WW1 Luftstreitkräfte books?

[LeicesterTiger]

Counted all my WW1 aviation books yesterday.... came to 45, and all about the RFC/RNAS/RAF, aside from half a dozen on the Zeppelin/Gotha raids on the UK. Thought i'd better balance it out with some reading on the German air force, can anyone reccomend any books? I saw a secondhand book which looked good but can't remember the title - certainly remember one of the images on the front cover was the skull with a flying helmet on, and playing cards? in the mouth. I did see 'Schlactflieger!' on Amazon by Dan-San Abbott which looks good, but a tad too expensive for now

[Kirk R. Lowry]

Bonjour LeicesterTiger!

As you will imagine there are several essential and interesting books both out of print and in print detailing the whole and aspects of German Great War Aviation. That noted there is a dearth of overall histories of the sort by which the RFC, RNAS and RAF have been documented. The book that you saw for which the title was forgotten may be the best suited to the requirement.

That is Pictorial History of the German Army Air Service 1914-1918 by Alex Imrie. The author has long been fascinated by aviation and as well as flying and serving in the field became an author. Having lived for several years in Berlin Imrie was able to interview many German airmen of the Great War and compile a tremendous amount of information. The book itself includes a history of the service and numerous photographs. A most highly recommended volume! Imrie also wrote the excellent Osprey Airwar volumes 13 and 17, titled German Fighter Units 1914-May 1917 and German Fighter Units June 1917-1918 and the superlative The Fokker Triplane.

Peter Kilduff is another writer (who frequents the The Aerodrome) of excellent books one of which is Germany's First Air Force 1914-1918 which, though not a comprehensive history, examines a variety of very specific aspects of Germany Great War aviation in a series of excellently written and well illustrated essays. Other excellent books by the author include Richthofen Beyond The Legend of the Red Baron and The Red Baron Combat Wing. Kilduff has earned an excellent reputation for research and, unlike some in the field, is a skilled writer as well.

German Aircraft of the the First World War by Peter Gray and Owen Thetford, though first published in 1962, stands as the authoritative volume on the actual aircraft. German Combat Planes by Ray Wagner, though not exclusive to The Great War, is another well compiled book. There is actually a need for a new book, or series of books, on the subject as a vast amount of newly discovered information remains to be collected and published ... particularly the work of the late Peter Grosz.

There are some excellent, but expensive books, about specifics of German aviation and aviators of the period you would be recommended to obtain if greater depth of the subject is sought; The Imperial German Eagles In World War I (two volumes to date) by Lance Bronnenkant, Above the Lines by Norman Franks, Frank Bailey and Russell Guest, Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany in World War 1 (seven volumes) by the late Neal O'Connor, The Zeppelin in Combat by Douglas Robinson.

All of that noted, in terms of accuracy of research and quality of prose (not to mention ease of availability and affordability of cost) all of the books written by Forum Ace Greg VanWyngarden and published by Osprey come most highly recommended those being -
Fokker DrI Aces of World War 1 (with Norman Franks)
Fokker DVII Aces of World War 1 Part 1 (with Norman Franks)
Fokker DVII Aces of World War 1 Part 2 (with Norman Franks)
Pfalz Scout Aces of World War 1
Early German Aces of World War 1
Albatros Aces of World War 1 Part 2 (my favorite!)
'Richthofen's Circus' Jagdgeschwader Nr 1
Jagdgeschwader Nr II Geschwader 'Berthold'
Jagdstaffel 2 'Boelcke' Von Richthofen's Mentor
Quite the prolific fellow ... and each book is top notch!

Salut!
Kirk

[dpolglaze]

Although the original German title is more complete (although rare, and if you don't read German, well, a bit impenetrable), Georg Neumann's "German Air Force in the Great War" was published in English in 1920. That version is getting expensive, but several reprints are more reasonable, including the 1969 Chivers release, and Naval and Military Presses release from around 2004.

Other accounts of a more general nature include:
Germany's War in the Air - von Hoeppner (Battery Press reprint)
German Air Power in World War I - Morrow
German Naval Air Service - Imrie

General accounts of multiple personalities:
Eagles of the Black Cross - Musciano
German War Birds - Vigilant (aka Claude Sykes)

For accounts of individuals, there are a number in English including:
Ace of the Iron Cross - Udet (some propaganda at the end, but ...)
The Red Baron - Richthofen
Wings of War - Stark
Stepchild Pilot - Doerflinger

There are many more, but with the excellent suggestions from Kirk, you've got a list to start with

Dan

[Roadhog]

Dear Tiger, I am working on my WWI aviation novel called the Wraithes of Flanders and in one chapter I use the first Gotha raid on London. Can you recommend a book that does justice to that mission besides The First Blitz? Thanks for any help. VR, Scott Price

[LeicesterTiger]

Hi Scott, aside from First Blitz which i'm re-reading and is one of my favourite books, the only one i've got which is focused on the Gotha/Staakens is 'Battle of Britain 1917'. As a read, it's very droll and boring, but useful for timings, aircraft numbers, statistics etc

Amazon.com: BATTLE OF BRITAIN 1917: The First Heavy Bomber Raids on England (9781844153459): Jonathan Sutherland: Books

(the front cover of mine was a bit more dramatic, with a Zeppelin Staaken R.VI being chased by an SE5a above the River Thames)

I've just ordered a copy of 'The Sky on Fire - the first Battle of Britain 1917-18' which I hope should be a good read, certainly looks it from the reviews i've seen. There's lots of cheap copies available, I went for the more expensive 2006 edition, and hope it's worth the extra cost for more material

[Roadhog]

Hey Tiger, When I finish the chapter would you like to read it? I'd appreciate any input. VR, Scott

[LeicesterTiger]

Hi Scott, I sure would - i'm pretty much closed for business for the next two months due to University and a film shoot, but aside from that i'm clear until I finally find a job!

[Roadhog]

Dear Tiger, Good sir. I appreciate well-informed input. If you private message me leave your e-mail address or mailing address. I am about 75% done with that chapter but there are always rewrites. VR, Scott

[Romani]

In addition to any and all of the above, I recommend the following:

For starters:

German Air Forces 1914-18, Osprey Elite 135, Graham Sumner.

Cheap, pretty, easily available and informative.

An alternative to the Osprey books for information on the aces and airplanes would be

German Fighter Aces of World War One Terry C. Treadwell and Alan C. Wood. Tempus Publishing, 2003. For 17.99 pounds you have a cheap alternative to purchasing several Osprey titles, no color profiles, though.

And if you are really hardcore ,

Handbook of German Military and Naval Aviation 1918 reprint by the IWM - Battery Press.

The canonical books are Hoeppner, Neumann and this one. Kilduff book is a good alternative to this set though perversely, it's harder to find now than the newer reprints of the old classic books. Osprey Elite book is light, but good.

There are also old OOP Osprey books by Alex Imrie, of the Air War series, but no idea. Seem to be an earlier version of the Aircraft of the Aces format.


And the Duel series: Sopwith Camel vs Fokker Dr I, Albatros vs SE5a , and SPAD vs Fokker DVII. Recommended for those more interested in airplanes and the technical side of things.


On airplanes, forget about finding Gray & Thetford book unless you get really lucky like me, but if you can, it's worth the price. The Windsock books are wonderful, but pricey, and more appealing to the modeller than the casual reader. You would be best served by getting Kenneth Munson books on Fighters and Bombers 1914-19, originally published in the 1960s they were recently reprinted and are cheap.

PS For memories and biographies of German Aces, wich are scarce, I haven't seen listed but I recommend:


Rampant Lion, the biography of Eduard Ritter von Schleich by Darren J. Whiteside. A& S publishing A very good book, a work of love, and in my opinion underrated.

Malaula! biography of Julius Buckler, edited by Norman Franks published by Grub Street. Also very good.

Black -Fokker Leader , biography of Charlie Degelow, by Peter Kilduff, haven't read it yet but looks great.

[dpolglaze]

First Gotha Attack on London
Dear Tiger, I am working on my WWI aviation novel called the Wraithes of Flanders and in one chapter I use the first Gotha raid on London. Can you recommend a book that does justice to that mission besides The First Blitz? Thanks for any help. VR, Scott Price

Scott,

"The Baby Killers" by Tomas Fegan, while unfortunately named, is a pretty well-written book about the zepp and Gotha raids.

Also, see if you can find a reprint of Joseph Morris' "German Air Raids on Great Britain 1914-1918," which is a nice history. It's getting expensive in its 1925 original printing.

Finally, "The Air Defence of Britain" by Cole and Cheesman is a good one as well.

Dan