Summary:
In World War I, there were many new improvements of warfare like the expanded use of spies and the new arrival of fighter pilots. In the First World War, spies came from all professions, from travel guides, to sales people, and performers.
Famous Spies and Fighter Aces
The Great War was the first war that had many countries involved. During the war Britain, France, Russia, Italy and the United States were the Allies fighting against Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria, which were known as the Central Powers. The war mainly took place on the Western Front, which was between the Belgian Coast and Switzerland. During the war time period from 1914 to 1918, both sides had people that were spies and fighter pilots.
Spies are most successful when they are not suspected. To try to hide their spy activities, they may have professions unrelated to the war but even with a unique profession spies are caught and executed. Carl Lody, a German spy, was shot early in the war for espionage in 1914. Prior to the outbreak of the war, Lody positioned himself in London as a travel guide with the name of Charles Inglis. As a travel guide, Lody was able to monitor the movements of the Royal Navy in Britain and provide the valuable information to Germany. In addition, he was able to provide information to Germany on London's air defenses. Lody was arrested in Killarney with incriminating documents. Another profession that would not be suspected as a spy would be a salesperson. Gabrielle Petit was a British saleswoman that was providing information to Britain about German troops. The Germans shot Gabrielle Petit on April 1, 1916. A performer is also a profession that would not be suspected as a spy. Mata Hari was an exotic dancer that was suspected of being a double agent for both Germany and France. She provided information that she learned from military officers that talked to her and attended her shows. She was arrested by the French and was killed on October 15, 1917. In the First World War, spies came from all professions, from travel guides, to sales people, and performers.
World War I was the first war to have planes fighting in the air. At first the planes were used to take down observation balloons that kept an eye on the battlefield, but then guns were added to shoot down other planes. Every time a pilot made a plane go down it was counted as a victory. The victories were recorded. When a pilot had 5 or more victories, he was classified as a flying ace. Three top flying aces for their countries were Manfred Von Richthofen, Rene Fonck, and William Bishop. Manfred Von Richthofen was the best German fighter ace of the war. By his opponents, he was known as the "Red Baron" with 80 victories between September 1916 and April 1918. He got his nick name because his planes were painted scarlet. On April 21, 1918, his plane was shot down by Captain Arthur Brown and he was killed. Another fighter ace was the French captain, Rene Fonck. He was a top scoring Allied ace using very little ammunition to shoot down his enemy. Two times in the war he shot down six aircraft in one day. A Canadian fighter ace, William Bishop, fought with Great Britain. He was just 21 years old when he started his flying career as an observer. In June 1918, Bishop scored his last victory. He then went home, where he helped form the Canadian Air Force. There are many other flying aces from World War I.
In World War I, there were many new improvements of warfare like the expanded use of spies and the new arrival of fighter pilots. There was much trading of information between countries through spies and lots of battles in the air. As the Wright Brothers once said, .".. we at once packed our goods and returned home, knowing that the age of the flying machine had come at last."
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