In the early stages of World War I, military forces were still using the same century-old tactics but with new technology. The combination was a horrific mess for both the Allied and Axis Forces. The trenches were the main battlegrounds of the war, and while both sides used biological weapons, thereby increasing the number of casualties for both, neither made much progress. It wasn't until the invention of tanks and aircraft that the tide of war begin to change.
The aircraft of World War I, such as the SPAD series, were unreliable. These bizarre flying contraptions were very delicate and would snap under pressure when attempting maneuvers that today's aircraft find routine.
They offered no protection to the pilot whatsoever: there was not even a simple pressurized glass covering over the cockpit, meaning that the pilot would be severely exposed to the elements.
To make matters worse, parachutes didn't even exist. So, if a pilot's plane were to go down, his last view was usually that of grassy plains getting larger every second before he hit the ground in a nose dive.
In addition to their delicacy, the power of these plane's engines would cause the entire frame of a plane to recoil.
They offered no protection to the pilot whatsoever: there was not even a simple pressurized glass covering over the cockpit, meaning that the pilot would be severely exposed to the elements.
To make matters worse, parachutes didn't even exist. So, if a pilot's plane were to go down, his last view was usually that of grassy plains getting larger every second before he hit the ground in a nose dive.
In addition to their delicacy, the power of these plane's engines would cause the entire frame of a plane to recoil.
Weapons were just modified infantry machine guns slapped onto the airframe, and a pilot would have great difficulty trying to lock onto his target, let alone shoot it.
In fact, in the early days of fighter aircraft, a pilot would find often that about half his propeller was gone by the time he had emptied his magazine.
The aircraft mounted machine gun was placed right behind the wooden propeller, and after it had been been blown off within a minute of firing, the horrified pilot would soon be plunging toward the surface of the Earth.
In fact, in the early days of fighter aircraft, a pilot would find often that about half his propeller was gone by the time he had emptied his magazine.
The aircraft mounted machine gun was placed right behind the wooden propeller, and after it had been been blown off within a minute of firing, the horrified pilot would soon be plunging toward the surface of the Earth.
