First World War airship launch. US Army airship being launched from Camp de Meucon, France, during the First World War (1914-1918). The basket (lower centre) has just left the ground. As the stalemate of trench warfare developed on the Western Front in the First World War, a variety of aerial reconnaissance methods were used to map enemy positions. These included aircraft and balloons. Airships were also developed, which were more mobile than balloons. The US entered the war on 6 April 1917, playing a crucial role in helping Britain and France to defeat Germany and its allies. This airship is being manned by aviators from the US Army's newly formed Air Forces division. Photographed in 1918.