As the First World War entered its second full year, few could imagine the carnage ahead. At the beginning of 1916, the Germans still held air superiority over the allies, but this would change with the introduction of the Nieuport 11. The Bébé as it was known, was a superior fighter to the Eindecker, and had a gun that was mounted above the wing, allowing constant firing. The new Nieuport 11 had turned the tide of the air war by April of 1916. 

The San Diego Air & Space Museum's Nieuport 11 is painted with the personal marking of a stylized RL for Raoul Lufbery, who was the first American ace in World War I while flying with the Lafayette Escadrille.

The British also started to produce improved aircraft, such as the Sopwith 1/2 Strutter and the Pup, which was a small but maneuverable fighter that outclassed new German aircraft such as the Halberstadt D.II.

The San Diego Air & Space Museum's Sopwith Pup reproduction was made with its fabric covering intentionally left off to illustrate the complexity of the craftsmanship involved in producing such aircraft.

The Halberstadt D.II was Germany's first biplane fighter.

As fighting escalated in the air, the ground war was marked by some of the deadliest fighting in human history. At the Battles of Verdun and the Somme, by some estimates two million men were killed and wounded. Both sides utilized aircraft during these bloody battles by strafing the trenches of the enemy, adding an added horror for the soldiers. 

Soldiers that were involved in the battles of the Somme and Verdun endured constant artillery fire.

Original Artifacts from World War One Aviators on Display at the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

By the end of 1916, most historians agree that the Allies had established air superiority over the Central Powers, which caused Germany to reorganize its air forces into specialized squadrons. But, the war was far from over. At the end of 1916, the war had evolved from a battle over land to a "War of Attrition," where the goal was to kill as many of the enemy as possible, and in doing so destroy their will to fight.