At the outbreak of World War I the German government took control of the factory. Fokker remained as director and alleged designer of many aircraft for the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte), including the Fokker Eindecker and the Fokker Dr.I, the triplane made famous in the hands of aces such as Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron). In all, his company delivered about 700 military planes to the German air force as well as supplying the German navy and Austria-Hungary.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fokker#Involvement_in_World_War_I

When World War I began, Richthofen served as a cavalry reconnaissance officer on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, seeing action in Russia, France, and Belgium; with the advent of trench warfare making traditional cavalry operations outdated and inefficient, Richthofen's regiment were dismounted, serving as dispatch runners and field telephone operators.[9] Disappointed and bored at not being able to directly participate in combat, the last straw for Richthofen was an order to transfer to the army's supply branch. His interest in the Air Service had been aroused by his examination of a German military aircraft behind the lines,[10] and he applied for a transfer to Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches (Imperial German Army Air Service), later to be known as the Luftstreitkräfte. He is supposed to have written in his application for transfer, "I have not gone to war in order to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose."[c] In spite of this unmilitary attitude, and to his own surprise, his request was granted,[10] and he joined the flying service at the end of May 1915.[11]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen#Early_war_service

German Colonies in WW1


Once war was declared in late July 1914 Britain and its allies promptly moved against the colonies. The public was informed that German colonies were a threat because "Every German colony has a powerful wireless station — they will talk to one another across the seas, and at every opportunity they [German ships] will dash from cover to harry and destroy our commerce, and maybe, to raid our coasts."[38] The British position that Germany was a uniquely brutal and cruel colonial power originated during the war; it had not been said during peacetime.[39]

In the Pacific, Britain's ally Japan declared war on Germany in 1914 and quickly seized several of Germany's island colonies, the Mariana, Caroline and Marshall Islands, with virtually no resistance.

By 1916 only in remote jungle regions in East Africa did the German forces hold out. South Africa’s J.C. Smuts, now in Britain's small War Cabinet spoke of German schemes for world power, militarization and exploitation of resources, indicating Germany threatened western civilization itself. Smuts' warnings were repeated in the press. The idea took hold that they should not be returned to Germany after the war.[40]en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_colonial_empire

The Battle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915) was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. The offensive formed part of a series of attacks by the French Tenth Army and the British First Army in the Second Battle of Artois (3 May – 18 June 1915). After the failure of the attempted breakthrough by the First Army in the attack at Aubers Ridge (9 May 1915) tactics of a short hurricane bombardment and an infantry advance with unlimited objectives, were replaced by the French practice of slow and deliberate artillery-fire intended to prepare the way for an infantry attack. A continuous three-day bombardment by the British heavy artillery was planned, to cut wire and demolish German machine-gun posts and infantry strong-points. The German defences were to be captured by a continuous attack, by one division from Rue du Bois to Chocolat Menier Corner and by a second division 600 yards (550 m) north, which was to capture the German trenches to the left of Festubert. The objectives were 1,000 yards (910 m) forward, rather than the 3,000 yards (2,700 m) depth of advance intended at Aubers Ridge. The battle was the first British attempt at attrition.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Festubert

French Uniform :


Not sure why they thought that was a good idea...hmmmm

Breuguet 14 WWI Metal Bomber Considered by many as one of the technologically best aircraft of the First World War, the Breguet 14 was a French two-seat bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. Introduced in 1917, it was one of the first mass-produced warplanes to use large amounts of metal in its structure, rather than wood.

During WWI, dogs were used as messengers and carried orders to the front lines in capsules attached to their bodies. Dogs were also used to lay down telegraph wires.
.facts.randomhistory.com/world-war-i-facts.html

WW1, Somme. A burning airplane falls from the sky. A British army chaplain recalled how both sides stopped fighting to watch on July 20, 1916, during the Battle of Fromelles: “The only occasion when we have heard troops in battle break into a spontaneous and wholehearted cheer was when after a half-hour single combat on July 20, 1916, a German aeroplane crashed behind our lines. The exitement had been so intense that both sides gunners had stopped firing to watch."

Ok. That was hilarious!

Gervais Raoul Lufbery (March 14, 1885 – May 19, 1918) was a French and American fighter pilot and flying ace in World War I. Because he served in both the French Air Force, and later the United States Army Air Service in World War I, he is sometimes listed alternately as a French ace or as an American ace. Officially, all but one of his 17 combat victories came while flying in French units.


Late in 1914, Lufbery was accepted into the pilot training program and was assigned to fly reconnaissance missions with Escadrille VB 106. He later applied for a transfer to fighter planes and was trained on the Nieuport. Although he became an ace, Lufbery was not a naturally gifted pilot. His success was due to perseverance and attention to mechanical detail. He was often harassed by fellow pilots for working with the mechanics on his plane. Lufbery also inspected and polished each bullet in his gun's drum to help avoid jams, a frequent problem of the Lewis gun

In 1916, a group of American volunteers formed the Escadrille Américaine (shortly to be renamed N-124 Escadrille Lafayette) to aid France's war effort against the Germans. The squadron was renamed at the request of the American Secretary of War after heavy protest from Germany that an American squadron was a violation of the United States' neutrality. The squadron was largely made up of upper-class Americans with little flight experience. Lufbery, as an American citizen with aeronautics experience, was recruited and joined the unit on 24 May 1916 and was assigned a Nieuport fighter.[citation needed]
However, his first encounters with his unit members did not go smoothly. Lufbery spoke English with a thick French accentand had little in common with his comrades, most of whom were from wealthy families and were Ivy League educated. Once in combat, though, his dogged determination and success earned him the respect and admiration of his peers. One night while the squadron was resting in Paris, a fellow pilot bought a lion which had been born on a boat from Africa. After taking him around Paris, the pilots attempted to take "Whiskey", so named for the cub's affinity for drinking a saucer full of whiskey,[4] aboard a passenger train after receiving orders to ship out to Luxeuil. Although assured that the lion was harmless, the conductor was inclined to believe otherwise after Whiskey roared and attempted to bite his finger. Two Escadrille pilots were then inclined to stay behind to crate up the animal and bring him the next day.[5] Lufbery raised this lion, named Whiskey, for several years. Later, Whiskey got another lion playmate, named Soda since she got on so well with Whiskey,[6] as the pilots felt the lion needed a female companion.[7] Soda was much wilder than Whiskey and would spit and claw at anyone who came near, with the notable exception of Lufbery. Although both the animals were fond of Lufbery, Whiskey followed him around the aerodrome like a pet dog.[8] Eventually the pair were taken to a Paris Zoo.[9]
His first victory came on 30 July 1916 over Verdun. By 12 October 1916, he had downed five enemy planes, making him an ace, and earning him a promotion to adjutant.[3] It was during this time that the "Lufbery circle" maneuver became named for him. Although most aviation scholars agree that Lufbery did not actually invent the maneuver, it was popularized among Allied flyers. In addition, according to Eddie Rickenbacker in his book, Fighting the Flying Circus, Lufbery is attributed with inventing the precursor to the modern airport flight pattern. Prior to Lufbery's influence, planes would fly in and land in any direction on the field, based on their needs and wind direction which caused confusion, near misses, and collisions. Lufbery, at the time commander of the 94th Squadron, directed that all approaching aircraft would circle the field at least twice before landing, watching for others taking off or landing. This process eventually became the "Down Wind, Base, and Final" standard airport pattern that pilots use every day in VFR flight.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gervais_Raoul_Lufbery

The Gotha G.V was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. Designed for long-range service, the Gotha G.V was used principally as a night bomber.

Operational use of the G.IV demonstrated that the incorporation of the fuel tanks into the engine nacelles was a mistake. In a crash landing the tanks could rupture and spill fuel onto the hot engines. This posed a serious problem because landing accidents caused 75% of operational losses. In response Gothaer produced the G.V, which housed its fuel tanks inside the fuselage. The smaller engine nacelles were mounted on struts above the lower wing.
The Gotha G.V pilot seat was offset to port with the fuel tanks immediately behind. This blocked the connecting walkway that previously on earlier machines allowed crew members to move between the three gun stations. All bombs were carried externally in this model. The Gotha included an important innovation in the form of a "gun tunnel" whereby the underside of the rear fuselage was arched, early versions allowing placement of a rearward-facing machine gun protecting from attack from below, removing the blind spot.[1] Later versions expanded the tunnel to remove the lower gun, providing a slot in the upper fuselage that allowed the rear gunner to remain stationary.
The base variant of G.V offered no performance improvement over the G.IV. The G.V was up to 450 kg (990 lb) heavier than the G.IV due to additional equipment and the use of insufficiently seasoned timber. The Mercedes D.IVa engines could not produce the rated 190 kW (260 hp) due to inferior quality of fuel.



upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/

Sergeant Stubby (1916 or 1917 – March 16, 1926), was the most decorated war dog of World War I and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat.

A great thread. It must take a lot of research and time. Ty for for this educating posts

World War I, 1915, Pony changed into a Zebra for operations in East Africa (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images)

I can't believe they actually did this....lol

someone could catch zebra eventually

WB|War hawk1-5 wrote:

World War I, 1915, Pony changed into a Zebra for operations in East Africa (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images)

I can't believe they actually did this....lol

LoL! Btw, in the train incident with Whiskey they tried to tell the conductor that the lion was a African dog so as to avoid the whole crate thing... the conductor unfortunately didn't buy it lol! Whiskey got his name after lapping up a saucer of whiskey put on the floor as a joke.. which he then followed by giving a major lions roar despite still being a cub!

"Airships
1914-1918
Airships had greater range, payload and endurance than early airplanes, making them the initial choice for long-range reconnaissance and bombing

At the beginning of the war, airships competed with airplanes for the leading role in military and naval aviation. Airships had a number of advantages over the early airplanes; they were more reliable; had longer range and greater endurance; and greater payload. But they were big, slow, more vulnerable to hostile gunfire, and costly. Early actions over the battlefronts highlighted their vulnerability as bombers and reconnaissance craft, so they were gradually regelated to naval reconnaissance where their strengths were most important and their vulnerability to ground fire was minimized. Furthermore, airplane performance evolved much faster than that of airships, making the airships increasingly vulnerable to interception by airplanes. "
"Aircraft of World War One, ISBN 978-1-906626-65-5, p.19"

I highly reccomend this book! Very well written and very informative!!!

I have already done one on Finland's participation but i was able to find more information on that!!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As part of Germany’s support of Finland and its newly declared parliamentary government, German troops wrest control of Helsingfors (Helsinki) from the Red Guard, an army of Finnish supporters of the Russian Bolsheviks, on April 13, 1918.

Finland, under Russian control since 1809, took the opportunity of the upheaval in Russia in 1917 (including the abdication of Czar Nicholas II in March and the rise to power of Vladimir Lenin and his radical socialist followers, the Bolsheviks, in November) to declare its independence in December of that year. Almost immediately, however, conflict broke out within Finland between radical socialists—supporters of the Bolsheviks in Russia—and anti-socialists within the government. In late January 1918, the radical socialist Red Guard launched a rebellion, terrorizing and killing civilians in their attempt to spark a Bolshevik-style revolution. A bitter struggle ensued as the Whites (as government troops were known) under the command of Baron Karl Gustav Mannerheim sought to drive the Reds out of Finland.

On April 3, 1918, German troops sent by Kaiser Wilhelm II landed in Finland to aid Mannerheim’s White army. Ten days later, the Germans captured Helsinki alongside Mannerheim and his force of 16,000 men; they did the same in Viborg by the end of the month. A major victory by the Germans and the White Finns at Lahti on May 7 ended the Finnish civil war.
www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germ...ure-helsinki-finland

Lafayette Escadrille part one:
Early in the war, many Americans showed a sincere interest in joining the French Air Service. The popularity of the air service among French Soldiers coupled with a suspected spying incident by an American who deserted the air service early in the war, created some resistance by the French initially.
Requests for entry were being granted on an individual basis, usually with the help of a French official. Americans began flying as both pilots and observers within French squadrons with no less than 7 future Lafayette Escadrille members serving in these capacities.
Many were assigned to bombing units flying Voisin pusher style biplanes. Bert Hall flew with a Nieuport squadron. William Thaw was assigned to a Caudron squadron, Escadrille C.42 commanded by Capitaine Georges Thenault, whom eventually became commander of the Lafayette Escadrille.

Ambulance Service Replaced by American Field Service
Volunteer ambulance services provided American men and women who sought to aid the Allies’ cause an opportunity to serve.
Two major ambulance units were formed, the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps and the larger American Ambulance Hospital Field Service. The latter was usually known as the American Field Service.
The American Field Service was organized by Dr. Edmund Gros, an American physician who had a prominent medical practice in Paris. Dr. Gros would later be instrumental in the establishing of the Lafayette Escadrille.
The ambulance units saw extensive service in many battles and particularly at the Marne in September 1914, Verdun in February 1916, and at Caporetto in October 1917.
Drivers who left ambulance duty to join the Lafayette Escadrille were Clyde Balsley, Willis Havilland, Thomas Hewitt, Henry Jones, Walter Lovell, James McConnell and Robert Rockwell.

www.neam.org/lafayette-escadrille/americansinfas.html

By the way! Tomorrows daily facts about ww1 will be an exclusive tour of the National Naval Aviation Museum !!!! Stay tuned!!!!

www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j...TtNiJHhzqBKGrGI2K-EQ
I found this program on Netflix yesterday some chaps in New Zealand built world war one planes from scratch and were dogfighting with laser guns, lots of history here as well

last week i had the opportunity to visit the National Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Florida!
they have many WW1 planes to see and many other beautiful planes from between the World Wars and after!!!!
here are some pictures i was able to take of some of the WW1 era airplanes!!
edit:welp... i could not get the pictures i took to post!!!! ugggh well here are the pictures from the website
a fokker d 7!!!!


a sopwith camel!!! this camel was flown off an american aircraft carrier and was flown by the first american naval aviation ace David S. Ingalls!

here we have a Hanriot HD-1!!!

you can see the museum's selection of aircraft here at their official website
www.navalaviationmuseum.org

Dognamitt wrote:

Thats nuts

Lafayette Escadrille Part two:

Founding of the Lafayette Escadrille
No single individual can be credited with creating the Lafayette Escadrille, but rather it was the result of the combined efforts of some idealistic young American men, some prominent Americans living in France, and a few farsighted French officials.
Two Americans who envisioned a squadron made up of American flyers were Norman Prince and William Thaw. Upon the outbreak of the War, both volunteered for service with the French Foreign Legion; and since both were licensed pilots in America, they transferred to France’s Service Aeronautique in 1915.
During 1915, Prince, Thaw and some prominent Americans, particularly Dr. Edmund Gros and Jarousse deSilac of the French ministry of foreign affairs joined forces to promote the formation of an American volunteer squadron.
The French saw an American group as an excellent way to generate support in America for the Allied cause.
In April 1916, a separate American squadron designated as N (Nieuport) 124 was established. Joining Prince and Thaw were five other Americans; Victor Chapman, Elliot Cowdin, Weston (Bert) Hall, James McConnell, and Kiffin Rockwell.
The designation N-124 was soon changed to Escadrille Americain, but the Germans objected to this name since America was not officially in the War. In response to this protest, the name was changed to Lafayette Escadrille in December 1916.
The original Lafayette Escadrille had 38 American pilots under the French commander, Captaine George Thenault. Lieutenant Alfred deLaage de Meux served as executive officer.



William Thaw of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvannia, one of the founders of the Squadron and served as its American Commander.
Uniforms and Insignias
Upon completion of his flight training, the student pilot was awarded the badges of a pilot brevet, the wings and star, and his corporal’s stripes.
The style and color of his uniform was a matter of the pilot’s individual personal preferences.

As the illustration shows, the colors of tunics varied from sky blue to navy blue and black, and pants were usually riding breeches, a carry over from the cavalry days. Head gear was either the traditional French military “kepi” or forage overseas cap. High boots or oxfords with “puttees” were usual footwear.
The air service uniforms carried on the older military tradition of colorful uniforms.
Note the Lafayette Escadrilles’ famous lion cub mascot, “Whiskey,” in the illustration and in the photo of Thaw.
 
Profile of a Squadron: Who Were They?
The Lafayette Escadrille, “The Lafayette Squadron,” was made up of only 38 American Volunteers. Approximately 170 other Americans served in various other French squadrons, and as a group, these men were designated the Lafayette Flying Corps.
Of the original 38 aviators:
* 28 had served in France in some capacity
* Seven of the 28 had served in the French Air Service
* 23 were from the Eastern states, nine were from New York and two from the West.
* Average age was 26 - ages ranged from 20 to 40 years
* Eleven were sons of millionaires
* Thirty held college degrees or had enrolled in a higher educational institution. Harvard had nine alumni in the squadron
* Nine had prewar flying experience.
www.neam.org/lafayette-escadrille/americansinfas.html