The First Aerial Combat...

[5fish]

I learn that the first recorded aerial combat happen along the Mexican-American border between two guys with hand guns and the first one in war was over France. Thed article goes over the first combat duels and one of the Frenchman lived into the late 1970...

The First Aerial Combat Victory

Airplane vs. airplane over France in 1914

www.smithsonianmag.com

Aviation historian Harry Woodman considered a 1913 incident from the Mexican Revolution to be the “first aerial duel in history between two airplanes.” American pilots Phil Rader and Dean Ivan Lamb, who were on opposite sides of the conflict, fired revolvers at each other while airborne. Neither one got hit.

The first aerial battles of World War I were variations on that same theme. French aviation historian David Méchin ticks off a list of “firsts” that all happened within a few weeks of each other in 1914. On August 25, Roland Garros and Lt. de Bernis became the first flyers to damage an enemy aircraft. Flying a Morane Parasol, they shot at a German airplane, which escaped in a dive, although one of the two men onboard was wounded. On September 7, Russian Pyotr Nesterov was the first pilot to destroy an enemy airplane, but he did it by ramming his Morane into an Austrian Albatros. Both air crews died as a result.

Then, on October 5—100 years ago tomorrow—French pilot Sgt. Joseph Frantz and his mechanic/gunner, Louis Quénault, shot down a German biplane near Reims to record what is considered the first official aerial combat victory.

 

[5fish]

This is about the aerial combat above Verdun and German pilots achieving air superiority over Verdun.

https://www.dassault-aviation.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2016/03/DA100years-CP04.pdf

The Germans deployed nearly 280 airplanes around Verdun in early 1916 to destroy French observation systems, especially balloons. Against them, France could only muster about 70 planes, hardly enough to contain the German offensive. Because of the qualitative and quantitative superiority of the German fleet, French squadrons could no longer reach the battlefield, and Germany’s big guns were destroying their airfields. For the first time in military history, the German forces had achieved “mastery of the air”, or air superiority.

All aspects of aviation logged steady technical progress. The “war in the air” was also waged in design departments and factories. Each new machine rolled out of the factory had to be better than the enemy’s latest model. Another fierce battle took shape, this time in terms of technical performance, starting with weapons, especially the ability to fire a machine gun through the spinning propeller, and of course in engine power and handling qualities. Marcel Dassault contributed to this effort with his higher-performance Éclair propeller.

The French came back...

The air battle over Verdun would mark a turning point in French military aviation. French armed forces quickly learned their lesson, especially in the use of pursuit planes (subsequently called fighters). A new organization was instituted on May 21, 1916, emphasizing the importance of achieving air superiority. In fact, everything deployed during the battle of Verdun, including patrol flights of pursuit planes, constant patrols, division into air sectors, etc., had already been developed, in theory, right from the first months of the war. But Verdun, by placing France in extreme danger, encouraged leaders to urgently deploy these innovative arrangements. The battle of Verdun also clearly reflected the now predominant role played by aviation in war. It was the first land battle that started with a fight for air superiority. As Marshal Pétain would say a few years later: "Verdun, as has been repeated often since then, was really the ‘crucible that forged French aviation."

 

[5fish]

Here two list the top five and top ten air battles of all time...

TOP FIVE: Aerial Battles | Military History Matters

MHM looks at five of the costliest aerial battles in history. 5. AIR BATTLE OF SAINT-MIHIEL WHERE/WHEN: France, 12-16 September 1918 OUTCOME: Allied victory over Germany The Saint-Mihiel salient was a large bulge of the German frontline into France, which was formed in 1914 when German forces po ...

www.military-history.org

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Here the top ten air battles...

10 Largest Air to Air Battles in Military History

Air-to-Air combat has been a staple in modern warfare since the early 1900s and has produced some of the most interesting storylines in the World’s history. To learn more about the largest air-to-air battles in military history, view the infographic below.

online.norwich.edu

Did you know the American air force fought the Soviet air force over Yugoslavia at the end of WW2. I get the impression the Americans lost with P-38's... @rittmeister , @O' Be Joyful , @jgoodguy , @Jim Klag , @Wehrkraftzersetzer

Niš incident - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

An air battle over Niš, Yugoslavia occurred on 7 November 1944 between the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and the Soviet Air Force during World War II.

 

[O' Be Joyful]

Those Rooskies most certainly have a knack for getting their general officers whacked.

The commander of the corps, Lieutenant General Grigory Petrovich Kotov, was also killed in this attack.​

But, as Uncle Joe or someone else once said

"I can make a general in 5 minutes but a good horse is hard to replace."​

 

[5fish]

Here is the death of Quentin Roosevelt in WW1. He was a pilot and the photo of him lying dead next to his crashed plan... But if you read the whole story he was treated the same way some cavalry officers and general were treated in death in our Civil War...

The Grave of Quentin Roosevelt

To American aviators and soldiers, the grave of Quentin Roosevelt became a shrine, his death a touchstone for service and sacrifice.

airandspace.si.edu

 

[5fish]

The Japanese had High Altitude Fighter...

Nakajima Ki-84 “Hayate”

www.aviation-history.com

The Nakajima Ki-84, code-named Frank by the Allies or Hayate (Gale) to the Japanese, was the fastest single-engine fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II. It marked the evolution of the series of fighters produced by Nakajima starting with the Ki-27 Nate, and continuing with the Ki-43 Oscar and Ki-44 Tojo. It outperformed the F6F Hellcat, P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt. It was a powerful high-altitude fighter that combined the nimbleness of the Ki-43 with the heavy firepower of the Ki-44. It was used to intercept B-29 Superfortresses and was armed with two 12.7 mm machine guns above the cowling and two 20 mm cannons located in the wings. It made its inaugural flight in April 1943 and from the drawing board to the production line was only ten months. Total production was 3,382 aircraft. 1

The Japanese developed another...

http://www.aviastar.org/air/japan/nakajima_ki-87.php

Real beast of an aircraft comparable in both size and weight to an early model P-47, but not as "fat" looking. Certainly a resemblance, but overall, it's like the P-47's cousin from the city, who has a more fit build from lifting and guzzling protein, and with access to a better clothing tailor as well. Certainly a formidable performer that even early jets should be wary of. Kind of gives off a Japanese Ta-152 vibe, but not quite as fast, (still blazingly quick though) although more heavily armed than the TA with the standard weapons package. Along with Kawasaki's Ki-100,and Mitsubishi's J2M, this was one of the best high altitude interceptors Japan built, and a serious potential problem for B-29 streams had it came earlier and in larger quantity.

 

[5fish]

Here is the German attempt at High Altitude fighter...

Focke-Wulf Ta 152 Single-Seat, Single-Engine High-Altitude Fighter-Interceptor Aircraft

Page details technical specifications, development, and operational history of the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 Single-Seat, Single-Engine High-Altitude Fighter-Interceptor Aircraft including pictures.

www.militaryfactory.com

Focke-Wulf Ta 152 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 was a World War II German high-altitude fighter-interceptor designed by Kurt Tank and produced by Focke-Wulf. The Ta 152 was a development of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft. It was intended to be made in at least three versions—the Ta 152H Höhenjäger ("high-altitude fighter"); the Ta 152C designed for medium-altitude operations and ground-attack, using a Daimler-Benz DB 603 and smaller wings; and the Ta 152E fighter-reconnaissance aircraft with the engine of the H model and the wing of the C model. The first Ta 152H entered service with the Luftwaffe in January 1945. The Ta 152 was produced too late and in insufficient numbers to have a significant role in the war.

 

[5fish]

Here is a German plane for speed... Could it change the war...

Dornier Do 335 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil ("Arrow") is a heavy fighter built by Dornier for Germany during World War II. The two-seater trainer version was called Ameisenbär ("anteater"). The Pfeil's performance was predicted to be better than other twin-engine designs due to its unique push-pull configuration and the lower aerodynamic drag of the in-line alignment of the two engines. It was Nazi Germany's fastest piston-engined aircraft of World War II.[2][page needed] The Luftwaffe was desperate to get the design into operational use, but delays in engine deliveries meant that only a handful were delivered before the war ended.

 

[rittmeister]

Here is a German plane for speed... Could it change the war...

Dornier Do 335 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil ("Arrow") is a heavy fighter built by Dornier for Germany during World War II. The two-seater trainer version was called Ameisenbär ("anteater"). The Pfeil's performance was predicted to be better than other twin-engine designs due to its unique push-pull configuration and the lower aerodynamic drag of the in-line alignment of the two engines. It was Nazi Germany's fastest piston-engined aircraft of World War II.[2][page needed] The Luftwaffe was desperate to get the design into operational use, but delays in engine deliveries meant that only a handful were delivered before the war ended.

it didn't. period.