Bloody April 1917

Author : Norman Franks,Russell Guest,Frank Bailey
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 185 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2017-05-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781910690635

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Bloody April 1917 by Norman Franks,Russell Guest,Frank Bailey Pdf

“Nowhere will you find such an exhaustive book on the day-to-day events of the aerial war over the Western front in April 1917.” —A Wargamers Needful Things Even those people who know little of WWI’s air war will have heard of Bloody April. After more than eighteen months of deadly stalemate on the Western Front, by April 1917 the British and French were again about to launch yet another land offensive, this time on the Arras Front. This would be the first opportunity to launch a major offensive since the winter and would require enormous support from the Royal Flying Corps and French Air Force in, hopefully, improved weather. However, the air offensive was to be countered fiercely by the new German Jagstaffeln—Jastas—that had been the brainchild of Oswald Boelcke in 1916. By the spring of 1917, the first Jasta pilots, with new improved fighters—the nimble Albatros DIIIs—were just itching to get to grips with their opponents over the Western Front. What followed was a near massacre of British and French aircraft and crews, which made April the worst month for flying casualties the war had yet seen. Here is a day-by-day, blow-by-blow account of these losses, profusely illustrated with original photographs and expertly told. “A highly detailed work that is meticulously peppered with eyewitness testimony, quality research, original photographs and accessible statistics. It also recreates the period for the reader and has a keen eye for accuracy and as a reference work it comes highly recommended.” —History of War “One of the most comprehensive overviews of early warfare ever published.” —Flypast

Author : Peter Hart
Publisher : Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Page : 479 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2012-12-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781780225715

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Bloody April by Peter Hart Pdf

The story of the decimation of the Royal Flying Corps over Arras in 1917 As the Allies embarked upon the Battle of Arras, they desperately needed accurate aerial reconnaissance photographs. But by this point the Royal Flying Club were flying obsolete planes. The new German Albatros scouts massively outclassed them in every respect: speed, armament, ability to withstand punishment and manoeuverability. Many of the RFC's pilots were straight out of flying school - as they took to the air they were sitting targets for the experienced German aces. Over the course of 'Bloody April' the RFC suffered casualties of over a third. The average life expectancy of a new subaltern on the front line dropped to just eleven days. And yet they carried on flying, day after day, in the knowledge that, in the eyes of their commanders at least, their own lives meant nothing compared to the photographs they brought back, which could save tens of thousands of soldiers on the ground. In this book Peter Hart tells the story of the air war over Arras, using the voices of the men who were actually there.

Author : James S. Corum
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 97 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2022-11-24
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472853066

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Bloody April 1917 by James S. Corum Pdf

Researched from original-language primary sources, this is a uniquely well-informed and multi-faceted history of the World War I air campaign of Bloody April. Researched from original German-, French-, and English-language sources, and written by an authority on both air and ground military operations, author, Dr James S Corum examines how Bloody April caused Allied forces to reassess their approach to the use of airpower. Considering well-known problems such as technology and training doctrine, but also how the artillery-aircraft combination ideally had to work in late-WW I ground offensives, Dr Corum analyses what each side got wrong and why. He describes little-known parts of the April campaigns, such as both sides' use of strategic bombing with heavy aircraft, and considers the German use of advanced high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft with oxygen and heated suits while detailing the exploits of the infamous 'Red Baron', Manfred von Richthofen. Lessons from Bloody April not only served to improve the coordination of Allied artillery and aircraft but subsequently aircraft played a much larger role in supporting ground troops in attack mode. Bloody April paved the way for the airpower revolution that, by 1918, would make the Allies masters of the sky on the Western Front.

Author : Gordon Anthony
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 234 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2021-03-27
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9798729212569

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Bloody April by Gordon Anthony Pdf

France, April 1917. After two and a half years of stalemate, the British Army is preparing for an assault which will provide the long-awaited breakthrough on the Western Front. Into the preparations comes Second Lieutenant Arthur Kerr, a newly trained pilot who is determined to help win the war. Assigned to a reconnaissance squadron, he soon learns that the reality of the war in the air is not at all as he had imagined. Every day, he and his colleagues are sent across the Lines in antiquated, often defenceless aircraft to face the superior machines and expertise of the elite German aces. Not for nothing was this month called, "Bloody April".

Author : Alan Morris
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 1967
Category : Arras, Battle of, Arras, France, 1917
ISBN : LCCN:67081103

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Bloody April by Alan Morris Pdf

Author : Norman Franks,Russell Guest,Frank Bailey
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 553 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2018-09-27
Category : History
ISBN : 9781911621751

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Black September 1918 by Norman Franks,Russell Guest,Frank Bailey Pdf

The authors of Bloody April 1917 present a new volume of facts, photos, and analysis covering aerial combat in the last days of the Great War. Fifteen months after the events of April 1917, more battles had been fought, won and lost on both sides, but now the American strength was feeding in to France with both men and material. With the mighty push on the French/American Front at St. Mihiel on September 12 and then along the Meuse-Argonne Front from the 26th, once more masses of men and aircraft were put into the air. They were opposed by no less a formidable German fighter force than had the squadrons in April 1917, although the numbers were not in their favor. Nevertheless, the German fighter pilots were able to inflict an even larger toll of British, French, and American aircraft shot down, making this the worst month for the Allied flyers during the whole of World War I—and this just a mere six weeks from the war’s bloody finale. This book analyzes the daily events throughout September with the use of lists of casualties and claims from both sides. It also contains seven detailed appendices examining the victory claims of all the air forces that fought during September 1918. Although it is difficult to pinpoint exactly who was fighting who high above the trenches, by poring over maps and carefully studying almost all the surviving records, the picture slowly begins to emerge with deadly accuracy. Black September 1918 is a profusely illustrated and essential reference piece to understanding one of the crucial months of war in the skies.

Author : Tim Cook
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 488 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2017-03-07
Category : History
ISBN : 9780735233171

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Vimy by Tim Cook Pdf

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER Winner of the 2018 JW Dafoe Book Prize Longlisted for British Columbia's National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction 2018 Runner-up for the 2018 Templer Medal Book Prize Finalist for the 2018 Ottawa Book Awards A bold new telling of the defining battle of the Great War, and how it came to signify and solidify Canada’s national identity Why does Vimy matter? How did a four-day battle at the midpoint of the Great War, a clash that had little strategic impact on the larger Allied war effort, become elevated to a national symbol of Canadian identity? Tim Cook, Canada’s foremost military historian and a Charles Taylor Prize winner, examines the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the way the memory of it has evolved over 100 years. The operation that began April 9, 1917, was the first time the four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together. More than 10,000 Canadian soldiers were killed or injured over four days—twice the casualty rate of the Dieppe Raid in August 1942. The Corps’ victory solidified its reputation among allies and opponents as an elite fighting force. In the wars’ aftermath, Vimy was chosen as the site for the country’s strikingly beautiful monument to mark Canadian sacrifice and service. Over time, the legend of Vimy took on new meaning, with some calling it the “birth of the nation.” The remarkable story of Vimy is a layered skein of facts, myths, wishful thinking, and conflicting narratives. Award-winning writer Tim Cook explores why the battle continues to resonate with Canadians a century later. He has uncovered fresh material and photographs from official archives and private collections across Canada and from around the world. On the 100th anniversary of the event, and as Canada celebrates 150 years as a country, Vimy is a fitting tribute to those who fought the country’s defining battle. It is also a stirring account of Canadian identity and memory, told by a masterful storyteller.

Author : Ralph Barker
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : History
ISBN : UOM:39015031871588

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The Royal Flying Corps in France by Ralph Barker Pdf

Author : Norman L. R. Franks,Frank W. Bailey,Russell Guest
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 362 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : History
ISBN : UOM:39015034309438

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Bloody April-- Black September by Norman L. R. Franks,Frank W. Bailey,Russell Guest Pdf

Account of air warfare in World War I

Author : Peter Kilduff
Publisher : Grub Street Publishing
Page : 193 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2014-10-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781909808133

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Billy Bishop VC Lone Wolf Hunter by Peter Kilduff Pdf

William Avery Bishop is recognized as the British EmpireÕs highest-scoring WWI ace, credited with 72 combat victories, third-ranking behind von Richthofen and RenŽ Fonck. He scored many of his successes on his own, prevailing only by dint of personal courage, daring and superior marksmanship. This remarkable manÕs story has been detailed in many books and articles, but renowned author Peter Kilduff is adamant that so far the full truth has not been told. Famed for his evenhanded, thorough, exhaustive and forensic research, Kilduff sets out to bring new light to missions and kills so far steeped in controversy. As so many of BishopÕs victories were achieved during solo combat, all will be examined and scrutinized, drawing on German, British and Canadian archival sources, BishopÕs private correspondence, and accounts by friends and foes. Such an approach provides as complete an account as possible which also serves as a valuable reference work containing many previously unpublished images.

Author : Ralph Barker
Publisher : Constable
Page : 507 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : History
ISBN : 1841194700

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A Brief History of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I by Ralph Barker Pdf

This text tells the story of the Royal Flying Corps, and its part in all the major battles of World War I, from Bloody April 1917 through Third Ypres and Passchendaele to the chaotic retreat from Ludendorff's offensive.

Author : David Campbell
Publisher : Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
Page : 512 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2017-10-12
Category : History
ISBN : 9781771122542

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It Can't Last Forever by David Campbell Pdf

The 19th Battalion was an infantry unit that fought in many of the deadliest battles of the First World War. Hailing from Hamilton, Toronto, and other communities in southern Ontario and beyond, its members were ordinary men facing extraordinary challenges at the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Amiens, and other battlefields on Europe’s Western Front. Through his examination of official records and personal accounts, the author presents vivid descriptions and assessments of the rigours of training, the strains of trench warfare, the horrors of battle, and the camaraderie of life behind the front lines. From mobilization in 1914 to the return home in 1919, Campbell reveals the unique experiences of the battalion’s officers and men and situates their service within the broader context of the battalion’s parent formations—the 4th Infantry Brigade and the 2nd Division of the Canadian Corps. Readers will gain a fuller appreciation of the internal dynamics of an infantry battalion and how it functioned within the larger picture of Canadian operations.

Author : Pierre Berton
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 388 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2012-11-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9781783037230

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Vimy by Pierre Berton Pdf

The bestselling, award-winning author of The American Invasion of Canada “has given great drama and immediacy to that turning point in Canadian history” (Maclean’s). On Easter Monday 1917 with a blizzard blowing in their faces, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in France seized and held the best-defended German bastion on the Western Front—the muddy scarp of Vimy Ridge. The British had failed to take the Ridge, and so had the French who had lost 150,000 men in the attempt. Yet these magnificent colonial troops did so in a morning at the cost of only 10,000 casualties. The author recounts this remarkable feat of arms with both pace and style. He has gathered many personal accounts from soldiers who fought at Vimy. He describes the commanders and the men, the organization and the training, and above all notes the thorough preparation for the attack from which the British General Staff could have learned much. The action is placed within the context both of the Battle of Arras, of which this attack was part, and as a milestone in the development of Canada as a nation. “This wonderful book brings to life the amazing men who came across the Atlantic nearly a century ago and won a famous victory which helped change a nation forever . . . the wonderful prose of Pierre Berton is all from the heart and you should share in it.” —War History Online “The cinematic writing plunks the reader in the midst of the actual battle, and a judicious use of quotes from soldiers’ diaries and letters helps provide a ground-level perspective.” —Quill & Quire

Author : Jonathan Nicholls
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 239 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2009-04-21
Category : History
ISBN : 9781844687565

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Cheerful Sacrifice by Jonathan Nicholls Pdf

This WWI history examines the significant yet overlooked British offensive that achieved major advances on the Western Front. Fought between April 9th and May 16th of 1917, the Battle of Arras was the most lethal and costly British offensive battle of the First World War. Lasting a brutal thirty-nine days, its average casualty rate was far higher than at either the Somme or Passchendaele. It also represented the longest advance against Germany up to that point since the beginning of trench warfare. In Cheerful Sacrifice, military historian Jonathan Nicholls gives the Battle of Arras its proper place in the annals of military history, enhancing his text with a wealth of eye-witness accounts. One is left in no doubt that the survivor who described it as 'the most savage infantry battle of the war', did not exaggerate.

Author : H. Barber
Publisher : Good Press
Page : 121 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2019-12-05
Category : Fiction
ISBN : EAN:4064066245795

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The Aeroplane Speaks by H. Barber Pdf

'The Aeroplane Speaks' is a guidebook for pilots, written by H. Barber, a Royal Flying Corps Captain in the early 20th century. This practical manual is a must-read for both new and experienced pilots, providing a comprehensive insight into the joys and troubles of flying an airplane. Barber's eight years of experience designing, building, and flying planes are reflected in the book's four parts and five chapters, which cover fundamental principles, stability and control, rigging, the propeller, and maintenance. This book offers practical assistance to pilots and riggers, making it an invaluable resource for anyone who loves flying or is interested in aviation history.