Author Description

The premise of this report is that "observation" was the motivation for the first employment of baloons and aircraft, and that in World War I, Allied assistance and equipment were absolutely crucial to the development and employment of the US Army Air Service. This work will look at two main areas. First, the types of observation vehicles employed in World War I and secondly, the tremendous role the European Allies played in providing equipment, training, instruction, and combat experience to American aerial forces, both at home and abroad.