WWI Trench needles

[Albatros_Ace]

Is it true that in WWI at the beginning when aircraft could hardly lift themselves they dropped spikes into the trenches instead of Bombs?


Ouch

maybe a picture of these spikes?

[AROTH]

Yes, somethng called "flechettes" ( not positive on the spelling, tho ). They were something akin to oversized steel darts that were dropped overboard onto enemy personnel. I believe they were used by the French only, but I may be wrong on that. I have a book with pics of them but cannot place my hands on it at this moment.

[Lt. Raper]

Here is the page that the above photo is posted on:

Secrets of Shuriken-do, the Japanese art of blade throwing homepage - History They are almost at the bottom.

[AROTH]

Do a Google search and look at the Wikipedia entry. I wouldn't vouch for the text to be 100 percent accurate, but you will get the general idea.

[Albatros_Ace]

thanks guys

[Albatros_Ace]

here is a site I found off of a link on Wikipedia

Missiles and Flechettes

[tengew]

there is a closed thread about this here
www.theaerodrome.com/.../34966-flechets-2.html

from march 2008

[Angiolillo]

The great book about Italian units by Gentilli and Varriale (not te one about Italian Aces that's being translated into English by Schiffer
Amazon.com: Italian Aces of World War I and their... but the twin book that's in Italian only
Amazon.com: I reparti dell'aviazione italiana... by the Italian Air Force) quoted actions of the Italian Caproni Ca.3 bombers throwing them on troops from above. If I remember well, in open ground and probably in Libya during WWI.

[m9a3r5i7o2n]

Well we can tell now why the Germans changed their Helmet design. Well at least the French didn't put Feathers on the Flétchette (Dart)
Yours, M.L. Anderson.

[Angiolillo]

The books does not give a systematic exam of the matter, but quotes an action by the 12th Squadriglia based at Tripoli (Lilbya) agains rebels on open ground, the 10th of January 1917. The Caproni throw "bombs and arrows", then strafe the enemy troops.