Download or read book British Fighter Aircraft in World War I written by Mark C. Wilkins and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2021-05-26 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Go buy this book right now. It is rare that ISD gives an instant five-star rating to any new volume, but Mark C. Wilkins' British Fighter Aircraft in World War I is a rare book." — Indy Squadron Dispatch World War I witnessed unprecedented growth and innovation in aircraft design, construction, and as the war progressed—mass production. Each country generated its own innovations sometimes in surprising ways—Albatros Fokker, Pfalz, and Junkers in Germany and Nieuport, Spad, Sopwith and Bristol in France and Britain. This book focuses on the British approach to fighter design, construction, and mass production. Initially the French led the way in Allied fighter development with their Bleriot trainers then nimble Nieuport Scouts—culminating with the powerful, fast gun platforms as exemplified by the Spads. The Spads had a major drawback however, in that they were difficult and counter-intuitive to fix in the field. The British developed fighters in a very different way; Tommy Sopwith had a distinctive approach to fighter design that relied on lightly loaded wings and simple functional box-girder fuselages. His Camel was revolutionary as it combined all the weight well forward; enabling the Camel to turn very quickly—but also making it an unforgiving fighter for the inexperienced. The Royal Aircraft Factory’s SE5a represented another leap forward with its comfortable cockpit, modern instrumentation, and inline engine—clearly influenced by both Spads and German aircraft. Each manufacturer and design team vied for the upper hand and deftly and quickly appropriated good ideas from other companies—be they friend or foe. Developments in tactics and deployment also influenced design—from the early reconnaissance planes, to turn fighters, finally planes that relied upon formation tactics, speed, and firepower. Advances were so great that the postwar industry seemed bland by comparison.

Download or read book British Military Aircraft of World War One written by Great Britain. Air Ministry and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Aircraft of WWI written by Jack Herris and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2010-04-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Illustrated with detailed artworks of combat aircraft and their markings, 'The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide: Aircraft of WWI' is a comprehensive study of the aircraft that fought in the Great War of 1914–18. Arranged chronologically by theater of war and campaign, this book offers a complete organizational breakdown of the units on all the fronts, including the Eastern and Italian Fronts. Each campaign includes a compact history of the role and impact of aircraft on the course of the conflict, as well as orders of battle, lists of commanders and campaign aces such as Manfred von Richtofen, Eddie Rickenbacker, Albert Ball and many more.

Download or read book British Aviation Squadron Markings of World War I written by Les Rogers and published by Schiffer Pub Limited. This book was released on 2001 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Years in the making, this book covers the wide variety of markings used by British aviation units in World War I. Organized numerically by squadron number the book includes both textual and photographic examples for nearly all RFC, RAF, and RNAS squadrons. Many of the photographs are published here for the first time, and the color profiles offer a representative selection of units, aircraft, and color schemes. A classic book.

Download or read book Aircraft of World War I 1914 18 written by Jack Herris and published by Essential Identification Guide. This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Illustrated with detailed artworks of combat aircraft and their markings, this reissue from the Essential Identification Guide series is a comprehensive study of the aircraft that fought in the Great War of 1914-18. Packed with more than 200 color profiles of every major type of combat aircraft from the era, Aircraft of World War I 1914-18 is an essential reference. Arranged chronologically by theater of war and campaign, this well-illustrated book offers a complete organizational breakdown of World War I aircraft units on all fronts. Each campaign contains a compact history of the role and impact of aircraft on the conflict, as well as orders of battle, lists of commanders, and campaign aces such as Manfred von Richtofen, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Albert Ball. Every type of aircraft is featured, including the numerous variations and types of well-known models--such as the Fokker Dr.I, the Sopwith Camel, and the SPAD SVII--through to lesser-known aircraft, such as the Rumpler C.1 and the Amstrong Whitworth FK8. The profiles are accompanied by exhaustive specifications, as well as details of individual and unit markings. It's the perfect guide for modelers, military historians, and aircraft enthusiasts.

Download or read book The Birth of the Royal Air Force in World War I written by Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-10-13 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes contemporary accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading One of the most important breakthroughs in military technology associated with World War I, and certainly the one that continues to capture the public imagination, was the use of airplanes, which were a virtual novelty a decade before. While the war quickly ground to a halt in its first few months, the skies above the Western Front became increasingly busy. The great powers had already been acquiring aircraft for potential uses, but given that aerial warfare had never been a major component of any conflict, it's understandable that few on either side had any idea what the planes were capable of doing. Furthermore, at the start of the war, all sides' aircraft were ill-equipped for combat mostly because the idea that planes might somehow fight was still a novel one, and the adaptations had not yet been developed that would allow the aerial battles later in the war. As a result, aircraft were used almost entirely for reconnaissance early on, allowing generals to gain unprecedented levels of information about enemy movements. Such intelligence allowed the French to counter German movements in what became the First Battle of the Marne, ending Germany's hopes for victory through the Schlieffen plan. Similarly, in the east, German planes were vital in tracking, encircling and destroying Russian forces at Tannenberg. Some armies, such as the French, saw air intelligence as a strategic matter, with aircraft capable mainly of identifying enemy forces before battle and contributing to advanced preparations. The Germans, on the other hand, believed that aircraft could provide tactical information once battle had commenced. Pilots such as Oswald Boelcke, Germany's first great aerial officer, would fly over enemy positions in two-seat aircraft with a spotter in the back, identifying Allied positions and using colored lights to direct the fire of artillery on the ground. Of course, spotting took on great importance because of the growing range and power of artillery. Much of the fire from the great guns was aimed indirectly since the gunners could not see their targets and thus relied on intelligence from others to direct them. Maps of enemy-held territory were often woefully inadequate to start with, and with the need to know where moving enemy formations were positioned, the business gained an added complexity, but aircraft could cut through this by providing up-to-date intelligence on enemy positions and sending it back to the gun batteries which were lobbing shells over their own front lines. The Royal Air Force (RAF), Britain's legendary air arm, was born in the skies above the First World War. The British had previously used balloons for spotting and reconnaissance for decades, and in the years leading up to the war, planes started seeing military use. They mostly provided reconnaissance, though experiments were made in using them offensively. During the Boer War of 1899-1902, the British Army used the crews of helium-filled balloons to plot and help target artillery fire. But these were small, tentative steps. The first patent to fit a machine gun to a plane, taken out in 1910, had not yet led to active fighting vehicles, and there was no doctrine, no tactics, and no combat between massed air fleets. That changed during World War I, as the skies above the Western Front became the crucible in which the preceding fragments of aerial warfare were smelted in the white hot heat of war. For the British, this meant the creation of a large and unified flying force which by 1918 would become the RAF. The Birth of the Royal Air Force in World War I: The History and Legacy of British Air Power during the Great War examines the creation and evolution of the RAF over the course of World War I.

Download or read book World War I Military Equipment of the United Kingdom written by Source Wikipedia and published by University-Press.org. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 39. Chapters: British military aircraft 1910-1919, World War I British vehicles, World War I naval ships of the United Kingdom, World War I weapons of the United Kingdom, Birmingham Small Arms Company, British Army uniform and equipment in World War I, HMS Fifi, Lanchester Motor Company, PS Duchess of Montrose, Blackburn Type E, Bristol M.R.1, Sopwith Admiralty Type 137, HMS Farnborough, Pattern 1908 and 1912 cavalry swords, Sopwith Special torpedo seaplane Type C, Handley Page Type F, Saunders T.1, SS Royal Daffodil, War Department Light Railways, Avro 528, HMS Warrior, HMS Pomone, Bristol B.R.7, HMS Thames, Bristol Hydro no.120, HMS President, SS Dresden, Bessonneau hangar, HM Trawler Force, .450 Adams, Naval drifter, Gun Carrier Mark I, HMS Antelope, LGOC B-type, Triumph Model H, HMS Hilary, Sopwith Admiralty Type C, HMS Helmuth, HMS Pactolus, PH helmet, Holt tractor, Hypo helmet, HMS Iris II. Excerpt: This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns (UK) Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or 'BSA Company' or its successors. The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited, BSA was a major industrial combine, a group of businesses manufacturing military and sporting firearms; bicycles; motorcycles; cars; buses and bodies; steel; iron castings; hand, power, and machine tools; coal cleaning and handling plants; sintered metals; and hard chrome process. At its peak, BSA was the largest motorcycle producer in the world. Loss of sales and poor investments in new products in the motorcycle division, which included Triumph Motorcycles, led to problems for the whole group. A government organized rescue operation in 1973 led to the takeover of remaining operations by what is now Manganese Bronze Holdings, then owners of Norton-Villiers, and over the following decade further closures and dispersals. The original...

Download or read book Biplanes and Bombsights British Bombing in World War I written by George K. Williams and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study measures wartime claims against actual results of the British bombing campaign against Germany in the Great War. Components of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), and the Royal Air Force (RAF) conducted bombing raids between July 1916 and the Armistice. Specifically, Number 3 Wing (RNAS), 41 Wing of Eighth Brigade (RFC), and the Independent Force (IF) bombed German targets from bases in France. Lessons supposedly gleaned from these campaigns heavily influenced British military aviation, underpinning RAF doctrine up to and into the Second World War. Fundamental discrepancies exist, however, between the official verdict and the first-hand evidence of bombing results gathered by intelligence teams of the RAF and the US Air Service. Results of the British bombing efforts were demonstrably more modest, and costs in casualties and wastage far steeper, than previously acknowledged. A preoccupation with “moral effect” came to dominate the British view of their aerial offensives. Maj Gen Hugh M. Trenchard played a pivotal role in bringing this misperception to the forefront of public consciousness. After the Armistice, the potential of strategic bombing was officially extolled to justify the RAF as an independent service. The Air Ministry’s final report must be evaluated as a partisan manifestation of this crusade and not as a definitive final assessment, as it has been mistakenly accepted previously. This study develops and substantiates a comprehensive evaluation of British long-range bombing in the First World War. Its findings run directly counter to the generally held opinion. Natural limitations, technical shortfalls, and aircrews lacking proficiency acted in concert with German defenses to produce far less results than those claimed.

Download or read book British Aircraft of World War One written by Lee Chapman and published by . This book was released on 2020-06 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During World War One, the role of the aeroplane evolved from a stable, lumbering observation platform to a more agile fighter. Rapid developments in aeroplane technology led to an array of ever-advancing aircraft seeing service during this time. This book includes various aircraft that contributed to the iconic events between 1914 and 1918.

Download or read book Jane s Fighting Aircraft of World War I written by and published by Crescent. This book was released on 1990 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A reproduction of Jane's All the World Aircraft, wartime editions.

Download or read book German Fighter Aircraft in World War I written by Mark C. Wilkins and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2019-11-19 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fully illustrated volume explores German military aviation during WWI through archival photographs and authentically detailed replicas. Fighter aircraft were developed during World War I at an unprecedented rate, as nascent air forces sought to achieve and maintain air supremacy. German manufacturers innovated at top speed, while constantly scrutinizing the development of new enemy aircraft. The Germans also utilized the concept of modular engineering, which allowed them to disassembled or reassembled their aircraft quickly in the field. The pinnacle of their aeronautical innovations was the iconic Fokker D VII—the only aircraft specifically mentioned in the Treaty of Versailles, which forbade Germany from building it after the war. German Fighter Aircraft in World War I explores how German fighter aircraft were developed during the war, the advancements and trials that made the Fokker D VII possible, and the different makes and types of aircraft. Using unpublished images including photographs of surviving aircraft, archive images, and models and replicas, this volume shows details of aircraft that were kept top secret during the war. Extensively illustrated with 140 photos and ten color profiles, this is will be essential reading for all WWI aviation enthusiasts and modelers.

Download or read book British Aircraft Before the Great War written by Michael H. Goodall and published by Schiffer Pub Limited. This book was released on 2001 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the very first time, the history of British pre-World War I aircraft has been gathered together in one volume, with more than 900 of them well illustrated. This new book constitutes a most valuable contribution about a remarkable period in aviation history and is a memorial to the bravery and inventiveness of the intrepid pioneers of that far off era. Among the many famous manufacturer's covered are Avro, Sopwith, Shorts, and Bristol. Many lesser known designers and builders such as Martin-Handasyde and Howard Wright are also given ample coverage.

Download or read book Black September 1918 written by Norman Franks and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2018-09-27 with total page 553 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authors of Bloody April 1917 present a new volume of facts, photos, and analysis covering aerial combat in the last days of the Great War. Fifteen months after the events of April 1917, more battles had been fought, won and lost on both sides, but now the American strength was feeding in to France with both men and material. With the mighty push on the French/American Front at St. Mihiel on September 12 and then along the Meuse-Argonne Front from the 26th, once more masses of men and aircraft were put into the air. They were opposed by no less a formidable German fighter force than had the squadrons in April 1917, although the numbers were not in their favor. Nevertheless, the German fighter pilots were able to inflict an even larger toll of British, French, and American aircraft shot down, making this the worst month for the Allied flyers during the whole of World War I—and this just a mere six weeks from the war’s bloody finale. This book analyzes the daily events throughout September with the use of lists of casualties and claims from both sides. It also contains seven detailed appendices examining the victory claims of all the air forces that fought during September 1918. Although it is difficult to pinpoint exactly who was fighting who high above the trenches, by poring over maps and carefully studying almost all the surviving records, the picture slowly begins to emerge with deadly accuracy. Black September 1918 is a profusely illustrated and essential reference piece to understanding one of the crucial months of war in the skies.

Download or read book British Imperial Air Power written by Alex M Spencer and published by Purdue University Press. This book was released on 2020-06-15 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: British Imperial Air Power examines the air defense of Australia and New Zealand during the interwar period. It also demonstrates the difficulty of applying new military aviation technology to the defense of the global Empire and provides insight into the nature of the political relationship between the Pacific Dominions and Britain. Following World War I, both Dominions sought greater independence in defense and foreign policy. Public aversion to military matters and the economic dislocation resulting from the war and later the Depression left little money that could be provided for their respective air forces. As a result, the Empire’s air services spent the entire interwar period attempting to create a strategy in the face of these handicaps. In order to survive, the British Empire’s military air forces offered themselves as a practical and economical third option in the defense of Britain’s global Empire, intending to replace the Royal Navy and British Army as the traditional pillars of imperial defense.

Download or read book Air Force Combat Units of World War II written by Maurer Maurer and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1961 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book British and Empire Aces of World War 1 written by Christopher Shores and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 2001-12-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the outset of World War I the British had some 110 assorted aircraft, used mostly for the visual reconnaissance role. With the advent of faster and more agile single-seaters, the Allies and their adversaries raced to outdo each other in the creation of genuinely effective fighters with fixed forward-firing machine gun armament. It was not until 1917 that the British developed a truly effective interrupter gear, which paved the way for excellent single seaters such as the Sopwith Triplane Camel and the RAF S.E.5., later joined by the Bristol F.2B - the war's best two-seat fighter. This volume traces the rapid development of the fighter in World War I and the amazing exploits of the British and Empire aces who flew them.

Download or read book Buffaloes over Singapore written by Brian Cull and published by Grub Street Publishing. This book was released on 2014-01-09 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This WWII history recounts how RAF pilots, outgunned by superior Japanese aircraft, nevertheless flew and fought their way to victory. In 1940, the Royal Air Force Purchasing Commission acquired more than 100 Brewster B-339 Buffalo fighter planes from the US. But when the aircraft were deemed below par for service in the UK, the vast majority were diverted for use in the Far East, where it was believed they would be superior to any Japanese aircraft encountered should hostilities break out there. This assessment was to prove tragically mistaken. When war erupted in the Pacific, the Japanese Air Forces proved vastly superior in nearly all aspects. Compounding their advantage was the fact that many of the Japanese fighter pilots were veterans of the war against China. By contrast, most of the young British, New Zealand, and Australian pilots who flew the Buffalo on operations in Malaya and in Singapore were little more than trainees. Yet these fledgling fighter pilots achieved much greater success than could have been anticipated. Buffaloes Over Singapore tells their story in vivid detail, complete with previously unpublished source material and wartime photographs.