Royal Flying Corps
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- For the computer game, see Flying Corps
| Royal Flying Corps | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | 13 May 1912 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Motto | Per Ardua ad Astra |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Sir David Henderson Lord Trenchard |
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I.
Contents |
[edit] Origin and Early History
Formed by Royal Warrant on 13 May 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. By the end of that year, it had 12 manned balloons and 36 biplane fighter aircraft. The RFC was intended to have had separate military and naval branches. The Royal Navy however was not keen on having naval aviation under the control of an Army corps and formed its own Royal Naval Air Service.
The RFC's motto was Per ardua ad astra.
The RFC's first fatal crash was on 5 July 1912 near Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain. Killed were Captain Eustace B. Loraine and his observer Staff-Sergeant R.H.V. Wilson. An order was issued after the crash stating "Flying will continue this evening as usual", thus beginning a tradition.
[edit] Aircraft
RFC and RNAS aircraft used during the war included:
- Airco D.H.2 D.H.4 D.H.5 and D.H.9
- Armstrong-Whitworth F.K.8
- Avro 504
- Bristol F2A F2B Scout
- Handley Page O/400
- Martinsyde G.100
- Morane-Saulnier Bullet Biplane Parasol
- Nieuport Scout 17 23 & 27
- Royal Aircraft Factory SE5 SE5a Be2a, BE2b, BE2c, BE2e BE12 FE2 FE8 RE7 and RE8
- Sopwith Aviation Company Baby Camel Dolphin Pup Snipe 1½ Strutter
- SPAD S.VII and S.XIII
- Vickers FB5
Many technological advances took place. Planes became faster and more maneuverable, so they could attack enemy positions as well as scouting them. The invention of the interrupter gear allowed machine guns to be fired between the propeller blades.
[edit] World War I
The RFC was responsible for manning observation balloons on the Western front. For the first half of the war, the French air force vastly outnumbered the RFC, and accordingly did more fighting. Despite the primitive aircraft, aggressive leadership by commander Hugh Trenchard led to many brave fighting exploits and many casualties - over 700 in 1916, the rate worsening thereafter. Many of those who died were seated at the front of their aeroplane and, when the aeroplane landed too heavily, the engine often came adrift from its moorings and swept forward to hit the luckless pilot in the back.
[edit] Action with the British Expeditionary Force
At the start of World War I, numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 squadrons were equipped with aeroplanes, whilst the 1st Squadron was equipped with balloons.
The RFC's first casualties of World War I were before the Corps even arrived in France. Lt Robert R. Skene and Air Mechanic Ray Barlow were killed on 12 August 1914 when their probably overloaded plane crashed on the way to rendezvous with the rest of the RFC near Dover. Skene had been the first Englishman to do a loop in an airplane.
On 13 August 1914 2, 3, and 4 squadrons, comprising 60 machines, departed Dover for the British Expeditionary Force in France. The 5th Squadron joined them a few days later. The aircraft took a route across the English Channel from Dover to Boulogne. They then followed the French coast to the Bay of the Somme before travelling inland by following the river to Amiens. When the BEF moved forward to Maubeuge the RFC accommpanied them.
On 19 August the Corps undertook its first action of the War with two of its aircraft performing aerial reconnaissance. The mission was not a great success. In order to save weight each aircract carried a pilot only instead of the usual pair of pilot and observer. Because of this, and poor weather, both of the pilots lost their way and only one was able to complete his task.
Four days later on 23 August 1914 the RFC found itself in the midst of the Battle of Mons and two days after that the Corps gained its first victory. On 25 August Lt C.W. Wilson and Lt C.E.C. Rabagliati forced down a German Etrich Taube which had approached their aerodrome while they were refueling their Avro. Another RFC machine landed by the German one and the RFC observer chased the German pilot into some nearby woods.
After the British retreat from Mons, the Corps fell back to the Marne where in September they assisted in identifying von Kluck's First Army's left wheel against the exposed French flank. This information was significant as the First Army's manoeuvre allowed French forces to make an effective counter-attack.
Sir John French's (the British Expeditionary Force commander) first official dispatch on 7 September included the following: "I wish particularly to bring to your Lordships' notice the admirable work done by the Royal Flying Corps under Sir David Henderson. Their skill, energy, and perseverance has been beyond all praise. They have furnished me with most complete and accurate information, which has been of incalculable value in the conduct of operations. Fired at constantly by friend and foe, and not hesitating to fly in every kind of weather, they have remained undaunted throughout. Further, by actually fighting in the air, they have succeeded in destroying five of the enemy's machines."
Later in September, during the First Battle of the Aisne which followed, the RFC made use of wireless telegraphy to assist with artillery targetting and took aerial photographs for the first time.[1]
[edit] Basing at Saint-Omer
As the War moved into the period of the mobile warfare commonly called the Race to the Sea, the Corps moved forward again. On 8 October 1914 the RFC arrived in Saint-Omer and a headquarters was established at the aerodrome next to the local racecourse. Over the next few days the four aeroplane squadrons arrived and for the next four years Saint-Omer was a focal point for all RFC operations in the field. Although most squadrons only used Saint-Omer as a transit camp before moving on to other locations, the base grew in importance as it increased its logistic support to the Corps.
[edit] Later events
Early in the war RFC aircraft were marked with Union Jacks on the wings. The aircraft were often fired upon by ground forces because the markings were mistaken for the crosses on German aircraft. To prevent this the RFC adopted the familiar roundel marking from the French, though with the colours in a different order.
One of the initial uses for RFC aircraft was spotting for artillery fire. The results of the artillery fire were easy enough for the pilot to observe, the problem was communicating any necessary corrections to the firing battery. The standard method was for the flier to write a note and drop it to the ground where it could be recovered. The RFC experimented with using radio transmitters in their aircraft. Unfortunately the transmitters of the time weighed 75 pounds and filled an entire seat in the cockpit. This meant that the pilot had to fly the aircraft, navigate, observe the fall of the shells and transmit the results by morse code by himself. Also, the radios in the aircraft could not receive so the pilots could not be sent any instructions or questions from the ground. This work was originally done by a special Wireless Flight which was attached to No. 4 Squadron RFC. Eventually this flight was expanded into No. 9 Squadron under Hugh Dowding.
A more unusual mission for the RFC was the delivery of spies to behind enemy lines. The first such mission took place on the morning of 13 September 1915 and was not a success. The plane crashed, the pilot and spy were badly injured and they were both captured. (Two years later however the pilot, Captain T.W. Mulcahy-Morgan, escaped and returned to England.) Later missions were more successful. In addition to delivering the spies the RFC was also responsible for keeping the spies supplied with the carrier pigeons that were used to send reports back to base. In 1916 a Special Duty Flight was formed as part of the Headquarters Wing to handle these and other unusual assignments.
On 13 January 1917, RFC Captain Clive Collett made the first British military parachute jump from a heavier-than-air craft. The jump, from 600 feet, was successful but the higher authorities in the RFC and the Air Board were opposed to the issuing of parachutes to aeroplane pilots. It was felt at the time that a parachute might tempt a pilot to abandon his aircraft in an emergency rather than continuing the fight. It was not until 16 September 1918 that the order was issued for all single seater aircraft to be fitted with parachutes.
Many pilots initiallly joined the RFC from their original regiments by becoming an observer. There was no formal training for observers until 1917 and many were sent on their first sortie with only a brief introduction to the aircraft from the pilot. Once certified as fully qualified the observer was awarded the covetted half-wing brevet. Once awarded this could not be forfeited so it essentially amounted to a decoration. Originally in the RFC, as in most early air forces, the observer was in command of the aircraft while the pilot just 'drove' the machine. This was found to be less effective in combat than having the pilot in charge. Observers were usually taught only enough piloting to be able to land their aircraft in case the pilot was killed or wounded. It was very common for experienced observers to be selected for pilot training.
Eleven RFC members received the Victoria Cross during World War I. Initially the RFC did not believe in publicising the victory totals and exploits of their Aces. Eventually however, public interest and the newspapers' demand for heroes lead to this policy being abandoned.
Before the Battle of the Somme (1916) the RFC had 421 aircraft, with four kite-balloon squadrons and fourteen balloons. These made up four brigades, which worked with four British armies. The RFC drew on men from across the British Empire including South Africa, Canada and Australia. Some Americans joined the RFC before the USA became a combatant.
[edit] Training
In 1917, the American, British, and Canadian Governments agreed to join forces for training. Between April 1917 and January 1919, Camp Borden in Ontario hosted instruction on flying, wireless, air gunnery and photography, training 1,812 RFC Canada pilots and 72 for the United States. It now hosts the largest training wing of the Canadian Forces. Training also took place at several other Ontario locations.
During winter 1917-18, RFC instructors trained with the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army on three airfields accommodating about six thousand men, at Camp Taliaferro near Fort Worth, Texas. Training was hazardous; 39 RFC officers and cadets died in Texas. Eleven remain there, reinterred in 1924 at a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery where a monument honours their sacrifice.
[edit] Commanders in the field
The following had command of the RFC in the field:
- Major General Sir David Henderson, 5 August 1918 – 22 November 1914
- Major or Lieutenant Colonel F H Sykes, 22 November 1914 – 20 December 1914
- Major General Sir David Henderson, 20 December 1914 – 19 August 1915
- Brigadier General, later Major General, H M Trenchard, 25 August 1915 – 3 January 1918
- Major General J M Salmond, 18 January 1918 – 4 January 1919 (including period as General Officer Commanding the RAF in the field)
[edit] Amalgamation
On 17 August 1917, General Jan Smuts presented a report to the War Council on the future of air power. Because of its potential for the 'devastation of enemy lands and the destruction of industrial and populous centres on a vast scale', he recommended a new air service be formed that would be on a level with the Army and Royal Navy.
Surprisingly, Trenchard was opposed to new service. He had always felt that the purpose of the RFC was to support the Army (and the RNAS the Navy) and was worried that a new service wouldn't provide the same level of support. He was also concerned about the careers of the pilots. Because of the high demands on RFC pilots many of them became burned out and were unable to continue in combat. Since pilots were seconded to the RFC from other regiments they could return to those units once they were no longer able to fly. In a separate service this would no longer be an option.
The formation of the new service however would make the underutilised men and machines of the RNAS available for action across the Western Front.
On 1 April 1918, the RFC and the RNAS were amalgamated to form a new service, the Royal Air Force. The RAF was under the control of the new Air Ministry. By 1919 the RAF had 4,000 combat aircraft and 114,000 people. For a short period after amalgamation, pre-RAF ranks such as Lieutenant and Major continued to exist. For this reason some early RAF gravestones show ranks which no longer exist in the modern RAF. A typical example of this is James McCudden's grave.
[edit] Some members of the RFC
[edit] Militarily prominent
- Alfred Atkey - high scoring ace
- William George Barker - high scoring ace
- Albert Ball, VC - high scoring ace with 44 victories
- Billy Bishop, VC - highest scoring British Empire flying ace of WWI
- Donald Cunnell - high scoring ace
- Hugh Dowding later commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain
- Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris ("Bomber" Harris) later commander of RAF Bomber Command
- Trafford Leigh-Mallory later head of Fighter Command
- James McCudden - VC - high scoring ace with 57 victories
- George McElroy - high scoring ace
- Donald MacLaren - high scoring ace
- Edward Mannock - VC - high scoring ace
- John Moore-Brabazon 1st Lord Brabazon of Tara, later Minister of Aircraft Production under Winston Churchill
- Keith Park commander of Nº11 Group, Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain
- Sir Charles Portal Chief of Air Staff throughout most of World War II
- Henry Tizard, British scientist and inventor, chairman of the Aeronautical Research Committee 1933-44.
- Hugh Trenchard - commander of RFC and later Chief of the Air Staff
[edit] Otherwise prominent
- O. G. S. Crawford later Archaeology Officer of the Ordnance Survey
- Charles Galton Darwin F.R.S., grandson of Charles Darwin
- Jack Hobbs cricketer
- W. E. Johns, author of the Biggles books
- John Lennard-Jones - scientist
- Oswald Mosley - founder of the British Union of Fascists
- William Stephenson Head of British Security Coordination during Second World War. Played key role in formation of the CIA. The first non-U.S. citizen to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Francis Peabody Magoun - Military cross winner 1918 & Harvard Professor.
- George Morgan Trefgarne, 1st Baron Trefgarne
[edit] In fiction
- Bartholomew Bandy
- Biggles
- Hell's Angels, directed by Howard Hughes, starring Jean Harlow
- The Dawn Patrol, starring Errol Flynn, Basil Rathbone and David Niven
- The Last Flight, an episode of The Twilight Zone
- Aces High, (movie 1976)
Timeline of aviation
Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Royal Engineers Museum Origins of the Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force
- Royal Engineers Museum Royal Engineers and Aeronautics
- Army Air Corps
- RAF Museum
- The Museum of Army Flying
- http://www.theaerodrome.com/services/gbritain/rfc/
- http://www.wwiaviation.com/toc.shtml
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWRFC.htm
- http://www.acepilots.com/wwi/br_mccudden.html
- http://www.airforce.forces.ca/16wing/heritage/hist1_e.asp
- Bermudian Great War Aviators
[edit] References
- Barker, Ralph (2002). The Royal Flying Corps in World War I. Robinson. ISBN 1-84119-470-0.
- Drew, George A. (1930). Canada's Fighting Airmen. MacLean.
