No 56 Sqn RAF/RFC

Aviation Elite Units #33

by Alex Revell, Harry Dempsey (Illustrator)

By the autumn of 1916, with the formation of the new Jagdstaffeln, the pendulum of aerial supremacy had once again swung in favor of the German Air Force. The battle of the Somme in 1916 saw the RFC suffer losses of nearly 400 aircrew between September and November, and British casualties were to reach a zenith in the 'Bloody April' of 1917 when 319 aircrew were lost, killed or taken prisoner of war. This was the situation when No 56 Squadron arrived in France at the end of April 1917. Equipped with the superb new SE 5, it was the first fighter squadron of the RFC to be able to meet the Albatros and Halberstadt fighters of the Jagdstaffeln on equal terms. The squadron's pilots won an incredible tally of decorations, and by the end of the hostilities many famous fighter pilots had passed through its ranks - Albert Ball VC, Canadian Hank Burden and American Robert Caldwell to name but a few. In this fascinating study, Alex Revell uncovers the early days and development of No 56 Squadron, its victories and losses, and the birth of a proud tradition.

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2009

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful book chronicles the development and flowering of No. 56 Squadron from its inception in the summer of 1916 to its deployment in France in April 1917, and on til the Armistice in November 1918.

Given its initial complement of highly experienced pilots (e.g. Albert Ball and Cecil Lewis, later to become one of the founders of the BBC and famous for his wartime memoirs, "Sagittarius Rising"), 56 Squadron within 4 months of frontline service had already been credited with 100 enemy planes shot down, and acquired a reputation among the Germans as a specialist "anti-Richthofen" squadron. (Manfred von Richthofen - the so-called "Red Baron" - was the top German ace and the leader of a squadron and fighter group that was the scourge of the British air services during 1917 and 1918.)

For anyone interested in First World War aviation, this book provides a well-rounded overview of one of the premiere fighter units of the war. Among the top pilots who were affiliated with 56 Squadron: James McCudden (like Ball, a holder of the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for bravery), R.T.C. Hoidge, Arthur Rhys Davids (a participant in one of the epic dogfights in history, credited with shooting down the great German ace --- and rival of von Richthofen --- Werner Voss), and Richard Mayberry.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2009, 'No 56 Sqn RAF/RFC' is number 33 in the 'Osprey Aviation Elite Units' series of short aviation books. As 56 Squadron was such a successful unit, this makes fascinating reading since it covers not just the units colourful history during WW1 but also that of the famous pilots that flew with it. Like others in the series, it is well illustrated, partly by period photos mainly of people rather that aeroplanes, and partly by several pages of colour artwork profiles. The appendix section lists, amongst other things, the pilots that became casualties during the conflict - a sobering endnote. A well written piece of aviation history, with only the occasional lapse into journalistic cliches.