"One in the breech, five in the magazine": British Aircrew Armament of the First World War

Abstract

Prior to the successful adaptation of machine guns to military aircraft by means of fixed or flexible mounts, pilots and observers wishing to attack or defend themselves from enemy aircraft were obliged to make use of small arms—pistols, rifles, and shotguns. Whereas a body of research into those armaments integrated into aircraft exists, no dedicated study of aircrew weapons has thus far been published. In an effort to shed light on this little-understood aspect of firearms history, this article summarises the small arms, other than machine guns, known to have seen air service with the British Army’s Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) during the first two years of the First World War (1914–1918). It also addresses, as far as is practicable, their usage and effectiveness with reference to period examples.