The Annals Of 100 Squadron

100 Squadron was a pioneer night bombing unit, and was the first to be raised specifically for that purpose by Hugh Trenchard, the 'father of the RAF' who contributes a forwrod to this history, commending the squadron, and its willingness to go out and bomb in all weathers, and the ability of its groundcrew to keep their aircraft airbourne in all conditions. This book traces the squadron's story from its formation in March 1917 to the Armistice in November 1918. Equipped with F.E.2B and BE2 aircraft, the squadron, based at Izel Le Hameau airfield, commenced its life with a raid against Douai aerodrome. In May 1917 the squadron transferred to Trexennes airfield near Aire, where, according to the author 'the concert pitch of the Squadron's work was achieved'. Forced to evacuate this site during the German advance of 1918, 100 transferred to Ochey in Alsace-Lorriane from where it carried out night raids on Germany itself - including on Frankfurt, Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. Shortly before the war ended, the squadron took delivery of the new and advanced Handley-Page bombers. This full history of the squadron’s activities included many photographs of its men, its machines, and reconnaisance shots of the damage it did.

Containing over 25,000 entries, this unique volume will be absolutely indispensable for all those with an interest in Britain in the twentieth century. Accessibly arranged by theme, with helpful introductions to each chapter, a huge range of topics is covered. There is a comprehensiveindex.

Bloody Paralyser: The Giant Handley Page Bombers of the First World War tells the story of the largest British bombers of the First World War and the men who flew them. In 1915, the biggest plane ever seen in Britain took flight for the first time a twin-engine monster with a 100- foot wingspan, designed to be a Bloody Paralyser to the Germans. Operating mainly at night, the Handley Page bombers attacked Germany and Germanoccupied towns and cities, disrupting the enemy s industry and transport and targeting U-boats that were causing heavy losses to merchant shipping. The men that flew in the Bloody Paralysers were the forerunners of the crews of Bomber Command in the Second World War, and now their story is told in their own words.

Starting in 1909 with the beginnings of military aviation and the aviation industry and ending with their catastrophic postwar contraction, the book examines the totality of the air war: its heroism, romantic myths, politics, strategies, and cost in men and materiel. John H. Morrow, Jr., also elaborates on the advancements in aircraft and engine technology and production during airpower's development into a viable and threatening military weapon within a decade of its origins.

Many books have been written about pilots of the Royal Flying Corps but the men on the ground, who kept the planes in the air and the guns firing, have been sadly neglected - and yet their role was a vital one. This truly remarkable book, the production of which must have seemed an impossible task, has more than remedied the situation. The authors have managed to locate all the non-commissioned airmen who enlisted in the RFC prior to the outbreak of war in August 1914, and for each one they have provided a mini-biography. The length of each entry varies, available records being what they are, but detail is provided for over 1,400 men. For those who became pilots, details of their certificates are given. Statistics include the establishment of the Corps at various times and there is a list of non-commissioned ranks as well as notes on uniforms, badges etc. There is a full record of works consulted at the Public Record Office and an excellent bibliography.

A dramatic and fascinating account of aerial combat during World War I, revealing the terrible risks taken by the men who fought and died in the world's first war in the air. Little more than ten years after the first powered flight, aircraft were pressed into service in World War I. Nearly forgotten in the war's massive overall death toll, some 50,000 aircrew would die in the combatant nations' fledgling air forces. The romance of aviation had a remarkable grip on the public imagination, propaganda focusing on gallant air 'aces' who become national heroes. The reality was horribly different. Marked for Death debunks popular myth to explore the brutal truths of wartime aviation: of flimsy planes and unprotected pilots; of burning nineteen-year-olds falling screaming to their deaths; of pilots blinded by the entrails of their observers. James Hamilton-Paterson also reveals how four years of war produced profound changes both in the aircraft themselves and in military attitudes and strategy. By 1918 it was widely accepted that domination of the air above the battlefield was crucial to military success, a realization that would change the nature of warfare forever.