Ww2 Aviation Essay

GRC – 2nd and 3rd Mrs. Carter Research Paper WWII Aviation During World War I, about all the airplane was good for was crashing. World War I airplanes were slow and had poor maneuverability. The plane could not effectively carry weapons, so air travel was dangerous. The early planes had wood and fabric frames which made them very flammable. If a bomb, which was carried under the wings, was shot, the plane would blow up and both pilots would be dead. “It seems no one had interest in the bomb positions of these planes.” (Stirling, Para. 1) Though World War II planes also had the same potential to blow up if shot, they were much, much better because of their aluminum frames, and protected engines. As Italy was the first to bring the airplane into World War II with its antics against Africa, they gave Germany the idea of putting planes to a better use. Soon each country had began their own air force and started to mass produce airplanes. At first they used the planes sparingly – only for
bombing cities and quick in and outs. But, eventually countries adapted to the greater abilities of the airplane. The Germans, Americans, and the British all worked hard to make a plane that would be superior to all others. Two jet fighters, one German and the other British, were amazing feats of jet powered engines. The German Messerschmitt Me262 and the British Gloster Meteor were effective to their desired uses “because both aircraft were necessarily of twin-engine design (had an engine on each wing) to meet desired mission and performance objectives.” (Gurevich, Para. 5) When these first appeared late in WWII, they started out quite basic. After Germans quickly dispatched Poland and most of Western Europe, they turned their eye to Great Britain. “Hitler had great faith in his undefeated Luftwaffe (air force).” (Chain Home and the Battle of Britain, IEEE, Para. 1) He began to plan the invasion of Britain and the destruction of the British Navy. Hitler’s first raid on Britain, to destroy the Navy was said to be “one of the most spectacular air battles of the war thus far.” (MacDonald, para. 1) Of course, Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding was putting forth every effort to build more aircraft. Then after realizing they did not have enough pilots, men were brought in from the Dominions, America, and other places. The Germans had approximately 2800 aircraft to the RAF’s (British [Royal} Air Force) 900. Churchill refused to admit defeat, even thought the odds were slim. Though British planes needed to return to base more often than German aircraft, they had superior fire power, and the pilots’ skill and determination were second to none. Because the Germans were overconfident, they were not prepared for the rush of British fighters, or their superior radar. Not only that, they had not added into their plans, the British community joining forces with the air force. After the Germans lost so many aircraft to the RAF’s radar, they were wary to attack the British capitol, London.
The union of British citizens helped “in a way the Nazis never imagined.” (Para. 11, Worldwar2database.com) Winston Churchill, who was stationed in the London suburbs, was said to “walk into the garden each night (during the London terror raids) and raise his hands to the sky and cry: ‘Why don’t you come here? Bomb us, bomb us!” (pg 118, Moskey) No one knows whether or not he actually did this. After the volley of attacks from the German Luftwaffe, the RAF retaliated with a series of small bombings inside of Germany itself. The German air force could neither understand this, nor why they were losing so many fighter planes, until they realized the RAF had exceptional radar networks. They turned from radar stations to sector control centers, causing major damage in the SCC, but the German Luftwaffe was running out of supplies, putting them at a
disadvantage. That was when the most inconceivable occurrence came about. After a lone German bomber, believing they were over French soil (because, by then, Germans controlled France), dropped its payload in London. The RAF responded with a major air raid on Berlin. German bombers retaliated, wounding the British nation. Finally, the British discovered a way to cripple the bombers guidance systems. Planes were lost on both sides, until later the German air force was needed elsewhere. This was the end of the Battle of Britain, as well as the end of the Germans use of the tactic, Blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg means “Lighting War” in German. It was so named because of the surprise attacks, rapid advances into enemy territory, coordination, and speed of the raids. The use of Blitzkrieg was so successful it allowed the Germans to defeat the Polish, French, Yugoslavs, Greeks, and many others. Blitzkrieg was quite obviously an effective stratagem, which is the basis of warfare today: random, quick, and calculated attacks. This method generally results in a number of deaths on both sides of the assault. Winston Churchill commented that “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”