Help with Homework

[Timothy]

My son has been asked to answer the following question:

"What was the size and composition of the British, French and German Air Forces at the beginning of the [First World] War"

...a question I am finding it remarkably difficult to find an answer to! :(

Any help would be appreciated!

W :confused:

[Aerohack]

I'm not sure of the provenance of these figures, so treat with caution. 4 August 1914 (when war was declared between Britain and Germany): Britain 179 (that's one hundred and seventy-nine), France about 1,500, Germany about 1,000. 11 November 1918 (Armistice signed): Britain 22,647, France 4,511, United States Air Service (in Europe) 1,480, Germany 2,390 on Western and Home Fronts.

[ORAC]

Trick question, there weren't any Air Forces, just air components of other services. :p

In partial answer see
here (http://www.theaerodrome.com/aircraft/statistics.html), and here (http://www.wwiaviation.com/toc.shtml).

From the first - Front Line Combat Aircraft 1914:

Britain: 113
France: 138
Germany: 232
Austro-Hungarian Empire: 86

Source: The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft by Enzo Angelucci

[Timothy]

Thank you both :ok:

W