Aircraft
Included:
Made famous by the theatrical exploits
of Manfred Von Richtoften, more popularly
known as the 'The Red Baron',
the Fokker triplane entered
service in September 1917 piloted
by the fighter ace. Evangelising its
high manoeuvrability and rate of climb,
the Fokker Dr. 1 was delivered to
front line squadrons in October 1917.
Of the 320 aircraft which entered
service, sadly none today exist.
One of the few aeroplanes
to have massive international appeal
during this period, the Nieuport
Nie 17 was exported from France
to eighteen countries as far apart
as Thailand, Russia and the United
States. Having captured a number
themselves, the Germans then transported
the aircraft to their own aviation
companies who then made almost identical
copies for the German Air Force.
Designed by Alliot
Vernon Roe in 1913, the Avro
504 entered service at the outbreak
of the Great War on both combat
and reconnaissance missions. A single
seat version introduced in 1915
which sported a much larger fuel
capacity enabled it to enter into
longer reconnaissance missions of
up to four and a half hours' duration.
In 1915 four Avro 504's staged a
spectacularly daring raid on the
Zeppelin factory at Germany's Lake
Constance destroying the hydrogen
plant and heavily affecting the
country's ability to produce more
of these hovering menaces.
Built by the Sopwith
Aviation Company for use by the
Royal Flying Corp and the Royal
Navy, the euphemistically named
Sopworth Pup was in reality
badged the Sopwith Scout. Revered
for its ease of flying, agility
and manoeuvrability, this aircraft
found fame in 1917 when it became
the first aircraft to land on a
moving ship. Soon afterwards, a
number of Pups were deployed to
a wide variety of ships, cruisers
and battleships hastily modified
to support their operations.
Lastly, the cigar
shaped Zeppelin is unique in military
aviation history and was well regarded
by the German High Command who recognised
them for the long range, high payload
bombers they were. In 1915 two Zeppelins
dropped twenty-four 50kg high explosive
bombs over the eastern coast of
the UK. This was the first time
civilians on the UK mainland had
been bombed from the air, a trend
of course which continues in modern
warfare to this day. Featured in
World War 1 Fighters is the Zeppelin
LZ62, the first of the 'Super
Zeppelin' class, a veteran of ten
bombing raids over England no less.