Actions
The IAF commenced operations in June 1918 when 12 DH4s of No 55 Squadron were despatched to bomb targets around Coblenz and 11 DH4s of No 99 Squadron attacked rail targets at Thionville. During the last five months of World War I, Independent Air Force aircraft dropped a total of 550 tons of bombs (for 109 aircraft lost) including 390 tons of bombs dropped by night. Over 220 tons were dropped on German aerodromes, which Trenchard justified by pointing out that while the Germans were stronger than the British in the air, their aircraft might be destroyed on the ground. Trenchard argued that his policy was vindicated by the fact the during the period 5 June to ll November 1918, German attacks on British aerodromes were minimal and no British aircraft were destroyed on the ground by bombing.
In addition to the bombing of aerodromes, the Independent Forces attacked, amongst others, the following targets:
- Baalon
- Baden
- The Black Forest
- Bonn
- Cologne
- Coblenz
- Darmstadt
- Duren
- Dillingen
- Frankfurt
- Forbach
- Hagendingen
- Heidelberg
- Hagenau
- Kaiserlautern
- Karthaus
- Karlsruhe
- Ludwigshafen
- Landau
- Mainz
- Mannheim
- Lahr
- Lumes
- Luxembourg
- Oberndorf
- Offenburg
- Pforzheim
- Pirmasens
- Rastatt
- Rombas
- Rottweil
- Sollingen
- Saarburg
- Saarbrücken
- Stuttgart
- Treves
- Wiesbaden
- Worms
- Völklingen
- Wadgassen
- Zweibrücken
A considerable portion of the Independent Air Force’s efforts was in tactical support of the Allied armies, and the war ended before the IAF could conduct any sustained strategic bombing. Thus The Independent Force achieved little material effect on the German war industries, in return for heavy losses in men and machines.
Read more about this topic: Independent Air Force
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