Early war aircraft...

[Lufbery]

Hi all,

Almost everything I've seen on WWI aviation focueses mainly on the time period between early 1916 and the end of the war. The time period essentially corresponds to the advent of the dedicated fighter plane and most attention seems spent on that particular aspect of Great War aviation.

This is a fascinating portion of the war, but the war started in August of 1914. Are there any good sources, web or print, that you folks know about that offers good detail on the early war planes? I know a little bit about the Blériot XI, from going to the Memorial Flight's web site, and I've learned a little bit about the Nieuport 10 and 12. But what else is there?

Regards,

[greenknight]

Lufbery,

You might see if your local library has a copy of Cecil Lewis's Sagittarius Rising. Mr. Lewis describes his wartime and early post-war flying experiences. His front line service reaches back to the days of the Morane-Saulnier parasols and Eindeckers (1915, or thereabouts).

I'd also highly recommend the journal "World War I Aeroplanes". It covers subjects from the dawn of flight to war's end more or less. Emphasis is more on the aeroplanes and the people who developed them, development history, flying characteristics, reproductions-restorations-models, and drawings etc. Less so on combat and "aces".

http://www.aviation-history.com/ww1aero.htm

You might try ordering a sample issue. Hope this helps.

[Romani]

I have a Spanish translation of a French book

"Au Temps Des Carabines" by Rene Chambe

1956, Flammarion & Cie.

Don't know if there is a English translation.

It's about the first Escadrille de Chasse, equipped with Morane Parasol 2-seaters, they brought down several German aircraft with the observer firing a carbine.

The book is very good and covers the unknown early period of the air war though I don't know how hard it is to find.

[Lufbery]

Thanks for the pointers, guys.

Regards,

[DavidErrol]

Lufbery:
Some of the books I can think of that might interest you:

1. WINGED MARS, Vol. 1, The German Air Weapon 1870-1914, by John R. Cuneo
The Military Service Publishing Co., Harrisburg PA, 1942

2. 50 JAHRE DEUTSCHE LUFTWAFFE, Band I, 1910-1915, by H. J. Nowarra
Aero Publishers Inc., U.S.A., 1964

3. BRITISH FIGHTER UNITS WESTERN FRONT 1914-1916, by Alex Revell
Ospery Publishing, London, 1978

[retread]

* *A tremendous book that does not fall in the "blazing skies" category is "The Great War in the Air " by John H. Morrow,Jr. Giving equal treatment to all periods of the conflict. The whole tone of the book can be summed up in a quote contained in it by a gent named Henri Champomier, "Aerial masterry is a matter of method and organization more than heroism."
*A great book.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Weldboy

[Rick]

1. *WINGED MARS, Vol. 1, The German Air Weapon 1870-1914, by John R. Cuneo
The Military Service Publishing Co., Harrisburg PA, 1942

And also his Vol. 2, THE AIR WEAPON (1916).

* *Alas, he stopped writing at the end of 1916 - just when things were getting interesting * * R.