By Liam Sproule

War in the air

Started when pilots began carrying weaponsBefore this planes were used for

reconnaissance

War in the air

A Nieuport 17

The first aerial kill was achieved by French air force pilot Joseph Frantz and his observer Louis Quenault

The first kill

• He was using a rear-mounted Hotchkiss machine gun

Since the start of WWI aeroplanes had been fitted with rear mounted machine guns

New advancements

A Morane-Saulnier with an armoured propeller

• A new way to mount the guns was needed

• The solution came in placing a forward firing gun above the engine

The first solution for firing a gun the propeller arc was thought of by Roland Garros In early 1915

This was to armour the propellers

Forward firing guns

A better solution was needed howeverThe interrupter gear or ‘synchronization

gear’ was invented by the Germans

Interrupter gear

• The interrupter gear stopped the gun from firing when the propeller was in the way.

• Led to the design of the Fokker Eindecker

Based on the unarmed A.III scoutFirst aircraft to incorporate the

interrupter gear

Fokker Eindecker

Fokker Eindecker

• It used a single Parabellum MG14• Designed by Anthony Fokker

German authorities didn’t allow it to fly over enemy lines

An estimated one hundred madeAlso estimated that it shot down one

thousand planes between 1915 and 1918

Fokker Eindecker

Deemed to ‘finicky’ and overly sensitive

It used wing warpingLack of tail aileronsIts engine was gravity fed

Fokker Eindecker

Designed as an escort planeWas used as a light bomberHad a rear mounted machine

gunFavoured for its long range and

handling

Sopwith 1 ½ strutter

Sopwith ½ strutter

Introduced in January 1916Powered by a 130hp motorBuilt in many variantsBritish produced 1,280

SopwithsFrance produced more than

4,500

Sopwith 1 ½ strutter

Designed by the Short brothersLong range two seat multipurpose

planeBased on the successful Short

Type 184

Short Bomber

A Short Bomber

Came into service in late 1916Had a rear mounted Lewis gunHad the ability to carry 420kg of

bombsDuring testing both its wingspan

and overall length were increased several times

Short Bomber

Short Bomber Technical drawings

Its first bombing mission was to attack targets in Belgium

The Short proved to be to underpowered and was pulled out of the war in early 1917

Short Bomber

Short Bomber Amphibious variant

Designed by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen, a German aviation company

Used for tactical bombingPowered by twin six-cylinder 260hp

Mercedes D. Iva engines

Friedrichshafen G.III

Friedrichshafen G.III

Payload of 1000kgCarried streamlined P.u.W

bombsCould also carry an air mine330 were produced

Friedrichshafen G.III

The G.III was a very stable aircraft

Had a very considerable range

Friedrichshafen G.III

At the beginning of the war life expectancy was 5 week

During ‘Bloody April’ a pilots life expectancy was just 17.5 minutes

Pilots behind the planes

Born 2 May 1892 to a Prussian Noble FamilyHe loved hunting from an early ageAt the age of 11 he enrolled in the Prussian

Cadet Corps

Red Baron

In 1911 he entered the Uhlan Regiment Number 1, a cavalry regiment

In early 1914 his regiment transferred to the western front

In May 1915 he requested that he be transferred to the flying corps

Red Baron

In June 1915 he joined the 69th flying squadron

Started his career as a spotterHe started pilot training in October 1915On Christmas day he passed his exam

Red Baron

He was assigned a two seat albatross B.IIHe scored his first victory over the Verdun in

April, 1916, a French NieuportHis regiment transferred back to the Eastern

front several months later

Red Baron

While in the Eastern front he carried out bombing missions

His most notable success was the bombing of the Manjewicze railway station

In August 1916 he met the Great ace of the time Oswald Boelcke

Red Baron

In 1916 Manfred formed his own flying sqaudHe required that all of his pupils study his

tacticsBy March 26, 1917 he had downed 31 planes

Red Baron

On April 5, 1917 the British planned a massive bombing raid on Manfred's aerodrome

He was having a feast at the timeThe aerodrome was extensively damaged

Red Baron

On July 2 he encountered pilot D C CunnellCunnell proved to be a worthy opponent

Red Baron

After coming back from leave he shot down 2nd Lt. H. J. Sparks

He achieved 17 kills in march and April of 1918

Red Baron

On the morning of April 21, 1918Capt. Brown shot down the Red BaronThe aircraft went down in Australian

occupied territory

The Final Dogfight

Capt. Brown never claimed the killSome Australian gunners did howeverThe British held a grand funeral for the AceHe died age 25 having downed 80 aircraft

The Final Dogfight

9, Nov. "The Red Baron, Manfred Von Richthofen - Top WW1 German Ace." WW1 and Aviation - Facts, History, and Pictures. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.acepilots.com/wwi/ger_richthofen.html>."Aerospaceweb.org | Ask Us - Fighter Guns & Synchronization Gear." Aerospaceweb.org | Reference for Aviation, Space, Design, and Engineering. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/weapons/q0303.shtmlBishop, William Avery, and Stanley M. Ulanoff. Winged Warfare. New York: Arco Pub., 1981. Print."Fokker Eindecker." Fokker Eindecker. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.aviationtrivia.info/Fokker-Eindecker.php>."Friedrichshafen G.III - Bomber." All the World's Helicopters and Rotorcraft - the Most Complete Helicopter Collection in the World. Helicopters, Autogyros, Tilt-rotors, Tilt-wings Etc. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.aviastar.org/air/germany/friedrichshafen_g-3.php>."A History of Fighter Aircraft." United States Air Service - USAS. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://usaww1.com/World_War_1_Fighter_Planes.php4>.Imperial War Museum. London: Imperial War Museum, 2001. Print."Manfred Von Richthofen - New World Encyclopedia." Info:Main Page - New World Encyclopedia. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Manfred_von_Richthofen>.

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