4 Years of Thunder (3of4): Bloody April (WWI Aviation Documentary)

mortem 19:16 a deadly new German fighter the albatross one of its pilots was Manfred von Richthofen the legendary Red Baron the Allies counted with the light fast climbing sub with pum underpowered but superbly agile a year later the Fokker triplane and the Red Baron's flying circus terrorized the Allies it was the Golden Age of the World War one fighter the planes on the ground are British sup with one-and-a-half Strutters coming into land is an F eats whoo it's autumn 1916 this film shows women of the WRA F the women's Royal Air Force building one-and-a-half Strutters the WRA F made an enormous contribution to the British war effort women were particularly effective in speeding up the slow pace of British aircraft production stratas began to arrive on the western front in late May 1916 just before the Battle of the Somme they were British two-seat fighter reconnaissance aircraft the first used by the Royal Flying Corps to have a synchronized machine gun firing through the propeller arc an additional Louis gun operated by the observer made it a formidable opponent it was slow into production at the time it entered service with the RFC in mid 1916 much of its potential advantage was lost it was more heavily armed than most two-seaters here the Lewis gun is being fitted to a scarf ring a device that allowed the observer to aim the gun freely in almost any direction Lewis gun ammunition came in drums when a drum was emptied it was removed and another one clipped on the one-and-a-half stratas could dogfight escort bombers perform reconnaissance they were the forerunners of today's multi-role fighters like the f-16 here the pilot is furiously pumping fuel to start the engine the relationship between pilot and observer was crucial compatible partners tended to stay together their bond could become so strong the Germans referred to it as a fliers marriage for a while Strutters performed well they were soon obsolete on August the 28th 1916 chief of the German General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn resigned having failed to force victories at bear down in the Sun his replacement Field Marshal Hindenburg with quartermaster general Erich von Ludendorff said about revolutionising Germany's use of air power pursuit squadrons called yustas were established yester leaders like the great Oswald Walker but instructed to switch their tactics from defense to attack murka trained new pilots in his own theories of aerial combat secured every advantage fire only at close-range fight as a team always carry an attack through among workers young protegees one stood out Manfred von Richthofen drank in everything bulk I had to say he learned fast and achieved immediate success hindenburg and ludendorff also ordered an increase in Germany's aircraft production the albatross company had a new fighter design on the drawing board wood was a major component in its construction Germany needed a fighter to compete with allied new ports and th tools in the absence of a better idea it ordered that the french newport be copied but albatrosses own concept was far better it would re-establish aerial superiority for germany not seen since the months of the Fokker scourge the unique feature of Albatross fighters was the construction of the fuselage the framework used conventional formers and stringers but the skin was sheet plywood at a time when almost all aircraft were covered with stretched fabric this was very unusual the plywood went into curves around the framework Davis use a large great strength and rigidity the first model was called the d1 it became available in August 1916 and impressed the German authorities it reached the front in late summer feedback to the factory was good Osmel burka shot down 11 Allied planes in 16 days on September the 17th Volker led his y hasta of Albatros d ones in the first large formation of german fighter aircraft ever to cross into allied territory german air power was at last on the offensive the new albatross fighters and their elite young pilots completely outclassed the obsolete British pusher designs there was one criticism of the d1 the pilot didn't have a clear view to the front and above the upper wing was brought closer to the fuselage to solve this problem the modified version was called the d2 the albatross had two machineguns fixed in front of the pilot synchronized to fire through the propeller arc this two gun patent would set the standard for both German and Allied fighter aircraft by the end of 1916 albatross fighters were being produced at a rate which gave Germany numerical as well as technical fighter superiority manfred von richter burns father was an army reserve major manfred continued his family's strong military tradition a month after receiving his albatross his score was six Allied aircraft Ronit oven and his colleagues in other yeah stirs honed their fighting skills german records for september and october 1916 show 211 Allied aircraft destroyed compared with the German loss of 39 this is rare film of an albatross attacking a cauldron biplane there was little doubt about the outcome of such an unbeatable contest the lumbering quorum must be destroyed unless fate or an allied fighter intervene German morale in the air severely damaged by reversals that we're done of the Somme recovered quickly by October the Allies had lost their hair superiority a new generation of German fighter pilots headed by von Richtofen was making the most of a license to be aggressive but on October the 28th gray autumn day Berger was scheduled to fly an infantry support mission dodging an enemy fighter he brushed his wingtip against his friend Erwin Burma's plane his albatross crashed to the ground burka the great pilot tactician was dead at 25 with 40 victories yes the two was renamed just a filter in his honor Germany had lost its greatest aerial hero but another was preparing to take his place by early November 1916 on which children had eight victories on a patrol of a planet called in northern France he was attacked by a British dh2 in the longest dogfight of the war von Richtofen claimed his ninth victim it was Britain's hero Victoria Cross winner major lane Oaxaca lauric Tobin had delivered another major blow to Allied morale in January 1917 von Richtofen was given command of his own squadron joste 11 it had been in existence for several months but it only scored one unconfirmed victory varnak tobin's had out to pass on the knowledge and experience he'd learned from burqa he coached his pilots personally analyzing their performance and suggesting improvements at about this time a new British fighter is arriving on the western front the Sopwith Pup faced a grave task albatrosses were overwhelming every allied aircraft except the French SPAD the pups their own rotary developed only half the Albatross is 160 horsepower but what it lacked in power it made up for in delightful flying qualities in a dogfight it could hold its height better than any aircraft of the period halide or German it had a single Vickers machine gun firing through the propeller but production was slow Germany was able to maintain numerical superiority in January 1917 Germany introduced a new albatross the d3 this is a d3 tail assembly framed in wood with a fabric covering the d3s appearance was similar to the earlier models the fuselage was almost identical the strong ply covering the sleek shape were retained the engine was a high compression model of the 160 horsepower Mercedes wing layout was changed to improve downward visibility the lower wing was made smaller with reshaped wing struts like the French Newports these struts had given Newports problems and they do the same for albatross they allowed the lower wing to twist dangerously one of the first D threes was supplied to Manfred von Richthofen his lower wing cracked in-flight bar refill had his albatross fuselage painted red identifying himself to friends and challenging enemies von Richtofen would become known to the Allies as the Red Devil in March 1917 Germany retreated to the heavily fortified Siegfried line German aircraft fought to control the air protecting troops as they moved back the retreating Germans destroyed anything that could be useful to the advancing allies von Richtofen and his colleagues took their tasks as a personal challenge they vowed not to relinquish the air to the Englishman from early April yester eleven was based near duei on April the second when Rick Tobin's orderly awoke him announcing that the English had arrived von Richtofen took off and claimed his first victim of the month that became known to the British Flyers as bloody April two weeks later he'd increased his score to 45 by the end of April 150 British planes have been destroyed German newspapers ran stories of a British squadron dedicated to killing von Richtofen in order to reduce their leaders visibility his pilots painted their own albatrosses bright red but Manfred's was still the only completely red machine all the rest had at least a splash of some other colour in spite of the growing von Richtofen legend all romance and chivalry had long disappeared from the war as one British pirate said more often there was just the sheer bloody murder of the headhunter many British two-seaters in service were obsolete little more than flying death traps for their cruise justa 11 spent the last days of April based at Luke or Southeast to do a in the village there's a chateau which von Richter burn used his squadron headquarters by the end of April his score had passed 50 on May the 1st he went on furlough he left last 11 in the hands of his brother nota who was following in Manfred's footsteps is a deadly fighter pilot bloody April was over Germany had reinforced its superiority in the air April 1917 had another significance America entered the war but American airpower was non-existent and it would take many months and many dollars to have an impact in spite of the defeats of bloody April the spirit of the British Royal Flying Corps remains strong a new fighter helped se fives from the Royal Air Park factory began arriving at the front in the last week of bloody April the se5 was a stable tough single seater with a powerful hispano-suiza engine it had a synchronized Vickers machine gun firing through the propeller arc and the Lewis gun fixed to the upper wing in the air it proved to be superior to the albatross the SE fives stationary engine and marked dihedral gave it stability great strength allowed it to dive very fast without breaking up but British ace Albert ball converted to the SE 5 reluctantly he preferred his old Newport 17 I'm a the seventh ball took off in a new se5 his patrol would encounter von Richtofen Jasta 11 Manfred was still on furlough and lotar was in command in a confused struggle lotar was forced to crash-land balls engine is apparently damaged but no one's really sure why he crashed his se5 hit the ground and he was killed lota bonnachoven claimed the victory ball's death was a major blow to the RFC but another new star was on the rise Canadian Billy Bishop fought his first air combat in March 1917 his score mounted rapidly only six weeks later he was promoted to captain by early May he had 20 victories flying a new port his squadron was react with with se5 Bishop finished the war with 72 victories but recently his claims have been challenged in the meantime a curious little British fighter made its debut in battle it was the soft with track length its stack of three wings was designed to reduce wing span and increase wing area making it handle and climb better than biplanes it flew with the Royal Naval Air Service and did its job well but its main legacy was to inspire a famous German copy the Fokker dr1 when Manfred von Richthofen returned to the front in June 1917 he had orders to implement a new German air strategy the asters were to be combined into larger battle groups and housed in tents and portable sheds so they could be moved quickly to critical locations jg-1 cornish tomans group was made up of four yesterd and their 50 aircraft a new albatross fighter the d5 was introduced it's wooden fuselage had an oval cross-section the top wing was very close to the cockpit the tremendous success of the first three models convinced the albatross factory to continue the line they were confident they had a winning formula the wings and tail of the d5 were identical to the d3 the V strut layout was retained in spite of its problems under stress there was a series of fatal crashes as soon as the d5 entered service they were caused by wing failure extra wire bracing and small struts were added for strength pilots were warned not to dive too steeply further strengthening was ordered aircraft already delivered were to be modified but inspections showed that this work was not performed the crashes continued by then it was clear that new Allied fighters could match the Albatross and the d5 offered little advance over its predecessors but Germany had no real alternatives ready for service the Albatross d5 and 5a continued in production Germany planned a diversion that would help its new fighter groups get established on June the 13th fourteen long-range Gotha bombers were prepared for takeoff their target was London the raid was successful 162 Londoners were killed Britain was outraged the Royal Flying Corps began withdrawing fighter squadrons from France to protect Britain ironically the efficiency of the gutters may have been improved by a mistake involving Britain's own long-range giant on February the 2nd 1917 a brand-new handley page bomber went off course and landed unintentionally behind German lines the Germans were able to examine this latest British strategic weapon in detail before it had even entered service the Handley page had a wingspan of a hundred feet he could carry almost 1,800 pounds of bombs a far cry from the finned artillery shells dropped over the side by hand the war in the air was approaching its third birthday to the young men who survived that long it seemed like many lifetimes it was a strange existence conditions on the ground were relatively comfortable miles behind the trenches and there was plenty of leisure often the weather prohibited flying for days at a time the spirit that developed in the air services was one of easygoing casual irreverence dress codes were informal status was a question of achievement and experience rather than a badge of rank new arrivals to this elite Brotherhood found that acceptance wasn't automatic it took time and performance casualty rates were high there was a constant stream of new arrivals to replace those who were killed or transferred squadrons developed identities and styles that remained constant in spite of changing personnel compared with other services a high degree of individualism was tolerated some of the most extreme and talented pilots were eccentric and difficult to get on with squadron life with its facade of fight hard and play hard was never without tension and death was always present most pilots cope with this by living as fully as they caught in each moment they survived squadron identity was proudly cultivated the French were famous for their asghari year insignia it was Flair not only in the choice of symbol but in the elegant execution of the graphics some pilots took individualism to the extreme the French ace Charlaine gesture repeatedly wounded an injured was officially ordered to rest he agreed only on the condition that he was given a roving Commission to fly whenever he felt fit pilots could achieve almost godlike status when France's beloved leading edge or Skinner mayor disappeared without trace in September 1917 the French population refused to believe he was dead Rene Fong would become the highest-scoring ally days but he never found a place in the heart of France has beena mayor had there was no doubt about his skill as a pilot he made sure of that he became known as a braggart and a bore and there was no denying his marksmanship he was famous for extreme economy in his use of ammunition he took no unnecessary risks and studied the tactics of his opponents carefully through 1917 his rate of kills accelerated eventually he succeeded in overtaking in a mere score but never supplanted him as France's most beloved ace this decoration ceremony the pilot in Lac is captain Alfred helped roll we've just been shot down and was recovering from severe wounds Renee fog is on the right during the war he received a total of 26 decorations he destroyed 75 enemy aircraft in August 1917 a new German fighter appeared on the front it was the Fokker dr1 dr stood for the german word fly deca meaning triplane it's designed out a great deal to the Sopwith triplane Tony Fokker never hesitated to take other people's ideas and apply his own genius to reinventing them when the dr1 appeared it was scoffed at by the German army authorities at the front they were strong supporters of the Albatross but in the hands of the ace van applause the agile little fighter quickly changed their minds this is a replica of the dr1 painted in real nervous colors the most distinctive feature of the box paint scheme was the face pattern around the engine cowling in 21 days Ross shot down 22 British aircraft the NIA one was small light and used a rotary engine this combination made it an excellent dog fighter Tony Parker was happy to concede that he wasn't fast I sacrifice speed for climb and maneuverability the Allies never had an opportunity to realize how slow the triplane was because of the way it climbed flipped and stunted in a fight but Fokker was not the triplanes designer like all the later Fokker fighters it was the work of Reinhold Platz something Fokker was careful not to advertise Manfred von Richthofen was shot down in July wounded in the head this film of on Rick Tobin and the Kaiser was shot in August 1917 von Richtofen still has a bandage Andrews cabin the world was serious and he was forbidden to fly he disobeyed but experienced giddiness in nausea he took delivery of his dr1 on September the 1st on that day von Richtofen score stood at 59 kills his closest German rival was very vos with 38 on his first mission in the Fokker von Richtofen had his easiest and one of his strangest victories he attacked a lone British re8 he approached to within a hundred yards and the crew didn't react the observer simply stood leaving his guns untouched von Richtofen fired 20 bullets and the re8 went down von Richtofen was sure his dr1 had been mistaken for a british Sopwith triplane unlocked the albatross the dr1 had a rotary engine Germany's major rotary was the oberursel a copy of the French laronne as the war went on Germany found it harder and harder to find adequate engine supplies some dear ones were fitted with actual neurons removed from crashed Allied aircraft on September the 3rd von Richtofen prepared for another patrol in his dr1 this time his opponent would be a real fighter the Fokker triplane would meet a British Sopwith Pup in single combat von Richtofen and five Avista eleven pilots met a patrol of some with pumps by 1917 patrols at altitudes over 16,000 feet were common extreme cold and lack of oxygen caused hypothermia and hypoxia both could result in mental confusion and blackouts noise from unmuffled engines was constant and intense bonnachoven singled out a path flown by lieutenant RF bird the puppet and the triplane were well matched both were light and highly manoeuvrable both were rotary powered by 1917 any novelty associated with flying military aircraft had long since disappeared it was a difficult taxing job making extreme physical and mental demands on the pilot not only was the possibility of death or horrific injury constant there were also many physical hardships planes could not be set for steady flight in rotaries pilots were continually fighting the twisting effect of the spinning engine after two hours in the air they were often so exhausted they could hardly climb out of the cockpit von Richtofen forced bird down to lower and lower altitudes bird used up his ammunition firing at troops on the ground in a forced landing he deliberately crashed into a tree so the Germans couldn't take his part in tak bomb Richtofen had scored his 61st victory this is film taken after that battle von Richtofen in the cap and Tony Fokker in the flying helmet are kneeling down to examine bullet holes in the pups engine cowling leftenant bird now a prisoner of war is there as well on the left four days later von Richtofen returned to convalescent leave in October - [ __ ] triplanes broke up in the air for the time being the dr1 was withdrawn from the war its reputation never recovered on September the 23rd Werner Voss had 48 victories and a massive hangover from celebrating in Berlin on that day in one of the epic combats of the war he was shot down by the RFC Reese Davies in an air c5a von Richtofen had lost his Challenger he concentrated on recovering his health he relaxed by hunting in the summer of 1917 a new British fighter entered service it was the Bristol f2 be a tough rugged two-seater that would become one of the best all-round fighters of the war was well armed with a forward firing vickers machine gun and a Lewis gun in the observers cockpit it was reasonably fast and highly maneuverable it could be used like a single seater with the advantage of an observer to cover the tail this film was taken far away from the Western Front in Palestine aircraft served on all battle France Russia Austria Italy the Balkans and the Middle East Britain destroyed Turkish forces with strapping attacks reconnaissance and bombing were the major functions of aircraft away from the Western Front they battled the enemy and the physical conditions heat dust sand and disease were constant problems airfields were few maintenance for aircraft like these Avro 504 was difficult fuel supplies were hard to maintain but right throughout the war from 1914 to the Armistice aircraft continued to operate and provide service in the most remote and difficult locations one of the most famous fighters of the Great War was the Sopwith Camel introduced in the summer of 1917 this one is trailing castor oil fumes as it takes off the camel was fired and temperamental extremely difficult to learn to fly it tricked many student pilots into stalling after takeoff and spinning to their deaths but in the right hands it was the most formidable of fighters it destroyed almost 1300 enemy aircraft more kills than any other type in the war initially supplies of camels to the front were slow but by the Armistice more than 4,000 had seen service they used several varieties of rotary engine horsepower could vary from a hundred 250 pilots either loved or hated the camel no one who fluid could afford to take it lightly the fuselage was a wooden box girder braced with wires and covered with fabric there were plywood panels below the cockpit and aluminium panels behind the engine cowling the name camel came from the hump in front of the pilot housing two vickers machine guns pilot who knew the camels ways could outmaneuver any other fighter at the time because of the effect of its rotary engine the nose would drop in a right turn and do the opposite going left an uncoordinated tight turn was likely to lead to a fatal spin but these eccentricities could be harnessed to perform sudden and rapid movements that could win a dogfight by early 1918 the Sopwith Camel was the most feared of all the allied single-seat fighter in the morning of April the 21st 1918 captain Roy brown her Canadian serving with Royal Flying Corps number 209 squadron waited for the mist to clear he was a leader formation of Sopwith camels in the some area east of a me on it was due to leave at 8:15 a.m. but was delayed for more than an hour a new pilot had joined brown's unit an old school friend Wilfred Mae known as [ __ ] at 9:35 a.m. brown's squadron took off to patrol at 12,000 feet along the Somme Valley a few miles across the front Manfred von Richthofen with a select group of his Jasta 11 pilots took off for the same area von Richtofen whose score was now 80 victories was due to go on leave in two days time the two units met von Richtofen targeted Braun's friend what may Brown dive to help and took a position behind von Richtofen according to brown von Richtofen apparently didn't see him one of the cardinal rules of the fighter pilot was to check six six is six o'clock the point on an imaginary clock face directly behind the tail barukh Tobin had still not recovered fully from his head wound I am in wretched spirits after interval aerial battle the law is very serious Danny Quinn Brown fired a full burst ripped the side of the [ __ ] according to brown the pilot looked back then he collapsed in his seat but at the same time Australian troops on the ground were firing at the red triplane it came in for a rough landing near a brick works on more on Coral Ridge above the Somme Valley damage was slight but the pilot was dead nobody's sure where the brown or Australian brand fire killed bonnachoven as soon as the body was identified a rush for souvenirs began the red triplane was literally ripped to pieces the fabric was torn off and bullet hole evidence destroyed von Richter burns funeral took place near the village of bear town north of am young the Allies buried him with full honors after the bitterness of the war it was an extraordinary mark of respect the honor guard was a group of 13 Australian soldiers with their rifles reversed it was 11 days before von Richter burns 26th birthday when the war ended his record of 80 victories had not been equal on the left is Hermann Goering on the right is bruno alert sir they were both successful pilots and had been friends for some time when von Richtofen was killed in July Goering pompous and selfish was given command of Enric Tobin's Fighter Group the flying circus would never be the same Tony Parker was happy to concede that it wasn't fast I sacrifice speed for climb and maneuverability the Allies never had an opportunity to realise how slow the triplane was because of the way it climbed flipped and stunted in a fight but Fokker was not the triplanes designer like all the later Fokker fighters it was the work of Reinhold Platz something Fokker was careful not to advertise manfred von Richtofen was shot down in july wounded in the head this film of on Rick Tobin and the Kaiser was shot in August 1917 von Richtofen still has a bandaged address cabin the wound was serious and he was forbidden to fly he disobeyed but experienced giddiness and nausea he took delivery of his dr1 on September the 1st on that day von Richtofen score stood at 59 kills his closest German rival was very nervous with 38 on his first mission in the Fokker von Richtofen had his easiest and one of his strangest victories he attacked a lone British re8 he approached to within a hundred yards and the crew didn't react the observer simply stood leaving his guns untouched von Richtofen fired twenty bullets and the re8 went down von Richtofen was sure his dr1 had been mistaken for a british Sopwith triplane unlike the albatross the dr1 had a rotary engine Germany's major rotary was the oberursel a copy of the French laronne as the war went on Germany found it harder and harder to find adequate engine supplies some dear ones were fitted with actual neurons removed from crashed Allied aircraft on September the 3rd von Richtofen prepared for another patrol in his dr1 this time his opponent would be a real fighter the Fokker triplane would meet a British Sopwith Pup in single combat while Richtofen and five are busy aster eleven pilots met a patrol and stop with pumps by 1917 patrols at altitudes over 16,000 feet were common extreme cold and lack of oxygen caused hypothermia and hypoxia both could result in mental confusion and black up noise from unmuffled engines was constant and intense bonnachoven singled out a path flown by lieutenant RF bird the puppet of the triplane were well matched both were light and highly manoeuvrable both were rotary powered by 1917 any novelty associated with flying military aircraft had long since disappeared it was a difficult taxing job making extreme physical and mental demands on the pilot not only was the possibility of death or horrific injury constant there were also many physical hardships planes could not be set for steady flight in rotaries pilots were continually fighting with a twisting effect of the spinning engine after two hours in the air they were often so exhausted they could hardly climb out of the cockpit von Richtofen forced bird down to lower and lower altitudes bird used up his ammunition firing at troops on the ground in a forced landing he deliberately crashed into a tree so the Germans couldn't take his part in tak von Richtofen had scored his 61st victory this is film taken after that battle von Richtofen in the cap and Tony Fokker in the flying helmet are kneeling down to examine bullet holes in the pups engine cowling leftenant bird now a prisoner of war is there as well on the left four days later von Richtofen returned to convalescent leave in October two Fokker triplane broke up in the air for the time being the dr1 was withdrawn from the war its reputation never recovered on September the 23rd Werner Voss had 48 victories and a massive hangover from celebrating in Berlin on that day in one of the epic combats of the war he was shot down by the RFC's beast David's in an air c5a von Richtofen had lost his Challenger he concentrated on recovering his health he relaxed by hunting in the summer of 1917 a new British fighter entered service it was the Bristol f2 be a tough rugged two-seater that would become one of the best all-round fighters of the war was well armed with a forward firing vickers machine gun and a Lewis gun in the observers cockpit it was reasonably fast and highly maneuverable it could be used like a single seater with the advantage of an observer to cover the town this film was taken far away from the Western Front in Palestine aircraft served on all battle France Russia Austria Italy the Balkans and the Middle East Britain destroyed Turkish forces with strafing attacks the April two weeks later he'd increased his score to 45 by the end of April 150 British planes had been destroyed German newspapers ran stories of a British squadron dedicated to killing von Richtofen in order to reduce their leaders visibility his pilots painted their own albatrosses bright red but Manfred's was still the only completely red machine all the rest had at least a splash of some other colour in spite of the growing von Richtofen legend all romance and chivalry had long disappeared from the war as one British pirate said more often there was just the sheer bloody murder of the headhunter many British two-seaters in service were obsolete little more than flying death traps for their cruise juster eleven spent the last days of April based at Luke or southeast to do a in the village there's a chateau which von Richtofen used his squadron headquarters by the end of April his score had passed 50 I made the first he went on furlough he left asta 11 in the hands of his brother Volta who was following in Manfred's footsteps is a deadly fighter pilot bloody April was over Germany had reinforced its superiority in the air April 1917 had another significance America entered the war but American airpower was non-existent and it would take many months and many dollars to have an impact in spite of the defeats of bloody April the spirit of the British Royal Flying Corps remains strong a new fighter helped se fives from the Royal Air part factory began arriving at the front in the last week of bloody April the se5 was a stable tough single seater with a powerful hispano-suiza engine it had a synchronized Vickers machine gun firing through the propeller arc and the Lewis gun fixed to the upper wing in the air it proved to be superior to the albatross the SE fives stationary engine and marked dihedral gave it stability great strength allowed it to dive very fast without breaking up but British ace Albert ball converted to the SE 5 reluctantly he preferred his old Newport 17 armada seventh ball took off in a new se 5 his patrol would encounter von Richtofen Jasta 11 Manfred was still on furlough and Lata was in command in a confused struggle Lata was forced to crash-land balls engine is apparently damaged but no one's really sure why he crashed his se5 hit the ground and he was killed lota bonnachoven claimed the victory balls death was a major blow to the RFC but another new star was on the rise Canadian Billy Bishop fought his first air combat in March 1917 his score mounted rapidly only six weeks later he was promoted to captain by early May he had 20 victories flying a new port his Quadron was reacquired with se5 Bishop finished the war with 72 victories but recently his claims have been challenged in the meantime a curious little British fighter made its debut in battle it was the soft with triplane its stack of three wings was designed to reduce wing span and increase wing area making it handle and climb better than biplanes it flew with the Royal Naval Air Service and did its job well but its main legacy was to inspire a famous German copy the Fokker dr1 when Manfred von Richthofen returned to the front in June 1917 he had orders to implement a new German air strategy the asters were to be combined into larger battle groups and housed in tents and portable sheds so they could be moved quickly to critical locations jg1 Kournikova's group was made up of four yesterd and their 50 aircraft a new albatross fighter the d5 was introduced it's wooden fuselage had an oval cross-section the top wing was very close to the cockpit the tremendous success of the first three models convinced the albatross factory to continue the line they were confident they had a winning formula the wings and tail of the d5 were identical to the d3 the V strut layout was retained in spite of its problems under stress there was a series of fatal crashes as soon as the d5 entered service they were caused by wing failure extra wire bracing and small struts were added for strength pilots were warned not to dive too steeply further strengthening was ordered aircraft already delivered would it be modified but inspections showed that this work was not performed the crashes continued by then it was clear that new Allied fighters could match the Albatross and the d5 offered little advance over its predecessors but Germany had no real alternatives ready for service the Albatross d5 and 5a continued in production Germany planned a diversion that would help its new fighter groups get established on June the 13th fourteen long-range Gotha bombers were prepared to take off their target was London the raid was successful 162 Londoners were killed Britain was outraged the Royal Flying Corps began withdrawing fighter squadrons from France to protect written ironically the efficiency of the gutters may have been improved by a mistake involving Britain's own long-range giant on February the 2nd 1917 a brand-new handley page bomber went off course and landed unintentionally behind German lines the Germans were able to examine this latest British strategic weapon in detail before it had even entered service the Handley page had a wingspan of a hundred feet he could carry almost 1,800 pounds of bombs a far cry from the finned artillery shells dropped over the side by hand the war in the air was approaching its third birthday to the young men who survived that long it seemed like many lifetimes it was a strange existence conditions on the ground were relatively comfortable miles behind the trenches and there was plenty of leisure often the weather prohibited flying for days at a time the spirit that developed in the air services was one of easygoing casual irreverence dress codes were informal status was a question of achievement and experience rather than a badge of rank new arrivals to this elite Brotherhood found that acceptance wasn't automatic it took time and performance casualty rates were high there was a constant stream of new arrivals to replace those who were killed or transferred squadrons developed identities and styles that remained constant in spite of changing personnel compared with other services a high degree of individualism was tolerated some of the most extreme and talented pilots were eccentric and difficult to get on with squadron life with its facade of fight hard and play hard was never without tension and death was always present most pilots cope with this by living as fully as they caught in each moment they survived squadron identity was proudly cultivated the French were famous for their asghari year insignia it was Flair not only in the choice of symbol but in the elegant execution of the graphics some pilots took individualism to the extreme the French ace charm Nungesser repeatedly wounded an injured was officially ordered to rest he agreed only on the condition that he was given a roving Commission to fly whenever he felt fit pilots could achieve almost godlike status when Frances beloved leading aids Georgina Mayer disappeared without trace in September 1917 the French population refused to believe he was dead Rene Fong would become the highest-scoring ally days but he never found a place in the heart of France as in Amer had there was no doubt about his skill as a pilot he made sure of that he became known as a braggart and a bore and there was no denying his marksmanship he was famous for extreme economy in his use of ammunition he took no unnecessary risks and studied the tactics of his opponents carefully through 1917 his rate of kills accelerated eventually he succeeded in overtaking in a mere scroll but never supplanted him as France's most beloved ace this decoration ceremony the pilot in Lac is captain Alfred helped roll we've just been shot down and was recovering from severe wounds rene fork is on the right during the war he received a total of 26 decorations he destroyed 75 enemy aircraft in August 1917 a new German fighter appeared on the front it was the Fokker dr1 dr stood for the german word fly deca meaning triplane it's designed out a great deal to the Sopwith triplane Tony Fokker never hesitated to take other people's ideas and apply his own genius to reinventing them when the di1 appeared it was scoffed at by the German army authorities at the front they were strong supporters of the Albatross but in the hands of the ace van of us the agile little fighter quickly changed their minds this is a replica of the dr1 painted in releves colors the most distinctive feature of the boss paint scheme was the face pattern around the engine cowling in 21 days Ross shot down 22 British aircraft the NIA one was small light and used a rotary engine this combination made it an excellent dogfighter mortem 1916 a deadly new German fighter the albatross one of its pilots was Manfred von Richthofen the legendary Red Baron the Allies countered with the light fast climbing some with pom underpowered but superbly agile a year later the Fokker triplane and the Red Baron's flying circus terrorized the Allies it was the Golden Age of the World War one fighter the planes on the ground are British sup with one-and-a-half Strutters coming into land is an Fe - its autumn 1916 this film shows women of the WRA F the women's Royal Air Force building one-and-a-half Strutters the WRA F made an enormous contribution to the British war effort women were particularly effective in speeding up the slow pace of British aircraft production Strutters began to arrive on the western front in late May 1916 just before the Battle of the Somme they were British two-seat fighter reconnaissance aircraft the first used by the Royal Flying Corps to have a synchronized machine gun firing through the propeller arc an additional Lewis gun operated by the observer made it a formidable opponent it was slow into production at a time it entered service with the RFC in mid 1916 much of its potential advantage was lost it was more heavily armed than most two-seaters here the Lewis gun is being fitted to a scarf ring a device that allowed the observer to aim the gun freely in almost any direction Lewis gun ammunition came in drums when a drum was emptied it was removed and another one Krypton the one-and-a-half stratas could dogfight escort bombers perform reconnaissance they were the forerunners of today's multi-role fighters like the f-16 here the pilot is furiously pumping fuel to start the engine the relationship between pilot and observer was crucial compatible partners tended to stay together their bond could become so strong the Germans referred to it as a fliers marriage for a while strut has performed well they were soon obsolete on August the 28th 1916 chief of the German General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn resigned having failed to force victories and bear down in the sum his replacement Field Marshal Hindenburg with quartermaster general Erich von Ludendorff said about revolutionising Germany's use of air power pursuit squadrons called yustas were established yester leaders like the great Oswald Walker but instructed to switch their tactics from defense to attack murca trained new pilots in his own theories of aerial combat secured every advantage fire only at close range fight as a team always carry an attack through among workers young protegees one stood out Manfred von Richthofen drank in everything bulk I had to say he learned fast and achieved immediate success hindenburg and ludendorff also ordered an increase in Germany's aircraft production the albatross company had a new fighter design on the drawing board wood was a major component in its construction Germany needed a fighter to compete with allied new ports and eh tools in the absence of a better idea it ordered that the French New Port be copied but albatrosses own concept was far better it would reestablish aerial superiority for germany not seen since the months of the Fokker scourge the unique feature of Albatross fighters was the construction of the fuselage the framework used conventional formers and stringers but the skin was sheet plywood at a time when almost all aircraft were covered with stretched fabric this was very unusual the plywood went into curves around the framework Davis use a large great strength and rigidity the first model was called the d1 it became available in August 1916 and impressed the German authorities it reached the front in late summer feedback to the factory was good Oswald Booker shot down 11 Allied planes in 16 days on September the 17th boca led his y hasta of Albatros be ones in the first large formation of german fighter aircraft ever to cross into allied territory german air power was at last on the offensive the new albatross fighters and their elite young pilots completely outclassed the obsolete British pusher designs there was one criticism of the d1 the pilot didn't have a clear view to the front and above the upper wing was brought closer to the fuselage to solve this problem the modified version was called the d2 the albatross had two machineguns fixed in front of the pilot synchronized to fire through the propeller arc this two gun patent would set the standard for both German and Allied fighter aircraft by the end of 1916 albatross fighters were being produced at a rate which gave Germany numerical as well as technical fighter superiority Manfred von Richthofen father was an Army Reserve major Manfred continued his family's strong military tradition a month after receiving his albatross his score was six Allied aircraft Ronit oven and his colleagues in other yeah stirs honed their fighting skills german records for september and october 1916 show 211 Allied aircraft destroyed compared with the German loss of 39 this is rare film of an albatross attacking and will draw my plane there was little doubt about the outcome of such an unbeatable contest the lumbering quorum must be destroyed unless fate or an allied fighter intervene German morale in the air severely damaged by reversals that we're done at the Somme recovered quickly by October the Allies had lost their hair superiority a new generation of German fighter pilots headed by von Richtofen was making the most of a license to be aggressive but on October the 28th gray autumn De Luca was scheduled to fly an infantry support mission dodging an enemy fighter he brushed his wingtip against his friend Erwin Burma's plane his albatross crashed to the ground burka the great pilot tactician was dead at 25 with 40 victories yes the two was renamed just a filter in his honor Germany had lost its greatest aerial hero but another was preparing to take his place by early November 1916 von Richtofen had eight victories on a patrol of a planet cool in northern France he was attacked by a British dh2 in the longest dogfight of the war for Richtofen claimed his ninth victim it was Britain's hero Victoria Cross winner major lane Oaxaca lauric Tobin had delivered another major blow to Allied morale in January 1917 von Richtofen was given command of his own squadron joste 11 it had been in existence for several months but it only scored one unconfirmed victory bonnachoven set out to pass on the knowledge and experience he'd learned from burka he coached his pilots personally analyzing their performance and suggesting improvements and about this time a new British fighter was arriving on the Western Front the Sopwith Pup faced a grave task albatrosses were overwhelming every allied aircraft except the French SPAD the pups their own rotary developed only half the Albatross is 160 horsepower but what it lacked in power he made up for in delightful flying qualities in a dogfight it could hold its height better than any aircraft of the period allied or German it had a single Vickers machine gun firing through the propeller but production was slow Germany was able to maintain numerical superiority in January 1917 Germany introduced a new albatross the d3 this is a d3 tail assembly framed in wood with a fabric covering the d3s appearance was similar to the earlier models the fuselage was almost identical the strong ply covering the sleek shape were retained the engine was a high compression model of the 160 horsepower Mercedes wing layout was changed to improve downward visibility the lower wing was made smaller with v-shaped wing struts like the French Newports these struts had given newport problems and they do the same for albatross they allowed the lower wing to twist dangerously one of the first D threes was supplied to Manfred von Richthofen his lower wing cracked in flight barýþ even had his albatross fuselage painted red identifying himself to friends and challenging enemies from Nick Tobin would become known to the Allies as the red devil in march 1917 Germany retreated to the heavily fortified Siegfried line German aircraft fought to control the air protecting troops as they moved back the retreating Germans destroyed anything that could be useful to the advancing allies von Richtofen and his colleagues took their tasks as a personal challenge they vowed not to relinquish the air to the Englishman from early April yester eleven was based near duei on April the second von Richter burns orderly awoke him announcing that the English had arrived von Richtofen took off and claimed his first victim of the month that became known to the British Flyers as

Channel: Becky Towle

Views: 275,348

Rating: 4.671968 out of 5

Keywords: history, trenches, Aviation, World, War, (Film, Subject), Aircraft, (Type, Fictional, Setting), Fighter, (Aircraft, Type), Fighter Pilot (Profession), Sopwith, Camel, Model), Fokker, Manufacturer)

Id: 2k57e8czhAs

Length: 84min 19sec (5059 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 01 2016