Battle for Air Supremacy Over the Somme

Much has been written about the Battle of the Somme. From July through late November 1916, British, French and German armies fought one of the costliest battles of the 20th century. Well over a million casualties and only a few miles of ground gained by the Allies were the result when the battle ended. Little, however has been written about the second battle which occurred simultaneously, this one in the skies above the Somme, where for the first time in the history of warfare a deliberate attempt was made to control the sky. The British Royal Flying Corps, under the resolute command of General Sir Hugh Trenchard, fought to gain air supremacy from the German Air Service. Trenchard believed that the best way to support the ground force was to dominate and control the sky above the battlefield. This air campaign was critical because of its impact on the doctrine and theory of air warfare, which followed it.