The Wright Brothers first took flight in December 2003. WWI broke out in July 1914, and would see the first uses of aircraft during war. Between 1914 and the war’s end in 1918, 100,000 WWI aircraft would be produced.
Due to the ever-changing nature of the war, especially in the last two years, both sides would demand new aircraft to suit this. Many of them would see combat, whilst many more wouldn’t. So which were the most important?
We recently covered the most important aircraft of WWII, so naturally had to cover the most important aircraft of WWI!
15. Sopwith Pup
When aerial combat became common in early the parts of WWI, the British had Sopwith Aviation develop an all-new fighter that could outclass anything Germany was developing. This aircraft would become the Sopwith Pup.
Sopwith first introduced the Sopwith Pup in October 1916. Here, it would outclass all of Germany’s early fighters, being one of the aircraft helping to end the Fokker Scourge of 1915.
The Pup was so good that the Germans were forced to keep on developing new aircraft and tactics. Eventually, this made the Pup obsolete by 1917, however, would not stop it from being feared by German pilots until the end of the war.
From 1917 until the mid-1920’s, the Sopwith Pup would be used as an intermediate trainer aircraft. On top of these duties, a number of Pups would be used as home defense aircraft.
14. Sopwith Camel
When it became clear to the British that the Pup was being outclassed by newer German fighters, British turned to Sopwith Aviation once again to provide a replacement that was better than the German aircraft.
Sopwith developed a completely re-engineered aircraft based on the Pup’s design. When it entered service in June 1917, pilots claimed it was harder to handle than the earlier Pup.
However, when it was attacked by German fighters, it proved to be more maneuverable and much faster. Due to this, the Sopwith Camel became the deadliest aircraft of the entire war, shooting down almost 1,300 enemy aircraft.
As with the Pup, the Camel’s design allowed it to be used on the Royal Navy’s early aircraft carriers. This in turn, allowed British pilots to harass German defenses from the sky, seemingly without needing to refuel!
13. SPAD S.VII
When the British introduced the Sopwith Camel in 1916, the Germans were naturally scared, and introduced new fighters of their own. They did this in the hope of continuing their aerial superiority.
However, when they were designing their new aircraft, they were doing so based off newer British designs. So when French aircraft manufacturer SPAD, introduced their S.VII, the Germans were overwhelmed.
Commonly, Entente forces would use SPAD S.VIIs and Sopwith Camels side-by-side, often in similar colors. Thanks to this, the S.VII would become the second most dangerous aircraft of the war, behind the aforementioned Camel.
Throughout the war, the S.VII would be regarded for its sturdiness, and for its ability to take a large amount of shrapnel before being crashing. Due to this, it was a favorite of Entente fighter aces during the war.
12. Nieuport 17
In January 1916, French aircraft manufacturer released the Nieuport 11. A few days later, Nieuport would release the Nieuport 17. Essentially, a longer and faster variant of the Nieuport 11.
Whilst both aircraft were widely used by the Entente during the war, the Nieuport 17 was by far the more common aircraft. To Central Powers’ pilots, whilst the Nieuport 11 was a nuisance, the Nieuport 17 was a pain to deal with.
Upon its entry to service with the British and French forces in 1916, the Nieuport 17 helped to end the Fokker Scourge that plagued the Entente forces throughout 1915.
Although it would become obsolete by the war’s end, most of Britain, France and Canada’s fighter aces in 1916 would fly the Nieuport 17. Among them were famed WWI aces Billy Bishop, Albert Ball and Francesco Baracca.
11. Fokker Dr.I
1917 had seen the introduction of the Sopwith Triplane. The Triplane was more advanced than any aircraft the Central Powers had. As such, they all began to develop new, more advanced fighters.
The Germans tasked Fokker with developing a new aircraft that was superior to the Sopwith Triplane. Released in mid-1917, the Dr.I was just as powerful as the Triplane, and was mass produced by Fokker for the Germans.
Over the course of the war, the Dr.I became one of the most feared German aircraft. Most Entente forces referred to the Dr.I as the “Mother Fokker” due to its ability to destroy Entente aircraft, as well as Entente ground forces.
The Dr.I would produce the most German aces of the war, including the famed Baron Manfred von Richthofen, more famously known as the “Red Baron”. This would be the aircraft he’d get his last 19 victories in.
10. Fokker D.VII
Although not as famous as the aforementioned Dr.I produced by the company, the Fokker D.VII was just as important, if not more so. After all, Fokker produced almost ten times as many D.VIIs as it did Dr.Is.
1916 had seen a shift in how aircraft were used, going to reconnaissance aircraft to full-blown fighters. As such, the slower German models, perfect for reconnaissance, were outclassed by faster British and French models.
Fokker created a newer, faster, more aerodynamic fighter that was faster than anything the British or French had. Although its development was delayed, it would enter service in mid-1918.
Here, Fokker would mass produce the D.VII, producing 3,500 copies. The D.VII would be formidable against the British, American and French fighters in the remaining months of WWI, although, this wouldn’t be enough to save Germany.
9. Bristol F.2 Fighter
The onset of the war had seen both sides field aircraft that were deemed to be obsolete. For the British, they fielded the B.E.2 fighter. Eventually, the B.E.2 was relegated to perfoming aerial reconnaissance flights, something it proved to be quite good at.
By 1915, the British were looking to produce a much faster reconnaissance aircraft, as the old B.E.2s had become easy targets for German ground forces and fighters. The Bristol Aeroplane Company said that they could provide such an aircraft.
In 1916, they revealed their Bristol F.2 Fighter. However, the British no longer needed the F.2 to be a reconnaissance aircraft. The company that produced the B.E.2 had released a better reconnaissance aircraft a few months prior.
Bristol had counted on that, so designed their aircraft to easily be a fighter too. When it entered service later that year, it shot down countless German aces, to the point where German aces wouldn’t engage in dogfights with the F.2!
8. Blériot XI
Although originally built in 1909 by the famed Louis Blériot as a civil aircraft, the outbreak of WWI had different plans for the Blériot XI. All civil aircraft were taken by the military for use against the Germans.
Sadly, the Blériot XI had not been designed for military use. As such, the French and British couldn’t use them as fighters. However, this also made them perfect for another role: reconnaissance.
During the first few years, the Blériot XI would be France and Britain’s primary reconnaissance aircraft. Here, the pilot could fly over enemy trenches and take photographs of their positions, weaponry, manpower etc.
As the war progressed, the Blériot XI became a favorite target of ground forces and fighters alike. Due to this, the Blériot XI became a trainer aircraft, before later being retired.
7. Albatros B.II
When war broke out in 1914, Albatros Flugzeugwerke was busy producing their B.I reconnaissance aircraft. Here, the B.I would be used by both the German and Austro-Hungarian air forces.
Once the war had started, Albatros had designed a newer variant of the B.I, it called the B.II. Although it was smaller, the B.II could perform recon for much longer than the B.I could.
In the early years of the war, the Albatros B.II would serve as the Central Powers’ main recon aircraft. However, during this time, Albatross would continue to produce newer aircraft, including the C.I.
Due to this, the B.II was slowly phased out in favor of the newer BC.I. For the B.II, it would spend much of the rest of the war as a trainer, training the vast majority of German and Austro-Hungarian pilots between 1916 and 1918.
6. Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2
At the outbreak of WWI in 1914, the B.E.2 was considered to be obsolete. It was slow, fuel inefficient, and had virtually zero maneuverability, making it a perfect target for German fighters.
However, the Bristol F.2 had not fully phased out the B.E.2, meaning that the British were forced to field the B.E.2 as a fighter in the early years of the war.
In 1916, the F.2 had phased out the B.E.2 as fighters. But the British weren’t prepared to give up the B.E.2 so easily. British generals noticed that the B.E.2’s slow speeds made it perfect for aerial reconnaissance.
Up until the last few months of the war, the B.E.2 would act as the main British reconnaissance aircraft. Nearing the end of the war, the B.E.2 would also serve as ta basic or intermediate trainer, before being retired after the war.
5. Avro 504
The Avro 504 was developed from the Avro 500 utility aircraft before the start of WWI. Here, it was initially built as a fighter or as a light bomber. Once war broke out in 1914, the Avro 504 was the first aircraft shipped to France.
Initially, it would act as a reconnaissance aircraft, before being used as a fighter. However, faster German models would see the Royal Flying Corps (the RAF’s predecessor) shot several of them down with ease.
In fact, one of the British Avro 504s was the first British aircraft to be shot down in the war. Due to this, the Avro 504 would become a bomber, before purpose-built bombers were introduced in 1916.
Following this, mostly due to the Avro 504’s ease of handling, it became a basic trainer. Throughout the war, the majority of pilots would learn the basics on the Avro 504, with it training 85% of British pilots during WWI.
4. Curtiss JN-4 Jenny
Just as with the Avro 504, the JN-4 was a WWI trainer aircraft. Whilst the overwhelming majority of British pilots would be taught on the Avro 504, the overwhelming majority of American pilots would be taught on the JN-4.
Prior to WWI, Curtiss had produced a number of general aviation and trainer aircraft. During the war, as with every other aircraft manufacturer, Curtiss began to make military aircraft.
In 1915, Englishman Benjamin Douglas Thomas approached Glenn Curtiss about producing a basic trainer for the US Army and US Navy. Curtiss was interested, and began designing their new aircraft.
When the US entered the war in 1917, the JN-4 was mass produced and trained 95% of all American pilots during WWI. The aircraft was so good, that it was purchased by the Australian, Canadians and British among others.
3. Airco DH.4
During WWII and later the Cold War, de Havilland was famous for creating some of the best aircraft of its time. In WWI, de Havilland’s predecessor, Airco, similarly produced some of the most advanced aircraft of its time.
The most famous of Airco’s aircraft was the DH.4 bomber. When it entered service in 1917, it was the largest single engine bomber employed during WWI. Despite this, the DH.4 wasn’t underpowered, but rather, overpowered.
Due to how high the DH.4 flew, it was almost invulnerable to German groundfire and fighters. Of over 1,500 DH.4s built during the war, only a handful were ever shot down.
Thanks to all of this, the DH.4 would continue to serve as a bomber and as an early air-to-air refueler, well into the 1930’s. After WWI, the DH.4 would also be extensively used by many of the first airliners as well!
2. Handley Page Type O
Combined with the Airco DH.4, the Handley Page Type O made up the bulk of the British bomber fleet during WWI. In fact, Sir Frederick Handley Page, the Type O’s designer, is credited with developing the first heavy bomber.
In 1915, Handley Page were approached by the Royal Navy to produce a new type of aircraft: One that could destroy German trench defenses before the infantry performed a charge into no man’s land.
As per the Royal Navy’s instructions, Handley Page developed two different variants of the Type O. Handley Page first released the Type O/100, which was quite widely used by British and Entente forces.
Later on in 1916, Handley Page would release the larger Type O/400. The Type O/400 could carry more bombs than the Type O/100, as well as travel a longer distance, and could take a larger amount of punishment.
1. Gotha G.V
With the introduction of the British DH.4s and Type Os, German ground defenses were being battered on a daily basis. For the Germans Entente bombers often spoiled their upcoming attacks, but they also saw the genius of it too.
Because of this, they tasked Gotha to produce a heavy bomber akin to those fielded by the British. Whilst their first one, the Gotha G.I was released in 1915, it was eclipsed by subsequently developed Gotha bombers, namely the G.V.
Surprisingly, when the G.V was introduced in August 1917, it was widely considered to be obsolete. Due to this, it was given the task of night bomber, a role it would soon prove to be quite adept at fulfilling.
Due to this, the Germans began to rely almost exclusively on night bombing, rather than fielding their comparatively more expensive Zeppelins. By the end of the war, G.Vs were one of the few aircraft types still operating regularly.
Which was the most important WWI aircraft? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Pavel Vanka via Flickr.