Jersey - “PLANES ~ WORLD WAR I ~ WAR IN THE AIR. ”

MNH ~ Miniature Sheet !

The Great War - 100 Years, Part Four: War in the Air

The First World War was the first major conflict to involve the large-scale use of aircraft in combat. Powered flight itself was in its infancy; the Wright brothers’ first flight had only been achieved eleven years previously, and in 1914 the aircraft were still flimsy and very primitive.

However, such was the rapid development of their use, by the end of the war in 1918, their potential had been recognised and aircraft had become indispensable to modern warfare.

The pilots themselves soon became dashing cultural icons, ‘knights of the air’, and stories of dramatic dogfights and the victories of fighter pilot aces – those with five victories or more – were perfect for distracting public attention away from the mud, horror and destruction of the trenches.

Date of Issue: 4 August 2017.

(JO17 ~ OutSd Wdn Cpd)