Out of the Hangar: U.S. Military Aviation Preparedness at the Start of the World War I (VIDEO)

  • Published
  • By Joe Danielewicz, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Public Affairs
One hundred and ten years ago, on July 28, 1914, the world changed as the “war to end all wars” began. The United States did not enter the war until 1917, but the nation and its military leaders kept an eye on it.
 
When America entered the war, it had to ramp up its manpower and materiel resources to match the Europeans. 
 
“It was the first time flamethrowers and poison gas saw widespread use as well, and it was the first time that submarines played a major role in naval fighting,” according to AFLCMC Historian Robert Marcell. “Of course, it was also  the first major conflict to heavily involve airplanes.”
 
“Between 1908 and 1914, the nations of Europe spent over $81.7 million building up their air forces,” which dramatically outpaced military aviation in the U.S., Marcell states in the newest edition of History Office’s “Out of the Hanger” video series. By comparison, the U.S. allocated just $250,000 and $300,000 in Fiscal Years 1915 and 1916, respectively, for military aviation.
 
“The realization that we did have some catching up to do kicked off a series of events that ultimately resulted in the creation of what is today Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,” Marcell says.
 
During that time, the Dayton area became a hub of military aviation activities because of its proximity to other industrial cities in the Eastern United States, robust local leadership that championed the region, and its connection with aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright.
 
After the War, military aviation continued to blossom in the Dayton region. “Military aviators in the area produced a number of innovations that would serve the country in World War II and beyond, including retractable landing gear, reversible and variable pitch propellers, parachutes and other air crew safety equipment,” Marcell explains in the video.
 
Another consequence of the war was the desire to maintain military preparedness. “We did not ever again want to find ourselves coming up short in the Great Power Competitions awaiting us in the decades to come.”