The Great War: Air Power Technology

The Great War introduced many new technologies but perhaps the most far reaching was the aeroplane. In 1909, Louis Bleriot managed to fly across the English Channel, an event which wakened military commanders to aviation’s potential. At the outbreak of the war, aircraft were to play an increasingly important role in reconnaissance and rangefinding for the artillery. In the latter stages of the conflict, their roles included ground attack and long-range bombing.