1918: We will remember them

The British Ace #5

by Griff Hosker

It is late 1917 and the war still grinds on. The Sopwith Camels are holding their own against the German war machine and then they meet the Fokker Triplane and the pilots of the RFC began to fall. As the war drifts into 1918 the Germans have one last throw of the dice and come within a whisker of the sea. It is up to Bill, Gordy and Ted to lead their young pilots in a last desperate attempt to halt the grey wall of steel. With a dramatic climax during bloody September in 1918 the final book set in the Great War shows how the squadron emerges from four bloody years of war.

Genres: Historical Fiction

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2015

About the author

I was born in 1950 in Lancashire and attended a boy’s grammar school. After qualifying as an English and Drama teacher in 1972, I worked in the North East of England for the next 35 years. During that time I did write, mainly plays, pantos and musicals for the students at the three schools in which I worked.

When I stopped teaching I set up my own consultancy firm and worked as an adviser in schools and colleges in the North East of England. The new Conservative Government ended that avenue of work and in 2010 I found that I had time on my hands; having started work at the age of 15 I found the lack of work not to my liking and used the time to research the Roman invasion of Britain and begin to create a novel. The result was The Sword of Cartimandua.

My decision to begin writing was one of the best I have ever taken.

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Reviews

[Charles Nordstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have now finished reading all 5 of the books in this series. I can say the author spins an entertaining yarn. While I suppose each of these books could be a stand alone read, I recommend they be read in order to get the most out of them. In general, I think the author's writing style and his development of the main characters probably would appeal to a much younger audience. For me, they were too simplistic and did not really evolve much as I progressed through the series. The battle scenes in the air were also not realistic. As a pilot, I felt the author really fell short when it came to describing flying in realistic terms. Having flown in a combat aircraft, the capabilities he gave both to the hero and to the aircraft were unrealistic. The author made some historical errors when it came to certain technological developments in the war. He introduced new equipment and weapons too early which detracted from the historicity of the books. Overall, as far as a historical fiction goes, these books were disappointing. I know the author is an accomplished author so I just wonder if he chose the wrong mode of combat in these books - one he was less familiar with which handicapped his writing somewhat.

[Dana Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced

Great adventure based on world war one. Fast paced and exciting story about the lives and pressures of early aviators.

[Otavio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harsker, Hosker, and The End

Hosker is the name of the author, of course, and Harsker, the name of our hero, sound very similar! The Hosker Heroes all have British steel courage and very human sensitivities,mostly unaware of their own heroism. By 1918 Harsker's Squadron had lost 80 pilots. You get a front row seat flying paper thin airplanes attacking each other with machine guns! Great book!

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable series

I am sad to have this thoroughly enjoyable series end. Wonderful characters wrapped in light, easy reading and historical interest.

[Jerry Mercer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

The conclusion of Hosker's series about the British flyers over France in WWI. Includes some views of the home front and the bitter loss of many flyers.