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A Flying Fighter: An American Above the Lines in France
“An American eagle with British wings
Readers interested in the personal experiences of the resolute and brave young men who ventured into the air to fight the first aerial combats will discover much to reward them in this book. The author joined the R. F. C in 1914 to fight Germany following its invasion of Belgium and advance into France at the beginning of the First World War. However, he was, in fact an American much taken with the idea of adventure as well as the righting of wrongs. Roberts’ first experience of air fighting for the British flying corps was as an observer manning a machine gun and his descriptions of battling enemy aircraft and his accounts of his various ‘kills’ make gripping reading. Eventually he graduated to the pilot’s cockpit where he became an accomplished exponent of the dogfight; this did not come without some cost, Roberts lost many comrades and was seriously wounded himself. This account is highly recommended since it brings to life through many anecdotes the first hand experiences of one who was there. This book is one of a very small number by early military aviators and will be a valuable addition to the library of anyone with an interest in the subject.”-Leonaur Print Edition
Author — E. M. Roberts
Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in New York, Harper & brothers (c. 1918)
Original Page Count – 338 pages.
Readers interested in the personal experiences of the resolute and brave young men who ventured into the air to fight the first aerial combats will discover much to reward them in this book. The author joined the R. F. C in 1914 to fight Germany following its invasion of Belgium and advance into France at the beginning of the First World War. However, he was, in fact an American much taken with the idea of adventure as well as the righting of wrongs. Roberts’ first experience of air fighting for the British flying corps was as an observer manning a machine gun and his descriptions of battling enemy aircraft and his accounts of his various ‘kills’ make gripping reading. Eventually he graduated to the pilot’s cockpit where he became an accomplished exponent of the dogfight; this did not come without some cost, Roberts lost many comrades and was seriously wounded himself. This account is highly recommended since it brings to life through many anecdotes the first hand experiences of one who was there. This book is one of a very small number by early military aviators and will be a valuable addition to the library of anyone with an interest in the subject.”-Leonaur Print Edition
Author — E. M. Roberts
Text taken, whole and complete, from the edition published in New York, Harper & brothers (c. 1918)
Original Page Count – 338 pages.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2013
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August 23, 2018
First hand account from one of the early pilots flying air combat missions in WWI. At that time many of the techniques and strategies were being developed and proven that eventually evolved into dog fighting skills that continued to be used in future wars. There are great descriptions of conditions experienced by the soldiers on the ground and in the trenches as well as the freezing conditions experienced at higher altitudes by pilots and gunners. Also in those early days of flying machines, they were notoriously unreliable and pilots had to often land wherever they could find a big enough flat spot.
Displaying 1 of 1 review