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No Parachute: A Classic Account of War in the Air in WWI
The experiences of Lieutenant A.S.G. Lee, Sherwood Roresters, attached Royal Flying Corps, a fighter pilot during WWI, from recollections, diary entries and letters written in 1917 by to his wife at the time.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1968
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277 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Gould Lee
9 books5 followersAir Vice-Marshal Arthur Stanley Gould Lee began his aviation career during the First World War in the Royal Flying Corps. He scored seven confirmed victories and rose to the rank of captain during the war. He continued his service in the Royal Air Force until he retired in 1946. He was also the author of several books, including the three autobiographical books below.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 11, 2012
This was one of the best war memoirs I ever read. Arthur Stanley Gould Lee has an unerring knack for conveying to the reader the immediacy of the air war over the Western Front as he experienced it in 1917. The horror, the stress of combat flying, the loss of friends, and the relief from having survived yet another battle --- he makes it real.
December 29, 2015
This was a first-hand account of a British pilot who flew during 1917. It’s made mostly of letters to his wife and bits of his diary, all of them edited many years later to make the account more concise and add in things like locations that would have been censored during the war.
Lee begins his combat career in the spring of 1917—it’s a time when the Germans have the better airplanes, and Royal Flying Corps casualties are high. Most of his time is spent in France, but his squadron also takes a rotation in England, protecting London from Gotha bombers. He’s relieved of active combat duty in early 1918, after the Battle of Cambrai.
I enjoyed the entire book, although I found the Battle of Cambrai the most engrossing part. If someone were to write Lee’s real-life experiences down in a novel, modern readers would find it hard to believe.
I found it interesting to watch Lee change from an eager pilot to a worn out veteran, disillusioned with RFC problems (like inferior airplanes) and the war’s high toll in human life. He lost a lot of friends and saw a lot of hard things. But the book also covers the day-to-day aspects of war, some of it humorous, some of it almost normal, offering a good picture of what life was like for a WWI pilot.
Lee summarizes his WWI career best in his own words: I’ve spent a lazy and interesting hour going through my log-book. I find I’ve done 386 hours solo, plus 12.5 hours dual. I’ve done 260 hours in France, of which 222 were over the Lines. I’ve done 118 patrols and ground strafings, been reported missing four times, had 56 combats, and shot down 11 Huns, 5 by me solo, the rest shared. Not wonderful compared with people like Ball, Bishop, Collishaw and McCudden, and I’m miles from being an ace, but at least I’m not a pigeon any longer, in fact I think I can consider myself practically a hawk! (He probably would have had more victories if his squadron hadn’t been so slow to upgrade from Sopwith Pups to Sopwith Camels, and he admits his aim on many occasions was less than superb.)
Especially telling were some of the differences in his letters to his wife and his journal.
For example, this passage from a letter: You ask me why we carry an automatic in the cockpit. Well, it’s not to use in a dog-fight when the Vickers packs up, though pilots have been known to try a shot. It’s officially to protect yourself if you have to forced-land in Hunland, though I can’t see anybody getting far with that. What they’re most useful for is killing frogs. (This shortly after a complaint that the frogs kept the men awake at night.)
And this, from his diary: Today’s query from home—why do I carry a Colt in the cockpit? For the reason we all do. Not to stage a one-man battle against a platoon of Boche soldiery if forced down the other side—I’d be butchered instantly. No, it’s a fear of being set alight. It’s something nobody talks about, but it’s at the back of everyone’s mind, and each of us knows he couldn’t take it. To be burned alive, however soon it’s over, is the one thing we can’t face. Better to use the gun and end it in a split second.
The author explains in the preface that he’s edited out the parts of his letters that don’t deal with the war. So if anyone is leery of reading a man’s mushy letters to his wife, have no fear. Either the couple didn’t write overly-sentimental letters, or the more personal sections have all been removed. I actually wouldn’t have minded more information about his relationship with his wife. Honestly, I was surprised as some of the things he told her. She must have had quite a few near-heart-attacks reading about her husband’s narrow escapes.
My understanding is that another of the author’s books, Open Cockpit, covers the same time period, but in memoir form instead of as a collection of letters. It’s on my to-read list, but until I’ve read them both I won’t be able to recommend one over the other.
If you enjoy books on WWI aviation, this is one to add to your list.
Lee begins his combat career in the spring of 1917—it’s a time when the Germans have the better airplanes, and Royal Flying Corps casualties are high. Most of his time is spent in France, but his squadron also takes a rotation in England, protecting London from Gotha bombers. He’s relieved of active combat duty in early 1918, after the Battle of Cambrai.
I enjoyed the entire book, although I found the Battle of Cambrai the most engrossing part. If someone were to write Lee’s real-life experiences down in a novel, modern readers would find it hard to believe.
I found it interesting to watch Lee change from an eager pilot to a worn out veteran, disillusioned with RFC problems (like inferior airplanes) and the war’s high toll in human life. He lost a lot of friends and saw a lot of hard things. But the book also covers the day-to-day aspects of war, some of it humorous, some of it almost normal, offering a good picture of what life was like for a WWI pilot.
Lee summarizes his WWI career best in his own words: I’ve spent a lazy and interesting hour going through my log-book. I find I’ve done 386 hours solo, plus 12.5 hours dual. I’ve done 260 hours in France, of which 222 were over the Lines. I’ve done 118 patrols and ground strafings, been reported missing four times, had 56 combats, and shot down 11 Huns, 5 by me solo, the rest shared. Not wonderful compared with people like Ball, Bishop, Collishaw and McCudden, and I’m miles from being an ace, but at least I’m not a pigeon any longer, in fact I think I can consider myself practically a hawk! (He probably would have had more victories if his squadron hadn’t been so slow to upgrade from Sopwith Pups to Sopwith Camels, and he admits his aim on many occasions was less than superb.)
Especially telling were some of the differences in his letters to his wife and his journal.
For example, this passage from a letter: You ask me why we carry an automatic in the cockpit. Well, it’s not to use in a dog-fight when the Vickers packs up, though pilots have been known to try a shot. It’s officially to protect yourself if you have to forced-land in Hunland, though I can’t see anybody getting far with that. What they’re most useful for is killing frogs. (This shortly after a complaint that the frogs kept the men awake at night.)
And this, from his diary: Today’s query from home—why do I carry a Colt in the cockpit? For the reason we all do. Not to stage a one-man battle against a platoon of Boche soldiery if forced down the other side—I’d be butchered instantly. No, it’s a fear of being set alight. It’s something nobody talks about, but it’s at the back of everyone’s mind, and each of us knows he couldn’t take it. To be burned alive, however soon it’s over, is the one thing we can’t face. Better to use the gun and end it in a split second.
The author explains in the preface that he’s edited out the parts of his letters that don’t deal with the war. So if anyone is leery of reading a man’s mushy letters to his wife, have no fear. Either the couple didn’t write overly-sentimental letters, or the more personal sections have all been removed. I actually wouldn’t have minded more information about his relationship with his wife. Honestly, I was surprised as some of the things he told her. She must have had quite a few near-heart-attacks reading about her husband’s narrow escapes.
My understanding is that another of the author’s books, Open Cockpit, covers the same time period, but in memoir form instead of as a collection of letters. It’s on my to-read list, but until I’ve read them both I won’t be able to recommend one over the other.
If you enjoy books on WWI aviation, this is one to add to your list.
October 6, 2025
One of the best books I’ve ever read on fighter aviation.
September 21, 2019
Letters from a British pilot .
A fighter pilot in WW1 wrote letters to his wife almost daily. In the late thirties, he found those letters and used them for the basis of his memoir. The title refers to fact the British didn't allow their pilots to wear parachutes. He witnessed many of them die horribly. A parachute could have saved many of them. This is close to the top of my list of books on WW1 aviation. If you want the honest truth without the fluff, then this book is a must read.
A fighter pilot in WW1 wrote letters to his wife almost daily. In the late thirties, he found those letters and used them for the basis of his memoir. The title refers to fact the British didn't allow their pilots to wear parachutes. He witnessed many of them die horribly. A parachute could have saved many of them. This is close to the top of my list of books on WW1 aviation. If you want the honest truth without the fluff, then this book is a must read.
September 18, 2009
Truly superb account of aerial combat in World War I, conveying both the thrill and the terror of the experience. Goes in the top tier of the hundreds of WWI accounts I've read.
March 5, 2018
This is one of the best – perhaps the very best - account of aerial combat during World War I. It is based on real diary extracts and letters of the 22-year old pilot (the author), written to his young wife in the periods between skirmishes over the trenches in search of the Hun.
Many years elapsed between the events described and the publication of the book in 1968, and we cannot be sure quite what editing went on. On the other hand, a letter to a loved one at home might accentuate the positive and gloss over some of the horrors. But horrors are there aplenty, and excitement too: at times the book resembles tales of that Boys Own favourite, Biggles, but the action in No Parachute is real not imagined, and relates to action in the skies over famous arenas of the War: the Ypres Front, the Battle of Arras, Messines, the Third Battle of Ypres, and the Battle of Cambrai.
It seems that Britain started making fighter aircraft too late. At the start of the war, aircraft were designed for reconnaissance, and then used especially for artillery observation. Later, came the first real ‘fighters’: faster and more manoeuvrable, protecting reconnaissance work while also targeting enemy aircraft, and strafing ground positions. This was the first time in history where aircraft fought each other, and so commanders and crew had scant idea of how to go about their task. Most pilots learned their skills ‘on the job’, with only basic prior training with no notion of the horrors of combat. British pilots received only 15-20 hours of flying experience before being posted to a squadron and being thrown into battle.
The diary begins on 18th May 1917 following a period when British planes were distinctly inferior to those being made in Germany and France. Casualties in the preceding April, known as ‘Bloody April’, had been especially high, and morale in the squadrons was low. The best British fighter plane at the start of the diary was the Sopwith Pup, which came into service in Autumn 1916, but had been outclassed by the latest German aircraft. The Pup was no match for the Fokker Triplane in the skilled hands of the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen and his ‘circus’ of highly experienced pilots.
Our pilots were aware that they were vulnerable, and wondered how long it would be before a better aircraft with decent weaponry would emerge, whilst young pilots with their all-too-brief training were being killed every day (at least, when weather permitted flying; often it didn’t). Overall, casualties on the British side at this stage of the War were four times more than on the German side. The psychological challenge for pilots was immense: they were pitted against a superior force and they often questioned the ‘why?’ of war, having little notion of the strategic aspect of the ground fighting going on in the trenches below. But, by November squadron 46 (Lee’s squadron) received the first of the Pup’s successor, the Sopwith Camel. In good hands this was a much better fighting aircraft, being fast, manoeuvrable and with guns synchronized to fire through the propeller. It wasn’t perfect: the mass of the rotary engine was large in relation to the aircraft’s body, and so there was a tendency of the aircraft to twist and crash on take-off. Thus many novice pilots died before even becoming airborne. One source claims that 413 pilots died in combat and a further 385 pilots died from non-combat related causes.
Pilots were hit and frequently crashed, sometimes scrambling out of the broken plane to the safety of allied forces and sometimes being taken as a prisoner of war. On other occasions they became ‘flamers’, and died in scorching agony or jumped from the plane to certain death. There was ‘no parachute’ and the author frequently asks ‘why?’. One belief was that the authorities in London thought pilots might bale out unnecessarily, thus wasting an aircraft.
Our author-pilot seems to have been a miraculous survivor, a statistical outlier. He has many near scrapes, his uniform is frequently holed (once the fuel tank is ruptured), his aircraft is often holed too, his joystick is hit, he survives many mechanical failures of the aircraft, and his gun frequently seizes up. He attributes his skill as a pilot to a longer training period than most – injury having delayed his transfer from training ground to active service. However, he takes rather a long time to claim his first kill, and altogether his tally is rather modest, only seven. Nevertheless he received the Military Cross and rose to the rank of Captain. After the War he served in the newly formed Royal Air Force, eventually becoming an Air Vice Marshall.
The pilots – the ‘chaps’ or ‘fellows’ as they are generally called – have spare time when the weather is bad. They gather in the Mess, they sing bawdy songs – probably more bawdy than the ones published in the book – they binge - drink heavily and have headaches in the morning. They are mournful when their comrades are killed (the average survival of these pilots was only three weeks). Flying low, they see the wretched state of soldiers in the trenches and they feel thankful not to be one of them.
Indeed, flying these single-seater ‘kites’ could be fun, and the pilots experienced the great thrills of looping, the elation of fine-weather flying with blue sky above and ‘white lambswool clouds’ below, and the satisfaction of a perfect landing. It was cold up there, the cockpit was open to the weather, limbs and hands became numb. However, the Officers’ Mess was warm and cosy, a place of comradeship where friendships were formed, stories traded and backs slapped after a successful sortie.
We found the adventures riveting. We became engrossed and wondered how we ourselves would have fared in the cockpit of a Pup or Camel. One member had brought with him one of his own Biggles books, and we reflected on the differences between the Biggles author WE Johns and our No Parachute author AG Lee. It’s all there in Wikipedia. We learn that Johns, in contrast to Lee, was a very unlucky pilot, breaking several aircraft, and subsequently (or perhaps consequently) becoming an instructor. After brief active service he was shot down and became a prisoner of war.
By December the tone of the writing changes. Lee was by now tired, ill, to some extent disillusioned, and perhaps shell-shocked. He’s done 118 patrols with 56 combats. The Medical Officer said Lee needs a good spell of leave, and he is relieved of duties and sent home.
In an Appendix written years later he pours scorn on the decisions made by government authorities at the War Office in London, who had no experience of fighting aircraft, and were slow to pick up technical innovations. He identifies multiple failures of high command and rivalry between War Office and Admiralty for the materials, engines and labour to supply the two separate air forces, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).
We enjoyed the book immensely: the thrilling encounters, the insights, and the comment on why so many pilots were killed unnecessarily….
This is an extract from a review at https://monthlybookgroup.wordpress.com/ Our reviews are also to be found at http://monthlybookgroup.blogspot.co.uk/
Many years elapsed between the events described and the publication of the book in 1968, and we cannot be sure quite what editing went on. On the other hand, a letter to a loved one at home might accentuate the positive and gloss over some of the horrors. But horrors are there aplenty, and excitement too: at times the book resembles tales of that Boys Own favourite, Biggles, but the action in No Parachute is real not imagined, and relates to action in the skies over famous arenas of the War: the Ypres Front, the Battle of Arras, Messines, the Third Battle of Ypres, and the Battle of Cambrai.
It seems that Britain started making fighter aircraft too late. At the start of the war, aircraft were designed for reconnaissance, and then used especially for artillery observation. Later, came the first real ‘fighters’: faster and more manoeuvrable, protecting reconnaissance work while also targeting enemy aircraft, and strafing ground positions. This was the first time in history where aircraft fought each other, and so commanders and crew had scant idea of how to go about their task. Most pilots learned their skills ‘on the job’, with only basic prior training with no notion of the horrors of combat. British pilots received only 15-20 hours of flying experience before being posted to a squadron and being thrown into battle.
The diary begins on 18th May 1917 following a period when British planes were distinctly inferior to those being made in Germany and France. Casualties in the preceding April, known as ‘Bloody April’, had been especially high, and morale in the squadrons was low. The best British fighter plane at the start of the diary was the Sopwith Pup, which came into service in Autumn 1916, but had been outclassed by the latest German aircraft. The Pup was no match for the Fokker Triplane in the skilled hands of the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen and his ‘circus’ of highly experienced pilots.
Our pilots were aware that they were vulnerable, and wondered how long it would be before a better aircraft with decent weaponry would emerge, whilst young pilots with their all-too-brief training were being killed every day (at least, when weather permitted flying; often it didn’t). Overall, casualties on the British side at this stage of the War were four times more than on the German side. The psychological challenge for pilots was immense: they were pitted against a superior force and they often questioned the ‘why?’ of war, having little notion of the strategic aspect of the ground fighting going on in the trenches below. But, by November squadron 46 (Lee’s squadron) received the first of the Pup’s successor, the Sopwith Camel. In good hands this was a much better fighting aircraft, being fast, manoeuvrable and with guns synchronized to fire through the propeller. It wasn’t perfect: the mass of the rotary engine was large in relation to the aircraft’s body, and so there was a tendency of the aircraft to twist and crash on take-off. Thus many novice pilots died before even becoming airborne. One source claims that 413 pilots died in combat and a further 385 pilots died from non-combat related causes.
Pilots were hit and frequently crashed, sometimes scrambling out of the broken plane to the safety of allied forces and sometimes being taken as a prisoner of war. On other occasions they became ‘flamers’, and died in scorching agony or jumped from the plane to certain death. There was ‘no parachute’ and the author frequently asks ‘why?’. One belief was that the authorities in London thought pilots might bale out unnecessarily, thus wasting an aircraft.
Our author-pilot seems to have been a miraculous survivor, a statistical outlier. He has many near scrapes, his uniform is frequently holed (once the fuel tank is ruptured), his aircraft is often holed too, his joystick is hit, he survives many mechanical failures of the aircraft, and his gun frequently seizes up. He attributes his skill as a pilot to a longer training period than most – injury having delayed his transfer from training ground to active service. However, he takes rather a long time to claim his first kill, and altogether his tally is rather modest, only seven. Nevertheless he received the Military Cross and rose to the rank of Captain. After the War he served in the newly formed Royal Air Force, eventually becoming an Air Vice Marshall.
The pilots – the ‘chaps’ or ‘fellows’ as they are generally called – have spare time when the weather is bad. They gather in the Mess, they sing bawdy songs – probably more bawdy than the ones published in the book – they binge - drink heavily and have headaches in the morning. They are mournful when their comrades are killed (the average survival of these pilots was only three weeks). Flying low, they see the wretched state of soldiers in the trenches and they feel thankful not to be one of them.
Indeed, flying these single-seater ‘kites’ could be fun, and the pilots experienced the great thrills of looping, the elation of fine-weather flying with blue sky above and ‘white lambswool clouds’ below, and the satisfaction of a perfect landing. It was cold up there, the cockpit was open to the weather, limbs and hands became numb. However, the Officers’ Mess was warm and cosy, a place of comradeship where friendships were formed, stories traded and backs slapped after a successful sortie.
We found the adventures riveting. We became engrossed and wondered how we ourselves would have fared in the cockpit of a Pup or Camel. One member had brought with him one of his own Biggles books, and we reflected on the differences between the Biggles author WE Johns and our No Parachute author AG Lee. It’s all there in Wikipedia. We learn that Johns, in contrast to Lee, was a very unlucky pilot, breaking several aircraft, and subsequently (or perhaps consequently) becoming an instructor. After brief active service he was shot down and became a prisoner of war.
By December the tone of the writing changes. Lee was by now tired, ill, to some extent disillusioned, and perhaps shell-shocked. He’s done 118 patrols with 56 combats. The Medical Officer said Lee needs a good spell of leave, and he is relieved of duties and sent home.
In an Appendix written years later he pours scorn on the decisions made by government authorities at the War Office in London, who had no experience of fighting aircraft, and were slow to pick up technical innovations. He identifies multiple failures of high command and rivalry between War Office and Admiralty for the materials, engines and labour to supply the two separate air forces, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).
We enjoyed the book immensely: the thrilling encounters, the insights, and the comment on why so many pilots were killed unnecessarily….
This is an extract from a review at https://monthlybookgroup.wordpress.com/ Our reviews are also to be found at http://monthlybookgroup.blogspot.co.uk/
June 10, 2023
From the young airmen who took their frail machines high above the trenches of World War I and fought their foes in single combat there emerged a renowned company of brilliant aces – among them Ball, Bishop, McCudden, Collishaw and Mannock – whose legendary feats have echoed down half a century. But behind the elite there were, in the Royal Flying Corps, many hundreds of other airmen who flew their hazardous daily sorties in outdated planes without ever achieving fame. Here is the story of one of these unknown flyers – a story based on letters written on the day, hot on the event, which tells of a young pilot’s progress from fledgling to seasoned fighter. His descriptions of air fighting, sometimes against the Richtofen Circus, of breathless dogfights between Sopwith Pup and Albatros, are among the most vivid and immediate to come out of World War I. Gould Lee brilliantly conveys the immediacy of air war, the thrills and the terror, in this honest and timeless account. Rising to the rank of air vice-marshal, Gould Lee never forgot the RFC’s needless sacrifices – and in a trio of trenchant appendices he examines, with the mature judgment of a senior officer of the RAF and a graduate of the Staff and Imperial Defense Colleges, the failure of the Army High Command to provide both efficient airplanes until mid-1917 and parachutes throughout the war, and General Trenchard’s persistence in a costly and largely ineffective conception of the air offensive.
August 8, 2014
I enjoyed reading 'No Parachute', it helped me to better understand what one of my ancestors went through as a pilot in the First World War.
I read the hardcover version not the kindle.
I read the hardcover version not the kindle.
February 14, 2025
A frontline description of the development of dogfights and plane technology. I wouldnt have thought how doffixult it is to chase down someone trying to escape as they can perform faster and more dabgerous manouveres to try and escape than the pursuing plane would risk.
Why no parachutes "Gossip and half truths that no parachutes were issued because pilots might abandon the aircraft without enough fight. This was a slur on the pilots who daily risked their lives." but the answer turned out to kostly be burecracy, the deaths of the pilots was small compared to the troops even though "Average pilot life expectancy is reckoned at 3 weeks. Due to aras losses weeks, over the year 6 weeks. 6 weeks all that someone's nerves could stand." Possible due to "Pilots out of training can't fly let alone fight. [Author] had 87 hours due to crashes allowing him to stay in England long enough to learn to fly."
Choice notes
Wrote that pilots desired parachutes and the cowthrop method of fixing the parachute. The official argument against was that it would produce stress on the pilot as though that were worse than being killed. No one man can be blamed for the lack of implementation. French Germans and Italians all had parachutes but no parachutes used by British or Americans.
Our frontiers are the enemy coast, this was applied to the air but it was not a fighter aircrafts position in relation to fixed emplacements that mattered but the tenacity to attack whatever the odds.
The development of the aircraft was given as an extension of cavalry, wanting a plane that flew sith stability so the pilot could scout while the plane flew itself. After Bloody April the criticisms were proved to the hilt and the requirements were for a plane that could also fight, but they found all contracts will all firms were for the first design. Only saved by the Admiralty who'd refused the scout design.
Even though I wouldn't know I was cracking up but my body knew it. Hence the tummy pains and other symptoms. I said there was nothing wrong with me another binge wouldn't cure.
Thus ended the battle of Cambrai, the most important outcome of which was to change the military strategy for 1918 for British and Germans and the blizkrieg tactics in the future. (littlehart)
Wife asked why not pray but why would God do me a special favour the hun might be praying the same. I don't have much faith, would it deflect a bullet? How can I call upon God to help me shoot down a man in flames. But you do need something to steady you. Some have charms or superstitions or like me touch would. That's different, you're asking for good luck.
Fed up with broken petrol pipes. They're using up.too much of my luck.
Pups able to fight better at altitude, able to take out 3 Germans. It would have been a different story even 3000ft lower.
Why no parachutes "Gossip and half truths that no parachutes were issued because pilots might abandon the aircraft without enough fight. This was a slur on the pilots who daily risked their lives." but the answer turned out to kostly be burecracy, the deaths of the pilots was small compared to the troops even though "Average pilot life expectancy is reckoned at 3 weeks. Due to aras losses weeks, over the year 6 weeks. 6 weeks all that someone's nerves could stand." Possible due to "Pilots out of training can't fly let alone fight. [Author] had 87 hours due to crashes allowing him to stay in England long enough to learn to fly."
Choice notes
Wrote that pilots desired parachutes and the cowthrop method of fixing the parachute. The official argument against was that it would produce stress on the pilot as though that were worse than being killed. No one man can be blamed for the lack of implementation. French Germans and Italians all had parachutes but no parachutes used by British or Americans.
Our frontiers are the enemy coast, this was applied to the air but it was not a fighter aircrafts position in relation to fixed emplacements that mattered but the tenacity to attack whatever the odds.
The development of the aircraft was given as an extension of cavalry, wanting a plane that flew sith stability so the pilot could scout while the plane flew itself. After Bloody April the criticisms were proved to the hilt and the requirements were for a plane that could also fight, but they found all contracts will all firms were for the first design. Only saved by the Admiralty who'd refused the scout design.
Even though I wouldn't know I was cracking up but my body knew it. Hence the tummy pains and other symptoms. I said there was nothing wrong with me another binge wouldn't cure.
Thus ended the battle of Cambrai, the most important outcome of which was to change the military strategy for 1918 for British and Germans and the blizkrieg tactics in the future. (littlehart)
Wife asked why not pray but why would God do me a special favour the hun might be praying the same. I don't have much faith, would it deflect a bullet? How can I call upon God to help me shoot down a man in flames. But you do need something to steady you. Some have charms or superstitions or like me touch would. That's different, you're asking for good luck.
Fed up with broken petrol pipes. They're using up.too much of my luck.
Pups able to fight better at altitude, able to take out 3 Germans. It would have been a different story even 3000ft lower.
April 2, 2020
This book was awesome, I learned a lot about pilots in ww1. I looked up all the stuff I didn’t know about, and I overall just enjoyed reading it. I reccommend reading this!!!
After reading this, I looked at planes differently, how the mere fact that it is even flying should be such a miracle.
I saw how back then you were shot at by all angles, other planes, anti aircraft, tail gunners, and even people with rifles on the ground.
I now understand that the capabilities of even passenger planes or fighter jets is absolutely tremendous.
Now, air fighting seems calm and maybe even a little wimpy compared to a scrap or a strafing run in ww1.
I almost want to be a pilot in ww1.
I would definitely recommend reading this book!
I like video games and movies more then books, but this book is better then a video game or a movie.
Any video game or movie I could imagine being made from this would be terrible, there’s just something in books you don’t get in video games or movies that you couldn’t put into a video game or movie (unless the movie were just a slideshow of the pages of this book, that counts right?)
There is nothing I would change about this book, while I was reading it I was truly in a different world.
And for the love of god, don’t use this book in a classroom, when you do that you ruin it, peoples open minds become closed to it and I don’t want that to happen.
I thank whoever wrote this book from their diary!
And it would be cool if this became a page in the book. (Is it in the book? Are you reading this?)
After reading this, I looked at planes differently, how the mere fact that it is even flying should be such a miracle.
I saw how back then you were shot at by all angles, other planes, anti aircraft, tail gunners, and even people with rifles on the ground.
I now understand that the capabilities of even passenger planes or fighter jets is absolutely tremendous.
Now, air fighting seems calm and maybe even a little wimpy compared to a scrap or a strafing run in ww1.
I almost want to be a pilot in ww1.
I would definitely recommend reading this book!
I like video games and movies more then books, but this book is better then a video game or a movie.
Any video game or movie I could imagine being made from this would be terrible, there’s just something in books you don’t get in video games or movies that you couldn’t put into a video game or movie (unless the movie were just a slideshow of the pages of this book, that counts right?)
There is nothing I would change about this book, while I was reading it I was truly in a different world.
And for the love of god, don’t use this book in a classroom, when you do that you ruin it, peoples open minds become closed to it and I don’t want that to happen.
I thank whoever wrote this book from their diary!
And it would be cool if this became a page in the book. (Is it in the book? Are you reading this?)
August 28, 2023
I stumbled across this after reading The Big Show so I figured I'd take a look.
It's a much more day-to-day account of life in a WWI squadron. The jargon is great, and the booze-ups and sing-songs frequent.
It's interesting how they were aware that nerves were getting frayed and encouraged some pilots to retire or go on extended leave / reassignments. I was under the impression that there wasn't an acknowledgement of "shell shock" or PTSD symptoms during the first World War.
I also found it interesting how plain dumb luck accounted for some people making it through the war, something which the author himself admits (instead of claiming to be some incredible ace).
There's great information on the performance of the machines, what pilots were concerned with regarding mechanical issues, and an epilogue/appendix that goes through how British bureaucracy prevented useful airplanes from being designed which gave Germany a massive advantage in the air.
It's a much more day-to-day account of life in a WWI squadron. The jargon is great, and the booze-ups and sing-songs frequent.
It's interesting how they were aware that nerves were getting frayed and encouraged some pilots to retire or go on extended leave / reassignments. I was under the impression that there wasn't an acknowledgement of "shell shock" or PTSD symptoms during the first World War.
I also found it interesting how plain dumb luck accounted for some people making it through the war, something which the author himself admits (instead of claiming to be some incredible ace).
There's great information on the performance of the machines, what pilots were concerned with regarding mechanical issues, and an epilogue/appendix that goes through how British bureaucracy prevented useful airplanes from being designed which gave Germany a massive advantage in the air.
June 5, 2025
Cracking read if you want to know what it was really like to fly and fight in WW1. The fact that the author doesn't go over the top (no pun intended) in his writing style actually makes it all the more moving. He tells his wife in a letter that he carries a revolver in the cockpit so it is readily available to kill frogs (the reptiles, not his fighting allies!). But in fact it's there so he can give himself an early death if shot down in flames (parachutes being withheld from pilots, as he drily points out on several occasions). At the end, it is obvious that he is being sent home because mentally he can take no more; previously, as have other pilots, he has been waking up screaming after a nightmare in which he burns to death in the air. Just before he leaves, one of his closest friends dies in action; other pilots watch the doomed man making the heart-rending decision whether to jump clear of his aircraft before it hits the ground or stay with it to the end.
June 11, 2021
Composing of mostly letters to his wife, Lee’s account of his involvement in front line air combat during the First World War can be as harrowing as it is wonderful.
Of particular note is that historical context, hindsight and diary entries are interspersed with the letters, these can show misgivings or straight up juxtaposition (Letters to wife Vs Personal Diary) that the author had.
This book is the first time I’ve made reasonable and effective use of a Book’s Index.
One slight downside, especially to those less familiar with military history books is the lack of quick reference for Acronyms (this would have been an ideal inclusion in the index) as I found myself forgetting some of the Acronyms, especially when referenced early on in the book then appearing infrequently again.
Of particular note is that historical context, hindsight and diary entries are interspersed with the letters, these can show misgivings or straight up juxtaposition (Letters to wife Vs Personal Diary) that the author had.
This book is the first time I’ve made reasonable and effective use of a Book’s Index.
One slight downside, especially to those less familiar with military history books is the lack of quick reference for Acronyms (this would have been an ideal inclusion in the index) as I found myself forgetting some of the Acronyms, especially when referenced early on in the book then appearing infrequently again.
June 7, 2021
Superb first hand account of air warfare in WWI
It’s especially important to understand that almost all of these accounts were written within HOURS of their occurrence. These were letters to his wife that were written within a day or two. There was no need to check logbooks, official records, other sources. As a Navy pilot from Desert Storm I very much recognize his description of squadron life. Perhaps the best account of WWI air combat I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot). What courage these early airman had!
It’s especially important to understand that almost all of these accounts were written within HOURS of their occurrence. These were letters to his wife that were written within a day or two. There was no need to check logbooks, official records, other sources. As a Navy pilot from Desert Storm I very much recognize his description of squadron life. Perhaps the best account of WWI air combat I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot). What courage these early airman had!
June 7, 2020
Outstanding
This book is a real eye opener. It is diary-based and delivers a thorough account of the fighting and day-to-day actions of the pilots. I cannot comprehend how they managed to keep on going and actually look forward to getting back to their squadrons after leave. There is a good account of battle stress and how it creeps up on you. The writing is a pleasure to read. It is an exceptional book.
This book is a real eye opener. It is diary-based and delivers a thorough account of the fighting and day-to-day actions of the pilots. I cannot comprehend how they managed to keep on going and actually look forward to getting back to their squadrons after leave. There is a good account of battle stress and how it creeps up on you. The writing is a pleasure to read. It is an exceptional book.
January 4, 2021
He was there and recorded his experiences
I do wonder what his wife thought of his letters, so open to the realities of his service experience. She must have had an incredible inner strength.
Do read the Appendix articles. Even more insightful about the human pettiness that kept parachutes out of the hands of air crew and the ignorant stupidity that hobbled the RFC, RNAS, and the RAF with aircraft obsolete before they flew in combat.
I do wonder what his wife thought of his letters, so open to the realities of his service experience. She must have had an incredible inner strength.
Do read the Appendix articles. Even more insightful about the human pettiness that kept parachutes out of the hands of air crew and the ignorant stupidity that hobbled the RFC, RNAS, and the RAF with aircraft obsolete before they flew in combat.
January 1, 2024
Outstanding narrative on aerial combat 1916-1918.
This pilot's diary recounting his exploits in the air and ground narrowly surviving the war. Arthur Gould Lee describes the lives and deaths of this squadron mates through some of the worst battles on the western front. The courage and derring-do of these pilots in aerial combat where death by falling from the sky or worse, being consumed in a flaming aircraft was the daily fare.
All without parachutes.
This pilot's diary recounting his exploits in the air and ground narrowly surviving the war. Arthur Gould Lee describes the lives and deaths of this squadron mates through some of the worst battles on the western front. The courage and derring-do of these pilots in aerial combat where death by falling from the sky or worse, being consumed in a flaming aircraft was the daily fare.
All without parachutes.
September 12, 2025
(I had to read this for a collage class.)
I actually really enjoyed this book! I thought it was genuine and honest display of the emotions of war. His descent from excited to fly in war to the depression he faced after his friends and colleagues died flying. I don’t know too much about aviation and planes so this was interesting to read and gain more knowledge about the specific parts of flying in early World War I.
I actually really enjoyed this book! I thought it was genuine and honest display of the emotions of war. His descent from excited to fly in war to the depression he faced after his friends and colleagues died flying. I don’t know too much about aviation and planes so this was interesting to read and gain more knowledge about the specific parts of flying in early World War I.
March 31, 2018
Another great narrative about the air war in WWI. In depth descriptions of daily life lived close to the edge at the aerodrome. You get a sense of the aircraft in regards to flight characteristics and abilities along with what it took to pilot those aircraft.
Young men in war situations seem to have so much in common no matter the year or war.
Young men in war situations seem to have so much in common no matter the year or war.
January 31, 2021
Great account of the air war in WWI!
This is an excellent first-hand account of the experience of a pilot in the RFC in air combat over the Western Front. Most of the book consists of letters written home and diary entries, in chronological order. A great insight into early military aviation!
This is an excellent first-hand account of the experience of a pilot in the RFC in air combat over the Western Front. Most of the book consists of letters written home and diary entries, in chronological order. A great insight into early military aviation!
May 7, 2022
A special book
This is an amazing account of a WWI pilot's experience flying for Britain. He flew hundreds of hours in several different aircraft, in aerial and ground attack roles. There's a limited number of these accounts from WWI and they're all quite illuminating.
Lee in addition seems a good and decent man. A very good read.
This is an amazing account of a WWI pilot's experience flying for Britain. He flew hundreds of hours in several different aircraft, in aerial and ground attack roles. There's a limited number of these accounts from WWI and they're all quite illuminating.
Lee in addition seems a good and decent man. A very good read.
July 15, 2019
Excellent account of the air war in WW1
One of the best accounts of the air war in WW1 with not only details of the flying but beautiful accounts of scenery and other aspects of squadron life
One of the best accounts of the air war in WW1 with not only details of the flying but beautiful accounts of scenery and other aspects of squadron life
April 20, 2020
Outstanding book by someone who was there!
The is an excellent book written by a pilot who was there. The book is a collection of letters written by a pilot to his wife on nearly a daily basis. He tells it as it was while still fresh along with his sorrow when friends were lost.
The is an excellent book written by a pilot who was there. The book is a collection of letters written by a pilot to his wife on nearly a daily basis. He tells it as it was while still fresh along with his sorrow when friends were lost.
April 20, 2020
WW I British pilot diary
Fascinating account of the day to day life of a 22 year British pilot flying combat missions I’m 1917. Well written and excellent account of what it felt like to fly bi-planes during first WORLD WAR. I felt like I was there with him. Highly recommend!
Fascinating account of the day to day life of a 22 year British pilot flying combat missions I’m 1917. Well written and excellent account of what it felt like to fly bi-planes during first WORLD WAR. I felt like I was there with him. Highly recommend!
January 20, 2023
One of the best first hand accounts of aerial combat over the western front. The writing puts you right in the cockpit with the author.
Very much recommended if you have an interest in World War One or aerial combat.
Very much recommended if you have an interest in World War One or aerial combat.
May 24, 2023
I have never come across a book quite like this. Between people losing things over time and the strict censorship of the time World War I accounts usually have large gaps but this one is as close to complete as I have seen.
January 10, 2020
Great read
Very interesting the informative. Giving from the eyes of one in the trenches, so to speak. He seemed to be one of the great unsung heroes of WW1.
Very interesting the informative. Giving from the eyes of one in the trenches, so to speak. He seemed to be one of the great unsung heroes of WW1.
April 22, 2020
Excellent book.
The author's experience shares a more personal look at the life of a piolt in WW I. A must read for the WWI military historian.
The author's experience shares a more personal look at the life of a piolt in WW I. A must read for the WWI military historian.
April 27, 2020
Arthur Lee continues his account of his service as a fighter pilot in WWI.
Read
February 4, 2022It's a must-have for those interested in this subject. It's a very personal first-person account of the life and death, of WWI pilots.
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