Bloody April

[Bogeyman]

One hundred years ago this month the RFC (precursor of the RAF) lost one third of it's total fighting force in combat with Imperial Germany. Granted, the losses in human life were but a drop in the bucket as compared to those in the trenches, but air supremacy (or at least equivalency) was needed in order to maintain accurate reconnaissance. Ironically, April 1917 was also the worst month for Great Britain during the entire war due to shipping losses by U-Boats leaving the country on the verge of starvation. It appeared to many that the Germans were on the brink of winning the war:


http://wwiaviation.com/Bloody_April-1917.html