Reconnaissance and Bomber Aces of World War 1

Reconnaissance and Bomber Aces of World War 1 cover

Description

Many fighter aces began their careers in two-seaters, but a surprising number of British, French and German aircrews managed to achieve acedom in those not-so-helpless workhorses too. This is their story.

Often overshadowed by the fighters that either protected or threatened them, two-seater reconnaissance aircraft performed the oldest and most strategically vital aerial task of World War 1 - a task that required them to return with the intelligence they gathered at all costs. Bomber sorties were equally important and dangerous, and the very nature of both types of mission required going in harm's way. A remarkable number of British, French and German two-seater teams managed to attain or exceed the five victories needed to achieve the acedom popularly associated with their single-seat nemeses, and in this book, with rich illustrations and first-hand accounts of the veterans themselves, they receive their long-overdue recognition.

Many high-scoring single-seat fighter aces also began their careers in two-seaters, particularly in the early stages of the conflict, and their exploits as either pilots or observers are detailed here too.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Not Exactly Helpless
Chapter 2: Britons in Harm's Way
Chapter 3: French Aces – Fighting Their Way Home
Chapter 4: Germans Under Fire
Chapter 5: Austria-Hungary's Old Reliables
Chapter 6: Aggressive Americans

Appendices
-List of all two-seater aces
-Plates commentary

Product details

Published 20 Jan 2015
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 96
ISBN 9781782008026
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Series Aircraft of the Aces
Short code ACE 123
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Jon Guttman

Jon Guttman, a resident of Leesburg, Virginia, is…

Illustrator

Harry Dempsey

Illustrator

Mark Postlethwaite

Mark Postlethwaite was born in Leicestershire in 1…

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