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-illustrated-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> however, pistols were too inaccurate and the single-shot rifles too unlikely to score a hit. On August 23, 1914, no 5 Squadron British observer Lt Leslie da Costa Penn Gaskell opened fire on a German aircraft with a machine gun for the first time and the era of air combat was underway as more and more aircraft were fitted with machine guns. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Evolution_of_fighter_aircraft">Evolution of fighter aircraft</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Evolution of fighter aircraft"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Mitrailleuse_on_French_Morane_Saulnier_L_parasol_monoplane.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Mitrailleuse_on_French_Morane_Saulnier_L_parasol_monoplane.jpg/220px-Mitrailleuse_on_French_Morane_Saulnier_L_parasol_monoplane.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="155" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Mitrailleuse_on_French_Morane_Saulnier_L_parasol_monoplane.jpg/330px-Mitrailleuse_on_French_Morane_Saulnier_L_parasol_monoplane.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Mitrailleuse_on_French_Morane_Saulnier_L_parasol_monoplane.jpg/440px-Mitrailleuse_on_French_Morane_Saulnier_L_parasol_monoplane.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4120" data-file-height="2904" /></a><figcaption>Early attempt on a French <a href="/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_L" title="Morane-Saulnier L">Morane-Saulnier L</a> to mount a forward-firing gun. The aviator is <a href="/wiki/Georges_Guynemer" title="Georges Guynemer">Georges Guynemer</a>.</figcaption></figure> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="The_pusher_solution">The pusher solution</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: The pusher solution"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>As early as 1912, designers at the British firm <a href="/wiki/Vickers_Limited" title="Vickers Limited">Vickers</a> were experimenting with machine gun carrying aircraft. The first concrete result was the Vickers <a href="/wiki/Vickers_E.F.B.1" title="Vickers E.F.B.1">Experimental Fighting Biplane 1</a>, which featured at the 1913 Aero Show in London.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and appeared in developed form as the <a href="/wiki/Vickers_F.B.5" title="Vickers F.B.5">FB.5</a> in February 1915. This pioneering <a href="/wiki/Fighter_aircraft" title="Fighter aircraft">fighter</a>, like the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory" class="mw-redirect" title="Royal Aircraft Factory">Royal Aircraft Factory</a> <a href="/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_FE.2" class="mw-redirect" title="Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2">F.E.2b</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Airco_DH.1" title="Airco DH.1">Airco DH.1</a>, was a <a href="/wiki/Pusher_configuration" title="Pusher configuration">pusher</a> type. These had the engine and propeller behind the pilot, facing backward, rather than at the front of the aircraft, as in a <a href="/wiki/Tractor_configuration" title="Tractor configuration">tractor configuration</a> design. This provided an optimal machine gun position, from which the gun could be fired directly forward without an obstructing propeller, and reloaded and cleared in flight. An important drawback was that pusher designs tended to have an inferior performance to tractor types with the same engine power because of the extra drag created by the struts and rigging necessary to carry the tail unit. The F.E.2d, a more powerful version of the F.E.2b, remained a formidable opponent well into 1917, when pusher fighters were already obsolete. They were simply too slow to catch their quarry. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Machine_gun_synchronisation">Machine gun synchronisation</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Machine gun synchronisation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Synchronization_gear" title="Synchronization gear">Synchronization gear</a></div> <figure class="mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Interrupter_gear_diagram_en.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Interrupter_gear_diagram_en.png/350px-Interrupter_gear_diagram_en.png" decoding="async" width="350" height="199" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Interrupter_gear_diagram_en.png/525px-Interrupter_gear_diagram_en.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Interrupter_gear_diagram_en.png/700px-Interrupter_gear_diagram_en.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="569" /></a><figcaption>Diagram of Fokker's "Stangensteuerung" synchronisation mechanism. Pulling the green handle drops the red cam follower onto the propeller shaft cam wheel. Twice during each rotation of the propeller the cam lifts the follower which depresses the blue rod against the spring, connecting the yellow trigger plate to the purple firing button allowing a round to be fired.</figcaption></figure> <p>The forward firing gun of a pusher "gun carrier" provided some offensive capability—the mounting of a machine gun firing to the rear from a two-seater tractor aircraft gave defensive capability. There was an obvious need for some means to fire a machine gun forward from a tractor aircraft, especially from one of the small, light, "<a href="/wiki/Scout_(aircraft)" title="Scout (aircraft)">scout</a>" aircraft, adapted from pre-war racers, that were to perform most air combat duties for the rest of the war. It would seem most natural to place the gun between the pilot and the propeller, firing in the direct line of flight so that the gun could be aimed by "aiming the aircraft". It was also important that the breech of the weapon be readily accessible to the pilot so that he could clear the jams and stoppages to which early machine guns were prone. However, this presented an obvious problem: a percentage of bullets fired "free" through a revolving propeller will strike the blades, with predictably destructive results. Early experiments with <a href="/wiki/Synchronization_gear" title="Synchronization gear">synchronised</a> machine guns had been carried out in several countries before the war. <a href="/wiki/Franz_Schneider_(engineer)" title="Franz Schneider (engineer)">Franz Schneider</a>, then working for <a href="/wiki/Nieuport" title="Nieuport">Nieuport</a> in France but later working for <a href="/wiki/L.V.G." class="mw-redirect" title="L.V.G.">L.V.G.</a> in Germany, patented a synchronisation gear on 15 July 1913. Early Russian gear was designed by a Lieutenant Poplavko: the Edwards brothers in England designed the first British example, and the <a href="/wiki/Morane-Saulnier" title="Morane-Saulnier">Morane-Saulnier</a> company were also working on the problem in 1914. All these early experiments failed to attract official attention, partly due to official inertia and partly due to the failures of early synchronising gears, which included dangerously ricocheting bullets and disintegrating propellers.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <a href="/wiki/Lewis_gun" title="Lewis gun">Lewis gun</a> used on many Allied aircraft was almost impossible to synchronise due to the erratic rate of fire resulting from its <a href="/wiki/Open_bolt" title="Open bolt">open bolt</a> firing cycle. Some <a href="/wiki/Royal_Naval_Air_Service" title="Royal Naval Air Service">RNAS</a> aircraft, including <a href="/wiki/Bristol_Scout" title="Bristol Scout">Bristol Scouts</a>, had an unsynchronised fuselage-mounted Lewis gun positioned to fire directly through the propeller disk. The propeller blades were reinforced with tape to hold the wood together if hit, and it relied on the fact that the odds of any single round hitting a blade below 5%, so if short bursts were used, it offered a temporary expedient even if it was not an ideal solution. </p> <figure class="mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Morane-Saulnier-L-airscrew-with-deflector.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Morane-Saulnier-L-airscrew-with-deflector.jpg/100px-Morane-Saulnier-L-airscrew-with-deflector.jpg" decoding="async" width="100" height="267" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Morane-Saulnier-L-airscrew-with-deflector.jpg/150px-Morane-Saulnier-L-airscrew-with-deflector.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Morane-Saulnier-L-airscrew-with-deflector.jpg/200px-Morane-Saulnier-L-airscrew-with-deflector.jpg 2x" data-file-width="883" data-file-height="2358" /></a><figcaption>A Morane-Saulnier's propeller with the "wedges" fitted.</figcaption></figure> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Maxim_gun" title="Maxim gun">Maxim guns</a> used by both the Allies (as the <a href="/wiki/Vickers_machine_gun" title="Vickers machine gun">Vickers</a>) and Germany (as the <a href="/wiki/Parabellum_MG_14/17" class="mw-redirect" title="Parabellum MG 14/17">Parabellum MG 14</a> and <a href="/wiki/Maschinengewehr_08#Aircraft_versions" class="mw-redirect" title="Maschinengewehr 08">Spandau lMG 08</a>) had a <a href="/wiki/Closed_bolt" title="Closed bolt">closed bolt</a> firing cycle that started with a bullet already in the breech and the breech closed, so the firing of the bullet was the next step in the cycle. This meant that the exact instant the round would be fired could be more readily predicted, making these weapons considerably easier to synchronise. The standard French light machine gun, the <a href="/wiki/Hotchkiss_M1909_Benet-Mercie_machine_gun" class="mw-redirect" title="Hotchkiss M1909 Benet-Mercie machine gun">Hotchkiss</a>, was, like the Lewis, also unamenable to synchronisation. Poor quality control also hampered efforts, resulting in frequent "hang fire" rounds that didn't go off. The Morane-Saulnier company designed a "safety backup" in the form of "deflector blades" (metal wedges), fitted to the rear surfaces of a propeller at the radial point where they could be struck by a bullet. <a href="/wiki/Roland_Garros_(aviator)" title="Roland Garros (aviator)">Roland Garros</a> used this system in a <a href="/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_L" title="Morane-Saulnier L">Morane-Saulnier L</a> in April 1915. He managed to score several kills, although the deflectors fell short of an ideal solution as the deflected rounds could still cause damage. Engine failure eventually forced Garros to land behind enemy lines, and he and his secret weapon were captured by the Germans.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Famously, the <a href="/wiki/Oberste_Heeresleitung" title="Oberste Heeresleitung">German High Command</a> passed Garros' captured Morane to the <a href="/wiki/Fokker" title="Fokker">Fokker</a> company—which already produced Morane type monoplanes for the German Air Service—with orders to copy the design. The deflector system was totally unsuitable for the steel-jacketed German ammunition so that the Fokker engineers were forced to revisit the synchronisation idea (perhaps infringing Schneider's patent), crafting the <a href="/wiki/Synchronization_gear#The_Fokker_Stangensteuerung_gear" title="Synchronization gear"><i>Stangensteuerung</i></a> system by the spring of 1915, used on the examples of their pioneering <a href="/wiki/Fokker_Eindecker" class="mw-redirect" title="Fokker Eindecker"><i>Eindecker</i></a> fighter. Crude as these little monoplanes were, they produced a period of German <a href="/wiki/Air_superiority" class="mw-redirect" title="Air superiority">air superiority</a>, known as the "<a href="/wiki/Fokker_Scourge" title="Fokker Scourge">Fokker Scourge</a>" by the Allies. The psychological effect exceeded the material: The Allies had up to now been more or less unchallenged in the air, and the vulnerability of their older reconnaissance aircraft, especially the British <a href="/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_BE.2" class="mw-redirect" title="Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2">B.E.2</a> and French Farman pushers, came as a very nasty shock. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Other_methods">Other methods</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Other methods"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Bristol_Scout_C_(1611)_flown_by_Lanoe_Hawker_in_his_Victoria_Cross-earning_military_engagement_on_July_25th,_1915._(49177372226).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Bristol_Scout_C_%281611%29_flown_by_Lanoe_Hawker_in_his_Victoria_Cross-earning_military_engagement_on_July_25th%2C_1915._%2849177372226%29.jpg/220px-Bristol_Scout_C_%281611%29_flown_by_Lanoe_Hawker_in_his_Victoria_Cross-earning_military_engagement_on_July_25th%2C_1915._%2849177372226%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="120" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Bristol_Scout_C_%281611%29_flown_by_Lanoe_Hawker_in_his_Victoria_Cross-earning_military_engagement_on_July_25th%2C_1915._%2849177372226%29.jpg/330px-Bristol_Scout_C_%281611%29_flown_by_Lanoe_Hawker_in_his_Victoria_Cross-earning_military_engagement_on_July_25th%2C_1915._%2849177372226%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Bristol_Scout_C_%281611%29_flown_by_Lanoe_Hawker_in_his_Victoria_Cross-earning_military_engagement_on_July_25th%2C_1915._%2849177372226%29.jpg/440px-Bristol_Scout_C_%281611%29_flown_by_Lanoe_Hawker_in_his_Victoria_Cross-earning_military_engagement_on_July_25th%2C_1915._%2849177372226%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1380" data-file-height="753" /></a><figcaption>The actual Scout C, RFC serial no. 1611, flown by <a href="/wiki/Lanoe_Hawker" title="Lanoe Hawker">Lanoe Hawker</a> on 25 July 1915 in his Victoria Cross–earning engagement.</figcaption></figure> <p>Another method used at this time to fire a machine gun forward from a tractor design was to mount the gun to fire above the propeller arc. This required the gun to be mounted on the top wing of biplanes and be mounted on complicated drag-inducing structures in monoplanes. Reaching the gun so that drums or belts could be changed, or jams cleared, presented problems even when the gun could be mounted relatively close to the pilot. Eventually, <a href="/wiki/Foster_mounting" title="Foster mounting">Foster mounting</a> became more or less the standard way of mounting a <a href="/wiki/Lewis_gun" title="Lewis gun">Lewis gun</a> in this position in the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Flying_Corps" title="Royal Flying Corps">R.F.C.</a>:<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> this allowed the gun to slide backward for drum changing, and also to be fired at an upward angle, a very effective way of attacking an enemy from the "blind spot" under its tail. This type of mounting was still only possible for a biplane with a top wing positioned near the apex of the propeller's arc: It put considerable strain on the fragile wing structures of the period, and it was less rigid than a gun mounting on the fuselage, producing a greater "scatter" of bullets, especially at anything but very short range. </p><p>The earliest versions of the <a href="/wiki/Bristol_Scout" title="Bristol Scout">Bristol Scout</a> to see aerial combat duty in 1915, the Scout C, had Lewis gun mounts in RNAS service that sometimes were elevated above the propeller arc, and sometimes (in an apparently reckless manner) firing directly through the propeller arc without synchronisation. During the spring and summer of 1915, Captain <a href="/wiki/Lanoe_Hawker" title="Lanoe Hawker">Lanoe Hawker</a> of the Royal Flying Corps, however, had mounted his Lewis gun just forward of the cockpit to fire forwards and outwards, on the left side of his aircraft's fuselage at about a 30° horizontal angle. On 25 July 1915 Captain Hawker flew his Scout C, bearing RFC serial number 1611 against several two-seat German observation aircraft of the <i><a href="/wiki/Luftstreitkr%C3%A4fte" title="Luftstreitkräfte">Fliegertruppe</a></i>, and managed to defeat three of them in aerial engagements to earn the first <a href="/wiki/Victoria_Cross" title="Victoria Cross">Victoria Cross</a> awarded to a British fighter pilot, while engaged against enemy fixed-wing aircraft. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="1915:_The_Fokker_Scourge">1915: The Fokker Scourge</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: 1915: The Fokker Scourge"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Fokker_Scourge" title="Fokker Scourge">Fokker Scourge</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Fokker_M5K-MG_E5-15.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Fokker_M5K-MG_E5-15.jpg/220px-Fokker_M5K-MG_E5-15.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="88" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Fokker_M5K-MG_E5-15.jpg/330px-Fokker_M5K-MG_E5-15.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Fokker_M5K-MG_E5-15.jpg/440px-Fokker_M5K-MG_E5-15.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1950" data-file-height="778" /></a><figcaption>The actual aircraft that started the "Fokker Scourge", <i>Leutnant</i> <a href="/wiki/Kurt_Wintgens" title="Kurt Wintgens">Kurt Wintgens</a>' Fokker M.5K/MG with <a href="/wiki/IdFlieg" class="mw-redirect" title="IdFlieg">IdFlieg</a> military serial number "E.5/15", as it appeared at the time of Wintgens' pioneering engagement on 1 July 1915.</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Max_Immelmann_Fokker_EI.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Max_Immelmann_Fokker_EI.jpg/220px-Max_Immelmann_Fokker_EI.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="253" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Max_Immelmann_Fokker_EI.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="300" data-file-height="345" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Max_Immelmann" title="Max Immelmann">Max Immelmann</a> of <i>Feldflieger Abteilung 62</i> in the cockpit of his early production Fokker E.I. (s/n <i>E.13/15</i>).</figcaption></figure> <p>The first purpose-designed <a href="/wiki/Fighter_aircraft" title="Fighter aircraft">fighter aircraft</a> included the British <a href="/wiki/Vickers_F.B.5" title="Vickers F.B.5">Vickers F.B.5</a>, and machine guns were also fitted to several French types, such as the <a href="/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_L" title="Morane-Saulnier L">Morane-Saulnier L</a> and <a href="/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_N" title="Morane-Saulnier N">N</a>. Initially the German Air Service lagged behind the Allies in this respect, but this was soon to change dramatically. </p><p>In July 1915 the <a href="/wiki/Fokker_E.I" title="Fokker E.I">Fokker E.I</a>, the first aircraft to enter service with a "<a href="/wiki/Synchronization_gear" title="Synchronization gear">synchronisation gear</a>" which enabled a machine gun to fire through the arc of the propeller without striking its blades, became operational. This gave an important advantage over other contemporary fighter aircraft. This aircraft and its immediate successors, collectively known as the <i><a href="/wiki/Fokker_Eindecker" class="mw-redirect" title="Fokker Eindecker">Eindecker</a></i> (German for "<a href="/wiki/Monoplane" title="Monoplane">monoplane</a>") – for the first time supplied an effective equivalent to Allied fighters. Two German military aviators, <i>Leutnants</i> <a href="/wiki/Otto_Parschau" title="Otto Parschau">Otto Parschau</a> and <a href="/wiki/Kurt_Wintgens" title="Kurt Wintgens">Kurt Wintgens</a>, worked for the Fokker firm during the spring of 1915, demonstrating the revolutionary feature of the forward-firing synchronised machine gun to the embryonic force of <i>Fliegertruppe</i> pilots of the German Empire. </p><p>The first successful engagement involving a synchronised-gun-armed aircraft occurred on the afternoon of July 1, 1915, to the east of <a href="/wiki/Lun%C3%A9ville" title="Lunéville">Lunéville</a>, France when <i>Leutnant</i> <a href="/wiki/Kurt_Wintgens" title="Kurt Wintgens">Kurt Wintgens</a>, one of the pilots selected by Fokker to demonstrate the small series of five special Eindecker service-test prototype aircraft, forced down a French <a href="/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_Type_L" class="mw-redirect" title="Morane-Saulnier Type L">Morane-Saulnier "Parasol"</a> two seat observation monoplane behind Allied lines with his Fokker M.5K/MG Eindecker production prototype/service-test aircraft, carrying the <a href="/wiki/IdFlieg" class="mw-redirect" title="IdFlieg">IdFlieg</a> military serial number "E.5/15". Some 200 shots from the synchronised <a href="/wiki/Parabellum_MG14" class="mw-redirect" title="Parabellum MG14">Parabellum MG14</a> machine gun on Wintgens' aircraft had hit the <a href="/wiki/Gnome_Lambda" title="Gnome Lambda">Gnome Lambda</a> rotary engine of the Morane Parasol, forcing it to land safely in Allied territory.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>By late 1915 the Germans had achieved <a href="/wiki/Air_superiority" class="mw-redirect" title="Air superiority">air superiority</a>, rendering Allied acquisition of vital intelligence derived from continual aerial reconnaissance more dangerous. In particular the defencelessness of Allied reconnaissance types was exposed. The first German <a href="/wiki/Fighter_ace" class="mw-redirect" title="Fighter ace">"ace"</a> pilots, notably <a href="/wiki/Max_Immelmann" title="Max Immelmann">Max Immelmann</a>, had begun their careers. </p><p>The number of actual Allied casualties involved was for various reasons very small compared with the intensive air fighting of 1917–18. The deployment of the Eindeckers was less than overwhelming: the new type was issued in ones and twos to <a href="/wiki/Feldflieger_Abteilung" title="Feldflieger Abteilung">existing reconnaissance squadrons</a>, and it was to be nearly a year before the Germans were to follow the British in establishing specialist fighter squadrons. The Eindecker was also, in spite of its advanced armament, by no means an outstanding aircraft, being closely based on the pre-war <a href="/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_H" title="Morane-Saulnier H">Morane-Saulnier H</a>, although it did feature a steel tubing fuselage framework (a characteristic of all Fokker wartime aircraft designs) instead of the wooden fuselage components of the French aircraft. </p><p>Nonetheless, the impact on morale of the fact that the Germans were effectively fighting back in the air created a major scandal in the British parliament and press. The ascendancy of the Eindecker also contributed to the surprise the Germans were able to achieve at the start of the <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Verdun" title="Battle of Verdun">Battle of Verdun</a> because the French reconnaissance aircraft failed to provide their usual cover of the German positions. </p><p>Fortunately for the Allies, two new British fighters that were a match for the Fokker, the two-seat <a href="/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_F.E.2" title="Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2">F.E.2b</a> and the single-seat <a href="/wiki/Airco_DH.2" title="Airco DH.2">D.H.2</a>, were already in production. These were both <a href="/wiki/Pusher_configuration" title="Pusher configuration">pushers</a>, and could fire forwards without gun synchronisation. The F.E.2b reached the front in September 1915, and the D.H.2 in the following February. On the French front, the tiny <a href="/wiki/Nieuport_11" title="Nieuport 11">Nieuport 11</a>, a <a href="/wiki/Tractor_configuration" title="Tractor configuration">tractor</a> biplane with a forward firing gun mounted on the top wing outside the arc of the propeller, also proved more than a match for the German fighter when it entered service in January 1916. With these new types the Allies re-established air superiority in time for the <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme" title="Battle of the Somme">Battle of the Somme</a>, and the "Fokker Scourge" was over. </p><p>The Fokker E.III, Airco DH-2 and Nieuport 11 were the very first in a long line of single seat <a href="/wiki/Fighter_aircraft" title="Fighter aircraft">fighter aircraft</a> used by both sides during the war. Very quickly it became clear the primary role of fighters would be attacking enemy two-seaters, which were becoming increasingly important as sources of <a href="/wiki/Reconnaissance" title="Reconnaissance">reconnaissance</a> and <a href="/wiki/Artillery_observer" title="Artillery observer">artillery observation</a>, while also escorting and defending friendly two-seaters from enemy fighters. Fighters were also used to attack enemy <a href="/wiki/Observation_balloon" title="Observation balloon">observation balloons</a>, strafe enemy ground targets, and defend friendly airspace from enemy <a href="/wiki/Bomber" title="Bomber">bombers</a>. </p><p>Almost all the fighters in service with both sides, with the exception of the Fokkers' steel-tube fuselaged airframes, continued to use wood as the basic structural material, with fabric-covered wings relying on external wire bracing. However, the first practical all-metal aircraft was produced by <a href="/wiki/Hugo_Junkers" title="Hugo Junkers">Hugo Junkers</a>, who also used a <a href="/wiki/Cantilever_wing" class="mw-redirect" title="Cantilever wing">cantilever wing</a> structure with a metal covering. The first flight tests of the initial flight demonstrator of this technology, the <a href="/wiki/Junkers_J_1" title="Junkers J 1">Junkers J 1</a> monoplane, took place at the end of 1915 heralding the future of aircraft structural design. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="1916:_Verdun_and_the_Somme">1916: Verdun and the Somme</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: 1916: Verdun and the Somme"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Verdun" title="Battle of Verdun">Battle of Verdun</a> and <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme" title="Battle of the Somme">Battle of the Somme</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Operational_B.E.2c.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Operational_B.E.2c.jpg/220px-Operational_B.E.2c.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="162" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Operational_B.E.2c.jpg/330px-Operational_B.E.2c.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Operational_B.E.2c.jpg/440px-Operational_B.E.2c.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1300" data-file-height="959" /></a><figcaption>The slow, all-too-stable B.E. 2c was still in service in 1916, literally a "flying target" for German pilots.</figcaption></figure> <p>Creating new units was easier than producing aircraft to equip them, and training pilots to man them. When the Battle of the Somme started in July 1916, most ordinary RFC squadrons were still equipped with planes that proved easy targets for the Fokker. New types such as the <a href="/wiki/Sopwith_1%C2%BD_Strutter" title="Sopwith 1½ Strutter">Sopwith 1½ Strutter</a> had to be transferred from production intended for the RNAS. Even more seriously, replacement pilots were being sent to France with pitifully few flying hours. </p><p>Nonetheless, air superiority and an "offensive" strategy facilitated the greatly increased involvement of the RFC in the battle itself, in what was known at the time as "trench strafing" – in modern terms, <a href="/wiki/Close_air_support" title="Close air support">close support</a>. For the rest of the war, this became a regular routine, with both attacking and defending infantry in a land battle being constantly liable to attack by machine guns and light bombs from the air. At this time, counter fire from the ground was far less effective than it became later, when the necessary techniques of <a href="/wiki/Deflection_shooting" class="mw-redirect" title="Deflection shooting">deflection shooting</a> had been mastered. </p><p>The first step towards specialist fighter-only aviation units within the German military was the establishment of the so-called <i>Kampfeinsitzer Kommando</i> (single-seat battle unit, abbreviated as "KEK") formations by Inspektor-Major Friedrich Stempel in February 1916. These were based around Eindeckers and other new fighter designs emerging, like the <a href="/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_H#German_copies" title="Morane-Saulnier H">Pfalz E-series</a> monoplanes, that were being detached from their former <a href="/wiki/Feldflieger_Abteilung" title="Feldflieger Abteilung">Feldflieger Abteilung</a> units during the winter of 1915–16 and brought together in pairs and quartets at particularly strategic locations, as "KEK" units were formed at <a href="/wiki/Habsheim" title="Habsheim">Habsheim</a>, <a href="/wiki/Vaux-en-Vermandois" title="Vaux-en-Vermandois">Vaux</a>, <a href="/wiki/Avillers,_Meurthe-et-Moselle" title="Avillers, Meurthe-et-Moselle">Avillers</a>, <a href="/wiki/Jametz" title="Jametz">Jametz</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Cunel" title="Cunel">Cunel</a>, as well as other strategic locations along the Western Front to act as <i>Luftwachtdienst</i> (aerial guard force) units, consisting only of fighters.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In a pioneering move in March 1916, German master aerial tactician <a href="/wiki/Oswald_Boelcke" title="Oswald Boelcke">Oswald Boelcke</a> came up with the idea of having "forward observers" located close to the front lines to spot Allied aircraft approaching the front, to avoid wear and tear on the trio of Fokker Eindecker scout aircraft he had based with his own "KEK" unit based at <a href="/wiki/Sivry-sur-Meuse" title="Sivry-sur-Meuse">Sivry-sur-Meuse</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> just north of Verdun. By April 1916, the <a href="/wiki/Air_superiority" class="mw-redirect" title="Air superiority">air superiority</a> <a href="/wiki/Fokker_Scourge" title="Fokker Scourge">established by the Eindecker pilots</a> and maintained by their use within the KEK formations had long evaporated as the <a href="/wiki/Halberstadt_D.II" title="Halberstadt D.II">Halberstadt D.II</a> began to be phased in as Germany's first biplane fighter design, with the first Fokker D-series biplane fighters joining the Halberstadts, and a target was set to establish 37 new squadrons in the next 12 months – entirely equipped with single seat fighters, and manned by specially selected and trained pilots, to counter the Allied fighter squadrons already experiencing considerable success, as operated by the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Flying_Corps" title="Royal Flying Corps">Royal Flying Corps</a> and the French <i><a href="/wiki/A%C3%A9ronautique_Militaire" class="mw-redirect" title="Aéronautique Militaire">Aéronautique Militaire</a></i>. The small numbers of questionably built <a href="/wiki/Fokker_D.III" title="Fokker D.III">Fokker D.IIIs</a> posted to the Front pioneered the mounting of twin lMG 08s before 1916's end, as the building numbers of the similarly armed, and much more formidable new twin-gun <a href="/wiki/Albatros_D.I" title="Albatros D.I">Albatros D.Is</a> were well on the way to establishing the German air superiority marking the first half of 1917. </p><p>Allied air superiority was maintained during the height of both battles, and the increased effectiveness of Allied air activity proved disturbing to the German Army's top-level <i><a href="/wiki/Oberste_Heeresleitung" title="Oberste Heeresleitung">Oberste Heeresleitung</a></i> command staff.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A complete reorganisation of the <i>Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches</i> into what became officially known as the <i><a href="/wiki/Luftstreitkr%C3%A4fte" title="Luftstreitkräfte">Luftstreitkräfte</a></i> followed and had generally been completed by October 1916. This reorganisation eventually produced the German strategic bombing squadrons that were to produce such consternation in England in 1917 and 1918, and the specialist close support squadrons (<i>Schlachtstaffeln</i>) that gave the British infantry such trouble at <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Cambrai_(1917)" title="Battle of Cambrai (1917)">Cambrai</a> and during the <a href="/wiki/German_spring_offensive" title="German spring offensive">German spring offensive</a> of 1918. Its most famous and dramatic effect, however, involved the raising of specialist fighter squadrons or <i><a href="/wiki/Jagdstaffeln" class="mw-redirect" title="Jagdstaffeln">Jagdstaffeln</a></i> – a full year after similar units had become part of the RFC and the French <i>Aéronautique Militaire</i>. Initially these units were equipped with the <a href="/wiki/Halberstadt_D.II" title="Halberstadt D.II">Halberstadt D.II</a> (Germany's first biplane fighter), the <a href="/wiki/Fokker_D.I" title="Fokker D.I">Fokker D.I</a> and <a href="/wiki/Fokker_D.II" title="Fokker D.II">D.II</a>, along with the last few surviving <i>Eindecker</i>s, all three biplane design types using a single lMG 08, before the Fokker D.III and Albatros D.I twin-gun types arrived at the Front. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="1917:_Bloody_April">1917: Bloody April</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: 1917: Bloody April"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Bloody_April" title="Bloody April">Bloody April</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:AlbatDIII.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/AlbatDIII.jpg/220px-AlbatDIII.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="278" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/AlbatDIII.jpg/330px-AlbatDIII.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/AlbatDIII.jpg/440px-AlbatDIII.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4081" data-file-height="5151" /></a><figcaption>A lineup of Albatros D.IIIs of <i>Jasta 11</i> in early 1917 – the second aircraft in this lineup belonged to <a href="/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen" title="Manfred von Richthofen">Manfred von Richthofen</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p>The first half of 1917 was a successful period for the <i>jagdstaffeln</i> and the much larger RFC suffered significantly higher casualties than their opponents. While new Allied fighters such as the <a href="/wiki/Sopwith_Pup" title="Sopwith Pup">Sopwith Pup</a>, <a href="/wiki/Sopwith_Triplane" title="Sopwith Triplane">Sopwith Triplane</a>, and <a href="/wiki/SPAD_S.VII" title="SPAD S.VII">SPAD S.VII</a> were coming into service, at this stage their numbers were small, and suffered from inferior firepower: all three were armed with just a single synchronised Vickers machine gun. On the other hand, the <i>jagdstaffeln</i> were in the process of replacing their early motley array of equipment with <a href="/w/index.php?title=Albatros_D-series&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Albatros D-series (page does not exist)">Albatros D-series</a> aircraft, armed with twin synchronised MG08s. The <a href="/wiki/Albatros_D.I" title="Albatros D.I">D.I</a> and <a href="/wiki/Albatros_D.II" title="Albatros D.II">D.II</a> of late 1916 were succeeded by the new <a href="/wiki/Albatros_D.III" title="Albatros D.III">Albatros D.III</a>, which was, in spite of structural difficulties, "the best fighting scout on the Western Front"<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> at the time. Meanwhile, most RFC two-seater squadrons still flew the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_BE.2" class="mw-redirect" title="Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2">BE.2e</a>, a very minor improvement on the BE.2c, and still fundamentally unsuited to air-to-air combat. </p><p>This culminated in the rout of April 1917, known as "<a href="/wiki/Bloody_April" title="Bloody April">Bloody April</a>". The RFC suffered particularly severe losses, although <a href="/wiki/Hugh_Trenchard_as_commander_of_the_Royal_Flying_Corps_in_France" title="Hugh Trenchard as commander of the Royal Flying Corps in France">Trenchard's</a> policy of "offensive patrol", which placed most combat flying on the German side of the lines, was maintained.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>During the last half of 1917, the British <a href="/wiki/Sopwith_Camel" title="Sopwith Camel">Sopwith Camel</a> and <a href="/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_S.E.5" title="Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5">S.E.5a</a> and the French <a href="/wiki/SPAD_S.XIII" title="SPAD S.XIII">SPAD S.XIII</a>, all fitted with two forward firing machine guns, became available in numbers. The ordinary two seater squadrons in the RFC received the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Aircraft_Factory_R.E.8" title="Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8">R.E.8</a> or the <a href="/wiki/Armstrong_Whitworth_F.K.8" title="Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8">F.K.8</a>, not outstanding warplanes, but far less vulnerable than the BE.2e they replaced. The F.E.2d at last received a worthy replacement in the <a href="/wiki/Bristol_F.2" class="mw-redirect" title="Bristol F.2">Bristol F.2b</a>. On the other hand, the latest Albatros, the <a href="/wiki/Albatros_D.V" title="Albatros D.V">D.V</a>, proved to be a disappointment, as was the <a href="/wiki/Pfalz_D.III" title="Pfalz D.III">Pfalz D.III</a>. The exotic <a href="/wiki/Fokker_Dr.I" title="Fokker Dr.I">Fokker Dr.I</a> was plagued, like the Albatros, with structural problems. By the end of the year the air superiority pendulum had swung once more in the Allies' favour. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="1918:_The_Spring_Offensive">1918: The Spring Offensive</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: 1918: The Spring Offensive"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The surrender of the Russians and the <a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Brest-Litovsk" title="Treaty of Brest-Litovsk">Treaty of Brest-Litovsk</a> in March 1918, and the resulting release of troops from the <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Front_(World_War_I)" title="Eastern Front (World War I)">Eastern Front</a> gave the Germans a "last chance" of winning the war before the Americans could become effectively involved. This resulted in the last great German offensive of the war, the "Spring Offensive", which opened on 21 March. The main attack fell on the British front on the assumption that defeat of the British army would result in the surrender of the <a href="/wiki/French_Army_Mutinies" class="mw-redirect" title="French Army Mutinies">mutiny-weakened French</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In the air, the battle was marked by the carefully coordinated use of the <i>Schlachtstaffeln</i> or "battle flights", equipped with the light <i>CL</i> class two seaters built by the <a href="/wiki/Halberst%C3%A4dter_Flugzeugwerke" title="Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke">Halberstadt</a> and <a href="/wiki/Hannoversche_Waggonfabrik" title="Hannoversche Waggonfabrik">Hannover</a> firms, that had proved so effective in the German counter-attack in early October's <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Cambrai_(1918)" title="Battle of Cambrai (1918)">Battle of Cambrai</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The new German fighter aircraft, notably the <a href="/wiki/Fokker_D.VII" title="Fokker D.VII">Fokker D.VII</a>, that might have revived German air superiority in time for this battle had not however reached the <i>Jagdstaffeln</i> in sufficient numbers, despite its own premier on the Western Front in the mid-Spring of 1918. As with several offensives on both sides, thorough planning and preparation led to initial success, and in fact to deeper penetration than had been achieved by either side since 1914.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Many British airfields had to be abandoned to the advancing Germans in a new war of movement. Losses of aircraft and their crew were very heavy on both sides – especially to light anti-aircraft fire. However, by the time of the death of <a href="/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen" title="Manfred von Richthofen">Manfred von Richthofen</a>, the famed Red Baron, on 21 April, the great offensive had largely stalled.<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The new German fighters had still not arrived, and the British still held general air superiority. </p><p>The month of April 1918 began with the consolidation of the separate British RFC and RNAS air services into the <a href="/wiki/Royal_Air_Force" title="Royal Air Force">Royal Air Force</a>, the first independent air arm not subordinate to its national army or navy. By the end of April, the new Fokker, <a href="/wiki/Pfalz_D.XII" title="Pfalz D.XII">Pfalz</a> and <a href="/wiki/Roland_D.VI" class="mw-redirect" title="Roland D.VI">Roland</a> fighters had finally begun to replace the obsolescent equipment of the <i>Jagdstaffeln</i>, but this did not proceed with as much dispatch as it might have, due to increasing shortages of supplies on the side of the Central Powers, and many of the <i>Jastas</i> still flew Albatros D types at the time of the armistice. The <a href="/wiki/Rotary_engine" title="Rotary engine">rotary engined</a> <a href="/wiki/Fokker_D.VIII" title="Fokker D.VIII">Fokker D.VIII</a> and <a href="/wiki/Siemens-Schuckert_D.IV" title="Siemens-Schuckert D.IV">Siemens-Schuckert D.IV</a>, as well as surviving Fokker Triplanes, suffered from poor reliability and shortened engine life due to the Voltol-based oil that was used to replace scarce <a href="/wiki/Castor_oil" title="Castor oil">castor oil</a> – captured and salvaged Allied aircraft (especially Sopwith Camels) were scrounged, not only for engines and equipment, but even for their lubricants. Nonetheless, by September, casualties in the RFC had reached the highest level since "Bloody April"<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> – and the Allies were maintaining air superiority by weight of numbers rather than technical superiority. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Readying_for_battle">Readying for battle</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Readying for battle"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Mason.patrick.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Mason.patrick.jpg/220px-Mason.patrick.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="272" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Mason.patrick.jpg/330px-Mason.patrick.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Mason.patrick.jpg/440px-Mason.patrick.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2293" data-file-height="2832" /></a><figcaption>Major General <a href="/wiki/Mason_Patrick" title="Mason Patrick">Mason Patrick</a> was assigned Chief of the U.S. Air Service by General <a href="/wiki/John_J._Pershing" title="John J. Pershing">John J. Pershing</a> in May 1918 to improve organization and production in the Air Service.</figcaption></figure> <p>1918, especially the second half of the year, also saw the United States increasingly involved with the allied aerial efforts. While American volunteers had been flying in Allied squadrons since the early years of the war, not until 1918 did all-American squadrons begin active operations. Technically America had fallen well behind the European powers in aviation, and no American designed types saw action, with the exception of the <a href="/wiki/Curtiss_Model_H" title="Curtiss Model H">Curtiss flying boats</a>. At first, the Americans were supplied with second-rate and obsolete aircraft, such as the Sopwith 1½ Strutter, <a href="/wiki/Dorand_AR" title="Dorand AR">Dorand AR</a> and Sopwith Camel, and inexperienced American airmen stood little chance against their seasoned opponents. </p><p>General <a href="/wiki/John_J._Pershing" title="John J. Pershing">John J. Pershing</a> assigned Major General <a href="/wiki/Mason_Patrick" title="Mason Patrick">Mason Patrick</a> as Chief of the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Army_Air_Service" title="United States Army Air Service">United States Army Air Service</a> to remedy these issues in May 1918.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As numbers grew and equipment improved with the introduction of the twin-gun <a href="/wiki/Nieuport_28" title="Nieuport 28">Nieuport 28</a>, and later, <a href="/wiki/SPAD_XIII" class="mw-redirect" title="SPAD XIII">SPAD XIII</a> as well as the S.E.5a into American service near the war's end, the Americans came to hold their own in the air; although casualties were heavy, as indeed were those of the French and British, in the last desperate fighting of the war. One of the French twin-seat reconnaissance aircraft used by both the French and the USAAS, was the radial powered <a href="/wiki/Salmson_2" title="Salmson 2">Salmson 2 A.2</a>. </p><p>Leading up to the <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Saint-Mihiel" title="Battle of Saint-Mihiel">Battle of Saint-Mihiel</a>, The US Air Service under Maj. Gen. Patrick oversaw the organization of 28 air squadrons for the battle, with the French, British, and Italians contributing additional units to bring the total force numbers to 701 pursuit planes, 366 observation planes, 323 day bombers, and 91 night bombers. The 1,481 total aircraft made it the largest air operation of the war.<sup id="cite_ref-Frandsen_30-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Frandsen-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-DuPre_31-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-DuPre-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Impact">Impact</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Impact"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1023981488">@media all and (max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .rquote{width:auto!important;float:none!important}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px}.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;margin-top:0}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{padding-left:1.6em}}</style><blockquote class="templatequote rquote" style="float: right; width: 33%;"><p>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.</p><div class="templatequotecite">— <cite>Brigadier General <a href="/wiki/Billy_Mitchell" title="Billy Mitchell">Billy Mitchell</a>, November 1918<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></cite></div></blockquote> <p>By war's end, the impact of aerial missions on the ground war was in retrospect mainly tactical; strategic bombing, in particular, was still very rudimentary indeed. This was partly due to its restricted funding and use, as it was, after all, a new technology. On the other hand, the artillery, which had perhaps the greatest effect of any military arm in this war, was in very large part as devastating as it was due to the availability of aerial photography and aerial "spotting" by balloon and aircraft. By 1917 weather bad enough to restrict flying was considered as good as "putting the gunner's eyes out".<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Some, such as then-Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, commander of all American air combat units in France, claimed, "[T]he only damage that has come to [Germany] has been through the air".<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Mitchell was famously controversial in his view that the future of war was not on the ground or at sea, but in the air. </p><p>During the course of the War, the exact number of German, British and French planes destroyed is unknown. However, the Luftstreitkräfte suffered enormous losses, so much so that seeing a German plane was considered rare towards the end of the war. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Anti-aircraft_weaponry">Anti-aircraft weaponry</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Anti-aircraft weaponry"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Anti-aircraft_warfare" title="Anti-aircraft warfare">Anti-aircraft warfare</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Hannover_CL_IIIa,_Forest_of_Argonne,_France,_1918_(restored).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Hannover_CL_IIIa%2C_Forest_of_Argonne%2C_France%2C_1918_%28restored%29.jpg/220px-Hannover_CL_IIIa%2C_Forest_of_Argonne%2C_France%2C_1918_%28restored%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="171" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Hannover_CL_IIIa%2C_Forest_of_Argonne%2C_France%2C_1918_%28restored%29.jpg/330px-Hannover_CL_IIIa%2C_Forest_of_Argonne%2C_France%2C_1918_%28restored%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Hannover_CL_IIIa%2C_Forest_of_Argonne%2C_France%2C_1918_%28restored%29.jpg/440px-Hannover_CL_IIIa%2C_Forest_of_Argonne%2C_France%2C_1918_%28restored%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2950" data-file-height="2287" /></a><figcaption>A German <a href="/wiki/Hannover_CL_III" class="mw-redirect" title="Hannover CL III">Hannover CL III</a> shot down on 4 October 1918 by American machine gunners in the <a href="/wiki/Meuse-Argonne_Offensive" class="mw-redirect" title="Meuse-Argonne Offensive">Argonne</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p>Though aircraft still functioned as vehicles of observation, increasingly they were used as a weapon in themselves. <a href="/wiki/Dog_fight" class="mw-redirect" title="Dog fight">Dog fights</a> erupted in the skies over the front lines, and aircraft went down in flames. From this air-to-air combat, the need grew for better aircraft and gun armament. Aside from machine guns, <a href="/wiki/Air-to-air_rocket" title="Air-to-air rocket">air-to-air rockets</a> were also used, such as the <a href="/wiki/Le_Prieur_rocket" title="Le Prieur rocket">Le Prieur rocket</a> against balloons and <a href="/wiki/Airship" title="Airship">airships</a>. <a href="/wiki/Recoilless_rifle" title="Recoilless rifle">Recoilless rifles</a> and <a href="/wiki/Autocannon" title="Autocannon">autocannons</a> were also attempted, but they pushed early fighters to unsafe limits while bringing negligible returns, with the German <a href="/wiki/Becker_Type_M2_20_mm_cannon" title="Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon">Becker 20mm autocannon</a> being fitted to a few twin-engined <i>Luftstreitkräfte</i> <a href="/wiki/Idflieg_aircraft_designation_system" title="Idflieg aircraft designation system">G-series</a> medium bombers for offensive needs, and at least one late-war <i>Kaiserliche Marine</i> zeppelin for defense – the uniquely armed <a href="/wiki/SPAD_S.XII" title="SPAD S.XII">SPAD S.XII</a> single-seat fighter carried one Vickers machine gun and a special, hand-operated semi-automatic 37mm gun firing through a hollow propeller shaft.<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Another innovation was air-to-air bombing. If a fighter had been fortunate enough to climb higher than an airship the <a href="/wiki/Ranken_dart" title="Ranken dart">Ranken dart</a> was designed just for this opportunity. </p><p>This need for improvement was not limited to air-to-air combat. On the ground, methods developed before the war were being used to deter enemy aircraft from observation and bombing. <a href="/wiki/Anti-aircraft" class="mw-redirect" title="Anti-aircraft">Anti-aircraft</a> artillery rounds were fired into the air and exploded into clouds of smoke and <a href="/wiki/Fragmentation_(weaponry)" title="Fragmentation (weaponry)">fragmentation</a>, called <a href="/wiki/Flak#World_War_I" class="mw-redirect" title="Flak">archie</a> by the British. </p><p>Anti-aircraft artillery defenses were increasingly used around observation balloons, which became frequent targets of enemy fighters equipped with special <a href="/wiki/Incendiary_ammunition" title="Incendiary ammunition">incendiary</a> bullets. Because balloons were so flammable, due to the <a href="/wiki/Hydrogen" title="Hydrogen">hydrogen</a> used to <a href="/wiki/Inflatable" title="Inflatable">inflate</a> them, observers were given parachutes, enabling them to jump to safety. Ironically, only a few aircrew had this option, due in part to a mistaken belief they inhibited aggressiveness, and in part to their significant weight. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="First_shooting-down_of_an_aeroplane_by_anti-aircraft_artillery">First shooting-down of an aeroplane by anti-aircraft artillery</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: First shooting-down of an aeroplane by anti-aircraft artillery"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>During a bombing raid over <a href="/wiki/Kragujevac" title="Kragujevac">Kragujevac</a> on 30 September 1915, <a href="/wiki/Private_(rank)" title="Private (rank)">private</a> <a href="/wiki/Radoje_Ljutovac" title="Radoje Ljutovac">Radoje Ljutovac</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Serbian_Army" title="Serbian Army">Serbian Army</a> successfully shot down one of the three aircraft. Ljutovac used a slightly modified Turkish cannon captured some years previously. This was the first time that a military aeroplane was shot down with <a href="/wiki/Ground-to-air" class="mw-redirect" title="Ground-to-air">ground-to-air</a> <a href="/wiki/Artillery" title="Artillery">artillery</a> fire, and thus a crucial moment in <a href="/wiki/Anti-aircraft_warfare" title="Anti-aircraft warfare">anti-aircraft warfare</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Bombing_and_reconnaissance">Bombing and reconnaissance</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: Bombing and reconnaissance"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><span><video id="mwe_player_0" poster="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Bombers_of_WW1.ogv/220px--Bombers_of_WW1.ogv.jpg" controls="" preload="none" data-mw-tmh="" class="mw-file-element" width="220" height="158" data-durationhint="72" data-mwtitle="Bombers_of_WW1.ogv" data-mwprovider="wikimediacommons" resource="/wiki/File:Bombers_of_WW1.ogv"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Bombers_of_WW1.ogv" type="video/ogg; codecs="theora, vorbis"" data-width="400" data-height="288" /><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fc/Bombers_of_WW1.ogv/Bombers_of_WW1.ogv.360p.webm" type="video/webm; codecs="vp8, vorbis"" data-transcodekey="360p.webm" data-width="400" data-height="288" /><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fc/Bombers_of_WW1.ogv/Bombers_of_WW1.ogv.144p.mjpeg.mov" type="video/quicktime" data-transcodekey="144p.mjpeg.mov" data-width="200" data-height="144" /><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fc/Bombers_of_WW1.ogv/Bombers_of_WW1.ogv.240p.vp9.webm" type="video/webm; codecs="vp9, opus"" data-transcodekey="240p.vp9.webm" data-width="334" data-height="240" /></video></span><figcaption>Video clip of allied bombing runs over German lines</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:GothaG5.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/GothaG5.jpg/220px-GothaG5.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="140" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/GothaG5.jpg/330px-GothaG5.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/GothaG5.jpg/440px-GothaG5.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1920" data-file-height="1220" /></a><figcaption>Gotha G.V German bomber, 1917</figcaption></figure> <p>As the stalemate developed on the ground, with both sides unable to advance even a few hundred yards without a major battle and thousands of casualties, aircraft became greatly valued for their role gathering intelligence on enemy positions and bombing the enemy's supplies behind the trench lines. Large aircraft with a pilot and an observer were used to scout enemy positions and bomb their supply bases. Because they were large and slow, these aircraft made easy targets for enemy fighter aircraft. As a result, both sides used fighter aircraft to both attack the enemy's two-seat aircraft and protect their own while carrying out their missions. </p><p>While the two-seat bombers and reconnaissance aircraft were slow and vulnerable, they were not defenseless. Two-seaters had the advantage of both forward- and rearward-firing guns. Typically, the pilot controlled fixed guns behind the propeller, similar to guns in a fighter aircraft, while the observer controlled one with which he could cover the arc behind the aircraft. A tactic used by enemy fighter aircraft to avoid fire from the rear gunner was to attack from slightly below the rear of two-seaters, as the tail gunner was unable to fire below the aircraft. However, two-seaters could counter this tactic by going into a dive at high speeds. Pursuing a diving two-seater was hazardous for a fighter pilot, as it would place the fighter directly in the rear gunner's line of fire; several high scoring aces of the war were shot down by "lowly" two-seaters, including <a href="/wiki/Raoul_Lufbery" title="Raoul Lufbery">Raoul Lufbery</a>, <a href="/wiki/Erwin_B%C3%B6hme" title="Erwin Böhme">Erwin Böhme</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Robert_A._Little" title="Robert A. Little">Robert Little</a>. Even <a href="/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen" title="Manfred von Richthofen">Manfred von Richthofen</a>, the highest scoring ace of WWI, was once wounded and forced to crash land from the bullets of a two-seater, though he did survive the encounter and continued flying after he recovered. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Strategic_bombing">Strategic bombing</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: Strategic bombing"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_I" title="Strategic bombing during World War I">Strategic bombing during World War I</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Wwi-zeppelin-poster.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Wwi-zeppelin-poster.jpg/170px-Wwi-zeppelin-poster.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="240" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Wwi-zeppelin-poster.jpg/255px-Wwi-zeppelin-poster.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Wwi-zeppelin-poster.jpg/340px-Wwi-zeppelin-poster.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2078" data-file-height="2931" /></a><figcaption>British recruiting poster capitalizing on the scare created by the bombing raids on London</figcaption></figure> <p>The first aerial bombardment of civilians occurred during World War I. In the opening weeks of the war, zeppelins bombed <a href="/wiki/Li%C3%A8ge" title="Liège">Liège</a>, <a href="/wiki/Antwerp" title="Antwerp">Antwerp</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Warsaw" title="Warsaw">Warsaw</a>, and other cities, including Paris and Bucharest, were targeted, In January 1915 the Germans began a bombing campaign against England that was to last until 1918, initially using airships. There were 19 raids in 1915, in which 37 tons of bombs were dropped, killing 181 people and injuring 455. Raids continued in 1916. London was accidentally bombed in May, and in July, the <a href="/wiki/Kaiser" title="Kaiser">Kaiser</a> allowed directed raids against urban centres. There were 23 airship raids in 1916 in which 125 tons of ordnance were dropped, killing 293 people and injuring 691.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (May 2024)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> Gradually British air defenses improved. In 1917 and 1918 there were only eleven Zeppelin raids against England, and the final raid occurred on 5 August 1918, resulting in the death of <a href="/wiki/Peter_Strasser" title="Peter Strasser">Peter Strasser</a>, commander of the German Naval Airship Department. By the end of the war, 54 airship raids had been undertaken, in which 557 people were killed and 1,358 injured.<sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Of the 80 airships used by the Germans in World War I, 34 were shot down and further 33 were destroyed by accidents. 389 crewmen died.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_40-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The Zeppelin raids were complemented by the <a href="/wiki/Gotha_G" class="mw-redirect" title="Gotha G">Gotha G</a> bombers from 1917, which were the first heavier than air bombers to be used for <a href="/wiki/Strategic_bombing" title="Strategic bombing">strategic bombing</a>, and by a small force of five <a href="/wiki/Zeppelin-Staaken_R.VI" title="Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI">Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI</a> <a href="/wiki/Riesenflugzeug" title="Riesenflugzeug">"giant" four engined bombers</a> from late September 1917 through to mid-May 1918. Twenty-four Gotha twin-engined bombers were shot down on the raids over England, with no losses for the Zeppelin-Staaken giants. Further 37 Gotha bombers crashed in accidents.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_40-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> They dropped 73 tons of bombs, killing 857 people and wounding 2058.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_40-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>It has been argued that the raids were effective far beyond material damage in diverting and hampering wartime production, and diverting twelve squadrons and over 17,000 men to air defenses.<sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-41"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Calculations performed on the number of dead to the weight of bombs dropped had a profound effect on attitudes of the British government and population in the interwar years, who believed that "<a href="/wiki/The_bomber_will_always_get_through" title="The bomber will always get through">The bomber will always get through</a>". </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Observation_balloons">Observation balloons</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: Observation balloons"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Observation_balloon" title="Observation balloon">Observation balloon</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Bombed_balloon.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Bombed_balloon.jpg/220px-Bombed_balloon.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="141" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Bombed_balloon.jpg/330px-Bombed_balloon.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Bombed_balloon.jpg/440px-Bombed_balloon.jpg 2x" data-file-width="526" data-file-height="338" /></a><figcaption>A German observation balloon being shot down by an <a href="/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_I" title="Allies of World War I">Allied</a> aircraft.</figcaption></figure> <p>Manned observation balloons floating high above the trenches were used as stationary reconnaissance points on the front lines, reporting enemy troop positions and directing artillery fire. Balloons commonly had a crew of two equipped with parachutes: upon an enemy air attack on the flammable balloon, the crew would parachute to safety. Recognized for their value as observer platforms, observation balloons were important targets of enemy aircraft. To defend against air attack, they were heavily protected by large concentrations of antiaircraft guns and patrolled by friendly aircraft. Blimps and balloons helped contribute to the stalemate of the trench warfare of World War I, and contributed to air-to-air combat for air superiority because of their significant reconnaissance value. </p><p>To encourage pilots to attack enemy balloons, both sides counted downing an enemy balloon as an "air-to-air" kill, with the same value as shooting down an enemy aircraft. Some pilots, known as <a href="/wiki/Balloon_buster" title="Balloon buster">balloon busters</a>, became particularly distinguished by their prowess at shooting down enemy balloons. The premier balloon busting ace was <a href="/wiki/Willy_Coppens" title="Willy Coppens">Willy Coppens</a>: 35 of his 37 victories were enemy balloons. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Leading_aces">Leading aces</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=20" title="Edit section: Leading aces"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/List_of_World_War_I_flying_aces" class="mw-redirect" title="List of World War I flying aces">List of World War I flying aces</a> and <a href="/wiki/Aerial_victory_standards_of_World_War_I" title="Aerial victory standards of World War I">Aerial victory standards of World War I</a></div> <p>As pioneer aviators invented air-to-air combat, the contending sides developed various methods of tracking aerial casualties and victories. Aviators with five or more aerial victories confirmed by their parent air service were dubbed "aces". Their numbers would burgeon, until by war's end, there were over 1,800 aces. </p><p>The following aces scored the most victories for their respective air services. </p> <table class="wikitable sortable"> <tbody><tr> <th style="width:220px;">Name </th> <th style="width:180px;">Air service </th> <th style="width:80px;">Confirmed<br />victories </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Francesco_Baracca" title="Francesco Baracca">Baracca, Francesco</a> </td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Corpo_Aeronautico_Militare" title="Corpo Aeronautico Militare">Corpo Aeronautico Militare</a></i> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">34<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Billy_Bishop" title="Billy Bishop">Bishop, William Avery</a> </td> <td><a href="/wiki/Royal_Air_Force" title="Royal Air Force">Royal Air Force</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">72<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Godwin_Brumowski" class="mw-redirect" title="Godwin Brumowski">Brumowski, Godwin</a> </td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Luftfahrtruppen" class="mw-redirect" title="Luftfahrtruppen">Luftfahrtruppen</a></i> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">35<sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-44"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Harry_Cobby" title="Harry Cobby">Cobby, Arthur Henry</a> </td> <td><a href="/wiki/Australian_Flying_Corps" title="Australian Flying Corps">Australian Flying Corps</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">29<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-45"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-46"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Willy_Coppens" title="Willy Coppens">Coppens de Houthulst, Willy Omer</a> </td> <td><a href="/wiki/Belgian_Military_Aviation" class="mw-redirect" title="Belgian Military Aviation">Belgian Military Aviation</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">37<sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-47"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Fonck" title="René Fonck">Fonck, René</a> </td> <td><a href="/wiki/Arm%C3%A9e_de_l%27Air_(Part_I:_From_birth_to_%22Torch%22,_1909-1942)" class="mw-redirect" title="Armée de l'Air (Part I: From birth to "Torch", 1909-1942)"><i>Aéronautique Militaire</i></a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">75<sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-48"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Alexander_Kazakov" title="Alexander Kazakov">Kazakov, Alexander</a> </td> <td><a href="/wiki/Imperial_Russian_Air_Force" class="mw-redirect" title="Imperial Russian Air Force">Imperial Russian Air Force</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">20<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-49"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen" title="Manfred von Richthofen">Richthofen, Manfred von</a> </td> <td><i><a href="/wiki/Luftstreitkr%C3%A4fte" title="Luftstreitkräfte">Luftstreitkräfte</a></i> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">80<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Eddie_Rickenbacker" title="Eddie Rickenbacker">Rickenbacker, Edward Vernon</a> </td> <td><a href="/wiki/United_States_Army_Air_Service" title="United States Army Air Service">US Army Air Service</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">26<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-52"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Pioneers_of_aerial_warfare">Pioneers of aerial warfare</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=21" title="Edit section: Pioneers of aerial warfare"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid 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0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-Unreliable_sources plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-unreliable_sources" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/40px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/60px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/80px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="48" data-file-height="48" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">Some of this section's <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">listed sources</a> <b>may not be <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources" title="Wikipedia:Reliable sources">reliable</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">December 2021</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Aerial_victory_standards_of_World_War_I" title="Aerial victory standards of World War I">Aerial victory standards of World War I</a> and <a href="/wiki/Flying_ace" title="Flying ace">Flying ace</a></div> <p>The following aviators were the first to reach important milestones in the development of aerial combat during World War I: </p> <table class="wikitable"> <tbody><tr> <th>Name </th> <th>Date </th> <th>Country </th> <th>Event </th></tr> <tr> <td style="width:15%;"><a href="/wiki/Miodrag_Tomi%C4%87" title="Miodrag Tomić">Miodrag Tomić</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">12 August 1914 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Serbia </td> <td>First dogfight of the war<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-53"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-54"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="width:15%;"><a href="/wiki/Pyotr_Nesterov" title="Pyotr Nesterov">Pyotr Nesterov</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">7 September 1914 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Russia </td> <td>First air-to-air kill, by ramming an Austrian aeroplane<sup id="cite_ref-55" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Louis Quénault and Joseph Frantz </td> <td style="text-align:center;">5 October 1914 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">France </td> <td>Pilot Frantz and Observer Quénault were the first fliers to successfully use a machine gun in air-to-air combat to shoot down another aircraft.<sup id="cite_ref-56" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-56"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Roland_Garros_(aviator)" title="Roland Garros (aviator)">Roland Garros</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">1 April 1915 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">France </td> <td>First aerial victory with forward pointing fixed gun achieved while aiming gun with aircraft<sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-57"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Adolphe_P%C3%A9goud" title="Adolphe Pégoud">Adolphe Pégoud</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">3 April 1915 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">France </td> <td>First flying "ace" and first French ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Kurt_Wintgens" title="Kurt Wintgens">Kurt Wintgens</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">1 July 1915 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Germany </td> <td>First aerial victory using a <a href="/wiki/Synchronization_gear" title="Synchronization gear">sychronised</a> machine gun firing through the propeller arc<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Lanoe_Hawker" title="Lanoe Hawker">Lanoe Hawker</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">11 August 1915 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">United Kingdom </td> <td>First British ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Oswald_Boelcke" title="Oswald Boelcke">Oswald Boelcke</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">16 October 1915 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Germany </td> <td>First German ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Otto_Jindra" title="Otto Jindra">Otto Jindra</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">9 April 1916 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Austria-Hungary </td> <td>First Austro-Hungarian ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Redford_Henry_Mulock" class="mw-redirect" title="Redford Henry Mulock">Redford Henry Mulock</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">21 May 1916 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Canada </td> <td>First Canadian ace, as well as first <a href="/wiki/Royal_Naval_Air_Service" title="Royal Naval Air Service">Royal Naval Air Service</a> ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Eduard_Pulpe" title="Eduard Pulpe">Eduard Pulpe</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">1 July 1916 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Russia </td> <td>First <a href="/wiki/Imperial_Russian_Air_Force" class="mw-redirect" title="Imperial Russian Air Force">Imperial Russian Air Force</a> ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Roderic_Dallas" title="Roderic Dallas">Roderic Dallas</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">9 July 1916 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Australia </td> <td>First Australian ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Frederick_Libby" title="Frederick Libby">Frederick Libby</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">25 August 1916 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">United States </td> <td>First American ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Zhu_Binhou" title="Zhu Binhou">Etienne Tsu</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">26 September 1916 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">France </td> <td>First Chinese ace; <a href="/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion" title="French Foreign Legion">French Foreign Legion</a>, <a href="/wiki/Escadrille_SPA.37" title="Escadrille SPA.37">Escadrille SPA.37</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-58"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-59"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Mario_Stoppani" title="Mario Stoppani">Mario Stoppani</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">31 October 1916 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Italy </td> <td>First Italian ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Fernand_Jacquet" title="Fernand Jacquet">Fernand Jacquet</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">1 February 1917 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Belgium </td> <td>First Belgian ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Maurice_Benjamin" title="Maurice Benjamin">Maurice Benjamin</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">27 April 1917 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">South Africa </td> <td>First South African ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Thomas_Culling" title="Thomas Culling">Thomas Culling</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">19 May 1917 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">New Zealand </td> <td>First New Zealand ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Gottfried_Freiherr_von_Banfield" title="Gottfried Freiherr von Banfield">Gottfried Freiherr von Banfield</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">31 May 1917 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Austria-Hungary </td> <td>First night victory and first Austro-Hungarian night victory.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Dumitru_B%C4%83dulescu" title="Dumitru Bădulescu">Dumitru Bădulescu</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">21 September 1917 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Romania </td> <td>First Romanian ace.<sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Richard_Burnard_Munday" title="Richard Burnard Munday">Richard Burnard Munday</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">29 September 1917 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">United Kingdom </td> <td>First British night victory, over an <a href="/wiki/Observation_balloon" title="Observation balloon">observation balloon</a>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/Fritz_Anders_(aviator)" title="Fritz Anders (aviator)">Fritz Anders</a> </td> <td style="text-align:center;">20 August 1918 </td> <td style="text-align:center;">Germany </td> <td>First German night victory. Anders was first night fighter ace.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (February 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Aircraft">Aircraft</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=22" title="Edit section: Aircraft"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_military_aircraft_of_Entente_Powers_in_WWI" class="mw-redirect" title="List of military aircraft of Entente Powers in WWI">Aircraft of the Entente Powers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_military_aircraft_of_Central_Powers_in_WWI" class="mw-redirect" title="List of military aircraft of Central Powers in WWI">Aircraft of the Central Powers</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=23" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Biggles" title="Biggles">Biggles</a> a fictional WWI aviator</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Biplane" title="Biplane">Biplane</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dogfight" title="Dogfight">Dogfight</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flying_ace#World_War_I" title="Flying ace">Flying ace § World War I</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_aerial_warfare" title="History of aerial warfare">History of aerial warfare</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_aviation" title="History of aviation">History of aviation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_American_aero_squadrons" title="List of American aero squadrons">List of American aero squadrons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_aircraft_squadrons" title="List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons">List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Royal_Flying_Corps_squadrons" title="List of Royal Flying Corps squadrons">List of Royal Flying Corps squadrons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lists_of_World_War_I_flying_aces" title="Lists of World War I flying aces">Lists of World War I flying aces</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=24" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFSpaight1914" class="citation book cs1">Spaight, James (1914). <i>Aircraft In War</i>. London: MacMilian and Co. p. 3.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Aircraft+In+War&rft.place=London&rft.pages=3&rft.pub=MacMilian+and+Co.&rft.date=1914&rft.aulast=Spaight&rft.aufirst=James&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFSpaight1914" class="citation book cs1">Spaight, James (1914). <i>Aircraft in War</i>. London: MacMilian and Co. p. 14.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Aircraft+in+War&rft.place=London&rft.pages=14&rft.pub=MacMilian+and+Co.&rft.date=1914&rft.aulast=Spaight&rft.aufirst=James&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Terraine, John. P.30</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation book cs1">Robson, Stuart (2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://archive.org/details/firstworldwar0000robs_r5x1"><i>The First World War</i></a>. Harrow, England: Pearson Longman. p. 14. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4058-2471-2" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-4058-2471-2"><bdi>978-1-4058-2471-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+First+World+War&rft.place=Harrow%2C+England&rft.pages=14&rft.pub=Pearson+Longman&rft.date=2007&rft.isbn=978-1-4058-2471-2&rft.aulast=Robson&rft.aufirst=Stuart&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Ffirstworldwar0000robs_r5x1&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Air_Power/WWI-reconnaissance/AP2.htm">"Aerial Reconnaissance in World War I"</a>. U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">6 March</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Aerial+Reconnaissance+in+World+War+I&rft.pub=U.S.+Centennial+of+Flight+Commission&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.centennialofflight.net%2Fessay%2FAir_Power%2FWWI-reconnaissance%2FAP2.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Terraine, 1981, p.31.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Terraine, 1981, p.30</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Terraine, 1982, p.31</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Treadwell, Terry C. <i>America's First Air War</i> (London: Airlife Publishing, 2000) </span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cheesman, E.F. (ed.) <i>Reconnaissance & Bomber Aircraft of the 1914–1918 War</i> (Letchworth, UK: Harleyford, 1962), p. 9.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-illustrated-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-illustrated_11-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-illustrated_11-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-illustrated_11-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">An Illustrated History of World War I, at <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.wwiaviation.com/earlywar.html">http://www.wwiaviation.com/earlywar.html</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFEric_LawsonJane_Lawson2007" class="citation book cs1">Eric Lawson; Jane Lawson (2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=9PGHckhHiX0C&pg=PT123"><i>The First Air Campaign: August 1914 – November 1918</i></a>. Da Capo Press, Incorporated. p. 123. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-306-81668-0" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-306-81668-0"><bdi>978-0-306-81668-0</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+First+Air+Campaign%3A+August+1914+%E2%80%93+November+1918&rft.pages=123&rft.pub=Da+Capo+Press%2C+Incorporated&rft.date=2007&rft.isbn=978-0-306-81668-0&rft.au=Eric+Lawson&rft.au=Jane+Lawson&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D9PGHckhHiX0C%26pg%3DPT123&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"><span title=" Dead link tagged September 2023">permanent dead link</span></a></i><span style="visibility:hidden; color:transparent; padding-left:2px">‍</span>]</span></sup></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Great Battles of World War I by Major-General Sir Jeremy Moore, p. 136</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cheesman (1960), p. 76.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cheesman (1960), p 177</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cheesman (1960), p 178</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cheesman (1960), p 180</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Sands, Jeffrey, "The Forgotten Ace, Ltn. Kurt Wintgens and his War Letters", Cross & Cockade USA, Summer 1985.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFGuttman2009" class="citation web cs1">Guttman, Jon (Summer 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160603222631/http://www.worldwar1.com/relevance/Relevance_Summer09.pdf">"Verdun: The First Air Battle for the Fighter: Part I – Prelude and Opening"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i>worldwar1.com</i>. The Great War Society. p. 9. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.worldwar1.com/relevance/Relevance_Summer09.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on June 3, 2016<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 26,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=worldwar1.com&rft.atitle=Verdun%3A+The+First+Air+Battle+for+the+Fighter%3A+Part+I+%E2%80%93+Prelude+and+Opening&rft.ssn=summer&rft.pages=9&rft.date=2009&rft.aulast=Guttman&rft.aufirst=Jon&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldwar1.com%2Frelevance%2FRelevance_Summer09.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFvanWyngarden2006" class="citation book cs1">vanWyngarden, Greg (2006). <i>Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #73: Early German Aces of World War 1</i>. Botley, Oxford UK & New York City, USA: Osprey Publishing. p. 35. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84176-997-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-84176-997-4"><bdi>978-1-84176-997-4</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Osprey+Aircraft+of+the+Aces+%2373%3A+Early+German+Aces+of+World+War+1&rft.place=Botley%2C+Oxford+UK+%26+New+York+City%2C+USA&rft.pages=35&rft.pub=Osprey+Publishing&rft.date=2006&rft.isbn=978-1-84176-997-4&rft.aulast=vanWyngarden&rft.aufirst=Greg&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Cheesman (1960) p.12</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. <i>The Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Weapons and Warfare</i> (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 1, "Albatros D", p.65</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-23">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Johnson in <i>History of Air Fighting</i> blames Trenchard for not changing his approach despite the prohibitive casualties.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-24">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Terraine, 1982 p. 277</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Gray & Theyford, 1970 pp. xv–xxvii</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Terraine, 1982 p.282</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-27">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Terraine, 1982 p.287</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-28">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Harris & Pearson, 2010 p.180</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-29">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Tate, Dr. James P. (1998). <i>The Army and its Air Corps: Army Policy Toward Aviation 1919–1941</i>, Air University Press, p. 19</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Frandsen-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Frandsen_30-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFFrandsen2014" class="citation web cs1">Frandsen, Bert (2014). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Publications/Article/577489/learning-and-adapting-billy-mitchell-in-world-war-i/">"Learning and Adapting: Billy Mitchell in World War I"</a>. <i>National Defense University Press</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 13,</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=National+Defense+University+Press&rft.atitle=Learning+and+Adapting%3A+Billy+Mitchell+in+World+War+I&rft.date=2014&rft.aulast=Frandsen&rft.aufirst=Bert&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fndupress.ndu.edu%2FPublications%2FArticle%2F577489%2Flearning-and-adapting-billy-mitchell-in-world-war-i%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-DuPre-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-DuPre_31-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFDuPre" class="citation web cs1">DuPre, Flint. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/105991/major-general-mason-m-patrick/">"U.S. Air Force Biographical Dictionary"</a>. <i>United States Air Force</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 12,</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=United+States+Air+Force&rft.atitle=U.S.+Air+Force+Biographical+Dictionary&rft.aulast=DuPre&rft.aufirst=Flint&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.af.mil%2FAbout-Us%2FBiographies%2FDisplay%2FArticle%2F105991%2Fmajor-general-mason-m-patrick%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-32">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">This quote was also mentioned in <a href="/wiki/Time_(magazine)" title="Time (magazine)"><i>Time</i></a> magazine, 22 June 1942 <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070311160638/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,773254-2,00.html">[1]</a>, some seven months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, which Mitchell <a href="/wiki/Billy_Mitchell#Promoting_air_power" title="Billy Mitchell">accurately predicted</a> in 1924.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-33">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Terraine, 1982, p. 215</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-34">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">"Mitchell">"Leaves From My War Diary" by General William Mitchell, in <i>Great Battles of World War I: In The Air</i> (Signet, 1966), pp.192–193 (November 1918).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-35">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFGuttman2002" class="citation book cs1">Guttman, Jon (2002). <i>SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I</i>. Osprey Publishing. pp. <span class="nowrap">8–</span>9. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84176-316-0" title="Special:BookSources/1-84176-316-0"><bdi>1-84176-316-0</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=SPAD+XII%2FXIII+aces+of+World+War+I&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E8-%3C%2Fspan%3E9&rft.pub=Osprey+Publishing&rft.date=2002&rft.isbn=1-84176-316-0&rft.aulast=Guttman&rft.aufirst=Jon&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-36">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nationalgeographic.rs/vesti/3842-prvi-ratni-avion-oboren-u-istoriji-pao-na-kragujevac.html">"How was the first military aeroplane shot down"</a>. National Geographic<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">5 August</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=How+was+the+first+military+aeroplane+shot+down&rft.pub=National+Geographic&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalgeographic.rs%2Fvesti%2F3842-prvi-ratni-avion-oboren-u-istoriji-pao-na-kragujevac.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-37">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141006071649/http://www.thefirstworldwar.net/licnosti/ucesnici-ratova/ljutovac-radoje/">"Ljutovac, Radoje"</a>. Amanet Society. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.thefirstworldwar.net/licnosti/ucesnici-ratova/ljutovac-radoje/">the original</a> on 6 October 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">5 August</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Ljutovac%2C+Radoje&rft.pub=Amanet+Society&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefirstworldwar.net%2Flicnosti%2Fucesnici-ratova%2Fljutovac-radoje%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-38">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.pecat.co.rs/2014/09/radoje-raka-ljutovac-prvi-u-svetu-oborio-avion-topom/">"Radoje Raka Ljutovac – first person in the world to shoot down an aeroplane with a cannon"</a>. Pečat. 30 September 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">5 August</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Radoje+Raka+Ljutovac+%E2%80%93+first+person+in+the+world+to+shoot+down+an+aeroplane+with+a+cannon&rft.pub=Pe%C4%8Dat&rft.date=2014-09-30&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pecat.co.rs%2F2014%2F09%2Fradoje-raka-ljutovac-prvi-u-svetu-oborio-avion-topom%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-39">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFColeCheesman1984" class="citation book cs1">Cole, Christopher; Cheesman, E. F. (1984). <i>The Air Defence of Great Britain 1914–1918</i>. London: Putnam. pp. <span class="nowrap">448–</span>9. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-370-30538-8" title="Special:BookSources/0-370-30538-8"><bdi>0-370-30538-8</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Air+Defence+of+Great+Britain+1914%E2%80%931918&rft.place=London&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E448-%3C%2Fspan%3E9&rft.pub=Putnam&rft.date=1984&rft.isbn=0-370-30538-8&rft.aulast=Cole&rft.aufirst=Christopher&rft.au=Cheesman%2C+E.+F.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:0-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_40-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_40-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_40-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFClodfelter2017" class="citation book cs1">Clodfelter, Micheal (2017). <i>Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015</i>. McFarland. p. 430.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Warfare+and+Armed+Conflicts%3A+A+Statistical+Encyclopedia+of+Casualty+and+Other+Figures%2C+1492%E2%80%932015&rft.pages=430&rft.pub=McFarland&rft.date=2017&rft.aulast=Clodfelter&rft.aufirst=Micheal&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-41">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ben Walsh AQA GCSE Modern World History p296</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-42">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Franks, 2000. p. 76</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-43"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-43">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Shores, 2001. p. 89</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-44"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-44">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Chant, 2002. p. 90</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-45"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-45">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Newton, <i>Australian Air Aces</i>, pp. 25–28</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-46"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-46">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Shores et al., <i>Above the Trenches</i>, p. 110</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-47">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Franks, 2000. p. 71</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-48"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-48">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Guttman, 2002. p. 20</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-49"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-49">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Franks, 2000. pp. 83–84</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-50"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-50">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Franks, Bailey, Guest, 1993. pp. 241–242</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-51"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-51">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Franks, 2000. p. 74</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-52"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-52">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Franks, 2001. p. 86</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-53"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-53">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFGlenny2012" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Misha_Glenny" title="Misha Glenny">Glenny, Misha</a> (2012). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=0SgG3mY5X_UC"><i>The Balkans: 1804–2012</i></a>. New York City: Granta. p. 316. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-77089-273-6" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-77089-273-6"><bdi>978-1-77089-273-6</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Balkans%3A+1804%E2%80%932012&rft.place=New+York+City&rft.pages=316&rft.pub=Granta&rft.date=2012&rft.isbn=978-1-77089-273-6&rft.aulast=Glenny&rft.aufirst=Misha&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D0SgG3mY5X_UC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-54"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-54">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFButtar2014" class="citation book cs1">Buttar, Prit (2014). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=qMaXAwAAQBAJ"><i>Collision of Empires: The War on the Eastern Front in 1914</i></a>. Oxford, England: Osprey Publishing. p. 298. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-78200-648-0" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-78200-648-0"><bdi>978-1-78200-648-0</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Collision+of+Empires%3A+The+War+on+the+Eastern+Front+in+1914&rft.place=Oxford%2C+England&rft.pages=298&rft.pub=Osprey+Publishing&rft.date=2014&rft.isbn=978-1-78200-648-0&rft.aulast=Buttar&rft.aufirst=Prit&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DqMaXAwAAQBAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"><span title=" Dead link tagged September 2023">permanent dead link</span></a></i><span style="visibility:hidden; color:transparent; padding-left:2px">‍</span>]</span></sup></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-55"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-55">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Guttman, p. 9.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-56"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-56">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Jackson 1993, p. 24</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-57"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-57">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">van Wyngarden, pp. 7, 8, 11.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-58"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-58">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escadrille/escadrille037.htm">"L'escadrille_37"</a>. Albindenis.free.fr<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-12-17</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=L%27escadrille_37&rft.pub=Albindenis.free.fr&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Falbindenis.free.fr%2FSite_escadrille%2Fescadrille037.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-59"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-59">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFLaurent_BROCARD1914" class="citation web cs1">Laurent BROCARD (1914-08-02). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080130032150/http://www.past-to-present.com/vieillestiges.cfm">"Flying Pioneers: Vieilles Tiges"</a>. Past-to-present.com. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.past-to-present.com/vieillestiges.cfm">the original</a> on 2008-01-30<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-12-17</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Flying+Pioneers%3A+Vieilles+Tiges&rft.pub=Past-to-present.com&rft.date=1914-08-02&rft.au=Laurent+BROCARD&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.past-to-present.com%2Fvieillestiges.cfm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-60"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-60">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFValeriu_AvramAlexandru_Armă2018" class="citation book cs1 cs1-prop-foreign-lang-source">Valeriu Avram; Alexandru Armă (2018). <i>Aeronautica română în Războiul de Întregire naţională 1916-1919</i> (in Romanian). Editura Vremea. p. 51.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Aeronautica+rom%C3%A2n%C4%83+%C3%AEn+R%C4%83zboiul+de+%C3%8Entregire+na%C5%A3ional%C4%83+1916-1919&rft.pages=51&rft.pub=Editura+Vremea&rft.date=2018&rft.au=Valeriu+Avram&rft.au=Alexandru+Arm%C4%83&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=25" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Editors of <i>American Heritage</i>. <i>History of WW1</i>. Simon & Schuster, 1964.</li> <li>Cheesman, E.F. (ed.) <i>Fighter Aircraft of the 1914–1918 War</i>. Letchworth, UK: Harleyford, 1960</li> <li><i>The Great War</i>, television documentary by the <a href="/wiki/BBC" title="BBC">BBC</a>.</li> <li>Gray, Peter & Thetford, Owen <i>German Aircraft of the First World War</i>. London, Putnam, 1962.</li> <li>Guttman, Jon. <i>Pusher Aces of World War 1: Volume 88 of Osprey Aircraft of the Aces: Volume 88 of Aircraft of the Aces.</i> Osprey Publishing, 2009. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84603-417-5" title="Special:BookSources/1-84603-417-5">1-84603-417-5</a>, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84603-417-6" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-84603-417-6">978-1-84603-417-6</a></li> <li>Herris, Jack & Pearson, Bob <i>Aircraft of World War I</i>. London, Amber Books, 2010. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-906626-65-5" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-906626-65-5">978-1-906626-65-5</a>.</li> <li>Jackson, Peter <i>The Guinness Book of Air Warfare</i>. London, Guinness Publishing, 1993. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-85112-701-0" title="Special:BookSources/0-85112-701-0">0-85112-701-0</a></li> <li>Morrow, John. <i>German Air Power in World War I</i>. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1982. Contains design and production figures, as well as economic influences.</li> <li>Pearson, George, <i>Aces: A Story of the First Air War</i>, historical advice by Brereton Greenhous and Philip Markham, <a href="/wiki/National_Film_Board_of_Canada" title="National Film Board of Canada">NFB</a>, 1993. Contains assertion aircraft created trench stalemate.</li> <li>Terraine, John <i>White Heat: the new warfare 1914–18</i>. London, Guild Publishing, 1982</li> <li>VanWyngarden, Greg. <i>Early German Aces of World War I: Volume 73 of Aircraft of the Aces.</i> Osprey Publishing, 2006. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84176-997-5" title="Special:BookSources/1-84176-997-5">1-84176-997-5</a>, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84176-997-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-84176-997-4">978-1-84176-997-4</a>.</li> <li>Winter, Denis. <i>First of the Few</i>. London: Allen Lane/Penguin, 1982. Coverage of the British air war, with extensive bibliographical notes.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Aviation_in_World_War_I&action=edit&section=26" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}</style><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Commons-logo.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/45px-Commons-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/59px-Commons-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="1376" /></a></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikimedia Commons has media related to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Aviation_in_World_War_I" class="extiw" title="commons:Category:Aviation in World War I">Aviation in World War I</a></span>.</div></div> </div> <ul><li>Wells, Mark: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/aircraft_fighter_and_pursuit">Aircraft, Fighter and Pursuit</a>, in: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/home/">1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War</a>.</li> <li>Morris, Craig: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/aircraft_reconnaissance_and_bomber">Aircraft, Reconnaissance and Bomber</a>, in: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/home/">1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War</a>.</li> <li>Mahoney, Ross & Pugh, James: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/air_warfare/">Air Warfare</a>, in: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/home/">1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War</a>.</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040715090607/http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Air_Power/WWI_Bombing/AP3.htm">Bombing during World War I</a> at centennialofflight.gov</li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBoris_Rustam-Bek-Tageev1916" class="citation book cs1">Boris Rustam-Bek-Tageev (1916). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ecgNAwAAQBAJ"><i>Aerial Russia: The Romance of the Giant Aeroplane</i></a>. Рипол Классик. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-5-87787-214-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-5-87787-214-1"><bdi>978-5-87787-214-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Aerial+Russia%3A+The+Romance+of+the+Giant+Aeroplane&rft.pub=%D0%A0%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB+%D0%9A%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BA&rft.date=1916&rft.isbn=978-5-87787-214-1&rft.au=Boris+Rustam-Bek-Tageev&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DecgNAwAAQBAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AAviation+in+World+War+I" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.usaww1.com">The United States Air Service in World War I</a> – usaww1.com</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.overthefront.com">The League of World War I Aviation Historians and Over the Front Magazine</a> – overthefront.com</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biographi.ca/en/theme_first_world_war.html?p=3">First World War in the Air at the <i>Dictionary of Canadian Biography</i></a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoFmWGVLopzrLxNaMI-Xnsg">1989 WWI aviation documentary featuring interviews with the last three surviving American aces</a> – YouTube</li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist 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.navbox{display:none!important}}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Aviation_in_World_War_I1989" style=";wide;padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar 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talk:Aviation in World War I"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:inherit">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Aviation_in_World_War_I" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Aviation in World War I"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:inherit">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Aviation_in_World_War_I1989" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Aviation in World War I</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;">People and aircraft</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Air_commanders_of_World_War_I" title="Air commanders of World War I">Commanders</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lists_of_World_War_I_flying_aces" title="Lists of World War I flying aces">Aces</a> (<a href="/wiki/Aerial_victory_standards_of_World_War_I" title="Aerial victory standards of World War I">accuracy</a>)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_World_War_I_Entente_aircraft" title="List of World War I Entente aircraft">Aircraft of the Entente Powers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_World_War_I_Central_Powers_aircraft" title="List of World War I Central Powers aircraft">Aircraft of the Central Powers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zeppelin#During_World_War_I" title="Zeppelin">Zeppelins</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;">Campaigns<br />and battles</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_I" title="Strategic bombing during World War I">Strategic bombing</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/German_bombing_of_Britain,_1914%E2%80%931918" title="German bombing of Britain, 1914–1918">German</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Raid_on_Cuxhaven" title="Raid on Cuxhaven">Cuxhaven</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aerial_bombing_of_cities#World_War_I" title="Aerial bombing of cities">Bombing of cities</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aerial_reconnaissance_in_World_War_I" title="Aerial reconnaissance in World War I">Aerial reconnaissance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fokker_Scourge" title="Fokker Scourge">Fokker Scourge</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Airstrike_on_Zonguldak" title="Airstrike on Zonguldak">Zonguldak</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flight_over_Vienna" title="Flight over Vienna">Flight over Vienna</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bloody_April" title="Bloody April">Bloody April</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Category:Aerial_operations_and_battles_of_World_War_I" title="Category:Aerial operations and battles of World War I">Battles</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;">Entente Powers<br />air services</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>British air services <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Royal_Flying_Corps" title="Royal Flying Corps">Royal Flying Corps</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Royal_Naval_Air_Service" title="Royal Naval Air Service">Royal Naval Air Service</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Royal_Air_Force" title="Royal Air Force">Royal Air Force</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Australian_Flying_Corps" title="Australian Flying Corps">Australian Flying Corps</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Canadian_Air_Force_(1918%E2%80%931920)" title="Canadian Air Force (1918–1920)">Canadian Air Force (1918–1920)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_Arm%C3%A9e_de_l%27Air_(1909%E2%80%931942)" title="History of the Armée de l'Air (1909–1942)">French Air Service</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Imperial_Russian_Air_Service" title="Imperial Russian Air Service">Imperial Russian Air Service</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Corpo_Aeronautico_Militare" title="Corpo Aeronautico Militare">Royal Italian Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Romanian_Air_Corps" title="Romanian Air Corps">Romanian Air Corps</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_Army_Air_Service" title="United States Army Air Service">United States Army Air Service</a></li> <li>Greek air services <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Hellenic_Air_Force" title="Hellenic Air Force">Army Air Service</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Naval_Air_Service_(Greece)" title="Naval Air Service (Greece)">Naval Air Service</a></li></ul></li> <li>Japanese air services <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Army_Air_Service" title="Imperial Japanese Army Air Service">Imperial Japanese Army Air Service</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Navy_Air_Service" title="Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service">Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;">Central Powers<br />air services</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Luftstreitkr%C3%A4fte" title="Luftstreitkräfte">Imperial German Air Service</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_Aviation_Troops" title="Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops">Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ottoman_Aviation_Squadrons" title="Ottoman Aviation Squadrons">Ottoman Aviation Squadrons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_Air_Force#World_War_I_(1914–1918)" title="Bulgarian Air Force">Bulgarian Army Aeroplane Section</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235" /></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="World_War_I23289" style=";wide;padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible mw-collapsed navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231" /><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:World_War_I" title="Template:World War I"><abbr title="View this template" style="color:inherit">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:World_War_I" title="Template talk:World War I"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:inherit">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:World_War_I" title="Special:EditPage/Template:World War I"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:inherit">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="World_War_I23289" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/World_War_I" title="World War I">World War I</a></div></th></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2" style="background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;"><div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Outline_of_World_War_I" title="Outline of World War I">Outline</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_military_engagements_of_World_War_I" title="List of military engagements of World War I">Military engagements</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aftermath_of_World_War_I" title="Aftermath of World War I">Aftermath</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Economic_history_of_World_War_I" title="Economic history of World War I">Economic history</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Role_of_geography_in_World_War_I" title="Role of geography in World War I">Geography</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Historiography_of_World_War_I" title="Historiography of World War I">Historiography</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Home_front_during_World_War_I" title="Home front during World War I">Home fronts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_War_I_memorials" title="World War I memorials">Memorials</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Opposition_to_World_War_I" title="Opposition to World War I">Opposition</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_War_I_in_popular_culture" title="World War I in popular culture">Popular culture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Propaganda_in_World_War_I" title="Propaganda in World War I">Propaganda</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_World_War_I_puppet_states" title="List of World War I puppet states">Puppet states</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Technology_during_World_War_I" title="Technology during World War I">Technology</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;text-align:left;">Theatres</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;;wide"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/European_theatre_of_World_War_I" title="European theatre of World War I">European</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Balkans_theatre" title="Balkans theatre">Balkans</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Serbian_campaign" title="Serbian campaign">Serbia</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Western_Front_(World_War_I)" title="Western Front (World War I)">Western Front</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Front_(World_War_I)" title="Eastern Front (World War I)">Eastern Front</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Romania_in_World_War_I" title="Romania in World War I">Romania</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Italian_front_(World_War_I)" title="Italian front (World War I)">Italian Front</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Middle_Eastern_theatre_of_World_War_I" title="Middle Eastern theatre of World War I">Middle Eastern</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Gallipoli_campaign" title="Gallipoli campaign">Gallipoli</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sinai_and_Palestine_campaign" title="Sinai and Palestine campaign">Sinai and Palestine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Caucasus_campaign" title="Caucasus campaign">Caucasus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Persian_campaign_(World_War_I)" title="Persian campaign (World War I)">Persia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mesopotamian_campaign" title="Mesopotamian campaign">Mesopotamia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Arab_Revolt" title="Arab Revolt">Hejaz & Levant</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/African_theatre_of_World_War_I" title="African theatre of World War I">African</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/South_West_Africa_campaign" title="South West Africa campaign">South West</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/East_African_campaign_(World_War_I)" title="East African campaign (World War I)">East</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kamerun_campaign" title="Kamerun campaign">Kamerun</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Togoland_campaign" title="Togoland campaign">Togoland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Military_operations_in_North_Africa_during_World_War_I" title="Military operations in North Africa during World War I">North</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Asian_and_Pacific_theatre_of_World_War_I" title="Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I">Asian and Pacific</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Siege_of_Tsingtao" title="Siege of Tsingtao">Tsingtao</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Occupation_of_German_Samoa" title="Occupation of German Samoa">German Samoa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Allied_occupation_of_German_New_Guinea" title="Allied occupation of German New Guinea">German New Guinea</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Naval_warfare_of_World_War_I" title="Naval warfare of World War I">Naval warfare</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/U-boat_campaign" title="U-boat campaign">U-boat campaign</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Atlantic_U-boat_campaign_of_World_War_I" title="Atlantic U-boat campaign of World War I">North Atlantic</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Naval_warfare_in_the_Mediterranean_during_World_War_I" title="Naval warfare in the Mediterranean during World War I">Mediterranean</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;text-align:left;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Principal<br />participants</div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;;wide"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_I" title="Allies of World War I">Entente Powers</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Allied_leaders_of_World_War_I" title="Allied leaders of World War I">Leaders</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Belgium_in_World_War_I" title="Belgium in World War I">Belgium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Brazil_during_World_War_I" title="Brazil during World War I">Brazil</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/China_during_World_War_I" title="China during World War I">China</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/French_Army_in_World_War_I" title="French Army in World War I">France</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/French_colonial_empire" title="French colonial empire">French Empire</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Greece_during_World_War_I" title="Greece during World War I">Greece</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kingdom_of_Hejaz" title="Kingdom of Hejaz">Hejaz</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Military_history_of_Italy_during_World_War_I" title="Military history of Italy during World War I">Italy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japan_during_World_War_I" title="Japan during World War I">Japan</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Empire_of_Japan" title="Empire of Japan">Empire of Japan</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_Montenegro#World_War_I" title="History of Montenegro">Montenegro</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Portugal_during_World_War_I" title="Portugal during World War I">Portuguese Empire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Romania_in_World_War_I" title="Romania in World War I">Romania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russia_in_the_First_World_War" class="mw-redirect" title="Russia in the First World War">Russia</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/History_of_Russia_(1894%E2%80%931917)#Russia_at_war,_1914–1916" title="History of Russia (1894–1917)">Russian Empire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russian_Republic" title="Russian Republic">Russian Republic</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_Serbia#Serbia_in_World_War_I_(1914–1918)" title="History of Serbia">Serbia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Siam_in_World_War_I" title="Siam in World War I">Siam</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_United_Kingdom_during_the_First_World_War" title="History of the United Kingdom during the First World War">United Kingdom</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/British_Empire" title="British Empire">British Empire</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_in_World_War_I" title="United States in World War I">United States</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Central_Powers" title="Central Powers">Central Powers</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Leaders_of_the_Central_Powers_of_World_War_I" title="Leaders of the Central Powers of World War I">Leaders</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_Empire" title="German Empire">Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_Austria-Hungary_during_World_War_I" title="History of Austria-Hungary during World War I">Austria-Hungary</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ottoman_Empire_in_World_War_I" title="Ottoman Empire in World War I">Ottoman Empire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgaria_during_World_War_I" title="Bulgaria during World War I">Bulgaria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Senussi_Campaign" class="mw-redirect" title="Senussi Campaign">Senussi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maritz_Rebellion" class="mw-redirect" title="Maritz Rebellion">South African Republic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sultanate_of_Darfur" title="Sultanate of Darfur">Darfur</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;text-align:left;"><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_I" title="Timeline of World War I">Timeline</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;;wide"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Pre-War conflicts</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War" title="Franco-Prussian War">Franco-Prussian War</a> (1870–71)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scramble_for_Africa" title="Scramble for Africa">Scramble for Africa</a> (1880–1914)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War" title="Russo-Japanese War">Russo-Japanese War</a> (1905)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Moroccan_Crisis" title="First Moroccan Crisis">Tangier Crisis</a> (1905–06)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bosnian_Crisis" title="Bosnian Crisis">Bosnian Crisis</a> (1908–09)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Agadir_Crisis" title="Agadir Crisis">Agadir Crisis</a> (1911)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Italo-Turkish_War" title="Italo-Turkish War">Italo-Turkish War</a> (1911–12)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Balkan_War" title="First Balkan War">First Balkan War</a> (1912–13)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Balkan_War" title="Second Balkan War">Second Balkan War</a> (1913)</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Prelude</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Causes_of_World_War_I" title="Causes of World War I">Origins</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Historiography_of_the_causes_of_World_War_I" title="Historiography of the causes of World War I">Historiography</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand" title="Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand">Sarajevo assassination</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anti-Serb_riots_in_Sarajevo" title="Anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo">Anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/July_Crisis" title="July Crisis">July Crisis</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">1914</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/German_invasion_of_Belgium_(1914)" title="German invasion of Belgium (1914)">German invasion of Belgium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_the_Frontiers" title="Battle of the Frontiers">Battle of the Frontiers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Cer" title="Battle of Cer">Battle of Cer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Galicia" title="Battle of Galicia">Battle of Galicia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russian_invasion_of_East_Prussia_(1914)" title="Russian invasion of East Prussia (1914)">Russian invasion of East Prussia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Tannenberg" title="Battle of Tannenberg">Battle of Tannenberg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Siege_of_Tsingtao" title="Siege of Tsingtao">Siege of Tsingtao</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Battle_of_the_Masurian_Lakes" title="First Battle of the Masurian Lakes">First Battle of the Masurian Lakes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Grand_Couronn%C3%A9" title="Battle of Grand Couronné">Battle of Grand Couronné</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Battle_of_the_Marne" title="First Battle of the Marne">First Battle of the Marne</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Siege_of_Przemy%C5%9Bl" title="Siege of Przemyśl">Siege of Przemyśl</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Race_to_the_Sea" title="Race to the Sea">Race to the Sea</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Battle_of_Ypres" title="First Battle of Ypres">First Battle of Ypres</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Black_Sea_raid" title="Black Sea raid">Black Sea raid</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Kolubara" title="Battle of Kolubara">Battle of Kolubara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Sarikamish" title="Battle of Sarikamish">Battle of Sarikamish</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Christmas_truce" title="Christmas truce">Christmas truce</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">1915</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Second_Battle_of_the_Masurian_Lakes" title="Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes">Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_%C5%81om%C5%BCa" title="Battle of Łomża">Battle of Łomża</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Ypres" title="Second Battle of Ypres">Second Battle of Ypres</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sinking_of_the_RMS_Lusitania" title="Sinking of the RMS Lusitania">Sinking of the RMS <i>Lusitania</i></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gallipoli_campaign" title="Gallipoli campaign">Battle of Gallipoli</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Artois" title="Second Battle of Artois">Second Battle of Artois</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battles_of_the_Isonzo" title="Battles of the Isonzo">Battles of the Isonzo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gorlice%E2%80%93Tarn%C3%B3w_offensive" title="Gorlice–Tarnów offensive">Gorlice–Tarnów offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Great_Retreat_(Russia)" title="Great Retreat (Russia)">Great Retreat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bug%E2%80%93Narew_Offensive" title="Bug–Narew Offensive">Bug-Narew Offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Siege_of_Novogeorgievsk" title="Siege of Novogeorgievsk">Siege of Novogeorgievsk</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vistula%E2%80%93Bug_offensive" title="Vistula–Bug offensive">Vistula–Bug offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Champagne" title="Second Battle of Champagne">Second Battle of Champagne</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kosovo_offensive_(1915)" title="Kosovo offensive (1915)">Kosovo offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Siege_of_Kut" title="Siege of Kut">Siege of Kut</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Loos" title="Battle of Loos">Battle of Loos</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Robat_Karim" title="Battle of Robat Karim">Battle of Robat Karim</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">1916</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Erzurum_offensive" title="Erzurum offensive">Erzurum offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Verdun" title="Battle of Verdun">Battle of Verdun</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lake_Naroch_offensive" title="Lake Naroch offensive">Lake Naroch offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Asiago" title="Battle of Asiago">Battle of Asiago</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Jutland" title="Battle of Jutland">Battle of Jutland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme" title="Battle of the Somme">Battle of the Somme</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/First_day_on_the_Somme" title="First day on the Somme">first day</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Brusilov_offensive" title="Brusilov offensive">Brusilov offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Baranovichi_offensive" title="Baranovichi offensive">Baranovichi offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Romani" title="Battle of Romani">Battle of Romani</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Monastir_offensive" title="Monastir offensive">Monastir offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Transylvania" title="Battle of Transylvania">Battle of Transylvania</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_I_(1917%E2%80%931918)" title="Timeline of World War I (1917–1918)">1917</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Fall_of_Baghdad_(1917)" title="Fall of Baghdad (1917)">Capture of Baghdad</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/February_Revolution" title="February Revolution">February Revolution</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zimmermann_telegram" title="Zimmermann telegram">Zimmermann telegram</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Arras_(1917)" title="Battle of Arras (1917)">Second battle of Arras</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_battle_of_the_Aisne" class="mw-redirect" title="Second battle of the Aisne">Second battle of the Aisne</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kerensky_offensive" title="Kerensky offensive">Kerensky offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_M%C4%83r%C4%83%C8%99ti" title="Battle of Mărăști">Battle of Mărăști</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Passchendaele" title="Battle of Passchendaele">Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_M%C4%83r%C4%83%C8%99e%C8%99ti" title="Battle of Mărășești">Battle of Mărășești</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Third_Battle_of_Oituz" title="Third Battle of Oituz">Third Battle of Oituz</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Caporetto" title="Battle of Caporetto">Battle of Caporetto</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Southern_Palestine_offensive" title="Southern Palestine offensive">Southern Palestine offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/October_Revolution" title="October Revolution">October Revolution</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_La_Malmaison" title="Battle of La Malmaison">Battle of La Malmaison</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Cambrai_(1917)" title="Battle of Cambrai (1917)">Battle of Cambrai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armistice_of_Foc%C8%99ani" title="Armistice of Focșani">Armistice of Focșani</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armistice_between_Russia_and_the_Central_Powers" title="Armistice between Russia and the Central Powers">Armistice between Russia and the Central Powers</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_I_(1917%E2%80%931918)" title="Timeline of World War I (1917–1918)">1918</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Faustschlag" title="Operation Faustschlag">Operation Faustschlag</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Brest-Litovsk" title="Treaty of Brest-Litovsk">Treaty of Brest-Litovsk</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_spring_offensive" title="German spring offensive">German spring offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zeebrugge_Raid" title="Zeebrugge Raid">Zeebrugge Raid</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Bucharest_(1918)" title="Treaty of Bucharest (1918)">Treaty of Bucharest of 1918</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Goychay" title="Battle of Goychay">Battle of Goychay</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Battle_of_the_Piave_River" title="Second Battle of the Piave River">Second Battle of the Piave River</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Battle_of_the_Marne" title="Second Battle of the Marne">Second Battle of the Marne</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hundred_Days_Offensive" title="Hundred Days Offensive">Hundred Days Offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vardar_offensive" title="Vardar offensive">Vardar offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Megiddo_(1918)" title="Battle of Megiddo (1918)">Battle of Megiddo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Third_Transjordan_attack" title="Third Transjordan attack">Third Transjordan attack</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Meuse%E2%80%93Argonne_offensive" title="Meuse–Argonne offensive">Meuse–Argonne offensive</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Vittorio_Veneto" title="Battle of Vittorio Veneto">Battle of Vittorio Veneto</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armistice_of_Salonica" title="Armistice of Salonica">Armistice of Salonica</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armistice_of_Mudros" title="Armistice of Mudros">Armistice of Mudros</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armistice_of_Villa_Giusti" title="Armistice of Villa Giusti">Armistice of Villa Giusti</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Romanian_campaign_of_World_War_I" title="Second Romanian campaign of World War I">Second Romanian campaign</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armistice_of_11_November_1918" title="Armistice of 11 November 1918">Armistice with Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bollettino_della_Vittoria_Navale" title="Bollettino della Vittoria Navale">Naval Victory Bulletin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armistice_of_Belgrade" title="Armistice of Belgrade">Armistice of Belgrade</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Co-belligerent conflicts</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Somaliland_campaign" title="Somaliland campaign">Somaliland campaign</a> (1900–1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mexican_Revolution" title="Mexican Revolution">Mexican Revolution</a> (1910–1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Maritz_rebellion" title="Maritz rebellion">Maritz rebellion</a> (1914–15)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Muscat_rebellion" title="Muscat rebellion">Muscat rebellion</a> (1913–1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zaian_War" title="Zaian War">Zaian War</a> (1914–1921)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kurdish_rebellions_during_World_War_I" title="Kurdish rebellions during World War I">Kurdish rebellions</a> (1914–1917)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ovambo_Uprising" title="Ovambo Uprising">Ovambo Uprising</a> (1914–1917)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kelantan_rebellion" title="Kelantan rebellion">Kelantan rebellion</a> (1915)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Senussi_campaign" title="Senussi campaign">Senussi campaign</a> (1915–1917)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Volta-Bani_War" title="Volta-Bani War">Volta-Bani War</a> (1915–1917)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/National_Protection_War" title="National Protection War">National Protection War</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Arab_Revolt" title="Arab Revolt">Arab Revolt</a> (1916–1918)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Central_Asian_revolt_of_1916" title="Central Asian revolt of 1916">Central Asian Revolt</a> (1916–17)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Invasion_of_Darfur_(1916)" title="Invasion of Darfur (1916)">Invasion of Darfur</a> (1916)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Easter_Rising" title="Easter Rising">Easter Rising</a> (1916)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kaocen_revolt" title="Kaocen revolt">Kaocen revolt</a> (1916–17)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russian_Revolution" title="Russian Revolution">Russian Revolution</a> (1917)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Finnish_Civil_War" title="Finnish Civil War">Finnish Civil War</a> (1918)</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Post-War conflicts</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Russian_Civil_War" title="Russian Civil War">Russian Civil War</a> (1917–1921)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ukrainian%E2%80%93Soviet_War" title="Ukrainian–Soviet War">Ukrainian–Soviet War</a> (1917–1921)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armenian%E2%80%93Azerbaijani_war_(1918%E2%80%931920)" title="Armenian–Azerbaijani war (1918–1920)">Armenian–Azerbaijani War</a> (1918–1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Armeno-Georgian_War" title="Armeno-Georgian War">Armeno-Georgian War</a> (1918)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_Revolution_of_1918%E2%80%931919" class="mw-redirect" title="German Revolution of 1918–1919">German Revolution</a> (1918–19)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Revolutions_and_interventions_in_Hungary_(1918%E2%80%931920)" title="Revolutions and interventions in Hungary (1918–1920)">Revolutions and interventions in Hungary</a> (1918–1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hungarian%E2%80%93Romanian_War" title="Hungarian–Romanian War">Hungarian–Romanian War</a> (1918–19)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Greater_Poland_uprising_(1918%E2%80%931919)" title="Greater Poland uprising (1918–1919)">Greater Poland Uprising</a> (1918–19)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Estonian_War_of_Independence" title="Estonian War of Independence">Estonian War of Independence</a> (1918–1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Latvian_War_of_Independence" title="Latvian War of Independence">Latvian War of Independence</a> (1918–1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lithuanian_Wars_of_Independence" title="Lithuanian Wars of Independence">Lithuanian Wars of Independence</a> (1918–1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Ukrainian_War" title="Polish–Ukrainian War">Polish–Ukrainian War</a> (1918–19)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Third_Anglo-Afghan_War" title="Third Anglo-Afghan War">Third Anglo-Afghan War</a> (1919)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/1919_Egyptian_revolution" title="1919 Egyptian revolution">Egyptian Revolution</a> (1919)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_War" title="Polish–Lithuanian War">Polish–Lithuanian War</a> (1919–1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Soviet_War" title="Polish–Soviet War">Polish–Soviet War</a> (1919–1921)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Irish_War_of_Independence" title="Irish War of Independence">Irish War of Independence</a> (1919–1921)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Turkish_War_of_Independence" title="Turkish War of Independence">Turkish War of Independence</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom_during_the_Turkish_War_of_Independence" title="United Kingdom during the Turkish War of Independence">Anglo-Turkish War</a> (1918–1923)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Franco-Turkish_War" title="Franco-Turkish War">Franco-Turkish War</a> (1918–1921)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Greco-Turkish_War_(1919%E2%80%931922)" title="Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922)">Greco-Turkish War</a> (1919–1922)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Turkish%E2%80%93Armenian_War" title="Turkish–Armenian War">Turkish–Armenian War</a> (1920)</li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Iraqi_Revolt" title="Iraqi Revolt">Iraqi Revolt</a> (1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vlora_War" title="Vlora War">Vlora War</a> (1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Franco-Syrian_War" title="Franco-Syrian War">Franco-Syrian War</a> (1920)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Red_Army_invasion_of_Georgia" title="Red Army invasion of Georgia">Soviet–Georgian War</a> (1921)</li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;text-align:left;">Aspects</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;;wide"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Warfare</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Aviation</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Strategic_bombing_during_World_War_I" title="Strategic bombing during World War I">Strategic bombing</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chemical_weapons_in_World_War_I" title="Chemical weapons in World War I">Chemical weapons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_War_I_cryptography" title="World War I cryptography">Cryptography</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Horses_in_World_War_I" title="Horses in World War I">Horses</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Logistics_in_World_War_I" title="Logistics in World War I">Logistics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Naval_warfare_of_World_War_I" title="Naval warfare of World War I">Naval warfare</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Convoys_in_World_War_I" title="Convoys in World War I">Convoy system</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Trench_warfare" title="Trench warfare">Trench warfare</a></li></ul> </div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;;wide"><tbody><tr><th id="Conscription493" scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Conscription</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/World_War_I_conscription_in_Australia" title="World War I conscription in Australia">Australia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Conscription_Crisis_of_1917" title="Conscription Crisis of 1917">Canada</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Seferberlik" title="Seferberlik">Ottoman Empire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Recruitment_to_the_British_Army_during_World_War_I" title="Recruitment to the British Army during World War I">United Kingdom</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Conscription_Crisis_of_1918" title="Conscription Crisis of 1918">Ireland</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Selective_Service_Act_of_1917" title="Selective Service Act of 1917">United States</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;"><a href="/wiki/World_War_I_casualties" title="World War I casualties">Casualties</a> /<br />Civilian impact</div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>British casualties <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_British_parliamentarians_who_died_in_the_First_World_War" title="List of British parliamentarians who died in the First World War">Parliamentarians</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ottoman_casualties_of_World_War_I" title="Ottoman casualties of World War I">Ottoman casualties</a></li> <li>Sports <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_international_rugby_union_players_killed_in_World_War_I" title="List of international rugby union players killed in World War I">Rugby</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Olympians_killed_in_World_War_I" title="List of Olympians killed in World War I">Olympians</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;;wide"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Disease</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/1899%E2%80%931923_cholera_pandemic" title="1899–1923 cholera pandemic">1899–1923 cholera pandemic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1915_typhus_and_relapsing_fever_epidemic_in_Serbia" title="1915 typhus and relapsing fever epidemic in Serbia">1915 typhus epidemic in Serbia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Spanish_flu" title="Spanish flu">Spanish flu</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Occupations</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_occupation_of_Serbia" title="Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia">Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia</a></li> <li>Bulgarian occupations <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_occupation_of_Albania" title="Bulgarian occupation of Albania">Albania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgarian_occupation_of_Serbia_(World_War_I)" title="Bulgarian occupation of Serbia (World War I)">Serbia</a></li></ul></li> <li>German occupations <ul><li><a href="/wiki/German_occupation_of_Belgium_during_World_War_I" title="German occupation of Belgium during World War I">Belgium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_occupation_of_Luxembourg_during_World_War_I" title="German occupation of Luxembourg during World War I">Luxembourg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_occupation_of_north-east_France_during_World_War_I" title="German occupation of north-east France during World War I">Northeast France</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Ober_Ost" title="Ober Ost">Ober Ost</a></i></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Occupied_Enemy_Territory_Administration" title="Occupied Enemy Territory Administration">Occupied Enemy Territory Administration</a></li> <li>Russian occupations <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Russian_occupation_of_Eastern_Galicia_(1914%E2%80%931915)" title="Russian occupation of Eastern Galicia (1914–1915)">Eastern Galicia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Occupation_of_Western_Armenia" title="Occupation of Western Armenia">Western Armenia</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Prisoners_of_war_in_World_War_I" title="Prisoners of war in World War I">POWs</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>Germans <ul><li><a href="/wiki/German_prisoners_of_war_in_the_United_States" title="German prisoners of war in the United States">in the United States</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Italian_prisoners_of_war_in_World_War_I" title="Italian prisoners of war in World War I">Italians</a></li> <li>POW locations <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_World_War_I_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_Canada" title="List of World War I prisoner-of-war camps in Canada">Canada</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_War_I_prisoners_of_war_in_Germany" title="World War I prisoners of war in Germany">Germany</a> / <a href="/wiki/German_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_World_War_I" title="German prisoner-of-war camps in World War I">camps</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prisoner_of_war_camps_in_Switzerland_during_World_War_I" title="Prisoner of war camps in Switzerland during World War I">Switzerland</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Refugees_of_World_War_I" title="Refugees of World War I">Refugees</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>Belgian refugees <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Belgian_refugees_in_the_Netherlands_during_the_First_World_War" title="Belgian refugees in the Netherlands during the First World War">Netherlands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Belgian_refugees_in_Britain_during_the_First_World_War" title="Belgian refugees in Britain during the First World War">United Kingdom</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/War_crimes_in_World_War_I" title="War crimes in World War I">War crimes</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>Allied blockades <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Blockade_of_the_Eastern_Mediterranean" title="Blockade of the Eastern Mediterranean">Eastern Mediterranean</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Great_Famine_of_Mount_Lebanon" title="Great Famine of Mount Lebanon">Mount Lebanon famine</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Blockade_of_Germany_(1914%E2%80%931919)" title="Blockade of Germany (1914–1919)">Germany</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Deportations_from_East_Prussia_during_World_War_I" title="Deportations from East Prussia during World War I">Deportations from East Prussia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Destruction_of_Kalisz" title="Destruction of Kalisz">Destruction of Kalisz</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sack_of_Dinant" title="Sack of Dinant">Sack of Dinant</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Late_Ottoman_genocides" title="Late Ottoman genocides">Late Ottoman genocides</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Armenian_genocide" title="Armenian genocide">Armenian genocide</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sayfo" title="Sayfo">Assyrian genocide</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Greek_genocide" title="Greek genocide">Pontic Greek genocide</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rape_of_Belgium" title="Rape of Belgium">Rape of Belgium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Central_Asian_revolt_of_1916" title="Central Asian revolt of 1916">Urkun (Kyrgyzstan)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Massacres_of_Albanians_in_World_War_I" title="Massacres of Albanians in World War I">Massacres of Albanians</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Internment_of_Ukrainian_Canadians" title="Internment of Ukrainian Canadians">Internment of Ukrainian Canadians</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;"><a href="/wiki/Diplomatic_history_of_World_War_I" title="Diplomatic history of World War I">Diplomacy</a></div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;;wide"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Entry into the war</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_entry_into_World_War_I" title="Austro-Hungarian entry into World War I">Austria-Hungary</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/French_entry_into_World_War_I" title="French entry into World War I">France</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_entry_into_World_War_I" title="German entry into World War I">Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Italian_entry_into_World_War_I" title="Italian entry into World War I">Italy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Japanese_entry_into_World_War_I" title="Japanese entry into World War I">Japan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ottoman_entry_into_World_War_I" title="Ottoman entry into World War I">Ottoman Empire</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russian_entry_into_World_War_I" title="Russian entry into World War I">Russia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/British_entry_into_World_War_I" title="British entry into World War I">United Kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/American_entry_into_World_War_I" title="American entry into World War I">United States</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Declarations_of_war_during_World_War_I" title="Declarations of war during World War I">Declarations of war</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/To_my_peoples" title="To my peoples">Austria-Hungary against Serbia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom_declaration_of_war_upon_Germany_(1914)" title="United Kingdom declaration of war upon Germany (1914)">UK against Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ottoman_Empire_in_World_War_I#Declaration_of_jihad" title="Ottoman Empire in World War I">Ottomans against the Triple Entente</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_declaration_of_war_on_Germany_(1917)" title="United States declaration of war on Germany (1917)">USA against Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_declaration_of_war_on_Austria-Hungary" title="United States declaration of war on Austria-Hungary">USA against Austria-Hungary</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Agreements</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Constantinople_Agreement" title="Constantinople Agreement">Constantinople Agreement</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_London_(1915)" title="Treaty of London (1915)">Treaty of London</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Damascus_Protocol" title="Damascus Protocol">Damascus Protocol</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bulgaria%E2%80%93Germany_treaty_(1915)" title="Bulgaria–Germany treaty (1915)">Bulgaria–Germany treaty</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Darin" title="Treaty of Darin">Treaty of Darin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sykes%E2%80%93Picot_Agreement" title="Sykes–Picot Agreement">Sykes–Picot Agreement</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sazonov%E2%80%93Pal%C3%A9ologue_Agreement" title="Sazonov–Paléologue Agreement">Sazonov–Paléologue Agreement</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paris_Economy_Pact" title="Paris Economy Pact">Paris Economy Pact</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Bucharest_(1916)" title="Treaty of Bucharest (1916)">Treaty of Bucharest</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Agreement_of_Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne" title="Agreement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne">Agreement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Peace treaties</div></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Modus_vivendi_of_Acroma" title="Modus vivendi of Acroma">Modus vivendi of Acroma</a></li> <li>Treaties of Brest-Litovsk <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Brest-Litovsk" title="Treaty of Brest-Litovsk">Russia–Central Powers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Brest-Litovsk_(Ukraine%E2%80%93Central_Powers)" title="Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (Ukraine–Central Powers)">Ukraine–Central Powers</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Bucharest_(1918)" title="Treaty of Bucharest (1918)">Treaty of Bucharest</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paris_Peace_Conference_(1919%E2%80%931920)" title="Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)">Paris Peace Conference</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles" title="Treaty of Versailles">Treaty of Versailles</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Saint-Germain-en-Laye_(1919)" title="Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)">Treaty of St. Germain</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Neuilly-sur-Seine" title="Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine">Treaty of Neuilly</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Trianon" title="Treaty of Trianon">Treaty of Trianon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_S%C3%A8vres" title="Treaty of Sèvres">Treaty of Sèvres</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Treaty_of_Lausanne" title="Treaty of Lausanne">Treaty of Lausanne</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:8em;background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;font-weight:normal;">Other</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Arrest_of_a_Suspect_in_Sarajevo" title="Arrest of a Suspect in Sarajevo">Arrest of a Suspect in Sarajevo</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mutilated_victory" title="Mutilated victory">Mutilated victory</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/The_Golden_Virgin" title="The Golden Virgin">The Golden Virgin</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/They_shall_not_pass" title="They shall not pass">They shall not pass</a></i></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2" style="background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;"><div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:World_War_I" title="Category:World War I">Category</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235" /></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="History_of_aviation137" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374" /><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231" /><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:History_of_aviation" title="Template:History of aviation"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:History_of_aviation" title="Template talk:History of aviation"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:History_of_aviation" title="Special:EditPage/Template:History of aviation"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="History_of_aviation137" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/History_of_aviation" title="History of aviation">History of aviation</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Chronological</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Early_flying_machines" title="Early flying machines">Early flying machines</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aviation_in_the_pioneer_era" title="Aviation in the pioneer era">Pioneer era</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">World War I</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aviation_in_the_interwar_period" title="Aviation in the interwar period">The interwar period</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aviation_in_World_War_II" title="Aviation in World War II">World War II</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Post-war_aviation" title="Post-war aviation">Post–World War II</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aviation_in_the_Digital_Age" title="Aviation in the Digital Age">Digital Age</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Topic histories</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/History_of_aerodynamics" title="History of aerodynamics">Aerodynamics</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_aviation_medicine" title="History of aviation medicine">Aviation medicine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_ballooning" title="History of ballooning">Ballooning</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/History_of_military_ballooning" title="History of military ballooning">military</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_hang_gliding" title="History of hang gliding">Hang gliding</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_unmanned_aerial_vehicles" title="History of unmanned aerial vehicles">Unmanned aerial vehicles</a> (<a href="/wiki/History_of_unmanned_combat_aerial_vehicles" title="History of unmanned combat aerial vehicles">combat</a>)</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Other topics</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Claims_to_the_first_airplane_flight" title="Claims to the first airplane flight">Claims to the first airplane flight</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Air_warfare_of_World_War_II" title="Air warfare of World War II">Air warfare of World War II</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jet_Age" title="Jet Age">Jet Age</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mars_aircraft" title="Mars aircraft">Mars aircraft</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Timeline_of_women_in_aviation" title="Timeline of women in aviation">Women in aviation</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2"><div>See also: <a href="/wiki/Template:Aviation_timelines_navbox" title="Template:Aviation timelines navbox">Aviation timelines 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