1914-1918 : Vols de guerre

Épisode 1 - Flying to War

1 janvier 1996

The story of how military aviation, in less than a decade, grew from a vague theory to a comprehensive system of warfare.

Épisode 2 - The Fokker Scourge

By 1915 the technology race was in full swing and is illustrated here with such developments as Roland Garos with a deflector plate fitted to the propeller of his Morane-Saulnier N countered by the first real fighter - the Fokker Eindecker - with its synchronized machine-gun firing through the propeller arc. First one side then the other secured a temporary advantage thanks to new equipment.

Épisode 3 - Bloody April

Views of the Sopwith one-and-a-half strutter, the FE-2, WRAF women engaged in aircraft construction, Lewis guns and Scarf rings. On the German side we see: Hindenburg and Ludendorff, Boelcke and Richthofen, and construction of the Albatross.

Épisode 4 - Winged Victory

Featured in this final volume are the Americans and the planes in which they trained and fought [Curtiss JN-4, DH-4, Nieuport 28, Sopwith Camels, and Spad XIII]. The delays which occurred in providing them with the necessary aircraft, engines and armament are well described. Also covered are Germany’s "America Program" designed to increase aircraft production to 2,000 planes a month and the formation of Britain’s Royal Air Force through the combining of the RFC and RNAS.