AirForce

First World War

AirForce

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Transcript

Three airmen opening the door of a shed

Doors open and aircraft is exposed inside a building

Airplane is pushed out of building and men pulling it from the front

It’s truly amazing to think that the Wright Brother’s first flight was in 1903……

Aircraft moving through the grassy terrain

and that by the end of the First World War,

Airmen pulling alongside the aircraft

String being pulled to start the aircraft, black smoke in the air

just 15 years later, planes had changed the way wars are waged.

Airmen getting plane ready for flight

In 1914, planes had limited military value.

Gentleman in top hat and suit reading papers to a gentleman standing alongside the aircraft

A picture of the Siblerdart airplane with airmen standing all around

Reliable civilian models weren’t suited to military operations.

Airplane taking off with two airmen inside

Airplance in sky over buildings and smoke stacks

Airplane flying

Critics thought they could only be used to glean information about the enemy,

Blasts of white smoke coming from tank fire in the mountainous terrain

but never as an offensive weapon!

Airman in front of plane smiling

Group of airmen covering the aircraft, sitting and standing on the wings and in front of the propeller

Starting the propller of the airplane and men scattering around on the ground

For the first two years of the war,

Two airplanes flying over the land and sights of the ocean

critics were more or less right. Some bombing was done,

One airplane flying over buildings

Buidlings with cloud of smoke coming from its' smoke stack

but the failures outnumbered

Destruction of buildings with rubble all around, houses totally destroyed

the symbolic successes.

Airmen working through the rubble and debris

Planes were rickety,

A slpit screen shot or airplanes on top a wooden structured model and on the bottom wodden aircraft with canopy moving along towrds a group of buildings

Four airmen riding a plane on a trolley on a track

Airmen holding ammunition/artillery shell

Bombing equipment on wheels

bombs dangled loosely,

Two airmen inserting a circular bomb in the bottom of the aircraft

Two airemen carrying bombing gear on a tarp

Three airmen work to secure a bomb underneath the airplane

and guns were carried on board,

Airemen rolling his hands and working on aircraft

Bomb tied to back of aircraft in secure position on ground

sometimes in holsters, making aerial

Airman climbing into cockpit of airplane

Airman handing a gun to the pilot in the airplane, another airman stands in front at the propeller

Starting engine of airplane, women holding the wings on both sides, man in front where blasts of smoke ignite and women and men in back of plane helping with takeoff

combat seem like fiction.

A row of planes on the ground while airmen work at the front of the propeller, two propellers start spinning

Five airplanes in the sky

Tow gentleman in suits stand in front of a buildings circling small wooden model airplanes for fun

Pilot sitting in airplane, starting it up with white smoke coming from the engine

Pilot sitting in aircraft with machine gun on front under canopy

But the exacting military necessities of war soon made reality stranger than fiction.

Airplanes flying above the clouds in the sky

Group of airmen holding the sides of the parachute basket while other airmen are inside

Men walking on road in front of a canopy covered jeep, parachute type in the sky

When it came to reconnoitering in fair weather,

Dirigible in the sky

dirigibles had an advantage over planes,

Airmen inside the wooden basket controlling the dirigible as they go up in the sky

Aerial view of airmen inside the basket of the dirigible over the sea

they could stay put, hovering over a

Dirigible in the sky

Aerial view of the landscape

position to acquire intelligence. But when fog, rain, or mist

Dirigible descending from the sky over rough landscape of trees and grassland

Dirigible in sky in foggy weather

forced them to lower altitudes…

Artillery being fired from the airplane towards the dirigible

Dirigible exploding in the sky with smoke and fire all around it

Airmen pulling an aircraft in front of the propeller

Airmen manouevring inside the airplane

Airplane during takeoff

Airplane in the sky

On the other hand, the ever increasing

Aerial view of plane descending towards the ground, wires from aricraft are visual

speed of planes meant they could fly

Airplane flying over a stampede of soldiers and horses travelling through the mountains

lower to the ground in relative safety.

Three planes flying over a tree

Airplanes flying in formation

I saw the German anti-aircraft shoot …

German anti-aircraft firing rounds of ammunition - 4 split photos of same gun moves to the right of screen

for 3/4 of an hour and our airman …

Two planes flying in the sky, one plane is seen

just kept on going and the sky was

A long line of cannons are firing artillery in the sky from ground level, puffs of smoke fill the air

Smoky sky with faint sight of airplanes in the distance

just full of little puffs of smoke, and they never touched him.

Air Gunner preparing his gun in front of aircraft, pilot in cockpit looking on

Two officers standing with a huge bomb in the middle of them

Airmen securing a bomb in the bottom of the aircraft

Photo showing the bottom of airplane and location of bombs

Over a short time, better bombs and

Airplane loaded with bombs making its way on ground

Plane on ground ready for takeoff with airmen at the back of the airplane pushing it forward

Airman walks the terrain as airplane is lifting off

bombing systems made for better bombers.

Two airmen standing by watching as airplane lifts off and in the sky

Inside the aircraft with bomb aimer pulling down on control handle

Blasts of smoke and bombs drop from the sky, aerial view of bombs descending towards the landscape

Clouds of black smoke cover the landscape

Airmen watching from the sky

Airmen became experts in the guidance

Aireman sitting on grassy terrain with explosive device by his side

of artillery fire,

Equipment being set up on side of hill with flashes of signals coming from equipment

Airman working on bombing equipment

Three airmen standing on a platform with artillery guns positioned and ready to fire

Flashes of light coming from equipment

Group of radio operators sitting in bunker operating equipment

View inside the cockpit of airplane in the sky heading towards a great number of white covered tents

Airplane in the sky

and when men in the trenches saw a hostile plane, they hid.

Men running through rough brush of trees and debris taking cover

Several men running for cover and heading into a shelter on the side of the grassy landscape

Radio operator sitting at his communication desk typing while another airman looks on

To do otherwise was asking for a big gun outburst.

Airmen preparing the big guns, hug cannons on front

Blast of cannon fire, sky filled with black smoke, airmen scurrying around the tank

But it’s the dog fights that truly show

Several airmen standing around in front of the airplanes

Front of airplanes moving on ground and getting ready for lift off

how astoundingly fast planes and

Airplane during liftoff

pilots were evolving at that time.

Pilot inside airplane in sky

Like nearly all other pilots… in the air…,

Formation of airplanes in the sky flying towards the clouds

I could hardly realize that these were real live, hostile machines.

Close view of the airplane in the sky

Airplanes manouevring in the sky, circling above the clouds

I was fascinated by them and wanted to circle about and have a good look at them.

Two airmen getting the propeller to spin, puffs of smoke coming from engine

Man in goggles with lab coat works on equipment

Stronger airframes and better wings

Men sweeping floor and standing front of equipment

meant more battle maneuverability.

Working on aircraft in the, many aircraft fill the space

Three airmen pulling the aircraft passed a tall step ladder

Airmen sitting in airplane going backwards, side split photo and shows back of aircraft

Airmen adjusting frame mounted machine gun inside the cockpit of the airplane

Frame-mounted machine guns also helped,

Tow airmen inside the cockpit of the airplane holding a machine gun

but sighting a moving plane from another moving plane was so difficult that

Airmen turning the turret of the airplane with machine gun in hand

Planes getting ready for liftoff

Planes in sky side by side, very close together

Front of aircraft is visible while another plane is in direct sight of the airplane

Airplane flying passed equipment on ground

Artillery fire is set off from the airplane

gun-fire had to be absolutely point blank.

Airplane maneuvering to the left in the sky, appears to be circling away from enemy fire

Hence the wonderful displays of

Aerial view of pilot in aircraft heading through the white clouds

tactical operations when hostile

Two airplanes in stacked position in the sky

planes dogged it out.

Pilot inside cockpit flying the plane

Two airplanes in the sky

Front view of bombing equipment on front of airplane firing artillery

Pilot face on with bombing gear being fired

Encounters in the sky were merciless.

Airplane descending in the smoke filled sky

Pilots didn’t wear parachutes,

Pilot firing artillery from inside airplane

there was no question of surrender up there.

Aerial view of artillery fire coming from the airplane, four airplanes in the distant sky

Artillery fire being exploded from inside the airplane

Black line of smoke comes from the airplane as it gets hits and starts to descend

And it was cold, real cold.

Plane crashing towards land

Airplane hits ground and explodes

So the human element can’t be ignored.

Airmen walks towards building where other arimen are working on equipment

Airmen oiling and maintaining airplane

The personal quality of the aviator was often the decisive factor in aerial battles…

Many airmen in different uniforms walking in single file

even though some humble flying aces would disagree. The most important thing in fighting

Front view of pilot sitting in airplane with two guns in front

Pilot shooting off rounds of artillery fire

Officer and pilot looking down in discussion with papers in hand

Aerial view inside the airplane with face of pilot in bottom left hand corner, sight of buildings on ground in background

was shooting, next the various tactics in coming into a fight and last of all flying ability itself. Think about it.

Parade of horses and military personnel walk through the streets in formation

Over the relatively short period

A woman holds a wooden board while shaking hands with an armed soldier and an older gentleman speaks with another armed solider

of the First World War,

Huge crowd of airmen stand in front of airplane

men in planes had achieved something

Airman on ground holding a huge bomb

Airmen working on the wings of the airplane

that seemed impossible only four

Black smoke covering the ground of what appears to be a blown up airplane

Aerial view of pilot in cockpit of airplane moving at a fast pace overlooking jeeps passing through the roadway

years before, and contests between enemy planes hundreds of feet

Airplane in the sky

above the earth now seemed as matter-of-fact as a bayonet melee

Airplane making its descent onto the grassy landscape with trees in the background

between infantry forces.

Description

Narration on footage explaining the rapid evolution of the use of aircraft during the First World War, first as a means of observation, then as a weapon.

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