Aces Falling. War Above the Trenches 1918

[Jim_Grundy]

I have just finished reading this outstanding book. What sets it apart from so many books covering the subject, that I have read at least, is that the author sets the war in the air in its true context. The war was fought in three dimensions and, whilst there are very, very many books devoted to the air war, these too often treat it as if it were fought in some parallel dimension, barely connected with what was going on on the ground. It's almost as if the aeroplanes never actually came to earth and their pilots continually 'jousted in their airborne steeds' (if you're as sad as I am, you'll get the reference).

The book begins by explaining in what is effectively a very neat precis of some of the author's previous works (of which I am a big fan), summing up the situation facing the respective powers on the Western Front at the beginning of 1918. We're then taken along with the fliers on a description of their basic training and then hurled into the fray, carried along by first-hand testimonies of what it meant to be there. We, of course, can never know just what that really felt like but, in what I view as this book's greatest quality (as with Peter Hart's other books), those who were try and tell us. They are the 'stars' of the show not the author.

I remember speaking to an author of one book about the war in the air and what was clear that the actual participants were but bit players in his work. Their role was simply to be a vehicle to show off his brilliance (sic). The respect with which Peter Hart approaches those who flew in 1918 (and in the case of James McCudden near hero worship!) shines through and, as he writes in genuine modesty, they are the 'real' authors of this book. They indeed made history but this is no work of a copy typist, this is history at its best put together by one of the best historians writing at present.

So much that took place in 1918 prefigured what was to come in 1939-45 and the frequent quotations from the likes of Leigh-Mallory and Keith Park serve as useful reminders of just what was to come - and how far the war in the air had already come since 1914. The author does well to remind us that the RFC/RNAS and, later, RAF played such an important role in combatting the German spring offensives and I was constantly reminded of German accounts of Normandy in 1944 and their constant complaint about 'jabos'. Given the fact that the average Typhoon was a little more robust that the average Camel, it makes me appreciate all the more the efforts of those brave men in stemming the tide. But this is no partisan book and the amazing exploits of German aircrew are paid fulsome tribute, as is only right and proper.

If you've read nothing about the war in the air read this book. If you've read practically all there is read this book. And, if you really are as sad as I am, you will note the typo on page 56. One of Britain's most celebrated aces was Albert not Alan Ball, unless this was an early and previously unrecorded chapter of the 1966 World Cup winning footballer's career! Alternatively, it could be a tribute to the late Alan Ball and, since it appeared on page 56, simultaneously a tribute to Albert Ball's squadron!

Very highly recommended.

[Chris_Baker]

My much shorter review appears here: http://www.1914-1918.net/books/acesfalling.html

[n cherry]

Mr Hart is on the list to speak at North Lancs WFA next year on this very subject....no doubt he will be doing his best to sell signed copies of the book at an exorbitant price......no seriously he's spoken at the branch on several occasions and manages to get an above average attendance.....he certainly likes the air war his book and talk on the 1917 fighting over Arras is good.

[david crouch]

Hi there

Please could send me details of the talk. I'm a WFA member with a unique dilemma. I work in Manchester but Live in Sheffield. So I'm torn between two branches of the WFA and with an obsession for anything about WW1

Dave

[n cherry]

David,

We are the NORTH Lancs branch and regretfully for those living/working in Manchester we meet in Lancaster on the first Monday of the month....we are on the WFA website under branches and the Secretary said (on Monday night) that it had as far as he was able to updated the speakers list for 2008.....if not PM me and I'll let you know when it is.....

[n cherry]

Mr Hart is down to speak in April 2008.

[awakefield]

Just thought I'd flag up this volume again as a new print run has or is about to hit the bookshops:

This very readable book provides an excellent account of the air war over the Western Front in the last year of World War I. Although the contribution of French and Belgian aviators is missing, due mainly to the inevitable word limit restrictions that publishers always place on authors, the work of the British, German and fledgling American aviation services is covered in depth. For those unfamiliar with the developments of military aviation during the war, Peter Hart sets the scene with an overview of the advances made in aircraft, weapons and tactics from 1914 and places this within the context of the war on the Western Front. This concludes with an account of the preparations for the German Spring Offensive, the first trial of strength in which one of the combatants attempted to achieve victory in 1918.

Throughout the book Peter, as is his trademark, skilfully uses firsthand personal accounts from letters, diaries, memoirs and oral history interviews to let those who flew and fought tell the story alongside his narrative. These ‘voices’ range from aces, including Manfred von Richthofen and James McCudden, to unsung members of scout, Corps and bomber squadrons. Readers gain an insight into the progression of pilots and observers from new recruits coping with all the difficulties of learning to fly, to being posted to an operational unit where, if they survived the first weeks of combat, they had enough tactical knowledge to give themselves a better than even chance of staying alive. Many scout pilots would never reach the status of ‘Ace’ and some failed to even record a single aerial victory for, as Peter points out, it was far easier to be a skilful pilot than a crack marksman and overall standards of aerial gunnery were poor. However, as Peter convincingly argues, this was not the overriding concern for the opposing air services in 1918, as aerial combat was of secondary importance to the more mundane work of supporting ground forces through aerial reconnaissance, artillery spotting, contact patrols and bombing. The battles of 1918 also witnessed the widespread use of airpower to engage ground targets, with scout squadron flying low-level strafing missions rather than engaging in aerial dogfights. Through these developments Peter shows how airpower during the First World War served the needs of ground forces and that the contribution made by aces in the last year of the war was all but irrelevant.

This is not to say that the top scout pilots are dismissed by the author, far from it. Indeed, Peter provides cameos on the careers of those still active in 1918, judging their strengths and weaknesses and crediting their bravery for continuing to fly operations when chances for well-deserved and much needed rest came their way. In fact, the book shows similarities in the factors contributing to the deaths of many aces in 1918, namely tiredness and strained nerves leading these highly skilful and tactically astute men into breaking their own rules and making beginners mistakes, which ultimately cost many their lives. That Peter’s judgements on these men is not coloured is shown by his assessment of von Richthofen as ‘the real thing’ when it came to aerial combat as he avoids the easy option of following the line of many authors of the 1914-18 air war in their ambivalence towards the Red Baron’s success.

However, as already stated, the book is far more than a discussion of the merits and shortfalls of a small band of elite aviators. Central to the narrative is the relentless nature of the air war in 1918 with all available men and machines playing important supporting roles in defensive and offensive operations as both sides attempted to bring the war to a victorious conclusion. Heavy losses occurred on both sides but, as Peter makes clear, the Germans were increasingly at a disadvantage as the year wore on, unable to match the Allies in the air due to shortages of fuel and materials needed for the construction of aircraft. Through the book one can trace the growing ascendance of the Royal Air Force, created on 1 April 1918, and its role in the ‘All Arms Battle’ providing close ground support to the infantry, bombing tactical targets behind the front line to disrupt the movement of German reserves and destroy ammunition dumps and opposing airfields, as well as developing cooperation with tanks. Such work greatly assisted the Allies push for victory, which began with the Battle of Amiens on 8 August and ended with the signing of the Armistice on 11 November.

The book also offers very interesting coverage of a peripheral aviation campaign waged by elements of the RAF and its predecessors, namely the strategic bombing of industrial and transport targets in Germany. This attempt by the 41st Wing (RFC/RAF) and the Independent Air Force to disrupt Germany’s ability to wage war gave rise to issues that would fully come to the fore during RAF Bomber Command’s strategic bombing campaign of the Second World War. These included the problem of hitting individual targets, a growing acceptance of bombing civilians, the problems and advantages of day and night bombing, the debate between advocates of long-range strategic bombing and those wishing to divert this effort into tactical bombing in support of the ground offensive and the increasing countermeasures taken by the Germans to stop the bomber getting through. As with the rest of the book, Peter provides a number of descriptive personal accounts, chiefly from personnel of No.55 Squadron, who were involved in numerous daylight raids over targets such as Mannheim. As the author states, this interesting adjunct to the air war over the Western Front was very much a ‘work in progress’ taking another major conflict, fought was greater technology, to come to fruition.

Over all, this is an excellent, easy to read, enjoyable book, which sits well alongside Peter’s other volumes on the air war over the Western Front. That the first edition of the book sold out in a matter of months is an indication of how well it has been received. As always with Peter’s work the personal accounts build on, illustrate and reinforce points in the narrative. The work stands as a fitting reminder of the men of both sides who fought in the skies over France and Flanders in support of their armies as each side attempted to bring the war to a victorious conclusion in 1918.

[PMHart]

Right that's it Alan - I'm going to buy you a pint!

Pete