RAF: The Birth of the World's First Air Force

by Richard Overy

A great historian’s masterful account of the origins of air power in the RAF. The birth of the Royal Air Force during World War I marked a pivotal moment in modern military and political history. With Europe’s western front frozen in a bloody stalemate of trench warfare, both sides sought some means of directly attacking enemy resources and morale. The new technologies of air power were used at first for reconnaissance of enemy positions for artillery strikes. By 1917 German bombers had begun raids on British cities, including an attack on London that killed hundreds, with eighteen schoolchildren among the casualties. Public outrage in Britain sparked a call for air defense and spurred political support for an independent air ministry. Prime Minister David Lloyd George and his minister of munitions, Winston Churchill, led the debates over how to shape Britain’s air power during the war. The immediate path to an independent RAF is a fascinating story of political, bureaucratic, and personal rivalries. By the end of World War I, the RAF was launching effective bombing campaigns on industrial and military targets in western Germany. It survived postwar retrenchment thanks largely to Churchill, who as colonial secretary gave the RAF special responsibility for enforcing imperial control in the Middle East, especially in the new League of Nations mandates of Palestine, Transjordan, and Iraq. The RAF helped to shape the way air power developed not just in Britain but notably in Germany and the United States. The massive bombing campaigns of World War II against civilian and industrial targets in major cities are rooted in this history. This compact book shows a master historian at work. In command of the archival sources, at home in all dimensions of the story, Richard Overy crafts an engrossing narrative of this turning point in our history.

Genres: Military History, Nonfiction, History, War, Technology, Military Fiction, Aviation

160 pages, Hardcover

Published May 15, 2018

About the author

Richard James Overy is a British historian who has published extensively on the history of World War II and the Third Reich.

Educated at Caius College, Cambridge and awarded a research fellowship at Churchill College, Professor Overy taught history at Cambridge from 1972 to 1979, as a fellow of Queens' College and from 1976 as a university assistant lecturer. In 1980 he moved to King's College London, where he became professor of modern history in 1994. He was appointed to a professorship at the University of Exeter in 2004.

His work on World War II has been praised as "highly effective in the ruthless dispelling of myths" (A. J. P. Taylor), "original and important" (New York Review of Books) and "at the cutting edge" (Times Literary Supplement.)[

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

As short as this book is, it's packed with a lot of information. Unfortunately, that means very little background on the players, especially the politics. That made it tough going for me, since I'm not a Brit. The other issue was understanding the figures, such as number of planes, tonnage of bombs dropped, & such. Without anything to compare them to, they didn't mean much.

Still, there was a lot I did understand. The air war of WWI was one of an emerging technology in desperate times. Zeppelins could carry a lot, but were highly subject to winds. Planes were little more than cloth stretched over wood hauled along by bulky, low powered engines, so they were limited, but it became obvious early on that they were the future of aviation. Getting there, with hundreds of designs, custom parts, & limited fuel capacity was a battle in itself. The lack of radar or any decent navigation system was tough & flying the damn things was practically suicide even if pilots knew what they were doing & few did. Training was practically nonexistent.

On top of all that, the air force started out as part of the Army & Navy who had completely different needs & tactical objectives for the planes. Trying to create centralized control, which was needed to train the men & bring the dozens of models into line, meant fighting established bureaucracies & politics. There was no overall strategic use for planes, only dreams of what could be when the tech matured enough, so that made centralization a tougher sell than it should have been. The formation of the RFC during the war was a miracle. Evolving that into the RAF after the war went beyond miraculous, especially given the attitudes of those involved.

All in all, well narrated & interesting. The lack of background might not be a problem for those who are taught British history better than I was. As it is, I'm giving it 3.5 stars & I'm rounding it down since most of my friends live in the US.

[happy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For an American, this is a good primer on the creation of the RAF in WWI and its fight for survival after the war. However, at only 114 pages of text, it is way, way to short for any in depth look at the issues or politics concerning the RAF's creation

[Jer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read - it was short, focused, and provided interesting amplifying details without getting mired in them.

If you’re interested in the subject matter and looking for a primer, this is a good place to start.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting overview of the years immediately leading up to and following the founding of the RAF. Because of the concise nature of the book, Overy focuses on the interservice, political, and personal rivalries surrounding the service’s founding. More detailed discussion of the development of airpower theory in the 1920s would have made the book 5 stars for me.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, providing a short history of the founding of the Royal Air Force at the end of WWI and its fight to exist in the first years after the war ended. This short book provides a lot of detail and lessons on the bureaucracy of military arms. It mostly takes place in the halls of power in London, rather than in the air or on the airfields where the RAF actually served. The cast of characters is a who’s-who of the British ruling establishment at the end of WWI. With each individual combining their political predictions alongside their positive (or negative) thoughts on the usefulness of a third service. What most surprised me was the tactical nature of the issue, rather than strategic. Due to the nature of air warfare at the time, there was general agreement that a consolidation of air services was likely necessary, it was the means of executing this goal which had a wide array of opinion. As a great example of how the military mind works, the author points out that Hugh Trenchard, the famous ‘Father of the RAF,’ was strongly opposed to the concept while he led the Royal Flying Corps in the Army, but abruptly became its champion when forcibly told he would lead the new organization. A great book for understanding how bureaucracy and politics lie at the heart of military organizational development. Highly recommended for those wanting to better understand the dynamics of military force structuring.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

RAF: The Birth of the World's First Air Force by Richard Overy is a short book packed with a lot of detail about the establishment of the Royal Air Force including the many discussions about whether it should be part of the army or navy or a separate service as well as what the name should be and if the word Royal was appropriate. I noticed some other reviewers mentioning the descriptions of the politics involved in creating the RAF, and there certainly was plenty of that, but that was part of the process. Other countries evolved their air-based military forces at later dates including the US which went through various names and continued through WWII as the US Army Air Corps finally becoming an independent service, the United States Air Force, in 1947. A quick historical read about the creation of one of the world's premier military organizations.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book, but a little too much of the politics to hold my interest. I ended up skimming the last bit. There were great stories woven within and it was interesting to see how the RAF almost accidentally was begun and without real enthusiasm considering has it has become such a prestigious branch of the British military. It was short so that was helpful. Anyone with more background information on the "players" of the British military of WWI era to WWII would probably enjoy this much more.

[Devan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rate this book 3 stars because it had information about the first air force and what it was manly talking about. But they didn't have enough information about the characters and what they went threw. It should've had information about the characters because that important for when your talking about how they made the first ever air force. They didn't go to much in depth for who were the people that started and ran it. my favorite quote from the book was the main one “Packed with drama, both military and political.… It will surely prove definitive.” I like the quote because it was talking about how the RAF had these obstacles they had to go over on there days of trying to stop the bombers of the British cities. The book is about how someone named George gonna have a army in the air and he starts making planes for the military. They will have there own independent air force so the enemies cant try to attack them easy. The theme should be when your facing an enemy you should be stronger than them. They were stronger by the enemy because they were building a air force.

[Alan Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise well-written history of how and especially why the Royal Air Force was established, 1 April 1918. (TL;DR: The politicians had to be seen to be doing SOMETHING to respond to German air raids over England, which were killing civilians with impunity, while there was no prospect of military victory in France.)

[Ezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compact book with detailed emphasis on the political history of the creation of the RAF. I wanted to like the book more than I did, but it was more focused on minute political details than I would have preferred.

[jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-researched monograph mostly about the politics behind the formation of the RAF and the prolonged efforts after WWI to dismantle it. The nearly dry as dust narration is somewhat enlivened by photographs, with lengthy and more lively explanations behind each near the end of the book.

[Nate Worthington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this at the public library. I really enjoy reading history, specifically on war/military. And then you add England to the mix and I’m guaranteed to read it. Super short. Super informative focusing on the First World War.

Rating: Borrow It

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to know more about the RAF and how it came to be. This was very dense with information, which is what I was looking for. It provided plenty of insight about the RFC and the WRAF as well.

Overall, insightful and an interesting read!

[Gordondad2nine · Rating 4 out of 5]

not unlike British humor, this was a rather “dry” read

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could not finish it. Well researched, and some interesting stories in there, but such a dry read.

[Brett Bosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, concise account of the interwar origins of the Royal Air Force. Three stars.

[Bookwormgyrl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice condense and concise book about the history of the RAF. Great for any military or aviation buff. 3.0 Folios

[Kathy Strayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

..had no idea the RAF had such a struggle to finally become the “sophisticated air defense system of 1940.”..thanks to Churchill and his staunch support and firm belief that “air power was the future”...thus its lasting mark in WW II history...their motto to this day:Through adversity to the stars. - Leon(my dad) was a part of all this as a Fighter Pilot w/American Air Force-he flew a P-51 Mustang..the Yanks - helping out the RAF...salute!