Marked for Death

by James Hamilton-Paterson

Little more than 10 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 19-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 for ever.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Aviation, World War I, Military History, War, Military Fiction

356 pages, Hardcover

First published May 21, 2015

About the author

James Hamilton-Paterson is a British poet, novelist, and one of the most private literary figures of his generation. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, he began his career as a journalist before emerging as a novelist with a distinctive lyrical style. He gained early recognition for Gerontius, a Whitbread Award-winning novel, and went on to write Ghosts of Manila and America’s Boy, incisive works reflecting his deep engagement with the Philippines. His interests range widely, from history and science to aviation, as seen in Seven-Tenths and Empire of the Clouds. He also received praise for his darkly comic Gerald Samper trilogy. Hamilton-Paterson divides his time between Austria, Italy, and the Philippines and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023.

Reviews

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book as soon as I received it in the mail instead of putting it aside to read later. I think I was slightly put off as it wasn't going to be a chronological narrative of the Great War in the air but a book with each chapter based on a certain theme of the air war between 1914-1918.

Once I did start reading the book I found it hard to put down, it was a well told story of the war in the air and how it was fought, with chapters covering a range of topics, every one of which was interesting and full of fascinating information. I found that each chapter moved seamlessly into the next subject and I never felt like the book was disjointed by not being a strictly chronological narrative.

The chapters included in the book are:

1 Air War and the State
2 Why Biplanes
3 Armed to the Teeth
4 Combat and other Missions
5 The Making of a Flying Man
6 How they Lived
7 Aces
8 Airmen and Medics
9 Parachutes and Fatalism
10 Home Defence
11 Balkans and Mesopotamia
12 Postscript

The author has utilised numerous first hand accounts from pilots of that era, some I have read and some that were entirely new to me. Of course the author discusses the fragile nature of the early planes: " .... Men with a mechanical bent who for ten years had been putting together flying machines of their own design in sheds and garages, each convinced that his would prove revolutionary, only for the dream to end in a tangle of wire and fabric in the middle of rough plaster land. 'The only bones left unbroken in the cadaver', as one army medic bleakly observed, 'we're probably those of the inner ear'."

W. E. Johns of 'Biggles' fame is quoted numerous times in the book; "... Johns later wrote in his magazine Popular Flying that in early 1918 when he was stationed in Norfolk no fewer than thirteen pilots and observers were burnt to death in crashes in as many days and the local village blacksmith, who had been a juryman at all the inquests, committed suicide, overcome by the horror of it all."

I enjoyed the authors style of writing, at times he could be quite caustic: "Apparently the requirement was for young men who were not very bright, pig-ignorant about the technicalities of their aircraft, and with a feckless enough sense of humour to view killing and being killed as just a game." Or; "Aircraft designers, too, could seem comfortably distanced from the consequences of their designs, To take an example at random: the radiator of the German Albatros D.III, the bane of the RFC in early 1917, was initially placed over the centre section immediately above the pilot's cockpit. If it was holed in flight the pilot could be suddenly drenched in boiling water. One would have though this foreseeable, and in time the radiator was indeed moved off to starboard along the top wing."

Of course the subject of parachutes and the RFC/RAF was discussed. I found this interesting quote from the book from the inventor of one of the British parachutes developed during the war: "Calthrop wearily gave what he felt was the reason for the British authorities' foot-dragging: 'No one in high quarters had any time to devote to investigating the merits of an appliance whose purpose was so ridiculously irrelevant to war as the saving of life in the air'."

And of course there were lots of great little bits of information scattered throughout the book like this: "The top Italian ace, Francesco Baracca, fell in flames in June 1918 with a total of thirty-four victories. An inspirational figure, he flew French machines exclusively, mainly Nieuports and SPADs, painted with his personal emblem of a prancing horse: the cavallino rampante. Many years after his death, when Baracca was an enshrined national hero, his mother presented a copy of this emblem to Enzo Ferrari who adopted it as his company logo and on whose cars it can be seen to this day."

Overall I found this book to be a great story of how the war in the air was fought during WW1. It mainly covers the RFC/RAF and the Western Front but the stories really cover what it was like for all aviators fighting in the Great War on all fronts.

I think this will be the book that most fans of the genre will treasure in their libraries and if you are looking for just one good book that covers the subject then I think this may be the book for you.

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though the main focus of Marked for Death: The First War in the Air is on the growth and development of British military aviation (as represented by both the Royal Flying Corps [RFC] and Royal Naval Air Service [RNAS], which later amalgamated to form the Royal Air Force [RAF] on April 1st, 1918) during the First World War, it also sheds considerable light on the evolution of aviation from its inception through 1918. Topics such as 'Why Biplanes?', 'Armed to the Teeth', 'Combat and Other Missions', 'The Making of a Flying Man', 'How they lived', 'Parachutes and Fatalism', and 'Home Defence' give the reader a full perspective on the science, prevailing attitudes, mysteries, joys and hazards of flying. This is a first class book, well-written and comprehensive. I learned so much in reading it.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marked for Death is a history of WW1 in the air. As such, it’s also a history of the early development of the airplane and its use in combat. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of the air war ("Aces", "Home Defence") so this is not a chronological history, although information is presented chronologically within each chapter. The book focusses on the Western front, and mainly on the British RFC/RNAS/RAF, although other nationalities do get a look-in.

I really enjoyed this. Although packed with information, this is not a detailed technical text, which suited me. And there are plenty of eyewitness accounts, including from W.E. Johns who went on to write the Biggles stories. I found it well written, very readable, moving, and occasionally even funny. James Hamilton-Paterson has done a great job of conveying the dangers & horrors that pilots faced going to war in these fragile planes. I'd definitely recommend this.

[☄ · Rating 5 out of 5]

only few truly talented writers–those who have spent decades whetting their swords on the stone of fiction–ever come to the study of the first air war, and even fewer really understand what the air war was about: what hamilton-paterson calls "that crackling bonfire of young men," where lives were flimsy & fatalism reigned, and anytime a pilot stepped foot into a plane, regardless of his talent or degree of experience, he was quite possibly doomed. marked for death understands this inherently, taking it as its lodestone and thus capably & responsibly guiding the reader through the average british pilot's experience of the war.

i still have chills! really and truly. i can't imagine a better-written book, or a more eye-opening read for those who are unaware of the horrors experienced daily by 19-and-20 year old boys during the first world war, thousands of whom never made it out of training let alone into the skies of the western front. it is the perfect counterpart to sam hynes' the unsubstantial air, which tackles the american air service with equally extraordinary tact and compassion, and unsurpassed prose (it's samuel hynes, after all.)

my only gripe (and this is small) is with jim's nihilistic perspective on the power of memory. he cites cecil lewis as having killed pip's memory by dying himself in 1997, but quite strangely ignores the fact that the only reason pip is remembered at all today (for a long time he had no grave, even!) is because of his presence in sagittarius rising, which lewis wrote, among other reasons, in order to remember & perpetuate the memory of his dead comrades. such a strange note to end this splendid book on, because it is patently untrue that only those who personally knew the war dead can adequately remember them. how untrue, and how tragic to really believe that, deeply in your heart. the war dead only exist in memory, now. and whether hamilton-paterson intended it or not, it's books like marked for death that keep them alive in our hearts & minds, those boys who took to the skies and left their wings there, or who fell to earth encased in fire. if a 19 year old boy dies in a flying accident and no one is left to remember him, did he really exist? he did and does, because of books like these.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, providing an in depth history of World War I Air Combat. Written mostly as an overview of the UK’s Royal Flying Corps, the author does cover aspects of the German, French, and US air forces, but only as comparison points to the UK. Rather than a chronological history, the book covers various aspects of the air war, from the technological and production facilities which developed and built the aircraft through to the methods of combat which evolved at the front. There are a number of interesting chapters dealing with the life of the airmen, both at home and at the front, looking at the unique psychological burdens they faced. Though mostly concentrating on the Western Front, there is some investigation with air combat in the other theatres and the final chapter gives a very good summary of the first strategic bombing campaigns. Most of the book has a tone of prelude to the WWII campaigns and there are many references to ongoing customs and traditions of the air services which started in The Great War. The author didn’t explicitly mention it as a thesis point, but the fact that these flyers were developing a spectrum of warfare, with new innovations constantly upending the established formulae of battle, certainly draws a comparison with the ongoing developments of networked and autonomous forces in our own day. Reading about the way in which the bureaucracy at home and flyers in the field dealt with this rapid pace of change was the most interesting part of the book. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to know more about WWI air combat and the development of new methods of warfare in a fast changing environment.

[Andrew Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I wasn't expecting too much from. The title and cover gave it a populist air, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a much more sober book than that.

The basic explanations of aerodynamics that drove the development of biplanes and triplanes, and of improved bonding techniques that produced sturdier aircraft, allied to easily comprehensible descriptions of radial engines, were a real highlight. It's clear that the author spent time in and around museum pieces and speaking with aircraft engineers and historians familiar with great war aircraft development.

What was less convincing - and ultimately brought my review down from a 4+ star to 3 star - was the occasional self-indulgent value judgement and unqualified claim. It reaches its worst in the postscript, where he regurgitates the tired concept of these men (aircrews in this instance, but it could be infantry, artillery or any other soldier) dying for nothing. That was clearly not the case - the service and death of pilots and observers contributed toward the Entente's ultimate goal of defeating an aggressive, industrialised, peer-level enemy who had occupied large tracts of France and Belgium, and had to be ejected. The loss of life throughout was awful, but the alternative didn't bear consideration. One can abhor war while also recognising that those who fell did so contributing toward a worthy end. The author's observations (and rant) in the Postscript of the decline of the RAF after the 1960s is similarly not the appropriate place to engage such a topic.

The author also makes some spurious claims without a shred of evidence: the most egregious being claims that Canadian and Australian pilots were superior to British born aviators by virtue of their upbringing and familiarity with different terrain. A similar argument was put forward by Australian official historian CEW Bean about Australian soldiers being 'natural shots from the bush' which has recently been utterly demolished. As James Hamilton-Paterson seeks to make like claims about the alleged superiority of Dominion versus British-born airmen without citing any evidence, treat it with a great deal of suspicion.

The author touches on infantry-air liaison, but this is an area he could have delved more deeply into. Flying contact patrols to mark the advance and location of ground forces was absolutely critical to field commanders, and was a large part of reconnaissance work done by squadrons during major battles. The means of signalling from the ground to pilots are worthy of a book itself, so it would have been nice to get a little more focus on that.

Hamilton-Paterson relies too heavily on accounts by W.E. Johns (WWI pilot and author of the Biggles series), as well as the Canadian ace, Billy Bishop. There are also nowhere near as many primary sources and squadron histories consulted as there should have been, and if he had done so, the book would have lost some of its self-righteous edge and been more authoritative as he'd have had a larger pool of experiences to draw from and the broader work would have been more representative.

What Hamilton-Paterson did well, though, is strip away the romance of WWI aerial combat. He rightly argues that pilots were not 'knights of the sky', but pioneers in developing and exploiting a risky new technology which, while in its infancy, evolved rapidly. Young pilots and their navigators had a short life expectancy (due to the primitive aircraft they flew and the comparative lack of safety and medical standards) and their deaths were often terrifyingly brutal. Being incinerated while plunging to the ground in a timber and fabric contraption is not a romantic way to die, yet aerial combat in the Great War is still regarded as almost genteel (watch the Peter Jackson directed short film at the Australian War Memorial in support of the 'Over the Front' exhibition for a glimpse into the savagery - with some artistic licence). The author also notes von Richtofen was a cold blooded killer, musing at the apparent celebrity he enjoys in the twenty-first century which has separated the savagery of his deeds with his romanticised reputation. Richtofen was exceptionally good at his job, and that meant shooting down and killing Allied airmen. It is where the author strips back the myth that he is on strongest ground (pun unintended) with this work.

Overall, however, the book is too patchy to be considered a really good title, but there are pockets of excellence throughout. The early chapters set the scene well, but it's a frustration that the remainder isn't able to maintain that standard. Still, for an introductory text to give a broad treatment of WWI aviation and its experience - with useful explanations of aircraft technology for contextual understanding - it's a worthwhile place to start.

[Dave Godfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this book for a couple of years & finally got it for Christmas this year. It did not disappoint. Fascinating insight into WW1 pilots and planes. His focus was on British pilots - but did discuss some Canadian, German & French pilots as well. Also went outside of the European theater and discussed the Balkans, Middle-East & Africa and the specific issues pilots/planes faced in those theaters. Recommend if you're at all interested in this topic.

[Jeff Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite an uneven and editorial Introduction and Postscript and a dry first half of Chapter 1 which worried me about continuing to read the book, the rest of it takes off and provides an excellent reference work into the realities of WW1 aviation.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when you think you know a lot about a given topic.....along comes Hamilton-Paterson with a well written history from an entirely different angle of view. While the book focuses primarily on the development of the airplane as a weapon for war, it also highlights the perils the first pilots faced and the role they played in pushing the technology forward. They shot at each other with pistols and rifles while chasing through the skies, parachutes weren't in use so to jump from a burning plane was a form of "choosing the lesser of two evils," something as obvious as synchronizing the machine gun to shoot between rotating propeller blades gave the Germans a decisive edge for a long stretch of the war....until the Tommies caught up.....and then there were the "Aces." Hamilton-Paterson writes with the dry wit of a good Brit and has spun an excellent and informative yarn that any history buff will enjoy. Highly recommended!

[Jeanmarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good and held my attention. I’m going down to the pub now to show off my new found knowledge of the Sopwith Pup vs the Fokker M.6.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marked for Death : The First War in the Air (2016) by James Hamilton-Paterson is a fascinating history of WWI in the air concentrating on British aviation.

Hamilton-Paterson takes apart the myths of WWI aviation and examines in detail just how aircraft and tactics changed throughout the war. The book also looks at the many mistakes made by the various sides. Hamilton-Paterson has had access to the archives of the British services and he points out repeatedly how they failed to understand what aircraft could do and took a long time to improve practices.

The way that pilots were trained by the British is remarkable. One in five were killed while training. One in three pilots crashed when first soloing in a Sopwith Camel. It was not uncommon for British pilots to be told to try to solo after one and a half hours experience of flight.

The remarkable bravery of the pilots is given due respect. The amazing way that they flew in primitive devices over a battlefield is truly something. On the Western Front there was also a good degree of chivalry.

There is a chapter on how long it took parachutes to come into use. Some of which was due to the technical challenges, some due to terrible management.

The book also discusses the famed aces and their achievements, as well as the difficulty in verifying their claims. The aces of WWI often died and many became traumatised while flying.

Marked for Death really is a very interesting read for anyone interested in aviation. The incompetence of management, the skill of the airman and the fragility of the aircraft is all fascinating.

[Bill Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author provides a detailed account of aerial combat during World War I, rejecting the romanticized view too often provided by literature and movies.

The chapter on biplanes reviews their development from George Cayley's first understandings of aerodynamics and the inventions of the Wright brothers. An early problem was a stalls leading to a spin. Although the corrective action was identified in 1912, it was years before all pilots were able to deal with stalls. Early engines were quite low power, forcing light plane construction with no brakes.

Armament increased over the period of the war, with 75 mm cannons and 1650 lb bombs being tried by 1918. Initially, the only fighting between planes was with rifles and revolvers. Use of machine guns was made practical in 1915 by Fokker, with the development of machine guns synchronized to shoot through the rotating propeller.

Chapters cover combat missions, training and the lifestyle of the pilots. A discussion of the Ace pilots shows that the qualification was open to some interpretation, the Aces being useful politically for the inspiration of the population.

Cold and oxygen deprivation became greater problems as the altitude capability of the planes increased. The issue of parachutes is discussed, their adoption being quite late as they were discouraged by the British War Office. By the end of the war, German pilots had access to parachutes, oxygen equipment and electrically heated flying suits.

A good book with much interesting detail.

[Patricia Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Hamilton-Paterson wants you to get off his lawn. He also wants to tell you about First World War aviation, but just watch your step pal.
This book is rather odd in that the author comes across as quite the curmudgeon. He body shames and ridicules imaginary overweight people having imaginary arguments over the merits of real WWI aircraft, while at the same time offering up a decent and sometimes fascinating history of those very aircraft and the men who flew them.
At times, for example the chapter on aviation medicine, Hamilton-Paterson's work is riveting, while the book at the same time suffers from rather basic mistakes that make the reader want to give up in disgust. For example, Hamilton-Paterson implies that Lanoe Hawker used a rifle to shoot down all seven of his victories (in fact it was none) and he also states Manfred von Richthofen's celebrated triplane was an Albatros (really???).
The author shows a shocking level of intolerance by belittling people who discuss which aircraft was best, something quite popular among the aviation history types. He also belittles those who enjoy arguing over whether it was Roy Brown or Australian AA fire that did in the Red Baron, saying it is irrelevant at this late date, but spends several paragraphs defending Billy Bishop's controversial VC flight, which apparently isn't irrelevant.
However the previous mentioned section on aviation medicine together with the chapters on the founding of Farnborough and the Middle East theater are all splendid, and worth the read in themselves.

[Raughley Nuzzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This excellent history of aerial combat in WWI does a great job of covering the topic from myriad angles. From the flight science of early and advancing aircraft to the development of air-to-air and air-to-ground combat strategies to the effects of high-altitude flight on the human body, James Hamilton-Paterson demonstrates a comfort with all aspects of The First War in the Air. The writing is compelling and clear, regardless of the esoterica of any given chapter.

The only major criticism I have of the book is that while it does delve into aspects of the war from French, German, and Italian perspectives, it remains heavily grounded in its British perspective. Other countries' experiences are framed in conjunction with or opposition to the Britain's air force's. For example, the chapter about the training regimen of the airmen focuses on how poorly trained British pilots were, contrasting them with the French and German schools of aviation. Scant mention is made of the air war on the Eastern Front, though the Russians are credited with inventing a four-engine behemoth and the German pilots British flyers encountered in the Balkans spoke superstitiously of the barbarism of the air war against Russia. A deeper dive into other theaters or other nations' perspectives would have made this book an easy 5 stars.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audiobook) This work looks at various aspects of the air war in World War I. It was hardly the romantic vision of 20th century knights of chivalry and daring-do. The air war was tough, dirty, brutal and perhaps more dangerous for the flyers than imagined. Airplanes were barely a decade old when the war started. Many pilots died long before they ever engaged in arial combat. Technology, tactics and basic skills evolved in a hodge-podge of actions. Somehow the air war made a difference, especially in reconnaissance and in the primacy of 3-dimensional warfare, but it was far from a sure thing.

Hamilton-Paterson brings much of that to the forefront in this work. It is not mean as a chronological work per se, and sometimes the narrative jumps from topics, times and areas. However, there is good information to gleam from this one. In particular, the day-to-day struggles of being an airman and working with airplanes is the strength of this work. It is difficult to integrate new technologies, and especially paradigm-shifting ones like airplanes really have their challenges. That is conveyed in this work.

The rating is the same for audiobook as it would be for hard/e-copy. Worth the read for the war historian or air enthusiast.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did this one by audiobook. The narrator was great, shifting accents not just between nationalities (only lightly done), but even more so between individual Britons (which I rather enjoyed).
People wanting a story of aces will not find that here. Hamilton-Paterson has built more of a structural history, looking at the systems that came into being (manufacturing, training regimens, cultural biases, etc.) as part of the air war. This yields a lot of -- usually -- overlooked insights: the impact of the home front and the supply chain, the rapid obsolescence of every plane produced, the inescapable problems that produced nearly 70% mortality among flyers (!!!), the development of strategic bombing, and so on.
It wasn't an "exciting" book, but it was deeply informative. And that's worth some stars in my view.
PS: the aces are here, but they really only flicker in and out.
PPS: the coverage tries to be global--which includes a great chapter on air ops in the Middle East, Africa, and elsewhere--but the vast bulk of the book is driven by his source material, which makes it more about the British air war than anything else.

[Mike White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive and well-researched study of the first war in the air, covering politics, technology (there’s a chapter called “Why Biplanes?”), and strategy in all theatres of WWII where aircraft were employed. The writing is calm and reasoned, covering all points of view, but pulls no punches. He quotes Calthrop, inventor of a parachute: “No one in high quarters had any time to devote to investigating the merits of an appliance whose purpose was so ridiculously irrelevant to war as saving of life in the air.”
The author covers events since 1918 in a postscript and draws parallels. There are useful appendices. A very good book if one is interested in the subject. Though some anecdotes are included don’t look for exciting stories of aerial heroics. Despite the cover and title Biggles it ain’t.

[Shake n' Vac]

A great read to be honest that looks behind the actual combat history itself to look at aspects of changing technology, training pilots (or lack thereof), parachute use, Aces and so on - read Aussie Rick's review for a full breakdown. The book is well written, but it does have the occasional line that seems out of place, overly critical or purely self-indulgent; saying that it detracts little from the overall work. I found the chapters both interesting and informative - learning a lot in the process. All-in-all very much worth a read if you want, even if superficial - respecting the chapter lengths - a deeper view on the topic.

[Leigh Kimmel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delves into the deep background of how the various combatants' air corps were developed, from the technology of airplanes, weaponry and safety gear (astonishingly little, by present-day lights) to the medical tests to determine which recruits should be put into flight training. And it may seem astonishing to present-day readers, who are accustomed to pilots being commissioned officers, that in those days the pilots were often non-coms, under the direction of the observer in the second seat, who was generally the commissioned officer.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamilton-Paterson argues that the Great War's air battles have been seen as a thing apart and above (metaphorically) the bloody trench warfare, an old-fashioned world of daring and knightly single combat. In reality, there was lots of death (though with fewer people up, only a blip compared onn the infantry) and much of it came from defective planes, the refusal to give pilots parachutes (what if they chickened out?) crude flying instruments and all the other weaknesses of early aviation. A grim, vivid and realistic look at the subject and where movies get it wrong.

[Miikka Lehtonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and thorough discussion of the air war in World War I, with a focus on the British experience. The book discusses the early days of flight, the first steps of military aviation, the technology arms race of both sides making leaps and bounds in plane design, the mental stress experienced by pilots etc.

It's not going to teach experts much new, beyond forming a good throughline on the topic and putting things in the proper context, but for someone who is interested in the reality of aerial combat in World War I, it's hard to do much better than this book.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a bad overview of the First World War in the air. The book is organised thematically rather than chronologically and successfully demolishes any lingering romantic views of WWI flying. It's marred, though, by the author's often only semi-informed opinions and outdated stereotypes, particularly about the war in general and its conduct.

Read full review: https://rorschachianreview.wordpress....

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appraised the topical nature of this book - the chronology of the subject has been beat within an inch of its life so this was really refreshing. It really lacks a log of the glitz/glam/schmaltz usually associated with books on the WWI air war. It was very UK centric although did have the brief occasional asides on the French/other Allies and the Central powers too. I could've done without the dead pilot crash photos.

[Evan Þ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This history of British military aviation in World War I surprised me. I hadn't appreciated just how fragile the planes were, just how little was understood about flying, just how fast aviation developed, or just how dangerous it was. It makes sense, looking back on it - the war was scarcely ten years after the airplane was first invented, and the first air combat was during the war. But still, I'm stunned.

[Paul Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't praise this book enough. It gave a concise and meaningful account of what the men of the RFC and RAF went through and how the planes they flew went from machines held together with robe and luck to being lethal killing machines. It is packed with eye witness accounts and anecdotes. I found it very easy to read and hard to put down.

[Adam Nelmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely something new to find here, even if you think you are well-read on WW1 air warfare. Hamilton-Paterson avoids a linear narrative on the air-war, instead focusing on subject areas such as training, armament and the use (or not!) of parachutes. The author is unafraid of putting a well-informed boot in on individuals and views - past and present - which he takes issue with

[Graham Mott · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book which rather than take a chronological view, each chapter has a different theme exploring an aspect of the war in the air. Those who have read his Empire of the Clouds will know his interest in areas like procurement and how the aircraft industry was organised and as such this is well represented.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alas, I can see why the author chose to write in this style, while informative I found it kind of disjointed and sometimes distracting. I would have preferred a chronological rather than a subjective based content narrative.

[Jerel Wilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting examination of the technology and underlying strategies of the air war during the First World War. This is not a narrative "story" book, rather it is a look at various topics that gave the air war its distinctive quality.

[J H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seldom do you stumble on a book that is both informative in so many ways you didn’t expect, as well as entertaining and riveting. I enjoyed this read thoroughly and have to add it to my list of military histories to recommend.