Free Paper Sample on German Warplane Technology During World Wars

Introduction

Air warfare or sometimes referred to as aerial combat, involves the use of military tactics using airplanes, helicopters, or other manned craft that operated in the air. Air warfare is usually conducted against other Warcraft, targets on the ground, and targets on or beneath the water. Air warfare started during the 20th century, in which it became a core branch of the military operations.

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World War One

In the beginning, aircraft usually referred to as hunter planes were mainly unarmed and used for exploration as an extension to the ground commander's eyes. The aircraft's ability to survey an enemy's territory created the need for having to deny the planes the opportunity to spy on their area. The struggle to deny an enemy's chance to survey created the air to air warfare in which both sides were trying to gain air superiority over the other. The struggle to gain air superiority led to the emergence of fighter jets armed with static, forward-firing machine firepower that enable the flyer of the plane to target the aircraft at the enemy. The static machine gun meant the early aerial battle to be effective took place at a short range of about not more than 300 meters.

Fokker Eindeker

During world war one, perhaps the most significant development in air warfare was the invention of the Fokker Eindeker, also known as the Fokker Scourge. Through a Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker, the Germans developed the Fokker Eindeker, a single-seat German fighter jet. The aircraft perfected the invention of using an armed airliner by employing a rapid-fire gun over the propeller. The Germans were able to develop a timing system that allowed the rapid-fire of bullets to be shot at intervals directly through the propellers without hitting them. The fighter aircraft's discovery had a ground-breaking impact that gave the Germans an edge in the war by providing them with air superiority that lasted from 1915 to 1916 before Verdun's battle (Wilkin, 2014).

The Immelmann Turn

The German brilliant Max Immelmann, taking advantage of the ability of the Fokker Eindeker to ascent and plunge rapidly, aided in expanding the air battle from the horizontal aspect into the vertical element. The vertical dimension in air warfare resulted in what is referred to as the Immelmann turn (Wood & Sutton, 2016). The Immelmann turn involved the attacker repositioning the aircraft for another second attack. The offensive pilot operating the aircraft after attacking the enemy craft flew past the aircraft and then suddenly pulling up into a vertical ascent up to a point overhead the position of the enemy, before turning by its side and down to enable it to have a second dive for a fresh attack.

World War Two

Though World War One was the first major battle that witnessed the first use aircraft, it was during world war two that the airplanes took one of the most crucial roles in the war. World war two turned out to be the global battlefield in the quest to seek air supremacy. The conflict sparked a technological jump in aircraft design and performance. World war two saw the development of all-metal, streamlined fighter jets that replaced the wood and fabric biplanes. The British and German spearheaded the development of jet engines. German engines consisted of the axial drift jet device where the air always passed over the machine. The British developed a centrifugal compressor, where the air was pushed towards the outside, then compress it before being returned into the turbine (Bailey, 2019). The British centrifugal system meant that the planes needed a large face area, making it unsuitable. Hence the German axial engine strategy inspired the jet engines being developed today.

The German Luftwaffe

Established in 1935, The Luftwaffe (meaning “air weapon in German) was the German air force tasked with defending the German air, and by the year 1940, it was the most significant and most challenging air force in Europe (Ray, 2015). The Luftwaffe organization was undoubtedly different from the British Royal Air Force (RAF), which was grouped into commands based on purpose, while the Luftwaffe was organized according to the fleet. The Luftwaffe during their reign revolutionized the air warfare by fielding two of the most excellent combatants in all of the war, the Me Bf 109 and the FW 190.

Aircrafts

The three primary forms of air Warcraft deployed in World War Two consisted of the bombers, fighters, and transport planes. The bombers were equipped with bombs to drop on enemy targets. Transport planes were used to deliver supplies and troops during the war. Fighter jets were fashioned for mid-flight air battles since they were fast and swift. The fighter jets were equipped with advanced power-driven firepower and canons to obtain air supremacy by shooting down rival's bomber jets while also shielding bombers.

The Messerschmitt Bf 109

The earliest operational jet combatant in the world was the single-seat German Messerschmitt Bf 109, also known as Me 109 named after its designer Willy Messerschmitt. The plane is one of the few ever planes to be developed from a light-plane design enabling it to be mass-produced, reaching up to 33,000 in total. The fighter jet was capable of flying over 500 miles per hour, powered by the Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine. The Messerschmitt technology enabled the aircraft to operate at higher altitudes and faster than before and cleared the path for future jet engine innovations in passenger aircraft. The Me 109 was the only German plane that shot down more of the allied forces.

Focke-Wulf 190

The Focke Wulf 190, also referred to as the FW 190 was the lone wholly capable piston-engine warrior developed by the German Luftwaffe. The FW 190 comprised of single-pilot carrier and single-engine that was swift and maneuverable from the onset. The FW 190 was small but able to be packed with a ferocious massive arming package that usually consisted of up to four machine guns and two cannons and could also allow a provision of for carrying a bomb or a drop-tank under the fuselage (Angelucci, 1988). Hence the Focke-Wulf 190 was believed to be the most excellent fighter flying machine of the world and survived throughout the war. The Warcraft was able to perform superbly during the daytime and was also employed during the dark as a night fighter, ground bout plane, and interceptor. The FW 190 flown side by side with the Messerschmitt were unmatched from the British warplanes as the British type were able to be packed with only machine guns.

Conclsuion

During World Wars, the tactics used in air warfare emerged from on all fronts, one being the surprise attack. The surprise attack since the beginning of world war one consisted of "jumping" the unsuspecting enemies, which accounted for having claimed more victims rather than the aerobics fighting. Jumping of enemies was successful since the pilot's only system of warning consisted of his naked eyes. Hence offensive fighters would approach the enemy from the back or dove out of the sun where they could not be viewed.

References

Angelucci, E. (1988). Combat aircraft of World War II.

Bailey, J. (2019, November 11). How The Second World War Changed Aviation. Simple Flying. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/simpleflying.com/second-world-war-aviation/amp/

Nazi Germany's Focke-Wulf FW-190: The Best Fighter Aircraft of World War II? (2017, August 10). Retrieved from The National Interest:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/nazi-germany-focke-wulf-fw-190-the-best-fighter-aircraft-of-world-war-ii-?

Ray, M. (2015, May 18). Luftwaffe: German armed forces. Britannica. Retrieved August 06, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Luftwaffe

Wilkin, B. (2014, January 29). World War One: Aerial warfare during World War One. British Library. Retrieved from https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/aerial-warfare-during-world-war-one

Wood, A. C., & Sutton, A. (2016). Military Aviation Of The First World War. Fronthill Media Press.