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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 0580.PDF
gsm 6. Home Defence Enemy air raids on Great Britain did not assume serious proportions until 1915, before which hostile aeroplanes and airships came over merely for purpose of reconnaissance. During 1914 and 1915 the anti-aircraft organ isation was under the control of the Admiralty. In 1915 a few machines of the 18th Wing were specially detailed for defence against air raids, and to February, 1916, when the responsibility for home defence was taken over by the War Office, No. 19 Training Squadron, in addition to its training duties, was entrusted with the defence of London against enemy aircraft attacks ; in addition, detachments each consisting of two B.E.2 c. machines were stationed at various points around the capital. The systematic training of night flying pilots was not commenced at Hounslow until the armament and fittings for night flying were standardised. The first home defence Squadron (No. 39) was formed in May, 1916, and by the end of the year n home defence squadrons and one night training squadron had been formed and distributed throughout England. During 1916 the squadron responsible for the defence of London accounted for five Zeppelins and the squadron protecting the Tyne and Tees brought down one. A home defence Wing was formed in September, 1916, and in April, 1917, on the formation of the iiuithem home defence Wing at York, the existing home defence wing became the home defence Group. This was later ex panded and finally became the 6th Brigade. The organisation of this Brigade now consists of six wings and 18 service squadrons in addition to 10 night training squadrons, four of which are night bombing-squadrons. Its duties are : The aerial defence of England and South Scotland, co-operation with coastal batteries, the training of night flying pilots, and the formation of uight fighting squadrons for the expeditionary forces. These night fighting squadrons had the valuable dual effect of reducing the enemy bombing of our back areas in France, and at the same time forming a first line of air defence against aerial attack on the British Isles. The searchlight and anti-aircraft gun defences of London were at first under the control of the Admiralty, but in August, 1917, it was decided to place these and the aeroplane defences under a single command. The London Aircraft Defence Area was accordingly formed under a general officer, and the results emphasise the importance of co-operation between all units of anti-aircraft defence. 7. Development of Special Functions Air FigUint ami Development of Armament In the early days of the War machines were either entirely unarmed or the pilot carried a revolver, service rifle, or Winchester repeater. Some German machines carried machine guns in August, 1914, and the R.F.C. first fitted an aeroplane with a gun in September. Since then continual progress has been made in this direction. The types of machine gun fitted are the Vickers and the Lewis, of which 19,500 and 18,400 respectively are in use in the R.A.F. to-day. The rate of fire of these guns has been greatly increased since their introduction : in the case of the Vickers from a normal 550-600 rounds a minute to 1,000, and in the case of the Lewis from 500 to 700 a minute. Synchronising gears have been invented, enabling the gun to be fired through the propeller at its full rate of fire. Continual improvements in the mount ings have been devised both for the pilot and the observer, so as to bring the guns into the best possible positions for fighting, and also for rectifying faults and stoppages. A further great improvement has been the sub stitution of metallic disintegrating links for the original webbing belts used with the Vickers gun. In addition to machine guns, continual experiments have been carried out with guns of considerably larger calibre, firing a shell weighing over a pound. Heavy armament has now reached a stage of definite equipment and a certain number of machines in the field have already been fitted with a 37-mm. gun firing a i -pdr. shell. Sights are now compensated to allow for the speed of our machines as well as that of the enemy, and illuminated sights have been produced for night work. Air fighting called for the development of special ammunition, and a number of types of incendiary, tracer, and armour-piercing bullets have been produced and supplied in addition to the standard bullet. Owing to the great cold of the altitudes at which pilots must now fly (20,000 ft. and over) it has been necessary to make special heating apparatus both for the pilot and the engine. This apparatus is used in all night flying squadrons. A further difficulty arising from the rarefaction of the atmosphere at these heights has been overcome by the use of oxygen apparatus, which enables pilots to do their work under conditions which would otherwise be insupportable. At the other end of the scale is the low flying machine whose duty is to co-operate directly with the infantry and tanks in action and to attack, with bomb and machine gun, enemy trenches and troops on the march or concentrating for an attack. For work of this nature, which is carried out from a height of a few hundred feet, an armoured machine has recently been devised. The development of fighting in the air proceeded very rapidly. The first recorded combat occurred in September, rgi4, when, in spite of the rudi mentary armament, a total of five machines was brought down. By the middle of 1915 fighting in the air had become a recognised feature in operations' and since then it has steadily increased in intensity. The tendency has been to eliminate the single combats of the early days in favour of battles between patrols, and, in many cases, between large formations of machines, as many as 70 or 80 being engaged at one time. Reconnaissance and Photography The original and, at first, the only duty of the aeroplane in war was recon naissance, and the earliest reconnaissance reports were of the utmost value. The information gained immediately prior to and during the retreat from Mons in 1914 was of the greatest possible assistance to the British and French armies. The effect of regular, rapid, and accurate reconnaissance at once made itself apparent. With the development of trench warfare, it became necessary to supple ment reconnaissance reports by full information as to the position of enemy trenches and the location of his batteries. In November, 1914, the first successful aerial photograph was taken of the village of Neuve Chapelle. During the early experimental stages photographs were taken at an altitude of 3,000 ft., but the rapid development of anti-aircraft fire has forced the aerial photographer to an altitude of 22,000 ft. During the first month that the photographic section operated in France, only 40 negatives were taken. During October, 1918, 23,247 negatives were exposed and approximately 650,000 prints were issued. A high standard of photographic work has been reached, and whole areas of country, lines of railway, and trench systems have been photographed and accurate maps prepared. The photographic section in 1914 consisted of two officers and three other ranks. Their outfit comprised two cameras and a portable box of develop ing: Chemicals. The photographic personnel at the present day consists of 250 officers and 3,000 other ranks, distributed throughout all theatres in which photographic work is carried out, and a large training school of photo graphy has been formed at^Farnborough. Up to September of this year as many as 5,287,826 prints^of aerial photographs had been issued by the Air Service in the field. Artillery Co-operation and Wireless It was realised from the first that one of the most important duties of the aeroplane -would be co-operation with the artillery, and various methods of communication between machines and batteries or ships were devised. At first, signals were passed by evolutions of the machine over the target, and later by signal lamps or smoke balls fired from Very pistols. These, however, involved great delay and trouble in returning from target to battery as signals were only visible at close range. At the outbreak of war the use of wireless telegraphy in connection with aircraft was in its infancy ; a certain amount of experimental work had been carried out, but no standard types of apparatus had been adopted. Only- one of the machines which left with the original Expeditionary Force was fitted with wireless apparatus, which was not employed until some stable condition was reached on the Aisne, when work in conjunction with the artillery was started. From this time onwards wireless grew very rapidly, and every battery was gradually equipped with a wireless receiving station : at the end of 1916 there were about 2,000 Air Service wireless operators and mechanics, and by the end of 1917 this number had increased to approxi mately 3,760. The earliest experiments in wireless telephony were carried out between Farnborough and Brooklands, but it was not until 1917 that anything like an efficient set was designed and demonstrated in the air. About this time, night bombing machines in France (F.E.2. b.'s) were fitted with c.W. transmitters, and this means of communication, which had a range of about 75 miles, proved of great value in reporting lighted enemy aerodromes and other suitable targets. At the present time there are about 80 C.W. wireless stations maintained by the R.A.F. in France alone, pro viding communications between various units in the field. There are also several hundred battery stations. To meet the steadily increasing demands for trained officers and operators, a training school was started in 1916 with about 30 officer pupils and 500 other ranks. This school has now 152 officers and 2,400 other ranks under instruction. The wireless branch now consists of approximately 520 officers and 6,200 other ranks. Bombinz In the early days of the War pilots sometimes carried a few small bombs to be dropped by hand as opportunity offered. The Germans made the first organised bomb raid on Compiegne during the retreat, but day bombing has now become a highly specialised operation, and the development of bombs and bombing aeroplanes has been carried to a high pitch of efficiency The machines employed have steadily improved in range and weight-carrying capacity. There has been a very great improvement in the size and destructive power of bombs, and progress in this direction has kept pace with the development of the lifting power of aircraft. Whereas in 1914 we were only using 20-lb. bombs, to-day, bombs weighing as much as 3,000 lbs. are in use. High explosive and incendiary bombs are the chief types, whilst others of special design are employed for anti-submarine operations. A special type of smoke bomb has also been evolved, which was very successfully used in the recent offensive in Palestine. Bombing has been developed on all fronts, both in the form of organised raids by day and by night for short or long distances, and also as one of the principal weapons for use against troops and other ground targets by our low-flying machines. 8. The Aerial War Ettort of the Dominions General Survey The assistance rendered—especially in personnel—by the Dominions to the air forces of the Empire during the War has been fully proportionate to that given to the land forces. In 1915 the Dominion Governments, fore seeing the inevitable development of aerial co-operation in laud and sea operations, initiated their support by offering to organise their own flying formations and by generally encouraging their younger men to volunteer and take up flying. Even prior to this many who aspired to qualify as pilots and observers were coming over to join the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, and during the whole course of the War service of the highest value has been performed by pilots from the Dominions who were destined to play an important part in building up and maintaining the air-fighting forces in every theatre of war. The following details give some idea of the extent of the efforts of the principal Dominions :— A ustralia The inauguration of the Australian Flying Corps in 1915 was the result of an offer by the Australian Government to form a flying unit for co-operation with our Indian forces in Mesopotamia. Four flying officers and 60 other ranks arrived at Basra in May, 1915, and took part in the Kut operations. The first complete Australian squadron left Australia for Egypt in March, 1916, and later played an important part in the work of the 40th Wing in the Middle East Brigade. Three additional squadrons were organised for service in France, the first arriving there in August, 1917 ; these were respon sible for the destruction of over 400 enemy machines between that time and the signing of the armistice. Further, four training squadrons were formed in England in which most of the Australian pilots were trained, the entire personnel being drawn from Australia or from the Australian Imperial forces in France. Some months ago a central flying school was created at Mel bourne, and the aeroplane industry has now been definitely established in Australia. The strength of the Australian Flying Corps in November, 1918, amounting to over 250 pilots and a total personnel of considerably over 3,000, gives an impression of the part played by Australia in gaining aerial supremacy. Canada In the early days of the War a large number of Canadians came over to join the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, and as many as 800 officers and cadets had been enrolled in the former corps up to the time when a training centre for flying cadets was organised in Canada itself. A total of 1,239 Canadian officers have been seconded or attached to the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, and the Royal Air Force, and, since training in Canada was begun, over 4,000 Canadian cadets have been com missioned in the flying services, while the number of other ranks transferred and subsequently commissioned is about 2,750. Altogether over 8,000 Canadians have served as officers in our flying services, and at the date of the armistice there were nearly 2,500 in the Royal Air Force, while 1,200 Canadian cadets were undergoing training in England and in Canada. It may be added that several Canadian firms have maintained a large output both of machines and engines ; Canada was producing, in November, 1918, about 350 light machines and eight large flying-boats per month. Neg> Zealand Over 300 New Zealanders have served as officers in the British Flying Services during the war, and at the time of the armistice there were 142 cadets in training. The Dominion has presented six aeroplanes to the Imperial Government and lent two others. Since the outbreak of war, two Schools of Instruction in Aviation have been established in New Zealand. South Africa On the outbreak of war many South Africans came to England to take up flying, and by the beginning of 1916 nearly 2,000 were serving in England 580
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