Why were kites in World War 1?

Answer 1

During various wars kites have been used for scaring the enemy with sound and visual presence, marking troops on the ground, signaling, radio Ariel extentions, seeing over enemy lines, triangulation and tunnel building.

Answer 2

Kites were predominantly used by the French. They were from about 7' to 10' in wingspan. Due to an almost continuous westerly wind, they were anchored with two cables or ropes, one anchored in the trench itself, the other to the back of the trench to adjust the kite so that it flew directly over the trench. The purpose of the kites were to prevent enemy fighters from strafing the trenches. Some say messages were written on the kites so anyone lifting their heads to read the message, were shot by snipers. Two things wrong with this are that it wouldn't take the enemy too long to see it was a trap, and the kites were high enough to see without exposing one's self.