Hugh Trenchard as commander of the Royal Flying Corps in France
Hugh Trenchard was the commander of the Royal Flying Corps in France from 25 August 1915 until 2 January 1918.
Appointment and style of command
In the summer of 1915,
The Battle of Loos, the Fokker Scourge and the Battle of Verdun
In late September 1915, Trenchard oversaw the Flying Corps' contribution to the Battle of Loos. The improved artillery cooperation and air-to-ground wireless communications yielded good results for the British. Additionally, the Battle was significant as the first successful tactical bombing operation in the history of military aviation that was carried out by the Flying Corps. Despite this, the battle was inconclusive and Trenchard had hoped that his airmen might have achieved more.[5]
By the autumn of 1915, the Flying Corps had to contend with a new difficulty, the so-called "
During the early stages of the
The Battle of the Somme, Bloody April and the Battle of Arras
In the days before the Battle of the Somme, Trenchard ordered that reconnaissance sorties be flown and German observation kite balloons be targeted. On the eve of battle, Trenchard had mustered 105 aircraft to the rear of the Fourth Army and with the commencement of the battle, Trenchard brought his squadrons systematically into action. Low-level bombing was a major task for the participating aircraft and many were shot down. Despite the losses, by mid-August the Flying Corps had succeeded in gaining air supremacy in the skies over the Somme. However, by September 1916 the prospects of a German collapse were remote and Trenchard feared that the Flying Corps in its weakened state was vulnerable to a German recovery in the air. Trenchard appealed to the War Office and even to the Admiralty for replacements in number but these were not initially forthcoming. By mid-September the German Air Service had regained some strength and Flying Corps began to take casualties in greater numbers. The Flying Corps' decline in numbers impaired their ability to provide accurate artillery support and although in late October a naval squadron was provided from Dunkirk, the British remained weak in the air.[12]
After the conclusion of the Battle of the Somme, Trenchard's Flying Corps remained in a weakened state and all along the Front, Trenchard's aircraft were still fighting those of the German Air Service. In November 1916, Haig, on Trenchard's urging, sought a further 20 squadrons of fighters and in December, Trenchard travelled to London to appeal in person for additional fighters. With his words failing to produce the desired aircraft, Trenchard repeatedly wrote to Henderson and Brancker and when Trenchard went over Henderson's head to the President of the Air Board Lord Cowdray, Henderson severely reprimanded him.[13]
While the winter weather gave some respite from the struggle in the air, the appearance of better weather in March 1917 brought a fresh offensive from the German Air Service. Trenchard was forced to cut back his offensive activity to a minimum although he continued to provide support to the British infantry as they slowly advanced to the Hindenburg Line. In April the Flying Corps supported the infantry as best it could during the Battle of Arras and engaged the Germans in a fierce air battle, known as Bloody April, in the skies overhead.[14] Overall, from March to May, Trenchard lost 1270 aircraft and coupled with the production crisis in Great Britain this almost resulted in the destruction of the Flying Corps.[15]
By mid-1917 William Weir's actions in getting British aircraft production working had started to bear fruit. The newly supplied S.E.5s, Bristol Fighters and de Havilland 4s enabled Trenchard to dominate the airspace along the Front before and during the Battle of Messines. Although the Flying Corps' reserves remained low, Trenchard and his staff were then able to begin planning for Haig's upcoming offensive at Ypres.[15]
Bombing raids on London
In June 1917, the
After London was bombed for a second time, the Government tasked General Jan Smuts with investigating the arrangements for governing the British air services. His report was issued by August 1917 and it recommended the establishment of an independent air force which would be managed by its own government ministry. Trenchard received an advanced copy and expressed his disagreement. In Trenchard's view, the disruption that would be caused by merging the two air services and particularly by creating a separate ministry would detract from the vital task of pressing home the recently gained advantages in the air over the Western Front.[17]
From 28 September to 1 October, German
Strategic bombing of German industry
In October, British bombers arrived at Ochey and became the first elements of the newly created 41st Wing under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Newall.[19] Preparations for bombing missions then began in earnest and only six days later two flights of de Havilland aircraft conducted the Flying Corps' first long-range bombing mission. The Burbach iron foundry was hit, as were other buildings and railway lines. A week later Handley Page aircraft of the 41st Wing conducted the first night-time bombing raid at long range. Bombing continued into November until the winter weather commenced.[20]
In London, the propaganda value of the raids was what mattered most to the Government and Trenchard was praised as a commander and organizer of the highest order. Trenchard himself disliked conducting a campaign to satisfy political concerns even though he had the freedom to select targets. More specifically, Trenchard wished to concentrate his forces on supporting the Army rather than divide his limited number of aircraft between two unrelated bombing campaigns.[21]
Replacement
During December 1917, Trenchard remained
Notes
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 140–141
- ^ Wykeham 1971:p. 470
- ^ Simkin, John. "First World War - Royal Flying Corps". Spartacus Educational. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2008.
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 142–147
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 148–150
- ^ Johnson, History of Air Fighting.
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 152–156
- ^ Boyle 1962:p. 163
- ^ Lyall 1976:p. 179
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 168–171
- ^ Probert 1991:p. 100
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 181–198
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 205–210
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 212–126
- ^ a b Boyle 1962:p. 220
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 221–223
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 223–232
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 234–237
- required.)
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 239–240
- ^ Boyle 1962:p. 240
- ^ Boyle 1962:pp. 255–260
References
- Boyle, Andrew (1962). Trenchard Man of Vision. St James's Place, London: Collins.
- Jordan, David (2000). "The Battle for the Skies: Sir Hugh Trenchard as Commander of the Royal Flying Corps". In Matthew Hughes and Matthew Seligmann (ed.). Leadership in Conflict 1914 - 1918. Leo Cooper Ltd. pp. 68 to 91. ISBN 0-85052-751-1.
- ISBN 978-1-84415-308-4.
- ISBN 0-11-772635-4.
- ISBN 0-19-860532-3.