As technology rapidly advanced, new young aviators began to define the realm of air-to-air combat, such as Max Immelmann, Oswald Boelcke, and Lanoe Hawker. Anthony Fokker inspected the wreckage and improved the design by connecting the firing mechanism of the gun to the timing of the engine, to allow the gun to fire through the propeller without hitting it. He achieved three kills, but was shot down by ground fire, landing behind German lines. Roland Garros, working with Morane Saulnier Aéroplanes, was the first to solve this problem by attaching steel deflector wedges to the propeller. įixed, forward-firing guns were found to be the most effective armament for most World War I era fighters, but were nearly impossible to fire through the spinning propeller without destroying it. The need to stop reconnaissance by enemy aircraft rapidly led to the development of fighter planes, a class of aircraft designed specifically to destroy enemy aircraft. The pilot, Feldwebel Wilhelm Schlichting, was shot with a hand gun wielded by observer Louis Quenault, riding in a Voisin Type 3 piloted by French Sergeant Joseph Frantz. The first aircraft to be shot down by another aircraft, which occurred on October 5, 1914, was a German Aviatik. Early aerial combat consisted of aviators shooting at one another with hand held weapons. The twin-engined Bf110 heavy fighter proved unable to hold its own in combat with the more nimble single-engined RAF fighters and the losses inflicted on Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers proved so high that it had to be withdrawn from combat over the British Isles.Military aviation appeared in World War I where aircraft were initially used to spot enemy troop concentrations, field gun positions and movements. For the Luftwaffe there were two major aircraft disappointments during the Battle. These camera gun stills record the last moments of a Ju 87. Luftwaffe fighters, in formation high above the bombers, made the task extremely difficult. The prime aim of the RAF fighters in 11 Group was to disperse the massed formations of enemy bombers at the same time destroying as many bombers as possible. It was issued by him later in the war when he was with No 61 Operational Training Unit.ĭuring the early phases of the Battle of Britain German bombers, escorted by fighters, were met by RAF fighters flying tight formations which provided little scope for manoeuvre when battle was joined. The experiences he gained during this period allowed him to produce a set of methods and techniques which were eventually passed round to all RAF Fighter Command Stations.Īlthough often more elaborate examples were produced this plain typed sheet, from the Museum Archives, is the more telling. He was a superb shot and a great tactician. Such close formation flying heritage hampered the RAF fighter pilots for much of the Battle.Īdolph Gysbert Malan, better known as Sailor Malan, was a South African fighter pilot who took part in some of the most hectic fighting during the Battle of Britain. To show the crowds just how precise their flying was the aircraft are tied together by ribbon strips. These three Gladiator fighters, from No 87 Squadron, are practicing for the Empire Air Day at RAF Debden, 1938. The RAF prided itself on it quality of its formation flying. With the adoption of more open formations the RAF denied the Luftwaffe total success. Once combat was joined it rarely remained so clinically divided. They believed that the Hurricanes could do this while the Spitfire could deal with the German fighters. A side effect of this would be that the RAF had to respond to such attacks and in the resulting ‘dog fights’ the experienced and seasoned German fighter pilots could decimate the ranks of RAF Fighter Command.įor the British the aim was to deny the Luftwaffe the freedom of action by attacking the incoming raids, get through the protective screen of fighters, and destroy the bombers. The Germans needed to get sufficient bombers to the targets so that they could inflict crippling damage. The key players in this battle were the fighter pilots. For the attacker the task was to inflict sufficient damage on the enemy to bring about his defeat while for the defender it was to destroy enough of the attacking force to make it impossible for the campaign to continue. The belief that the bomber will always get through pervaded all military thinking at the time. “He who has the height controls the battle. An Enduring Relationship : A History of Friendship between the Royal Air Force and the Royal Air Force of Oman.Sir Alan Cobham A Life of a Pioneering Aviator.Never Forgotten: The RAF in the Far East.New exhibition: Falklands Conflict to today.RAF Museum Midlands Development Programme.The First World War in the Air 1914-1918.RAF Stories: The First 100 Years 1918-2018.
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