How Airplanes Were Used in World War I
How Airplanes Were Used in World War I Brigadier General Billy Mitchell in cockpit of a Thomas Morse Pursuit Plane, circa 1910s. Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Even though airplanes were a relatively new invention, the race for air superiority started during World War I. The airplane had existed for little more than a decade by the outbreak of World War I, but both sides of the conflict quickly recognized the advantages of creating flying war machines and worked relentlessly throughout the war to develop faster, bigger and deadlier fighters and bombers. The concept of “air superiority” was unheard of before 1914, but winning the war in the skies became a tactical necessity by the end of the Great War. The First War Planes Were for Reconnaissance A reconnaissance aircraft/combat two-seater pictured on a German naval airfield as an aerial gunner checks the machine gun. ullstein bild/Getty Images The main military role of aircraft in World War I was reconnaissance, say