[dogz]

Like in WW2 women entered the factories to help with the shortage of men on the home fronts.

Most planes used bracing wires to help with structural integrity (and also gave it some flexibility) which was quite meticulous work, but its worth noting that when Fokker and Platz introduced the steel tube framing from the dr1 onwards it made servicing those planes on the front a lot easier.

[caldrail]

The progress made in WW1 is quite remarkable. In 1914 they began flying with aircraft used by pioneers of flight. By the end, four years later, there were experiments with streamlining, enclosed cockpits, strategic heavy bombing, metal structures and skinning. Probably other stuff too. Air warfare had gone from being considered of no use except perhaps observation to the point of becoming the dominant arm it later proved to be.