KNIGHTS OF THE SKY World War I introduced a new invention to the battlefield the airplane Slow and fragile at first airplanes evolved in just a few short years into swift and deadly weapons of war They were used to bomb and spy on the enemy Ace pilots also engaged in aerial dogfights to take control of the skies The soldiers of World War I fought a new kind of war Instead of facing the enemy millions were forced to take shelter in muddy trenches Artillery shells rained down launched by an unseen foe Machine guns and hidden snipers killed anyone daring or foolish enough to set foot in no-man’s-land Neither side was used to fighting this way Honor and heroism didn’t seem to have a place in this modern kind of warfare Every day however soldiers could look up and see airplanes dueling overhead These new machines buzzed through the sky with lightning speed Troops on the ground cheer as an airplane zooms overhead World War I pilots spotted enemy locations and told artillery operators where to fire their guns Airplanes were also used to drop bombs and fire machine guns at targets on the ground
Allied flyboys battle a squadron of German planes
High above the battlefields of World War I dashing pilots swooped and soared in their flying machines The roar of engines and the staccato rattle of machine guns filled the air as wood-and-canvas airplanes performed a deadly dance in the sky Here was fighting that soldiers stuck in muddy trenches could understand men battling and outwitting each other often so close they could see the faces of their enemies World War I pilots were called knights of the sky They seemed to come from a time long ago when warriors in shining armor lived their lives with chivalry and courage The best pilots were called aces They fought in the freedom of the clear blue sky where heroes were born and brave men could die with honor The aces of World War I became legends Mick Mannock from Great Britain Eddie Rickenbacker from the United States France’s René Fonck Canada’s Billy Bishop and the most famous ace of the war Germany’s Manfred von Richthofen also known as the Red Baron
In reality the career of most World War I pilots was short and brutal Their training was usually limited Their airplanes were often unreliable or outmatched by the enemy Within a few short weeks of arriving at the front lines most young pilots were shot down or died in an accident Death at the hands of the enemy could be especially cruel Parachutes were rare When a plane went down in flames the pilot faced a terrible choice burn to death or jump and plummet to the ground The life of a pilot many discovered was not so glamorous after all Airplanes pilots joked were merely coffins with wings
