The development of aviation was nothing short of astonishing during the First World War, transforming from flimsy, unarmed observation platform to deadly seekers of the sky.? The year 1917 would prove to be significant one, as the British introduced their capable Bristol F.2B fighter and the Germans their Fokker DR.1. The scene was set for a period of unrelenting aerial combat, as both sides struggled for supremacy of the skies.