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Home / Historical Periods / World War I / World War I Air War

Phase

World War I Air War

1914–1918

At the start of the First World War aircraft were fragile machines used mainly for reconnaissance. By 1918 the air war had developed into a complex military system involving fighters, bombers, artillery spotting, photographic intelligence and specialised squadrons.

Aerial combat became highly visible in wartime culture, but pilots faced mechanical failure, weather, fire, short life expectancy and rapid technological change. Control of the air increasingly affected operations on the ground.

This context supports fiction about Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force pilots, the Fokker Scourge, Bloody April, the Somme, fighter aces, squadron life and the transition from novelty to modern air power.

Related people for World War I Air War

Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig1861–1928 Manfred von Richthofen1892–1918 Wilhelm II1859–1941

Series

Series about World War I Air War (1 series)

British Ace in Order

by Griff Hosker 7 books 4.5

British Ace follows William Harsker from the opening months of the First World War into the rapidly changing world of aerial combat. The series moves from improvised reconnaissance and early fighter warfare through the Somme, Bloody April and the final year of the war, then carries Harsker into…

Books

18 Best Novels About the air war in World War I

Bestselling authors first, then star rating.