Unit 35.2 - The British experience of warfare, c1790-1918
Summary
Summary The war in the air, 1914-18
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Unit 35.2 - The British experience of warfare, c1790-1918
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PEARSON (PEARSON)
Book
Edexcel A Level History, Paper 3
A summary of The war in the air, 1914-18. Taken from classroom notes, lectures, "The British experience of warfare, c" & the official Edexcel AS/A-Level History textbook.
Unit 35.2 - The British experience of warfare, c1790-1918
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The war in the air, 1914-18
• Observation balloons were first used in 1794 & used for aerial recon
throughout the 19th Century
‣ British army had a balloon section from 1890
• The RFC (Royal Flying Corps) was founded in April 1912 & the RNAS (Royal
Naval Air Service) in July 1914
Pre-war attitudes in Britain
• In 1914, aircrafts were seen as scouts & not considered a weapon
‣ Slow (70mph) & fimsy & unreliable
• Funding was put towards army & navy
• In 1912, army balloon factory became Royal Aircraft Factory
The growth of air power
• 1914 – 100 military planes vs 1918 – 22,000
‣ Recon, air photography, artillery spotting, communication & supply,
ground attack, tactical & strategic bombing & air-to-air combat
• In 1918, Britain’s aircraft industry had 350,000 workers
• City bombing started when Germany bombed Paris on 30 August 1914
‣ First bomb landed in Britain in December 1914
• Worst bombing raids in 1917 & AA guns were developed
‣ Demoralised & terrorized civilians
The air revolution
• Went from pistols & rifes to 1,000-pound bombs, rockets & machine guns
• Roles included recon, artillery spotting, fighters, ground-support & tactical &
strategic bombers
• First global independent air force – RAF in 1918
• ‘Aces’ became idols in media & aircraft brought war to people’s front door
• By 1918, few appreciated how much aircraft had changed the nature of war
HOW DID AERIAL RECON ALTER THE WAY BATTLES WERE
FOUGHT?
Recon, observation & communication
• Gained intelligence by surveying enemy territory
• High points made good observations & balloons were used in the American
Civil War & Franco-Prussian War & Boer War
Airships & balloons
• Airships invented in 1850s & Germany had 1st Zeppelin in 1906
‣ Britain found kite balloon more useful
• Balloons used for observation & artillery spotting
‣ Could go up to 4,000 feet & see for 15 miles
• Balloons defended by AA guns but creation of incendiary bullets led to their
downfall
• British balloons outnumbered Germany 15:1
First recon by aeroplane
• In 1914, RNAS were only planes with guns
• First recon planes were called ‘scouts’ & used for intel gathering
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