"100 Years of Air Combat" Topic

"ON AUG. 25, 1914, A RUSSIAN PILOT by the name of Pyotr Nesterov rammed his unarmed Moraine Saulnier Type G aircraft into an Austrian Albatross B.

Most likely, Nesterov was trying to damage the enemy plane with his own landing gear. The two machines collided, became entangled and fell from the sky. Although both fliers were killed in the crash, the Russian aviator had in fact scored history's first air combat kill. Britain's first-ever air-to-air victory came later that same day, when two Avro 504 pilots used their aircraft to force a German Etrich Taube monoplane down into a field near Mons. The German pilot leapt from the cockpit and fled on foot into a nearby forest evading capture. On Oct. 5, a French pilot named Louis Quenault would become the first in history to actually shoot down another aircraft in mid air with a blast of gunfire.

Ever since these first clumsy encounters, seizing control of the skies has become just as important to military commanders as supremacy on the ground or dominance of the seas…"
Full article here
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Amicalement
Armand

Sadly, this remains a 'standard tactic' in our WWI games. We just can't seem to avoid running in to each other.

Try playing War Thunder sometime. Ramming is considered the tactic of choice for those who cannot seem to shoot straight or fly well.

I had the pleasure of being part of the ground team for the 100 years on events for the RFC reaching France in their BE-2s.

The British Gentleman who downed the German monoplane was also the first British airman to land in France and he was by all accounts a bit of a rogue!

Lieutenant Hubert Dunsterville ‘Bay' Harvey- Kelly managed to land before No 2 Squadrons Officer commanding by plotting his own course to amiens airfield in France.

I submit to you two slightly short articles about the occasion.

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Thanks for share my friend.

Amicalement
Armand

I apologize for contradicting, but the original statement regardin Pyotr Nestorov would seem to be incorrect.

Firstly, sources disagree about whether the action took place on the 25th or 26th. I tend to trust the ones that give the 26th as the date for the simple reason that they are the only ones who point out that Russia was still using the Julian calender at the time and for the Western World (i.e. the rest of us) the date was September 8th. This still leaves him scoring the first aerial victory, which was Pyrrhic to say the least.
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Actually Steve that would leave Lieutenant Harvey-Kelly as the Gentleman with the first aerial victory. (Which was what I was lead to believe was the case by some of the other service persons working on the 100 years anniversary malarkey)
His victory was much less pyrrhic and much more gentlemanly at least. If only it all could've been that way!

That's true. I was thinking "victory" in terms of destroying an enemy rather than scaring him into landing, but your point is probably the best.