“Aeroplanes”
When World War I broke out in July 1914, airplanes—then commonly called aeroplanes—were still very new. They had been invented only about a decade earlier and were built by hand from cloth, wire, and wood. Their engines were weaker and less dependable than those in modern cars, and the aircraft themselves were slow and accident-prone. Even so, military leaders quickly recognized their value and began exploring what these remarkable machines could do.
The war brought rapid advances in aircraft design, construction, and eventually mass production. Each nation developed its own innovations, sometimes in unexpected ways, with companies such as Albatros, Fokker, Pfalz, and Junkers in Germany, and Nieuport, Spad, Sopwith, and Bristol in France and Britain.
Designers and manufacturers competed fiercely for an edge, adapting good ideas from rivals on both sides of the conflict. Changes in tactics and battlefield use also shaped aircraft development, from early reconnaissance planes to fighter aircraft and, later, to machines built around formation flying, speed, and firepower. The progress was so dramatic that the postwar industry seemed rather ordinary by comparison.
WWI biplane Vs A-4
Could a World War I fighter plane bring down a modern aircraft? Former Naval Aviator John Chesire recalls on Quora:
“Yes, it is possible, but only under very certain conditions, and perhaps with a lot of luck.”
“I once was flying an A-4 Skyhawk low and slow over the Delaware River in the fall [I was flying out of the old Naval Air Development Center (NADC) in Warminster. I lived just over the fence from Willow Grove. This was in the mid-70s. I was flying the A-4 down the Delaware some miles upstream from New Hope], enjoying the colorful display of red and orange tree leaves along its banks.”
“Up ahead I spotted two old WWI biplanes doing a little “tail-chase” maneuvering. I was not aware of any event in the area. They were obviously flying together. Probably just two friends with their vintage planes, out having fun and flying on a beautiful fall day.”
“Fascinated by this, I slowed even more and dropped my flaps. As I crossed their flight path, perpendicular and slightly above them, the trailing biplane turned on me, making a simulated attack from my right, forward quarter. I turned to counter, but by then he was in a guns-tracking position only a few hundred feet away. If he had a machine gun, and if his aim were good, he could have shot me down or have killed me. Even though my A-4 was far more capable than WWI fighters, in this instance I would have lost to an old biplane.”
A good lesson learned
Chesire concludes,
“Embarrassing! But a good lesson for me. I always wished I had met that pilot to exchange thoughts. I am sure he has told that story, over and over again… and that nobody ever believes him. Had I not witnessed it, I would not have believed it either.”
Photos by PH2 Lawrence Foster, USN, and Alan Lebeda via Wikipedia
