Bloody April
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- For the Swedish rock band, see Bloody April (band).
During the First World War, the month of April 1917 was known as Bloody April by the Royal Flying Corps. The RFC suffered particularly severe losses - about three times as many as the German Air service over the same period.
In April, the Allies launched a joint offensive, with the British attacking near Arras in Artois, northern France, while the French Nivelle Offensive was launched on the Aisne. Their air forces were called on to provide support, predominantly in reconnaissance and artillery spotting.
The Battle of Arras began on 9 April 1917. In support, the RFC deployed 25 squadrons made up of 365 aircraft, about a third of which were fighters (scouts). There were initially only five German Jastas (fighter squadrons) in the region, but this rose to eight as the battle progressed (some 80 or so operational fighter aircraft in total).
Since September 1916, the Germans had held the upper hand in the perpetual contest for air supremacy on the Western Front, with the Albatros D.II and D.III outclassing the British and French scouts charged with protecting the vulnerable BE.2, FE.2 and Sopwith 1½ Strutter 2-seater observation machines. These scouts were made up of obsolete 'pushers' such as the Airco DH.2 and FE.8, and outclassed biplanes such as the Nieuport 17 and Martyinsyde G100 'Elephant'. Only the SPAD S.VII, Sopwith Pup and Triplane could compete on anything like equal terms with the German scouts, but these were few in number and spread along the front. The new generation of Allied fighters were not yet ready for service, although No. 56 Squadron RFC with the SE.5 was working up to operational status in France. The Bristol F2A also made its debut with No. 48 Squadron RFC during April, but lost heavily on its very first patrol, with four out of six shot down in an encounter with five Albatros D.IIIs of Jasta 11, led by Manfred von Richthofen.
Thus the combination of superior German aircraft and defensive tactics, inexperienced British aircrew and the RFC's strategy of continuing offensive patrols and aerial reconnaissance deep into German held territory resulted in crushing losses in the air. During April, the British lost 245 aircraft, 211 aircrew killed or missing and 108 as prisoners of war. The German Air Services lost 66 aircraft from all causes. As a comparison, in the five months of 1916's Battle of the Somme the RFC had suffered 576 casualties. Under Richthofen's leadership, Jasta 11 scored 89 victories during April, over a third of the British losses.
The month marked the nadir of the RFC's fortunes. However, despite the losses inflicted, the German Air Service failed to completely stop the RFC carrying out its prime objectives. The RFC continued to support the army through the Arras offensive with up-to-date aerial photographs, reconnaissance information and harassing bombing raids.
Within a couple of months the new technologically advanced generation of fighting scouts (the SE.5, Sopwith Camel, and SPAD S.XIII) entered service in numbers and quickly gained ascendency over the over-worked Jastas. More able to adequately protect the lumbering reconnaissance and artillery observation machines, RFC losses fell as German losses rose.
