The Development of Military Night Aviation to 1919

This study examines the development of military night aviation from its origins through the first World War. Emphasis is on the evolution of night flying in those countries which fought on the Western Front, namely France, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States. While night flying occurred in other theaters the most intense air effort was clearly in the west. There belligerents pressed aviation technology and tactics to the limits the skies of northern France and Flanders offered the only opportunity for movement across the stagnated front. Another important consideration was the availability of a rich documentation concerning night aerial activity in the theater. A striking disparity quickly became evident during preliminary investigations of the topic. Surprisingly no single book-length study was uncovered which was dedicated exclusively to night flying along the Western Front. This thesis seeks to reduce the existing gap in scholarly knowledge.