AllMovie

The first in an eight-volume series, "Useless for Purposes of War" documents the very beginnings of air warfare in Britain, one of the slowest powers to assimilate this technology into their military regime. Among historically noted facts, the film shows how much of the progression of the Royal Air Force took place within just four years, when its forced involvement in the first World War led to giant leaps in air force strength and strategy. Different planes from the early 1900s are discussed and revealed, and the establishment of warfare in the skies is reconstructed in a battle scene in this informative documentary.