Top 10 World War I Fighter Planes

World War I was the first major conflict involving the large-scale use of aircraft. Tethered observation balloons had already been employed in several wars, and would be used extensively for artillery spotting. Germany employed Zeppelins for reconnaissance over the North Sea and Baltic and also for strategic bombing raids over Britain and the Eastern Front. Airplanes were just coming into military use at the outset of the war. Initially, they were used mostly for reconnaissance. Pilots and engineers learned from experience, leading to the development of many specialized types, including fighters, bombers, and trench strafers. Ace fighter pilots were portrayed as modern knights, and many became popular heroes. The war also saw the appointment of high-ranking officers to direct the belligerent nations' air war efforts. While the impact of aircraft on the course of the war was mainly tactical rather than strategic, most important being direct cooperation with ground forces (especially ranging and correcting artillery fire), the first steps in the strategic roles of aircraft in future wars were also foreshadowed. In this video, we will show you the Top 10 Best Fighter Planes of World War 1.

#top10 #military #thebuzz

[btall]

Those pilots really, REALLY had balls. The original "Knights of the Air".

[archimedesfromteamfortress]

How was the Bristol f2 not here? That thing was an absolute beast, a highly agile and maneuverable fighter with a tailgunner, that also could function as a bomber. It was a fighter, recon, bomber all at once, and it was so good it continued seeing service up until the early *_1930'S_* !

[WynnofThule]

The fact that the Fokker DR1 is 4th but the Sopwith Triplane isn't even on the list is criminal. The Triplane was so good that the Fokker was supposed to be it's copy.

[seank]

Who came up this list? Fokker D VII is the best fighter during WWI. Period!

[stevea]

the problem with articles like these is, when you show a WWII M3 Stuart light tank (@ 0.37 seconds) in a program about WWI you immediately lose any validity you might have had.

[davidg.williams]

The DH4 was not a fighter or pursuit aircraft ;try the Bristol F2b(the Brisfit) A mean machine!

[andrezkamotu]

It's a nonsens. A second-placed D.H.4 was not even a fighter... So, where is Bristol F.2b Fighter instead?

[sarnnox]

Correction: The top speed of the Fokker DVII was not 165mph, it was more like 125-130mph. Also, 189kmh is not 165mph if you did the math properly.

[RamJetJockey]

Fokker D7 was by far #1 to the point that their required destruction was a key item in the demilitarization of Germany.

[Charlie_Ses]

It's not totally clear why the planes are ranked in the order they are? What makes no.1 the best of the rest?

[Wikingersohn]

Your numbers are all over the place. Sopwith Pup: Top speed is in the video for the time, powerplant and airframe really high: 180 kph (wikipedia states a much more plausible 171 kph) The Albatros DVa didn't have 200hp but only 185hp. Choosing the Albatros DV over the DIII ist strange as the DIII was the one that held aerial supremacy during the "bloody april" whilst the DV was seen as a downgrade from the DIII by many pilots and underperformed compared to contemporary allied designs. Also the Fokker EIII is definitely missing as it was responsible for the so called "Fokker scourge" being absolutely unapposed for quite some time until allied stop gap measures like the DH2 and the Nieuport 11 arrived on the battlefield.

[ChandranPrema]

Imagine how difficult it was being a pilot during those days.
Plane being made of wood.
A plane slower than 200kmph
An open roof
And no heat insulation like today's aircraft's.

[legionarpublius]

What a nonsensical sequence. Who compares single-seaters with two-seaters? Where are Nieuport 17c, Fokker E III, Sopwith Snipe, SSW D III, DH 4 or Albatros D III?
You can also compare based on engines, maneuverability, handling, product numbers and popularity.

[barryslemmings]

The Airco DH 4 was not a fighter. The only effective Allied two-seater fighter was the Bristol F2b known as the 'Biff'. It was an effective fighter with one pilot achieving 30 kills with the front gun. There were several F2b 'aces'.

[PaisleyPatchouli]

I've always loved those planes. I had a chance to see some of them fly at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in NY, it was a real thrill. Just the sound and smell of them is evocative of their history; they are like beautiful oversized kites!

[randomdeadpool]

Western Front, April 21, 1918
A red Fokket Dr. 1 takes to the sky, and the pilot is a legend....
""""Man and machine and nothing there in between
A flying circus and a man from Prussia
The sky and a plane, this man commands his domain
The western front and all the way to Russia…""""

[Kneedragon]

Not wishing to argue with you, but I am a little curious what criteria you used for ranking these. For example, I would rate a Fokker D7 a long LONG way ahead of pretty much any other actual pursuit or combat aircraft of the war. There is no way on god's green Earth an Airco DH4 is a better aircraft than a D7. If we're going on number of kills, then I thought the top was the Sopwith Camel ~ mostly because there were a lot of them. I could see the case for a Bristol Fighter, which remained in active service in the RAF long after WW1 was over, but ...

[paulhemmings]

Well at least the pictures corresponded with the aircraft named ! The Camel repaced the Pup to combat the Albatros, so why is the Pup above the Albatros ? Though I think it was a decent plane for 1916. Both Camel and Se 5 where supposed to be superior to the Spad. As mentioned by others the DH 4 was top aircraft ? a bomber I think. Anyway the Bristol Fighter should have been included rather than the DH 4. Some historians say the Fokker D7 was the best fighter, this did get a place on the list.
So nice try but no cigar !

[kenjohnston]

Albatross d5 was not so good, the d3 series 253 was the best albatross

[johnnyz]

Im smiling looking at them as ancestors to ww2 fighters like bf-109 or spitfire series