Product Description

At the beginning of 1918 the great aces seemed invincible. Flying above the battlefields of the Western Front, they cut a deadly swathe through the ranks of their enemies, as each side struggled to keep control of the air. Some were little more than boys when they started to fly, yet they were respected and feared as some of the deadliest killers in the sky. But as the press of fighting increased with the great offensives of 1918, nervous stress and physical exhaustion finally began to take their toll - and one by one the aces began to fall. This book charts the rise and fall of the WWI aces in the context of the vast battles that were taking place in 1918. It shows the vital importance of reconnaissance, and how large formations of aircraft became the norm - bringing an end to the era of the old, heroic 'lone wolves'. As the First World War came to a close very few of the aces survived. This epic history of the final year of the air war is both a chronicle of the ways in which 1918 changed aerial combat forever, and a requiem for the pioneers of aerial combat who eventually became the victims of their own brilliant innovations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #118463 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
"casts fresh light on the broader canvas of the war" (DAILY TELEGRAPH )

"a fascinating account of the rise and fall of the men who pioneered aerial combat...first-hand recollections bring the subject to life" (NORTHERN ECHO )

"A timely book...this is a requiem for the brave men involved" (BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH )

About the Author
Peter Hart is the Oral Historian of the Imperial War Museum. He is the author of several highly acclaimed works on the First World War.

Customer Reviews

The War in the Air - With Feet Firmly Planted on the Ground
This is an outstanding book. What sets it apart from so many books covering the subject 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 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.

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!

A good sequel to the author's Bloody April
The author's Bloody April (2005) was a fine historical account of the air war in the Arras sector in 1917. It showed how the romantic view of the war in the air as being fighter versus fighter was no longer true--two-thirds of the British planes in that sector were two-seaters, and the primary role was photo reconnaissance and artillery spotting, with trench-strafing, anti-balloon attacks, and bombing playing a secondary role. The fighters were used to protect the two-seaters and to prevent German photo recon and artillery spotting. The British were willing to accept very heavy losses to accomplish strategic goals.

Aces Falling shows how the air war doctrine of 1917 evolved further. Photo recon and artillery spotting are still vital, but in 1918 there was a need to help lessen the impact of the German ground offensives. Trench strafing and anti-balloon attacks played a greater role at the front, and now strategic bombing was employed against bridges, rail depots, etc, to help hinder to movement of men and supplies to the front. Airfields were also a prime bombing target. Bombing raids with 50 or more aircraft were not uncommon--but would have been unthinkable even in 1917. By 1918 the strategic doctrine was not unlike that in WW II. But bombs were small (about 112 lbs max) and bombsights nonexistent.

The role of the romantic fighter ace was disappearing. The "lone wolf" approach ceased to be effective when the wolf ran into a group of a dozen enemy fighters. If the fighter pilot remained with his squadron, a dogfight might involve two dozen or more aircraft: accidents and stray bullets were dangers that not even the most skilled of the aces could always avoid. Ground fire was becoming increasingly effective and deadly--descending to low altitude to check a downed enemy was asking for serious trouble. Many of the great aces died: strategy was relacing tactics.

Bloody April had a lot of technical detail about the aircraft and the training--this helped illustrate the mismatch in equipment between the Germans and the British, and it provided a fascinating look at how, nonetheless, the British were able to win the battle. Aces Falling has less technical detail, which is a bit disappointing, but there was much less of a mismatch in the equipment in 1918. So--read the book, and if you haven't read Bloody April, grab that as well.

Aces Falling
Peter Hart, as one has come to expect, has written a first class account of the 1918 Air War. He has used his intimate knowledge of Great War veterans to illuminate their vital part in achieving the hard won victories in the late summer and autumn of 1918.

In this book Peter Hart has made extensive use of the Oral History Archives held at the Imperial War Museum. Each chapter is well illuminated with the reminiscences of those who were there. Along side Hart's simple yet very effective understanding of the conflict he is writing about, one comes to understand just what the pilot's and aircrew of the Royal Flying Corp and later the Royal Air Force had to contend with on a daily basis.

The book certainly draws the reader into the chaotic and turbulent world of the air crews. Many had joined for the thrill of flying, this excitement is soon lost and Hart allows the words of these brave men to tell the reader how they actual felt.

Many people have, over the years, idolized the "Aces". Their role in achieving the victory of 1918 has been overplayed by many authors, Hart has not fallen into this trap. He calmly and quietly explains why they were important for raising moral both on the Western Front and at home in "Blighty". However in the whole spectre of this conflict as individuals they really did not hold pivotal positions.

I feel many modern day authors pay scant attention to the photographs used to illustrate their books. In this volume we see many new pictures, many of which are horrific in nature. They illustrate exactly just how appalling the air war was.

The only critisism I have about the book is not the content which is first class, but the light grey texts used for the many quotes. Anyone with failing eye sight will struggle to read them.

In conclusion I would recommend this book most highly. This book explains to the reader exactly just how horrific the air war was, but most importantly it places the role undertaken by the RFC/RAF into its correct historical prospective.