Fight For Air Supremacy - Bloody April 1917 I THE GREAT WAR Special feat. Real Engineering

Check out Real Engineering and their video about WW1 airplanes: • The Physics of World W...
Meet us and see original WW1 airplanes: bit.ly/TGWStowM...
"Bloody April" was the result of two competing aviation strategies: The more defence oriented German Luftstreitkräfte and the more offensive oriented British Royal Flying Corps. The RFC needed air reconnaissance for the Battle of Arras and the Germans needed to deny them them. With the superior German Albatross D.III fighters, the German Jagdstaffeln inflicted heavy losses on the RFC.
» HOW CAN I SUPPORT YOUR CHANNEL?
You can support us by sharing our videos with your friends and spreading the word about our work.You can also support us financially on Patreon: / thegreatwar
You can also buy our merchandise in our online shop: shop.spreadshir...
Patreon is a platform for creators like us, that enables us to get monthly financial support from the community in exchange for cool perks.
» WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WORLD WAR I AND WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND YOU?
We’re offering background knowledge, news, a glimpse behind the scenes and much more on:
reddit: bit.ly/TheGreat...
Facebook: bit.ly/WW1FB
Twitter: bit.ly/WW1Series
Instagram: bit.ly/ZpMYPL
» CAN I EMBED YOUR VIDEOS ON MY WEBSITE?
Of course, you can embed our videos on your website. We are happy if you show our channel to your friends, fellow students, classmates, professors, teachers or neighbours. Or just share our videos on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit etc.
We are also happy to get your feedback, criticism or ideas in the comments. If you have interesting historical questions, just post them and we will answer in our OUT OF THE TRENCHES videos. You can find a selection of answers to the most frequently asked questions here: bit.ly/OOtrenches
» CAN I SHOW YOUR VIDEOS IN CLASS?
Of course! Tell your teachers or professors about our channel and our videos. We’re happy if we can contribute with our videos. If you are a teacher and have questions about our show, you can get in contact with us on one of our social media presences.
» WHAT ARE YOUR SOURCES?
Videos: British Pathé
Pictures: Mostly Picture Alliance
Background Map: d-maps.com/cart...
Literature (excerpt):
Gilbert, Martin. The First World War. A Complete History, Holt Paperbacks, 2004.
Hart, Peter. The Great War. A Combat History of the First World War, Oxford University Press, 2013.
Hart, Peter. The Great War. 1914-1918, Profile Books, 2013.
Stone, Norman. World War One. A Short History, Penguin, 2008.
Keegan, John. The First World War, Vintage, 2000.
Hastings, Max. Catastrophe 1914. Europe Goes To War, Knopf, 2013.
Hirschfeld, Gerhard. Enzyklopädie Erster Weltkrieg, Schöningh Paderborn, 2004
Michalka, Wolfgang. Der Erste Weltkrieg. Wirkung, Wahrnehmung, Analyse, Seehamer Verlag GmbH, 2000
Leonhard, Jörn. Die Büchse der Pandora: Geschichte des Ersten Weltkrieges, C.H. Beck, 2014
If you want to buy some of the books we use or recommend during our show, check out our Amazon Store: bit.ly/AmazonTGW
NOTE: This store uses affiliate links which grant us a commission if you buy a product there.
» WHAT IS “THE GREAT WAR” PROJECT?
THE GREAT WAR covers the events exactly 100 years ago: The story of World War I in realtime. Featuring: The unique archive material of British Pathé. Indy Neidell takes you on a journey into the past to show you what really happened and how it all could spiral into more than four years of dire war. Subscribe to our channel and don’t miss our new episodes every Thursday.
» WHO IS REPLYING TO MY COMMENTS? AND WHO IS BEHIND THIS PROJECT?
Most of the comments are written by our social media manager Florian. He is posting links, facts and backstage material on our social media channels. But from time to time, Indy reads and answers comments with his personal account, too.
The Team responsible for THE GREAT WAR is even bigger:
CREDITS -
Presented by : Indiana Neidell
Written by: Indiana Neidell
Director: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Director of Photography: Toni Steller
Sound: Toni Steller
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: www.above-zero.com
Editing: Toni Steller
Motion Design: Philipp Appelt
Research by: Indiana Neidell
Fact checking: Markus Linke
The Great War Theme composed by Karim Theilgaard: bit.ly/karimyt
A Mediakraft Networks Original Channel
Based on a concept by Spartacus Olsson
Author: Indiana Neidell
Visual Concept: Astrid Deinhard-Olsson & David van Stephold
Executive Producer: Spartacus Olsson
Producer: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Social Media Manager: Florian Wittig
Contains licenced Material by British Pathé
All rights reserved - © Mediakraft Networks GmbH, 2017

[@RealEngineering]

It was great working with you!

[@TheGreatWar]

+Real Engineering likewise

[@SuperLusername]

Real Engineering And I was subscribed to both for quite some time already. I absolutely love these "cameos"

[@bechanprasad477]

d

[@bechanprasad477]

d

[@jeffmcarthur5617]

I'll mention this here to make sure you guys see it. You might check out the tag for Real Engineering. It reads "Check our" and should read "Check out". Just something I noticed and figured you'd want to know.

[@anthonyescobedo4631]

Honorable mencion to Snoopy, he made me interested into WWI Airplanes when I was a child

[@McLarenMercedes]

Amazing to think that the airplane was merely 14 years old as an invention by the time these events took place. Just 8 years before crossing the English Channel with an airplane was seen as an amazing feat. It's true however that the war sped up development of airplanes severalfold. The first non-stop transatlantic flight was in 1919 with a Vickers Vimy - a long range bomber aircraft developed at the end of WWI. Alcock and Brown were the two pilots who flew this historic flight.

[@HaloFTW55]

100 year... with two world wars... no, because two world wars, we have came far.

[@MandalorV7]

Technologically advances because there is a need for it. War often creates an urgent need for that advancement.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Indy's pronunciation of German words is improving.

[@hlynnkeith9334]

Yeah, but his pronunciation is still too harsh.

[@TheGreatWar]

+h lynn keith it sounds fine to us.

[@SigEpBlue]

It's Indy's "inner Texan" coming to the surface. ;)

[@hlynnkeith9334]

The Great War Perhaps it is just my ear. I learned German from meine Tante Anna-Marie. Soft 'ch' and 'r'. Like Katja in Deutsch für Euch on KZbin.

[@The51stDivision]

Steve Kaczynski Still need some more work on French tho

[@andrewcarter7503]

The thumbnail here was also used as the cover on the copy of the book Goshawk Squadron by Derek Robinson (?) Which is one of the best novels I've read about the WWI war in the air. Bitter and funny and tragic.

[@MephLeo]

One would assume pilots had little to no means of communicating with each other while in the air at that time. The fact that they could coordinate with each other and stick to tactics, even if barely, is extremely impressive.

[@hlynnkeith9334]

Communication in echelon was by wing wagging and hand signals. The British used flares for a while but abandoned them in 1917 I think. BTW Manfred von Richtofen was quite strict about NOT flying in a straight line ever. He led his echelons in S turns and always scanned for enemy aircraft.

[@PROkiller16]

They used wing wagging and such even in WWII.

[@thurin84]

hand signals, colored pennants, flares, and special maneuvers were pretty much it.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

He may have been shot down (almost certainly by an Australian Lewis gunner on the ground) because he forgot his own rules while pursuing an enemy aircraft.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

British flight or squadron leaders in the air usually had a red streamer attached to a wing so they could be distinguished from other planes during dogfights and their subordinates could watch for the commander's hand signals.

[@alphapennsylvania9439]

"PBI or poor bloody infantry" that's harsh man.

[@airplanemaster1]

Harsh, but still the truth.

[@alganhar1]

Its a fairly standard nickname for the Infantry. But if you look at it, the vast majority of the army is set up to do one thing, to ensure the Poor Bloody Infantryman can do his job, as *only* the Infantry can take and hold ground. Artillery, armour, aircraft, logistics train, intelligence, all these would be useless without the Poor Bloody Infantry. Other arms of service tend to look down on the Infantry, but at the end of the day they are the most important arm of service in the military, because without them you are doing no attacking or defending.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Well, as Patton put it in WW2, "winkle the other bastard out of his foxhole and make him sign the peace treaty".

[@alisonsmith4801]

My Great Grandfather John T Nicholson died at Arras 24th April he is buried at one of the British military cemeteries.

[@moshonn9318]

@@alganhar1 Airstrikes can obliterate, but only infantry can occupy Also: "Hey Army! Get in your tank and follow me, for I am Marine Corps infantry." 'cause, y'know, marines

[@TurtleDude05]

I love when we get specials. 😄 It's these episodes that make history come alive. Great job TGW team. keep it up.

[@TheGreatWar]

+TurtleDude05 thanks, glad you liked it

[@owenmarkwart4430]

We are studying ww1 in class and because I watch this channel, I know more than my teacher.

[@bobybot9320]

feels good when this happens.

[@CD-vg4hl]

Brah i knew that feeling whenever my history teachers taught ww2 in class and they woukd make a mistake. I raised my hand and pointed it out and the teacher got embarrassed and everyone laughed.

[@Horror221]

Plot twist, your teacher watches this channle too.

[@Seldonlair]

That is not surprising. Most teachers barely know their own subject matter. Do yourself a favor: educate yourself every opportunity you get. Read. Read. Read. Read every day. Reading history books - any books really, but history books are some of the best - will give you a better, more well-rounded education than 90% of anyone around you.

[@Nrvsmtr43]

That is awesome, but also a little sad.

[@jonharper8963]

How many kills did Snoopy managed to get in his Sopwith?

[@onnieduvall2565]

That "funny looking dog with the big black nose" only had one recorded kill when he shot down the Red Baron on 21 April 1918 while the Baron was laughing from Snoopy's invitation for a "real dog fight."

[@jimzawacki3041]

At least 4.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

When I was a child I had a Snoopy poster with him surfing, shouting "Cowabunga!" I think he should never have strayed onto the battlefields of WW1.

[@Zebred2001]

After waving to the poor blighters down below, Snoopy famously declared "Blighters appreciate you waving at them!"

[@plumbherhub1664]

Jon Harper he was shot down but scurried across no man's land almost being discovered by hun raiders but made it home for tea.

[@WayneMoyer]

Nice use of an underlying music track around 7:45 and on there. I almost didn't notice it. It shows how the show has aged and matured.

[@pumbaatim]

This episode comes at a great time. I was rereading "Knight of Germany" and cross referencing Boelcke's journey with the video's you posted previously to understand more of the situation of the war during his time fighting it. I really enjoyed the references to Boelcke and Von Richthofen. Boelcke holds a special spot in my heart, as I am the only person in my family who flies airplanes. My grandmother has stated that we are related to Boelcke and that also means a great amount to me. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to trace the lineage back personally and my grandmother is very old now. Thank you for this series, I have greatly enjoyed watching every episode and catching all the way up to the current day of the Great War.

[@Pastshelfdate]

Thank yoou, so much, for the link to Real Engineering. Not only was the video on World War 1 aircraft very good, but the next video queued up revealed how female British engineer Beatrice Schilling solved the early Spitfire's inverted flight flooding problem.. I've added that video to the list for the Hack RVA workshop club, where we have occasional visits from a high school girl who plans to be an engineer. We want to encourage her. By the way,m it's another Hack RVA member, Brian J, who introduced me to your channel. :)

[@TheGreatWar]

That's great to hear that you want to encourage here, really great!

[@evanulven8249]

And much of Boelckes tactics, the fighter pack, methods of conserving pilot endurance, and his eight points, are still in force today. The pilots and aces of World War One laid the foundations of modern air combat, with many, even most, of their knowledge and tactics as true today as it was then.

[@lamolambda8349]

Kk

[@ModernReformer]

I didn't know Snoopy's doghouse was a Sopwith Camel. I learned a bunch today! Thanks for the great video!

[@hlynnkeith9334]

It was a pleasure working with you. Pity we could not get all the photos included.

[@rogerpetronzio8337]

You keep getting better and better. I applaud you for letting the kids of today a chance to really learn something of quality. You should be very proud. Bet your mom is happy!

[@GravesRWFiA]

a really important point there indy, thank you for making it. usually bloody april is seen as a british loss because they lost more men, but if as you say, they denied the airspace to the enemy, then they completed their mission,

[@kevinbyrne4538]

I'm constantly amazed by the number of photos and film clips that you guys find and incorporate into your videos. Sincere compliments to your researchers.

[@ShinobiHOG]

Hahaha I love that mention of what snoopy flew.....

[@nathalygarciaacosta9868]

Real engineering brought me here and I'm not disappointed. Great video and great channel!!

[@johannesmaximilian848]

Nearly no other war had so much and famous things going on in the air as ww1.. Pilots like the Red Barons remain legends and heros forever.. no other was had such things. Please more videos about specific planes & tactics. Amazing video guys 👍

[@primpal08]

It's amazing how much aircraft & tactics evolved during the war considering they both pretty much started from scratch.

[@Alopex1]

Hey Indy, Flo & Crew, I have a question for Out of the Trenches: Did Guards units such as the Coldstream Guards, the Leib Regiment or the Pavlov Grenadiers receive any special training or equipment privileges, and were they used in the same way as regular troops were used, or for more specialised action? Love your show, it’s absolutely fantastic - keep up the amazing work!!! And special greetings and thanks to the guys behind the cameras and desktops whom we hardly ever get to see, but who are crucial for your show :)

[@_Braised]

Great special! Everyone remembers the Camel for Snoopy- nobody remembers it for Biggles :(

[@_Braised]

Oh I'm not criticising you Indy! It's more an observation on how differently pop culture perceives the air war now compared to the 1930s-late 60s

[@papasaruman]

Thanks for mentioning Wilhelm Frankl - possibly the first video on KZbin doing this.

[@sopwithsnoopy8779]

Fun fact about Wilhelm Frankl: his first confirmed kill came in early 1915 when he was an observer, not a pilot. And he shot down his opponent with a rifle. The early days of aerial warfare for sure, when all you have for armament is a rifle.

[@donames1438]

Found this channel through Real Engineering. I subscribed and will start from video number one. Thank you, Don from Montana

[@BattleAxe1345]

Also seen at 5:18 is Lt. Konstantin Krefft and Lt. Kurt Wolff.

[@hipcat13]

Hey Indy, don't forget Biggles also flew the Sopwith Camel!

[@devilsmaycry9877]

Air combat history has always been my favorite of the wars please add more of this content is super great!

[@heynerohere7893]

A video from The Great War on by birthday discussing "Bloody April"...what a great present! 😃

[@willardjohnson3832]

Thanks Indy and team. I have learned more about TGW by watching your videos than I have from any other source. They are informative as well as entertaining to watch!

[@Eastmarch2]

Two of my favorite channels collaborating. Nice!

[@dex6147]

Really cool to see 2 channels I've subbed to since before they were big have a unannounced surprise collaboration!

[@Teritus911]

Bravo, Indiana! Another fine episode.

[@paulmillard1130]

Thanks for remembering these hero's and being so entertaining.

[@jefcerulus3916]

Best channel on KZbin, amazing work and super interesting

[@Aviationlord7742]

Just finished watching "the Red Baron" and this video went up. I love it

[@l.o4456]

Aviation lord That one of 1971 or 2008 ?

[@mvfc7637]

Playing “Wings” on the Amiga 500 back in the day and “Bloody April” was one of the hardest phases of the game to survive in.

[@clintmcadie2675]

mvfc76 I still remember the solo flight against 10 of them. I got 9. My favourite game on the 500.

[@DeathWishMonkey]

"The Sopwith Camel, that's what Snoopy flew" LoL, so much memories.

[@alex_m1688]

LOVE YOUR VIDS! Definitely need them next year for 8th grade social studies!!!!

[@Aging_Casually_Late_Gamer]

Nothing like getting home from work. Making a sandwich and a stiff drink and watching a new Great War video.

[@josephbarzani54]

belive me your channel is a useful channel i've ever seen ,thank you for this channel

[@Randomstuffs261]

Indy, you are the Serbia of my Entente

[@MephLeo]

That one will certainly go to my list of awkward compliments.

[@Randomstuffs261]

awkward?... that's very Austro-Hungarian of you

[@MephLeo]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to underestimate your capacities while overestimating mine. Would you accept this peace offer where I take absolutely no responsibility for my opinions and actions?

[@Randomstuffs261]

Yes, absolutely, there's no point in Bolsheviking this any longer

[@MephLeo]

Thanks, that's very non-Entente of you.

[@jordanyoulten4362]

Hi Indie and gang, love the show and can't wait too see more. Is it a pain to ask if can you talk about/ do an episode about experimental vehicles that never made it to the front? I feel like it is an interesting topic to touch on. Keep up the magnificent work guys!

[@rinphod4442]

This channel is gold.

[@Rhodes1966]

Another great educational experience gang, thank you. Having a bit of trouble getting into it though, current events are far more troubling than even July of 1914. Seriously, yall take care.

[@profharveyherrera]

I just love when two of my favorite KZbin channels make a collaboration on one episode

[@TheEphemeris]

Outstanding episode!!!

[@cosmicatrophy4648]

Real engineering & TGW collab! Awww yeah!

[@Upuauta]

Bölcke.... when I was in the German army I served with Jagdbomber Geschwader 31 Bölcke KRK/S. :-)

[@Porphyrogen]

great episode !

[@blueberryboi9426]

Another great video as always!

[@rosaria8384]

That was really a Bloody April. 4 - 1 KD ratio: GG indeed.

[@archstanton5113]

For anyone interested in ww1 aviation I really recommend the movies The Blue Max and Aces High.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

The grave next to Arch Stanton.

[@TheStapleGunKid]

There is also the classic 1927 film "Wings". First movie ever to win an academy award for best picture.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

I particularly like The Blue Max - among other things it gives an idea, with its manipulative officer caste losing its grip, where Hitler came from.

[@markknife1]

history, war, engineering, and airplanes. all of the things I love sharing lines

[@pauloag8091]

I was waiting for this episode since I found this channel 2 years ago!

[@Jackadiah]

Is it true they called it "Dogfights" because Snoopy was up there?

[@m.d.f3797]

I could imagine how the English pilots felt when they saw “The Red Baron” coming. Would have felt like looking at the angel of death coming towards you. He became a legend even before he died.

[@jmute]

Very interesting! thank you so much for making these videos for us! :)

[@cunninglinguiste2]

I always put aside what I am going to watch your videos

[@DotepenecPL]

Albatros D.III and similar planes always remind me on the late 90s, which I spent basically addicted to the video game called "Flying Corps". Ah, the nostalgia.

[@Albeavier]

Love this show! Keep up the great work!

[@dominicchambers9652]

This reminds me, Greenville, my small town in rural Pennsylvania is the home of the parachute

[@eastvanmungo]

I've seen that cover picture before as the cover of the book Goshawk Squadron by Derek Robinson

[@BarnDoorProductions]

1:45 I've been a student of early aviation, especially World War I, since the 1960s and have never actually seen a photo of a Nieuport 17 with 2 Lewises before. Twice the drag from the gun and twice the weight of ammunition versus harder hitting power.

[@carlosalexandrerezende3714]

Very nice video❤

[@K-7Spacestation]

8:06 thanks now I know what snoopy was flying in ww1

[@TrickiVicBB71]

Congrats to 600,000 subscribers

[@TheGreatWar]

thanks.

[@mrpopo4294]

I love this channel

[@11111123ful]

Here from Real Engineering. Very interesting.

lovely stuff

[@randyherbrechtsmeier9769]

Thank You Sir

[@ggameboy10]

love the show

[@The-Twiddler]

Best show on youtube

[@thomasfeck188]

As Indie mentioned the namegiver of my old Wing in the German Airforce (JaBoG 31 "Boelcke"), I couldn´t help but smile and hear the undying words of my old Kommodore "Circus Boelcke - Jeder Soldat eine Attraktion" (Circus Boelcke - every serviceman is a attraction)

[@TheGreatWar]

+Thomas Feck but you use other paint jobs nowadays than the flying circus did?

[@thomasfeck188]

In the time i served (ca. 1998 - 2000) we had the standardized NATO Woodland Camouflage on the hull of our Tornados - but there also was the (infamous) "Boelcke cow" - a Tornado painted in shades of blue (similarities with this bugger book and movie that lonely mature women so love and crave are definitively NOT intended) and White, called by us the Boelckecow (because of the similarity with the Milkakuh. (if you are Flo - dann weißte bestimmt was ich mit Milkakuh meine und kannst dem Rest eurer Crew das erklären - if you aren´t Flo - let it be explained to you by Flo ;-)

[@TheGreatWar]

Milka-Kuh trifft es wirklich gut.

[@abhishekpro1]

subscribed to brians... good job guys

[@TheGreatWar]

Welcome to the show.

[@Landers]

Hi Great War channel, love the show! You guys should check out the Omaka Aviation Museum in Blenheim, New Zealand. It houses one of the best WW1 aeroplane displays in the world. It holds much of Sir Peter Jackson's private collection.

[@TheGreatWar]

Looks great. But soooo far away. New Zealand is the other side of the world for us.

[@bryanstrickner8809]

love the Snoopy reference....

[@CrimsonDragon15]

I've always wondered, who was the first person to see two aircraft fighting each other high above the sky and said "you what that reminds me of? Dogs fighting?"

[@hlynnkeith9334]

Hahaha. That was the censored version. The pilots called it something different, but newspaper editors cleaned it up.

[@CrimsonDragon15]

Is that so? I did not know that. What word would that be?

[@insert-name-here4121]

LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!!

[@Roderick789]

I come from real engineering, nice channel

[@dingers5days]

When will Sunday Baseball come back, Indy? I LOVED those! I'd love to see more.

[@danielemilazzo84]

"Flo, did you leave the door open again?" LOL!

[@nzmox3554]

The red baron looks like Michael Schumacker

[@andymoody8363]

Indy, this is becoming really meta, what with the excellent Forgotten Weapons and Real Engineering mash-up. Have you done a double header with Lindybeige or Tank Museum yet, I can't remember?

[@skyflier8955]

See, I'm already subscribed to Real Engineering.

[@j.gczaricit9446]

wow I like the history of war planes and tactics

[@eduardogrilo6684]

Can you do a special about aerial reconnaissance? A question, during the WW2 was it possible to make 3D photographs, knowing the height of the infrastructure of the Wall of Europe through aerial photos, was this technology used in WW1? Good work from Portugal!

[@mrmaker92]

Gosh, I love you!!!!!

[@RoyaCanadianInfantry]

Hey Indy and crew can you please tell us about the Canadian Conscription crisis among French Canadians? Love your show, greetings from the Canadian Army

[@GamesGames-pt1ye]

HEY,I love your vids and I have a queston for you.I need this for my history class so if you could answer it would be great.Can you tell me about Bosnia in WW1,about soldiers or generals,weapons or anything you know???????????

[@derickgabrillo1579]

I see you posted your videos at the same time. (TGW and Real Engineering)

[@TheGreatWar]

+Derick Gabrillo coincidence?

[@derickgabrillo1579]

The Great War I think not, dear sirs.

[@timgersh6787]

so the dicta boelcke was that be wear of the hun in the sun, thanks Indy i have just made a new connection

[@mrmapperil8144]

Missing a picture of Snoopy in a Sopwith Camel

[@ottovonbearsmark8876]

And the old man felt very happy... gotta love Germans eh?

[@thebenis3157]

Never been so early. I'm excited.

[@tsarnicholasii1915]

1917 was not a good year.

[@HaloFTW55]

God Save The Tsar indeed. Just wait till next year -Slava Lenina-

[@Tsumami__]

Tsar Nicholas II You only had to wait a few more months for it to all be over.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

There should be a TGW special on Snoopy and his single-pawed triumph over the Central Powers.