AIR POWER IN WORLD WAR I
A. Define, Describe, or Identify:
1. Allies – Russia, France, Serbia, and Britain, fighting together during World War I.
(p. 63)
2. Central Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey, fighting together
during World War I. (p. 63)
3. U-boats – German submarines. (p. 63)
4. Escadrille – a small squadron of planes. (p. 65)
5. Machine gun – an automatic rifle that uses belt-fed ammunition. (p. 67)
6. Stalemate – a situation in which further action is blocked. (p. 71)
7. Appropriate – to set aside for a specific use. (p. 71)
8. Strategic – designed to strike at the sources of an enemy's military, economic, or
political power. (p. 72)
9. Zeppelin – a German dirigible with a rigid frame used for observation and
bombing raids. (p. 73)
10. Dogfight – a battle between fighter planes. (p. 74)
11. Strafe – to attack with a machine gun from a low-flying aircraft. (p. 75)
B. Matching:
Match the definition in Column A with the name in Column B. You may use each name
only once.
Column A
__f__ 1. He was America’s “ace of aces” during
World War I. (p. 62)
__b__ 2. His assassination touched off World
War I. (p. 63)
__d__ 3. He was the most famous pilot of the
Lafayette Escadrille. (p. 66)
__g__ 4. A “wild card” who had trouble following
Army discipline, he shot down 15 balloons
and three airplanes in 17 days. (p. 68)
__c__ 5. He was the only African-American pilot
during World War I. (p. 69)
__i_ _ 6. The scarlet planes he commanded led to
his nickname “the Red Baron.” (p. 70)
__j__ 7. He was a strong advocate for enlisted
men as pilots in the US armed forces.
(p. 72)
__a__ 8. He bolted an automatic rifle to his plane
so he could shoot straight through the
propeller. (p. 74)
__e__ 9. He built an interrupting gear on a plane
that would keep its gun from firing when
the propeller was in the way. (p. 74)
__h__ 10. He was an advocate for an independent
US air force. (p. 78)
Column B
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
Roland Garros
Franz Ferdinand
Eugene Bullard
Raoul Lufbery
Anthony Fokker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Frank Luke
Billy Mitchell
Manfred von Richthofen
Hap Arnold
C. Fill in the Blanks:
1. Eddie Rickenbacker was the only surviving pilot of World War I to receive the
Congressional Medal of Honor during his lifetime. (p. 62 )
2. Despite the contributions of brave pilots on both sides, most World War I battles were
fought on land or at sea. (p. 63)
3. Soon after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Russia, France, Serbia, and Britain
were at war against Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey. (p. 63)
4. In early 1917, Germany once again targeted all American ships headed toward
Britain. (p. 63)
5. As commander of the 94th Squadron, Eddie Rickenbacker did two important things
for his men. He got them equipped with parachutes. And he figured out how to keep
an airplane’s machine gun from jamming. (p. 67)
6. Because of his affection for his adopted country of France, Eugene Bullard agreed to
help when the French government asked him to spy on Germans living in France.
(p. 70)
7. A motto emerged by the end of World War I: “If you control the air, you cannot be
beaten; if you lose the air, you cannot win.” (p. 72)
8. In September 1918 the Battle of Saint Mihiel in France finally turned the tide in
favor of the Allies. (p. 74)
9. The four-day Battle of Saint Mihiel established the role of mass movements of air
power during wartime. (p. 75)
10. The fighter aircraft of World War I needed three qualities: they had to be lightweight,
fast, and maneuverable. (p. 77)
D. Crossword Puzzle:
Across
4.
A situation in which further action is blocked. STALEMATE. (p. 71)
5.
Russia, France, Serbia, and Britain, during World War I. ALLIES. (p. 63)
6.
A small squadron of planes. ESCADRILLE. (p. 65)
9.
Designed to strike at the sources of an enemy's military, economic, or political
power. STRATEGIC. (p. 72)
11. German submarine. U-BOAT. (p. 63)
12. To attack with a machine gun from a low-flying aircraft. STRAFE. (p. 75)
13. The name of the Lafayette Escadrille honored the _______ de Lafayette. MARQUIS
(p. 65)
14. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey, in World War I. CENTRALPOWERS. (p.
63)
Down
1.
Eddie Rickenbacker started out as a _______ driver. RACECAR (p. 66)
2.
An automatic rifle that uses belt-fed ammunition. MACHINEGUN (p. 67)
3.
A German dirigible with a rigid frame used for observation and bombing raids.
ZEPPELIN (p. 73)
7.
A battle between fighter planes. DOGFIGHT (p. 74)
8.
To set aside for a specific use. APPROPRIATE (p. 71)
10. A kind of German biplane. ALBATROS (p. 68)
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Created with EclipseCrossword — www.eclipsecrossword.com
P O W E R S
U
N
E. True/False:
Put a T in the blank if the sentence is true and an F if it is false.
__T__1. It was harder for a German to qualify as an “ace” pilot than for an American,
French, or British pilot. (p. 62)
__T__2. Early in 1917, British intelligence discovered a telegram from Germany
promising Mexico it could have Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico if the
Mexicans joined World War I on the German side. (p. 63)
__F__3. The Marquis de Lafayette, for whom the Lafayette Escadrille was named, was a
quirky French nobleman who took up aviation to settle an old score he had with
the Red Baron of Germany. (p. 65)
__F__4. Eugene Bullard returned from World War I to start up an airline for AfricanAmericans, who were otherwise barred at the time from flying .(p. 70)
__T__5. Even by the end of the World War I, all American pilots were still flying British
or French planes. (p. 71)
__F__6. Brig Gen James Allen was an early advocate of using aircraft not just for aerial
reconnaissance but to deliver bombs. (p. 72)
__F__7. The first aircraft to drop bombs on Britain was a German zeppelin in 1917. (p.
73)
__T__8. Unlike American and other Allied aviation units, the British Royal Flying Corps
was independent of its country’s infantry. (p. 73)
__T__9. Average aircraft speeds went from 64 mph to 130 mph between 1914 and 1918.
(p. 76-77)
__F__10. Brig Gen Billy Mitchell had great support from his Airmen because he had
been flying since he was 16. (p. 78)