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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

First aircraft shot down by ground fire


Sgt Stripes

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Hi. Does anyone know when, where and how , the first airplane was shot down by groundfire in WW1 also when was the first purpose built anti-aircraft gun used. Was it designed at the start of WW1 or was it designed before. Many Thanks .

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Wikipedia  suggests (with citations 34, 35 and 36): " During a bombing raid over Kragujevac on 30 September 1915, private Radoje Ljutovac of the Serbian Army successfully shot down one of the three aircraft. Ljutovac used a slightly modified Turkish cannon captured some years previously. This was the first time that a military aeroplane was shot down with ground-to-air artillery."

 

Moonraker

 

 

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First RFC aircraft 22 August 1914

 

 

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Paraphrased from my posting on the 'other Forum':

 

2nd-Lieut Vincent Waterfall (formerly 3rd Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment) and his observer, Lieut Charles George Gordon Bayly (formerly Royal Engineers) took off at 10:16 and at around 10:50 were in the Enghien - Soignies area.  On several occasions they saw convoys of equipment, riders, infantry companies and troops.  They made a pass at very low altitude, causing such surprise that the Germans troops failed to fire at them, then turned and flew back towards one of the columns.  This time the Avro was hit and crashed by the side of the Ath - Enghien road, both men being killed.  Sharing the sad distinction of being the first allied airmen to be shot down and killed in Belgium, Waterfall and Bayly, each 23 years of age, rest in adjoining graves in Tournai South Cemetery.

 

They had been flying Avro 504 number 390.

 

Graeme

 

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Certainly an aircraft was brought down by ground rifle fire soon after 7th Infantry Division reached Ypres in 1914 and the first seven divisions of the BEF were armed with 3pdr Pom Pom anti aircraft guns.

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