Updated Last: Thursday, February 05, 2025 11:39 AM
Aerial combat or dogfights emerged in World War I. Bi-plaine and tri-planes were initially used as mobile observation vehicles and early pilots gave little thought to aerial combat- before enemy pilots simply exchanged waves. Intrepid pilots decided to interfere with enemy reconnaissance by using anything to put the plane down. This progressed to pilots firing hand-held guns at enemy planes. Once machine guns were mounted to the plane, either on a flexible mounting or higher on the wings of early biplanes, the era of air combat began. The Germans acquired an early air superiority due to the invention of synchronization gear in 1915.
During the first part of the war, there was no established tactical doctrine for air-to-air combat. Oswald Boelcke was the first to analyze the tactics of aerial warfare, resulting in a set of rules known as the Dicta Boelcke. Many of Boelcke's concepts, conceived in 1916, are still applicable today, including use of sun and altitude, surprise attack and turning to meet a threat. |
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