At that the gallant motor transport warriors were at their wits' end. The sound of the engine fades into the distance, and we leave our dug-out to search for the bomb holes. When, however, the enemy, troubled by the heavy casualties caused by our 2, 5, and 7—were under the general command of the [24] 69 airmen received the "Goldenes Militär-Verdienst-Kreuz" (Military Merit Cross), the highest Prussian bravery award for non-commissioned officers and enlisted men. It is also claimed that, like England, she has constructed a large number of non-rigid ships for similar work. were used in the North Sea machines during the first few weeks of the war because of their well-established reliability. Our fighting machines were concentrated under the command of von Richthofen. Soon, however, other difficulties were encountered, the magnitude of which we had not hitherto been in a position to appreciate, and the presence of which formed the chief reason for the gradually diminishing frequency of the raids. The pressure in the gas chambers and balloonets was automatically regulated so as to be correct under all conditions. However, they inflicted but little damage. Captain S., who was sent to Constantinople in In September 1914, G.H.Q, organised the ‘Ostend Carrier Pigeon Squadrons,’ whose sole duty was the carrying out of bomb raids. However, we succeeded that day in driving the Russians out of their advanced trenches and throwing them back across the river Dvorczak THE kite balloons which were built by von Parseval and von Sigsfeld in 1896 were introduced into the German Army to take the place of the spherical captive balloon. There are atill four hours before dawn. First-Lieutenant Franken-berg, who was in command of the L. 21, said to his companions: Leave the birthday things as they are; we'll have our celebrations to-morrow.' 97, was to be ready to leave the ground by 6,30 in the evening. The Kingdom of Prussia was predominant, with a fighter force eventually comprising 67 squadrons. find, which lay 30 miles behind the French lines. Triplane, with rotary engine. February 1915 in order to reorganise the Turkish Air Force, was faced with a task indeed. Thus it will be possible to reach Bombay, New York, or Irkutsk from Berlin in one continuous flight- The flight of our L, 59 proves to all thoughtful people the results achieved in aerial progress through the problems brought up by the war. Our opponents, who soon came to realise the valuable work which was being accomplished by the balloons, made special efforts to destroy them by aeroplanes, and began to employ incendiary ammunition for this purpose. For example the L, 3 type, which existed at the be- ginning of the war, compared with the L. 100, which was designed though never built, had a net lift of 8-1/2 tons as compared with 80 tons. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, all of them Zeppelins ; of other types, the Sachsen, Victoria-Louise, and Hansa; the S.L.S., S-L. 2, a semi-rigid ship, the JL 4, and a small Parseval. ), THE dream of a German Air Force has faded away. The Air Force was the only service whose honours could only be won in the face of the enemy, and one can still study the list of conditions which had to be satisfied before any of the three Air Force decorations could be granted- No emperor, king, prince, or general could wear those ribbons without actual experience of war flying. During this undertaking El-Arish, which lay about 90 miles from the Canal, was used as an intermediary landing ground, and later on the whole squadron was stationed at that place, while General von Kress also made it his headquarters. Free shipping on many items | Browse your favorite brands ... WW1 GERMAN IMPERIAL ARMY UNIFORM M1915 COMBAT TUNIC ENLISTED RANKS LARGE SIZE. Many miles lie still before us, and the eastern horizon is red before we cross the Belgian coast at Ostend, Darkness still envelops the earth beneath, but up above already shines the light of day, The flight from El-Arish outwards was in a direct line. (Stottmeister. ing were unable to judge their distance from the undertaken as early as 1915, had to undergo many tests and much research before it Could be employed at the front. The formation is within range of the hindmost steamer. Almost every domain of human knowledge contributed to its development, either directly or indirectly. For three months the unequal struggle continued; for three months the Turks held out. Our principal enemies in naval warfare, England and France, were more advanced than ourselves in the matter of seaplane design before the war, Russia, who played an auxiliary part in the Baltic, originally employed French types. Just as in 1917 at Bagdad, the English offensive of 1918 also began in the autumn, only this time matters moved fasten The forces at our disposal had been decimated by a terrible famine, brought on by Turkish indolence and the bitter feeling among the population of the country, who were no longer cultivating their fields, owing to the vigorous system of ‘requisitions.’ Numbers of horses, camels, mules, and donkeys were lost, and the result was a catastrophic disorganisation of our transport system. It was not until the National Aero Association had been formed, together with the increasing competition that existed between flying men with regard to possible flight duration, that night flying was again inevitably taken up in 1914, although even then only by a few individuals. This was a rich field for the work of the trench-strafing machines. von Richthofen's squadron near Le Cateau, This conflict lasted over thirty minutes, and involved as many as sixty or seventy machines, thirteen of the enemy's machines and only one of our own being destroyed. Generally speaking, the junior officers were not competent to undertake all the work expected of the observation balloons, and even specially qualified officers required about a year's training, although a large number of junior officers became excellent artillery observers. Even darkness and the forces of nature, which at first automatically afforded the airman brief respites, quickly enough lost their power in' this respect- In spite of all we stood up to our man. Fig. sity of withholding all military inf ormation. It is true that such gondolas were protected by mats and skids; frequently enough, however, these were not sufficient to prevent damage when a bad landing was made, through clumsiness on the part of the pilot, bad weather, or some other cause. During the afternoon, sections of the Air Force were told off to carry out bomb raids on the enemy's cavalry concentrated at various points on the plains, which afforded them no cover whatsoever. The ‘Fernlenkboot' was a kind of torpedo which travelled along the surface of the water and was under the control of the firer. We had thereby scored another success, which raised our spirits yet higher. (Frhr. That which stands as a record for to-day will be quite a normal performance to-morrow. The irony of the affair lay in the fact that our enemy, England, at the same time fully recognised the importance of the airship as a weapon in time of war and a means of international transport in time of peace. This period constituted a turning-point in the history of all bombing squadrons. This hope was soon disappointed. General—Observation Balloons—-Airships, naval and military— Military aeroplanes—Observers—The pilot and observer as one individual—Pilots of sea and land machines—Atlantis. In the matter of skill the homeward voyage was an even finer achievement than the flight to Africa. night. Our young Air Force seems to have been cursed almost throughout its whole Life by the spirit of bad luck, but here I shall confine myself to a rough sketch of the extent and force of that amazing development in the flying service which was occasioned by the wan The German Army took the field in 1914 with 49 flying units, including those on home defence. Only extraordinary will-power, self-control, strong nerves, and a stout heart enabled him to stand the strain, and to go up again after his descent! Finally it was established as a result of aerial combats and the reports of enemy aviators that the redoubtable Curtiss boat answered its purpose as little as our long-distance reconnaissance machines with the two floats. From Constantinople onwards the distance to Beersheba was approximately 900 miles by railway, and Beersheba was the base for the canal campaign. The second time we flew over the steamer, wo dropped a bomb only twenty yards from her bows. Outside this gangway were the two big pipes, one on each side of the ship, which connected the balloonets with the automatic Air force units were reorganised on numerous occasions to meet the growing need of this new weapon. The wound stripe itself no longer necessarily distinguishes its wearer as a hero, for an enemy's bomb in the night could have put him comfortably away in some base hospital or a bed at home. It was fortunate for the Air Force at this particular time that more importance was attached to its work than had ever previously been the case, ‘The Hindenburg Programme’ set out to equalise the numerical inferiority so manifest during the battle of the Somme, and the flying service was greatly reinforced in consequence. He had to possess a sound knowledge of wireless telegraphy, of which the applications became more general and more diverse every day. On June 17th a machine of the same squadron proved beyond doubt that the number of battery positions, dug-outs, communication trenches, and concentration points was greatly increased, particularly to the south and east of the ‘Hammer Wood.’ All aerial photographs were sent post-haste to the General Staff and to the headquarters of the 2nd Army Corps. A cold perspiration broke out all over me, I clenched my teeth, and felt all my muscles grow tense. The distinctive feature of the non-rigid type is the envelope, whose form is not supported by any internal framework but is preserved entirely by the pressure of the gas inside acting directly against the rubber skin. There the monster lies motionless. By the end of the war, Great Britain had formed the world's first air force to be independent of either army or naval control, the Royal Air Force. The vast accumulations of war material of every description, the concentration of troops into camps, the railway stations and harbours with their multitudes of laden trucks and ships, all constituted excellent objectives for bombing expeditions. The West German air force adopted the name Luftwaffe used by the Third Reich air force from 1935 to the end of World War … and, in any case, each shell-hole bordered on its neighbour. Both units maintained an unceasing watch over hostile territory, and carried out very rapid and successful photographic patrols over Boulogne, Calais, and Dover, as well as successful bomb raids, in the first months of their existence. in this manner. In the first grey light of dawn the battle squadron flew raging to the attack like a flock of gigantic night birds; lower and lower they descended, until they were only a few feet above the heads of the men in our trenches, and when with a thundering ‘hurrah’ the infantry went over the top, the aeroplanes overwhelmed the enemy's resistance with furious machine-gun fire. These photographs, together with a well-thought-out system of direction lights, the compass and the stars' enabled them to keep to their correct course when flying to and from the lines. This method was of particular importance in order to maintain the supply of petrol, of which a vast quantity was used. bombs did not effect as much damage as might have been possible. This report led to an establishment and development of the Air Force, which equalised the inconvenient numerical superiority of our probable enemy. The train, which still kept up steam, was used as the chilly quarters for the personnel and a mobile base for the whole unit, for the seaplanes could quickly be mounted on low-lying trucks in the event of a bombardment, and men and machines could be moved inland to a place of safety. Massed artillery positions before the English attack in Flanders in 1917, In spite of these handicaps, I always found the Air Force during that period to be keen on flying, full of offensive spirit, and with a complete faith that things would eventually turn out all right. In November 1916 a long flight to Cairo was carried out from this aerodrome, the total distance being over 480 miles. They had successfully It is true that all scouts bore a resemblance to each other and had developed distinctive features in the matter of general construction, engine power, and performance in the air. bombs and two 110-lb. ), CO-OPERATIGN BETWEEN AEROPLANES It gathers speed; we skim across the aerodrome; a slight bump—we are in the air. (1) By order of G.H.Q. the unrestricted view required for artillery observation and photography, as well as a good field of fire for his machine gun, was behind the pilot. engines of the English and French, and were armed with quite inadequate small arms against tho machine guns of our opponents, we succeeded during September 1914 and January 1915 in carrying out four daylight operations on a large scale against Dunkirk, Nieuport, Furaess, and La Panne. Similarly a second airship reconnoitred the whole Dogger Bank from the northern limit of its companion, and a third the district from the northern point of the Dogger Bank as far as the Horns Reef Lightship on the Danish coast. The monthly production of aeroplanes was not even sufficient to provide each squadron with the same type throughout. The fact that the air is more suitable for flying at night than in the daytime, being calmer and possessing greater lifting power, is a great advantage, and in addition the practice of flying by night will be favoured owing to the necessity of saving every second of time in order that the day's work may be accomplished. On emerging from the interior, where I had been testing the bomb-release mechanism, I am amazed at the clearness with which the ground can be seen. Things were made more difficult by the fact that anything linking up the two floats, such as was fitted to the normal seaplane, had to be discarded to make room for the torpedo. The attack which the Senussi were expected to make on the Egyptians to the west did not take place. Changes in temperature, sunshine, and atmospheric s bumps/ under certain circumstances may become dangerous. : 'We have received reports from various places on the front to the effect that our aeroplanes are now meeting with more success, and that the infantry are gradually recovering their faith in our Air Force.' Bit by bit the machines were crashed, and the pilots went to the Baltic in order to fetch spare parts. During the first few days, therefore, both men and machines were used unsparingly ; every flying officer hoped to be the first to report: ‘There they are'! It was only in the open warfare of 1914, and, to a certain extent, during the big offensives, that it was possible to recognise actual guns and troops, for on the latter occasions there was no time for lengthy camouflage preparations, while during 1914 reconnaissance was Completely surprised, the torpedo boat, the This lesson and that of subsequent raids by the German Gotha bombers made the British think more seriously about strategic bombing and about the need for an air force independent of the other fighting services. The attacks on England necessitated the use of every means of navigation, including astronomy, for the purpose of locating the position of the aeroplane. The orders given to the Commanders of these airships were generally expressed briefly as: ‘western defensive patrol, middle defensive patrol, or northern defensive patrol,’ with indications as to the boundaries between which they were to work, and a note added to the effect that they were to remain in the air until sundown. Consequently a flying boat was able to fly faster and climb quicker than a seaplane of the same engine power. Fig. As a preliminary the observer gets into touch by This was particularly inconvenient during big offensives when from tactical reasons, or on account of heavy artillery bombardment, it was advisable to change the positions of the balloons with rapidity. Argus 'reconnaissance' machine. They had to serve as eyes to the naval commander, to surround our own bases with a protective screen to report the arrival of hostile aeroplanes without delay, and to protect our own forces, when engaged upon operations, against any surprise attacks. At the beginning of 1915, however, balloons of 28,000 and 35,000 cubic feet capacity were sent to the front. At first the raids encountered so little resistance, owing to the weakness of the aerial defences, that individual Zeppelins delivered attacks from a height of under 3000 feet. The necessarily high ratio between speed and wind resistance, a factor that causes much trouble to designers, was hero reduced to a minimum, for the abnormal thickness of the planes prevented the formation of those eddies in the air which give rise to ‘drag,’ while their lift was quite as efficient as other wing constructions with their complicated systems of struts and bracing wires. Also a certain, though somewhat limited, field of fire was opened up towards the tail of the machine between the two engines. combatant service. As Sometimes this curtailment of his training was unfortunate. That pleased me well enough, for we could follow them up with our shells. Along the middle of the ship is the main central girder, which passes through the gas compartments and is connected to each ring by trestles. One after another the batteries were then controlled in the manner we have already described. Possibly one or another of those young soldiers bethinks himself of his home and his sweetheart with her blue eyes raised to heaven in prayer for his safety. to be able to decide instantly as to their nature when At the very last moment our squadron broke away from the enemy, and, since their retreat to Aleppo was cut off, arrived after infinite trouble by way of Mardin, Malatia, Sivas, and Amasia to Samsun on the Black Sea, fully appreciating their value, relies upon the protection of the batteries against the onslaught of the Its distribution was so well timed that the entire Air Force was concentrated from the beginning, and organised with one definite object in view. 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