Inspired by the question of Mirumoto_Kenjiro and with the awareness that many members of the GOF do have some interest in military history here is the thread which I announced in my "ask me" thread.
I'll begin with a few comments on military aviation.
With regard to aircraft I take a greater fascination with older plains from the time of the world wars than I do with the more modern planes (which would obviously top the earlier planes if the question was about the performance of the planes).
From aesthetic points of view I like the sometimes colorful planes of WW1 of which the Fokker Dr. I (and no, it didn't come in red only
) was but one example. In terms of performance the Fokker D. VII was one of the best active planes of WW1, but there have also been a number of planes which came so late that little can be said about how things would have continued with them (e.g. the Sopwith Snipe or the Fokker D. VIII). Most successful in terms of number of enemy planes shot down in WW1 was the Sopwith Camel, a plane that also had a reputation for being not suited for inexperienced pilots however as it was difficult to fly. One pilot put it in a statement along the lines that the Sopwith Camel offered three possibilities to the pilot: Victoria Cross, Red Cross, or Wooden Cross
When it comes to just flying and living to tell the story the French Spad XIII was also a formidable plane of the era which was extremely stable and didn't have the habit of other planes (several different Nieuport and Albatross and Fokker planes in particular) to disassemble in steep dives which sure would be a positive thing for the plane not to do from the point of view of the pilot
When it comes to aerial history of the world wars I must say that I am more interested in the people who flew the planes and their perception today than I am in technical details of the planes. It is quite astonishing to what degree the almost mythological perception of the Flying Aces of WW1 in particular continues to this day.
Perhaps it is better for me to stop at this point before getting on to WW1 respectively to any of the other aspects which you asked me about Mirumoto_Kenjiro. I hope for more of a discussion and an exchange to come from this thread. So before all of the other topics are brought up I would be very interested in the interest of everyone else who is interested in military aviation, the planes, or the pilots. Is there anyone here who does have a special interest in the military aviation of WW1 rather than (or in addition to) interest in modern military planes?
