Three-dimensional warfare – the invention of aerial combat

Abstract

On 24 September 1910 the British Flight magazine published as its lead article (‘The New Arm’) a piece on the recent Grand Autumn Manoeuvre of the French Army in Picardy. For the first time in history, military aircraft had been deployed on both sides in a reconnaissance and artillery spotting role. The article stated that ‘the aeroplane, even in its present stage of development, has already resulted in an urgent need for the entire revision of all accepted schemes of tactics in warfare.’