Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft simulate night torpedo attacks for the first time against Japanese fleet units in Tateyama Bay during annual fleet maneuvers, although no torpedoes are dropped.[1]
On a single evening, 10 of the 16 Royal Flying Corps aircraft which take off to defend England against German air attack crash, killing three pilots. By May, RFC night flying skills will have improved to the point that 10 aircraft that take off on a single evening all land safely.[5]
January 14 – In response to high losses German Fokker Eindecker fighters are inflicting on Alliedreconnaissance aircraft flying over the Western Front, Royal Flying Corps Headquarters orders that reconnaissance planes have an escort of at least three fighters flying in close formation with them, and that a reconnaissance aircraft must abort its flight if even one of the three fighters becomes detached from the formation for any reason.[7]
January 18 – The world's first practical all-metal aircraft, the Junkers J 1, makes its first true flight.
January 29 – The second and last Zeppelin raid on Paris inflicts 54 casualties.
The German Army's air service, the Imperial German Flying Corps, takes the first step toward forming separate fighter squadrons by establishing Kampfeinsitzer Kommando ("single-seat battle unit," abbreviated as KEK) formations consisting only of fighter aircraft. KEK units form in FranceatVaux-en-Vermandois, Avillers, Jametz, Cunel, and other strategic locations along the Western Front to act as Luftwachtdienst (aerial guard force) units.
Command of all pilots, airplanes, and searchlights devoted to the defense of London from air attack is consolidated under a single commander – Major T. C. Higgins, the commanding officer of the Royal Flying Corps's No. 19 Reserve Squadron at Hounslow – for the first time.[9]
February 21 – The Battle of Verdun begins. The Germans deploy 168 aircraft. To support the morale of French troops defending against the German offensive, the future French ace Jean Navarre soon begins daily aerobatic flights over the front line in a Nieuport 11Bébé ("Baby") fighter with its fuselage painted in French red, white, and blue.[11]
February 26 – Merely by appearing behind a German two-seat aircraft over the Verdun battlefield, Jean Navarre induces its crew to land in French-held territory and surrender without ever firing a shot. Later that morning he shoots down a German bomber for his fifth victory.[12]
Air defense of the United Kingdom becomes solely the responsibility of the Royal Flying Corps; previously, it has shared the responsibility with the Royal Naval Air Service. The RFC is also authorized to form its first ten Home Defense squadrons.[13]
March 31–April 1 (overnight) – Seven German Navy Zeppelins attempt to bomb London. Two turn back with engine trouble, and L 15 is so badly damaged by British fighters and antiaircraft guns that she crash-lands off the coast of England and her crew is captured.[16]
April 1–2 (overnight) through April 5–6 (overnight) – German Navy airships raid England for five more nights straight.[18]
April 15 – Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service aircraft deliver 13 tons of stores into Kut el Amara, Mesopotamia, while it is besieged by the Turks. It is the first time aircraft are used for such a purpose.
April 20 – The Escadrille Américaine ("American Squadron"), later to be known as the Lafayette Escadrille ("Lafayette Squadron"), is established as an American volunteer unit in France, equipped with Nieuport 11s.
May 1 – Lydia Zvereva, the first Russian woman and eighth woman worldwide to earn a pilot's certificate, dies of typhoid fever at the age of 26.[19]
May 2 – Eight German Zeppelins raid the east coast of England, causing 39 casualties. The Zeppelin LZ 59 (L 20) is wrecked in a storm off Stavanger, Norway on the return journey.
May 17 – Parasite fighter experiments to launch a Bristol Scout fighter from a Felixstowe Porte Babytrimotorflying boat begin in the United Kingdom with a successful flight and separation by the two aircraft. The experiments are intended to enhance the capability of fighter aircraft to intercept German dirigibles patrolling over the North Sea at high altitudes. The concept soon falls out of favor as experiments with launching aircraft from ships meet with success.[20]
May 22 – First operational deployment of rockets from aircraft when eight aces including Nungesser, Guiguet and Chaput flying Nieuport 16s made an early morning attack that downed six balloons using Le Prieur rockets.[23]
June 24 – Eduardo Bradley and Angel María Zuloaga became the first to cross the Andes on an aerostat filled with coal gas. The eastbound flight reached an altitude of 8,100m where the temperature dropped to -30 °C. The adventure lasted three and a half hours from the moment of liftoff in Santiago to the landing in Cerro de la Cepa, Uspallata, Mendoza.
Since January 1, 46 German airshipsorties have crossed the coast of England between Yorkshire and Kent, and German airships have attacked London twice. British aircraft defending England have contributed (with antiaircraft guns) to the shooting down of only one German airship.[9]
July 1 – The Battle of the Somme begins. In the five months of the battle, the British lose 782 aircraft and 576 pilots but maintain air superiority over the battlefield.
July 18 – Morane-Saulniermonoplanes in French service have all their metal parts (spinners, struts, and cowlings) painted red to avoid confusion with German Fokker monoplanes, the first time markings are used to identify a type of aircraft.
August 6 – French aceCapitaineRené Fonck gains his first confirmed victory. He will become the highest-scoring Allied and second-highest-scoring ace overall of World War I.
August 23 – The Brazilian Navy establishes a naval aviation arm with the creation of a naval aviation school.[32]
August 24–25 (overnight) – Led by the commander of the Imperial German Navy's airship force, Peter Strasser, aboard the Zeppelin L 32, 13 German naval airships attack England. Several are damaged by British antiaircraft fire and a British seaplane and most of their bombs miss their targets widely, but L 31 under KapitänleutnantHeinrich Mathy bombs southeast London, inflicting £130,000 in damage, including damage to a power station at Deptford, and killing nine and injuring 40 civilians.[33]
September 2–3 (overnight) – 12 German Navy and four German Army airships raid southeast England in the largest airship raid of World War I; they drop 823 bombs totaling 38,979 pounds (17,681 kg), killing four people and injuring 12 and causing over £21,000 in damage. Royal Flying CorpsLieutenantWilliam Leefe-Robinson, flying a B.E.2c, shoots down the German Army Schütte-Lanz airship SL 11, which falls spectacularly in flames near London, killing her entire crew of 16. Leefe-Robinson becomes the second pilot to shoot down an airship and the first to do it over the United Kingdom, and the German Army Airship Service withdraws from future bombing raids on England, leaving the bombing campaign to German naval airships. It is considered the turning point in the defense of the United Kingdom against German airship raids.[35]
September 5 – It is announced that Lieutenant William Leefe-Robinson has received the Victoria Cross for shooting down SL-11.[36]
September 23–24 (overnight) – Twelve German Navy Zeppelins attack England. Most scatter their bombs widely, and bombs strike Nottingham and Grimsby. L 33 bombs central London with 42 high-explosive and 20 incendiary bombs, hitting several warehouses and setting fire to an oil depot, a lumber yard, and several groups of houses, with 10 people killed and 12 seriously injured. L 31 under Heinrich Mathy also bombs London, destroying a tramcar, damaging houses and shops, and killing 13 and injuring 33 people. Two of the newest Zeppelins are shot down, L 33 by ground fire and L 32 by Royal Air Force LieutenantFrederick Sowrey; L 33's crew is captured at Little Wigborough (the only armed enemy personnel to set foot in England during the War) and L 32's is killed. Their loss shocks the German naval airship commander Peter Strasser.[39]
September 25–26 (overnight) – Nine German Navy Zeppelins set out to attack England. Some turn back and the rest scatter their bombs widely over the countryside and sea. L 22, however, bombs an armament factory complex in Sheffield, killing 28 and injuring 19 people, and L 21 drops several bombs on Bolton.[40]
October 1–2 (overnight) – Eleven German Navy Zeppelins set out to attack England. Three turn back and the others fail to drop their bombs or scatter their bombs widely, killing one British soldier. Royal Flying Corps Second Lieutenant W. J. Tempest in a B.E.2c shoots down L 31 in flames outside London, killing its entire crew, including the famed airship commander Heinrich Mathy, who leaps to his death from the burning Zeppelin.[41]
October 8 – The Imperial German Flying Corps (Fliegertruppen des Deutschen Kaiserreiches) air arm of the Deutsches Heer is reorganized and renamed the German Air Force (Luftstreitkräfte).[29]
October 19 – German Navy Zeppelins participate in a High Seas Fleet sortie into the North Sea, but German and British ships do not come into contact with one another, although the Zeppelin L 14 sights part of the Royal Navy's Harwich Force. Five Zeppelins suffer serious mechanical breakdowns during the operation.[44]
October 28 – German ace HauptmannOswald Boelcke is killed in a mid-air collision between his Albatros D.II and the fighter of the German ace Erwin Böhme. A highly influential pilot considered by the some the "father" of the German fighter force, and the author of the Dicta Boelcke, the first formal codification of the rules of aerial warfare, he is Germany's leading ace with 40 victories at the time of his death. World War I will end with him tied with OberleutnantLothar von Richthofen and LeutnantFranz Buchner as the 10th-highest-scoring German aces of the conflict.[45]
November 19 – Ruth Law sets a new distance record for cross-country flight by flying 590 miles (950 km) non-stop from ChicagotoNew York State. She flies on to New York City the next day.
November 27–28 (overnight) – Eight German Navy Zeppelins set out to attack industrial targets in the British Midlands. Plagued by bad weather, mechanical problems, and British air defenses, they accomplish little, although L 34 bombs West Hartlepool, killing four and injuring 11 people. Royal Flying Corps Second Lieutenant Ian V. PyottofNo. 36 Squadron shoots down L 34 in flames over Castle Eden, killing her entire crew including her famed commander Max Dietrich. Soon thereafter, three Royal Naval Air Service BE.2cs, one of them flown by Flight LieutenantEgbert Cadbury, shoot down L 21 off Lowestoft.[46][47]
November 28 – The first bombing of central London by a fixed-wing aircraft takes place when a GermanLVG C.II biplane flown by R. Brandt drops six bombs near Victoria station.[48]
December 28 – While ground crewman are walking the German Navy Zeppelin L 24 to her shed at Tondern, Germany, she is slammed against her hangar by wind and catches fire. She and the Zeppelin L 17, which is in the hangar, are destroyed in the resulting blaze.[50]
December 28–29 (overnight) – Six German Navy airships – five Zeppelins and the Schütte-LanzSL12 – attempt a raid on England but are recalled due to bad weather. SL12 is unable to return to base and lands nearby, where she is battered to pieces by wind.[50]
December 31 – 17,341 officers and men are deployed in the United Kingdom for home air defense. Among them are 12,000 officers and men manning antiaircraft guns and 2,200 officers and men assigned to the 12 Royal Flying Corpssquadrons assigned to home air defense, operating 110 aeroplanes.[51]
^Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909–1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN1-55750-432-6, p. 35.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849–1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 78.
^Scheina, Robert L., Latin America: A Naval History 1810–1987, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1987, ISBN0-87021-295-8, pp. 198–199.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, p. 139.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, p. 138.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 108.
^Franks, Norman, Aircraft vs. Aircraft: The Illustrated Story of Fighter Pilot Combat From 1914 to the Present Day, London: Grub Street, 1998, ISBN1-902304-04-7, p. 20.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, p. 131–133.
^ abcWhitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p. 130.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849–1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 101.
^Whitehouse, Arch (1966). The Zeppelin Fighters. New York: Ace Books. pp.134–137.
^Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909–1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN1-55750-432-6, pp. 14, 29, 253, 255.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, p. 137.
^Johnsen, Frederick A., "Mother Ships," Aviation History, January 2018, p. 48.
^Franks, Norman, Aircraft Versus Aircraft: The Illustrated Story of Fighter Pilot Combat From 1914 to the Present Day, London: Grub Street, 1998, ISBN1-902304-04-7, p. 29.
^Haddow, G.W.; Peter M. Grosz (1988). The German Giants - The German R-Planes 1914–1918 (3rd ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN0-85177-812-7.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849–1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 113.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 63.
^ abBlumberg, Arnold, "The First Ground-Pounders," Aviation History, November 2014, p. 39.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849–1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN0-87021-210-9, pp. 96, 101.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849–1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 50.
^Scheina, Robert L., Latin America: A Naval History 1810–1987, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1987, ISBN0-87021-295-8, p. 195.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, pp. 163–164.
^Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, ISBN0-517-56588-9, p. 460.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, pp. 140–146, 165.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, p. 146.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p. 165.
^Kilduff, Peter, The Red Baron: Beyond the Legend, London: Cassell, 1994, ISBN0-304-35207-1, p. 223.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, pp. 166–171.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, pp. 172–173.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, pp. 174–177.
^Mondey, David, ed., The Complete Illustrated History of the World's Aircraft, Secaucus, New Jersey: Chartwell Books, Inc., 1978, ISBN0-89009-771-2, p. 27.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p. 178.
^Franks, Norman, Aircraft Versus Aircraft: The Illustrated Story of Fighter Pilot Combat From 1914 to the Present Day, London: Grub Street, 1998, ISBN1-902304-04-7, p. 63.
^Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Sixth Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, ISBN1-55750-076-2, p. 39.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, pp. 178–181.
^Donald, David (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Prospero Books. p. 553. ISBN1-85605-375-X.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, pp. 218–221.
^ abWhitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p. 182.
^Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, pp. 183–184.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 68.
^Donald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 185.
^Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912: Sixth Revised Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, ISBN1-55750-076-2, p. 481.
^ abDonald, David, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, ISBN0-7607-0592-5, p. 42.
