First World War aviation is a particular historical interest of mine. It's a niche interest, but I find the development of early fighting aircraft to be fascinating, and I find stories of the first pilots equally interesting and exciting. One of the primary reasons that aircraft were developed for military purposes was their capacity to take aerial photographs of the enemy; as long-range scouts, aircraft were unbeatable, even in 1914. Nobody really considered them as capable of actually fighting until mid-1915, and it wasn't until early 1916 that they became truly effective at fighting each other, mounting ever more guns and becoming ever more agile and manoueverable.
Perhaps even more strangely, it took around the same time for cameras to be mounted on aircraft, despite the fact that photography had existed for over 80 years in all of the warring countries - early scouting missions were often completed by observers drawing sketches of enemy positions while they were flying overhead.
Allied Aircraft over Airfield - c.1917 - Unknown Attribution
The cameras mounted on early aircraft were basic by today's standards, but they were among the most advanced of their day. In order to overcome the many problems posed by taking images from an inherently unstable platform, a camera with a fast shutter speed was required -as fast as could possibly be produced. One such model used was the Graflex "Speed Graphic", which had been acquired and manufactured by the Eastman Kodak company since 1905, though by no means would this have been the only camera used. The most remarkable aspect of the Graflex was the shutter speed for its day - as fast as 1/500. Designed primarily with sports photography in mind, the Speed Graphic used a very small slit, exposing different parts of the film at different times in order to achieve a sharp result - something that simply wasn't possible on lesser models. In order to get the shutter to fire at such a speed, a small key had to be cranked on the camera in order to build up tension - this was released when the shutter was fired - and it was enough to counter the vibration and unsteady platform of the aircraft. The end result was remarkably clear images of front-line trenches and fortifications like this:
If you look closely, you can see craters in the ground from shelling, and the distinctive square-tooth shape of the trenches below - so designed to minimise the effects from blasts and also to prevent aircraft strafing down a straight line. With photographs such as these, generals were able to plan attacks and see the damage that the enemy had suffered following a bombardment. WW1 aerial photography had such a remarkable impact on the army, it was deemed too important to leave it to a particular regiment of the army; in 1918, the Royal Air Force itself was formed. It would not be an understatement to claim that aerial photography changed the course of the war.
Very few photographs exist of WW1 aircraft actually in the air - their cameras were for reconnaissance, not for frivolities, but some observers used a frame or two for their own personal reasons. It is these images that I find the most remarkable of all, such as this one:
Rumpler C1a Dropping Bomb, Unknown AttributionEven more strange - in this particular photograph, the picture appears to have been taken by the pilot, as the observer seems to be sitting perfectly still in the back. It seems more likely that the pilot had turned the mounted Graflex (or similar) camera back towards the tail and used the opportunity to photograph his colleague dropping the bomb.
There is an infinite amount I could write on the First World War in the air, but there are several websites out there with plenty of excellent information. I particularly recommend the following:
They are all well worth a visit, and contain many other remarkable photographs from this fascinating era.
Plase what the origin of first photo?
ReplyDelete