Fokker Eindecker was the first plane used in WW1 against the Germans. Aircraft played a very important role in WW1 because not only were they used to fight but avoiding shots from the ground they were used to spy on enemies to find weak spots for in the trenches. Early planes were normally unarmed but when machine guns were us they did start to get damaged that's why pilots would always have a pistol when they fly because they didn't have any parachutes. If you're going down you will either die in the crash or die quickly by shooting themselves in the head.