Bloody April

Bloody April
Part of the Battle of Arras
Albatros D.III fighters of Jasta 11. The second aircraft from the camera (with the step ladder) was painted red, and was one of several flown by Manfred von Richthofen, the most successful ace of the entire war.
Date April 1917 Location Mainly Arras, France Result Indecisive
Belligerents
British Empire	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Hugh Trenchard	Ernst von Hoeppner
Strength
Royal Flying Corps	Luftstreitkräfte
Casualties and losses
245 aircraft 400 aircrew (207 killed)[1]	66 aircraft

Bloody April was the (largely successful) British air support operation during the Battle of Arras in April 1917, during which particularly heavy casualties were suffered by the Royal Flying Corps at the hands of the German Luftstreitkräfte.^[2]

The tactical, technological, and training differences between the two sides ensured the British suffered a casualty rate nearly four times as great as their opponents. The losses were so disastrous that it threatened to undermine the morale of entire squadrons.^[3] The RFC contributed to the success, limited as it finally proved, of the British Army during the five-week series of battles.