When the Great War began, there were no fighter aircraft. At the time, the general consensus of expert opinion was that the aeroplane could be used to observe enemy troop movements and little else. When the first military planes took to the skies, they were used for reconnaissance rather than combat. On their own initiative, the pilots and observers began carrying revolvers, rifles, steel darts and other weapons in their planes to attack enemy aircraft and troops on the ground. Soon all military planes were armed for protection or for attacking the enemy.
Below is a table of some of the best known fighters of World War I and the year they entered service. |
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