One of the first mass produced war planes was the Etrich Taube. Designed in 1909, the Taube was the F-16 of the first decades of the 20th century. 
The Taube's unique wing shape was inspired by the seeds of the Alsomitra macrocarpa, which fly far from their parent trees.
Much like the F-16, the Taube was produced in a large number of variants by a wide group of manufacturers. There was the Albatros Doppeltaube, the Jeannin Stahltaube, the Rumpler Delfin-Taube...even a Japanese Isobe Rumpler Taube.
The Taube would see service with the Italian forces in Libya (1911), with Austria Hungary in the Balkans (1912), and Imperial Germany in the early stages of WW1 (1914).
After 6 brutal months of combat it became clear that the Taube's top speed of 60mph, lack of maneuverability, and ad hoc armament were inadequate for modern air war. By 1915, it was retired from front line combat.
Very few Taube’s survive today. One of the early variants hangs from the ceiling of the Vienna Technical Museum. Somehow it still looks completely badass 100+ years after it was designed.
Seeing a replica Taube crawl through the air is a reminder that there was an era of aerial warfare during which the best defense was simply walking swiftly in the other direction.
