Before the war she had given her attention almost
exclusively to heavy airplanes. French types were plagiarized: as the
Morane had been altered into the Fokker, the Nieuport became an
Albatros. Their one-seated 160 H.P. Albatros, with a Benz or Mercedes
fixed engine and two Maxim guns shooting through the propeller, was
henceforth the typical chasing machine. However, the powerful two-engine
Gothas (520 H.P.) and the Friedrichshafen and A.E.G. (450 H.P.) soon
made their appearance in bombing escadrilles.
At the same time, the defensive attitude adopted at the beginning of the
Somme campaign was repudiated. The order of the day became strong
concentration, likely to secure, at least in one sector, decided
superiority in the air, even if other sectors must be left destitute or
battle shirked. The flying men were never to be over-worked, so as to be
fresh in an emergency. The subordination of aviation to the other
services was evidently an inspiration from the French regulation saying:
"The aviation forces shall be always ready to attack, but in perfect
subordination to the orders of the commanding officers.
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