Aerial Combat in WW1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Aircrew would fire at an enemy with small arms carried with them in the cockpit

At the beginning of the First World War, aircraft themselves were initially unarmed. As time went by, pilots and observers would carry small arms during observation flights in case they met the enemy engaged in the same task.
Of course it was virtually impossible to hit another aircraft with a small calibre weapon, but in time the permanent mounting of machine guns on aircraft came to pass. The rest is history.

The exchange of hand gestures and intimidating flying manoeuvres probably also took place, but the use of firearms in the air is the key point in the evolution of aerial combat between two opposing aircraft.

Answer: oxygen

In the days before closed cockpits, oxygen masks and pressurisation, aircrew flying at around 20,000 feet reported the effects of oxygen starvation. That, combined with the intense cold that could be experienced in an open cockpit, was detrimental to the aircrew's alertness and comfort.

Answer: Shooting down enemy observation balloons

Shooting down observation balloons was well known for being a dangerous task. Typically, German balloon sites would be surrounded by anti-aircraft guns that would focus on any incoming allied aircraft. The slow speed of aircraft of the day made them easy targets.

Answer: Firing through the propeller

Interrupter gear allowed for the mounting of machine guns in such a way that the pilot could simply aim the aeroplane at the target and fire, without risk to the propeller. Machine guns could be mounted on the centerline, in front of the pilot and above the engine (i.e. behind the propeller, between the cockpit and the nose of the aeroplane) and be synchronised with the engine, so that the bullets would pass between the propeller blades without causing damage.

Answer: False

Beginning with aircrew lobbing hand grenades, darts and artillery shells from the cockpit, aeroplane bombing evolved into the design and use of purpose built bomber aircraft such as the British DH4 and DH9.

Rigid German airships, known as Zeppelins, were also known for bomb attacks and carried out bombing missions against Britain, a forewarning of was what to come around 25 years later.

Answer: It was felt that pilots and other aircrew would jump for it, rather than fight

Sadly, the British high command felt that equipping aircrew with a parachute would lead to bailing out rather than fighting when atacked by enemy aircraft.

German aircrew were issued parachutes in 1918.

Balloon observers had been using parachutes for some time, jumping when thier balloon was attacked by aircraft.

Answer: Extreme manoeuvres could damage the airframe, major components such as wings could be torn off, leading to an uncontrollable dive to the ground, and death for the crew

Most combat aeroplanes in WWI were of flimsy design and could not stand the rigours of extreme flying. Made of wood and doped canvas, it was not uncommon for wings to detach during a dogflight due to forces that the airframe could not cope with.

Machine guns would jam and pilots would become disorientated, but the potential disintegration of the aeroplane meant certain death.

Answer: Pistol to shoot themselves with if the aeroplane caught fire and they risked being burnt alive

The majority of Royal Flying Corps aircrew feared being burnt alive more than anything else. Aeroplanes had a tendency to catch fire when shot at by enemy aircraft, and with no parachute availible the choice was to burn or jump to death.
For this reason many aircrew would carry a service revolver with them to avoid the inevitable suffering.

Answer: True

The United States Army Air Service was established in 1918, and eventually evolved into the USAF. America entered the war in its late stages and made up approximately 10% of allied air power. 235 American airmen were killed in action.

Answer: Giulio Douhet

Italian air power theorist Giulio Douhet is the correct answer. Douhet recognised the advantages of air power, and argued that it should be separate from the conventional army. He was born 1869 and died in 1930.

In 1911 Captain Bertram Dickson became the first British military officer to fly and subsequently predicted the military use of aircraft. He foresaw that aerial reconnaissance would evolve into conflict, and was proved correct.

Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen was a German fighter pilot who served in the Imperial German Army Air Service during WWI. Known as the "Red Baron", he was famous for piloting a bright red Fokker triplane, and credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories.

Hermann Göring was a WWI German fighter pilot with twenty-two confirmed kills but more widely known as a leading member of the Nazi Party and head of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. During the Great War he was awarded the Blue Max and was the last commander of "The Red Baron's" (Manfred von Richthofen's) Jagdgeschwader 1 air squadron.