Airplane's Origin
Early forms were typically unarmed and used in the reconnaissance role until personal weapons were added. From there, the machine gun was finally fixed to these aircraft to create the fighter plane. As the situation on the ground slowed to become Trench Warfare, it would fall to the men in the skies to provide a breakthrough and ultimately force air superiority on the enemy. The plane started out as a simple platform in the skies to get eyes on the enemy and carry one to two men. Eventually, trained pilots, or aces, would shoot down enemy planes in dogfights and would sometimes drop small bombs safely from air. The key to flight was a special wing design called an airfoil (seen below). These wings naturally generated lift and combined with control surfaces to steer and an engine to propel the plane created the basic Wright flyer (seen above). Early airplanes were made of canvas and wood with the small task of spying and surveying.
The first plane was very basic and was invented in Dayton, Ohio in America on December 17, 1903. The inventors were bike shop owners and brothers; Orville and Wilbur Wright. Later on, planes became made of light metals with a wood frame with more powerful engines. These airplanes were brought into the war in 1914 and at first did not have the major role they share today. Planes did not have a major role at first until stalemates would occur in the trenches below. The only way to win the war would be to outplay the enemy in advanced technology. This led to more focus on flight and aerial warfare.
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This map shows several air raids on Britain, West of London by Germany. Planes were later used for more bombings later in the war.
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Impacts and Consequences
Towards the beginning of the war, planes did not have a major part. All planes could do was survey enemy territory and find out where trenches were and what weapons the enemy had. It was later in the war when planes would be fitted with machine guns (like the maxim gun on the bottom left) to take out other enemy planes. Bombs even were strapped to the side and a copilot would drop them to the ground below. The overall impact of airplanes shifted from minor to major as more firepower was held by planes.
The airplane could cause a lot of casualties by just one two people or pilots. A machine gun could be used to swoop in from high above to cause chaos and fire upon trenches full of soldiers. This alone could wipe out rows of soldiers, unprotected from above. Bombs, although considered inhumane, could be dropped on either trenches or populated towns and take out buildings, infrastructure, and soldiers. Soldiers on the front line were especially in a bad position. Trenches only offered protection from which they faced. This allowed planes to come in from the unprotected top and eradicate the soldiers. The towns near war zones could accidentally get bombed or even on purpose. Leaders of countries in the war who used planes for attacks often would make their country a threat. Wilhelm II, emperor of Germany during World War One, saw this effect planes had in the war. Germany was already a major manufacturing and development power and he used this to gain air superiority with advanced planes.
This weapon was not always a weapon. It later became available to the public as transportation. Before this happened, however, it was not developed enough for more than transporting a few people at a time. Although there are many great advantages to firepower in the sky, there are a few downfalls as well. Gasoline was needed even more and it was not the easiest task to get it. Especially in war where the warring countries would block all trade and shipment operations from that country. On top of fueling, maintainance was a huge issue. Planes were new and broke down easily. If this happened mid-air, it would crash and be a large loss for the country. Also, the planes travelled slow and could be taken down by machine guns and heavy rifle fire. This made the planes vulnerable when they went low to the ground on the attacks. Although firepower in the sky impacted war greatly, there were still downfalls to it.
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Connections to Today
Just of few of the many modern day examples are the B1B Lancer, C-17 Globemaster, A-10 Warthog, and the F-35 Lightning. All four planes have a specific purpose unlike the generic biplanes from World War One. Along with the invention of the jet engine to make planes faster and more powerful, the more powerful firepower of these modern planes is extensively superior to those of World War One. The B1B drops bombs and then runs. The C-17 is a cargo plane to transport troops, food, weapons, and even other weird shipments like whales. The A-10 is basically an amped up biplane that had a maxim gun. This gun, the GAU-8/A, fire up to 4,200 rounds per minute. The F-35 is the newest addition to the Air Force and carries many weapons and is a versatile fighter jet. These are all planes used in The United States Air Force but other countries have their own versions of these planes. All of the planes shown are still being used to aid in wars to this day but will eventually, like the World War One planes, be upgraded and replaced.
All in all, the airplane has been improved upon a lot and still is a major factor in war. Still to this day planes can make or break a war and having the technological advantage is very important. Many weapons from World War One are still used today but the airplane is one of the most common and most innovated weapos.
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This is the C-17 dropping paratroopers onto a battlefield. this is just one of many field uses for this aircraft
By: Nathan Bebinger