Irish Aces Of The Rfc And The Raf In The First World War

Author : Joe Gleeson
Publisher : Fonthill Media
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2017-05-17
Category : History
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Irish Aces of the RFC and the RAF in the First World War by Joe Gleeson Pdf

The First World War had an enormous impact on Ireland. Over 240,000 Irish men and women volunteered to serve with the Allied forces, suffering almost 40,000 casualties. The Irish contribution to the air war remains overlooked, not just in Ireland, but also by historians generally. Although just 6,000 Irish served with the Allied flying services at a cost of 500 casualties, their impact was out of all proportion to their numbers. The contribution of Irish aces of the RFC and RAF to the Allied cause was enormous, just over thirty of whom accounted for 400 enemy aircraft. Irishmen such as Mannock, McElroy and Hazell were among the highest-scoring pilots of the war. Some were revered by their men, others were controversial figures – reckless with their own lives and those under their command – but many of their stories remain untold. This book seeks to restore all those who were written out of Irish history, while also providing for their achievements to be considered in the overall context of the first air war. Illustrations: 24 black-and-white photographs

Author : Richard S. Grayson
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 488 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2018-09-17
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781108611428

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Dublin's Great Wars by Richard S. Grayson Pdf

The story of the Dubliners who served in the British military and in republican forces during the First World War and the Irish Revolution.

Author : Lauren Arrington,Matthew Campbell
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 753 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2023-05-30
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9780192571724

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The Oxford Handbook of W.B. Yeats by Lauren Arrington,Matthew Campbell Pdf

The forty-two chapters in this book consider Yeats's early toil, his practical and esoteric concerns as his career developed, his friends and enemies, and how he was and is understood. This Handbook brings together critics and writers who have considered what Yeats wrote and how he wrote, moving between texts and their contexts in ways that will lead the reader through Yeats's multiple selves as poet, playwright, public figure, and mystic. It assembles a variety of views and adds to a sense of dialogue, the antinomian or deliberately-divided way of thinking that Yeats relished and encouraged. This volume puts that sense of a living dialogue in tune both with the history of criticism on Yeats and also with contemporary critical and ethical debates, not shirking the complexities of Yeats's more uncomfortable political positions or personal life. It provides one basis from which future Yeats scholarship can continue to participate in the fascination of all the contributors here in the satisfying difficulty of this great writer.

Author : Alan Sutton,Alan C. Wood
Publisher : Fonthill Media
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2017-04-21
Category : History
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Military Aviation of the First World War by Alan Sutton,Alan C. Wood Pdf

- over 470 black-and-white photographs! This beautifully illustrated book provides details of every power that took part in Military aircraft activity during the First World War. The war was a global conflict with 57 nations involved but with aviation being in its infancy only eight nations had a major air arm to their fighting Services. The Allies: Britain, America, Italy, Belgium, France, and Russia and then the Central Powers comprising Germany and Austria - Hungary. The book covers the formation, establishment and wartime exploits of all the major air powers during the war, as well as providing thumbnail sketches of all the major aces for each country, giving full coverage to: The Allies: The Royal Flying Corps, The French Military Air Service, The United States Air Service, Aeronautica de Region Esercito (Italy), The Belgian Air Arm, The Russian Imperial Air Services. The Central Powers: The Imperial German Air Service, and the Austro-Hungarian flying service However, smaller powers (at the time) like Australia, Canada and Japan as well as Portugal, Serbia, Romania and South Africa are all featured is this fascinating book.

Author : Stephen Wynn,Tanya Wynn
Publisher : Pen and Sword Aviation
Page : 184 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2020-04-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781473865457

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Fighter Aces of the Great War by Stephen Wynn,Tanya Wynn Pdf

History has recorded that the first ever powered flight took place at Kitty Hawk in America, on 17 December 1903 and was carried out by the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, who were aircraft designers and manufacturers. By the time of the outbreak of the First World War, aviation was only eleven years old. The daddy of battlefield warfare until that point in time had been the cavalry, a position it maintained even as war was declared on the Western Front. Aircraft were not initially seen as an offensive weapon and were instead used by both sides as observation platforms, or to take aerial photographs from. Even when they were eventually used in an offensive capacity, they did not have machine guns attached to them; if the crew wanted to open fire then they had to use a pistol or rifle. As the war progressed so the use of aircraft changed from being an observational tool, to that of a fighter and bomber aircraft - something that had never been foreseen at the outbreak of the war. The book then looks at the fighter aces from all sides. These were pilots who had been credited with shooting or forcing down a minimum of five enemy aircraft, of which their were hundreds. While some of these aces survived, many of them were killed. The most famous fighter ace of all is without doubt the German pilot known as the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen.

Author : Ronan McGreevy
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 500 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2016-06-02
Category : History
ISBN : 9780750969017

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Wherever the Firing Line Extends by Ronan McGreevy Pdf

The First World War was the biggest conflict in Irish history. More men served and more men died than in all the wars before or since that the Irish fought in. Often forgotten at home and written out of Irish history, the Irish soldiers and their regiments found themselves more honoured in foreign fields. From the first shot monument in Mons to the plaque to the Royal Irish Lancers who liberated the town on Armistice Day 1918, Ronan McGreevy takes a tour of the Western Front. At a time when Ireland is revisiting its history and its place in the world, McGreevy looks at those places where the Irish made their mark and are remembered in the monuments, cemeteries and landscapes of France and Flanders.

Author : Frederick Libby
Publisher : Arcade Publishing
Page : 308 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1559705264

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Horses Don't Fly by Frederick Libby Pdf

" From breaking wild horses in Colorado to fighting the Red Baron's squadrons in the skies over France, here in his own words is the true story of a forgotten American hero: the cowboy who became our first ace and the first pilot to fly the American colors over enemy lines.Growing up on a ranch in Sterling, Colorado, Frederick Libby mastered the cowboy arts of roping, punching cattle, and taming horses. Once he even roped an antelope. As a young man he exercised his skills in the mountains and on the ranges of Arizona and New Mexico as well as the Colorado prairie. When World War I broke out, he found himself in Calgary, Alberta, and joined the Canadian army. In France, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps as an "observer," the gunner in a two-person biplane. Libby shot down an enemy plane on his first day in battle over the Somme, which was also the first day he flew in a plane or fired a machine gun. He went on to become a pilot. He fought against the legendary German aces Oswald Boelcke and Manfred von Richthofen. He became the first American to down five enemy planes and won the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry in action. When the United States entered the war, he became the first person to fly the American colors over German lines. Libby achieved the rank of captain before he transferred back to the United States at the behest of another aviation legend, then-colonel Billy Mitchell. Written in 1961 and never before published, Horses Don't Fly is a rare piece of Americana. Libby's memoir of his cowboy days in the last years of the Old West will remind readers of Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy-but it's the real thing. His description of World War I combines a rattling good account of the air war over France with captivating and sometimes poignant depictions of wartime London, the sorrow for friends lost in combat, and the courage and camaraderie of the Royal Flying Corps. Told in a modest, self-deprecating, and often humorous voice in a pure American vernacular, Horses Don't Fly is, as Winston Groom notes in his introduction, "not only an important piece of previously unpublished history [but] a gripping and uplifting story to read."

Author : Gavin Hughes
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : History
ISBN : 1785370227

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Fighting Irish by Gavin Hughes Pdf

Fighting Irish is a meticulous and engaging account of World War I from the perspective of the men of the Irish Regiments of the British Army, revealing the extent of the Irish military commitment to the Great War effort from 1914-1918. Startling and sympathetic matters, from campaign strategy to the soldiers' intimate war experiences, are addressed with fascinating documentary evidence and poignant eye-witness accounts. Persisting humor, unexpected trials, mounting reputations, and the mundane drudgery of routine military life - all is touched upon in the lives of these men, and undercut by the pervasive loss of life. Whether fighting at Ypres, the Somme, Gallipoli, Kostorino, or Nablus, the story of the Irish Regiments is compelling and evocative, with reasons for enlistment as varied as the men themselves. Though entrenched in warfare, many minds were set on the increasing unrest at home, swaying their interests and shaping the communications they left to posterity. Fighting Irish defines the diverse backgrounds of all those who served with the Irish regiments in these years, recounting their deeds through exacting historical research within a gripping and affecting narrative. *** Librarians: ebook available on ProQuest and EBSCO [Subject: History, Irish Studies, Military Studies, World War I]

Author : Gavin Mortimer
Publisher : Zenith Press
Page : 243 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2014-08
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780760346396

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The First Eagles by Gavin Mortimer Pdf

In The First Eagles, historian Gavin Mortimer profiles the restless, determined American aviators who enlisted in Britain's Royal Flying Corps in World War I, took control of the European skies, and helped ensure an Allied victory.

Author : Jon Guttman
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 96 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2015-01-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781782008026

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Reconnaissance and Bomber Aces of World War 1 by Jon Guttman Pdf

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.

Author : James Thomas Byford McCudden
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 316 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : STANFORD:36105110935876

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Flying Fury by James Thomas Byford McCudden Pdf

James McCudden was an outstanding British fighter ace of World War I, whose daring exploits earned him a tremendous reputation and, ultimately, an untimely end. Here, in this unique and gripping first-hand account, he brings to life some of aviation history? most dramatic episodes in a memoir completed at the age of twenty-three, just days before his tragic death. During his time in France with the Royal Flying Corps from 1914 to 1918, McCudden rose from mechanic to pilot and flight commander. Following his first kill in September 1916, McCudden shot down a total of fifty-seven enemy planes, including a remarkable three in a single minute in January 1918. A dashing patrol leader, he combined courage, loyalty and judgement, studying the habits and psychology of enemy pilots and stalking them with patience and outstanding success. Written with modesty and frankness, yet acutely perceptive, Flying Fury is both a valuable insight into the world of early aviation and a powerful account of courage and survival above the mud and trenches of Flanders. Fighter ace James McCudden died in July 1918, after engine failure caused his plane to crash just four months before the end of World War I. His success as one of Britain's deadliest pilots earned him the Victoria Cross.

Author : Trinity History Workshop
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 148 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 1988
Category : History
ISBN : STANFORD:36105034185087

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Ireland and the First World War by Trinity History Workshop Pdf

Author : Jon Guttman
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 97 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2013-05-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781472803696

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Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 by Jon Guttman Pdf

Tethered balloons reached their zenith as a means of providing a stationary observation platform above the battlefield during World War I. It took a special breed of daredevil to take on such odds deep in enemy lines in order to destroy a balloon, with Balloon specialists such as Willy Coppens, Pierre Bourjade and Michel Coiffard rising to the challenge. This book covers the story of these 'balloon busters' from both sides in World War 1 through a mix of first-hand accounts and expert analysis, which compares tactics, theatres of operation, aircraft types and the overall odds for success.

Author : Norman Franks,Andy Saunders
Publisher : Grub Street Publishers
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2008-09-22
Category : History
ISBN : 9781909166851

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Mannock by Norman Franks,Andy Saunders Pdf

The definitive biography of the WWI fighter pilot Edward “Mick” Mannock—and a revealing investigation into his mysterious fate. Although he was arguably the highest scoring RAF fighter pilot of the First World War, Edward “Mick” Mannock’s life, particularly his death, is still shrouded in mystery. Did he achieve as many victories as are sometimes ascribed to him? How did he die? Where did he die? And more pertinently, where do his remains now lie? Investigative historians Norman Franks and Andy Saunders have assessed all the evidence and cut through the speculation to build a complete picture of the man and his achievements as a fighter pilot. Having unearthed much new and enlightening information, they present a truly balanced overview of his life—and also reveal for the first time exactly where he fell in battle a century ago. Includes photographs

Author : John H. Morrow, Jr.,Earl Rogers
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
Page : 275 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2015-09-14
Category : History
ISBN : 9780700621439

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A Yankee Ace in the RAF by John H. Morrow, Jr.,Earl Rogers Pdf

The engines are started, twenty shiny propellers glistening in the sun, forty exhausts rumbling and belching blue smoke. . . . Everything ready, the pilot waves his hand, the blocks are pulled and the flights taxi out one at a time. Away goes the commander, motor roaring, streamers flying, and the rest follow in their proper formation order. A couple of turns around the aerodrome and they're away to the line-up, up, and they soon disappear in the haze. Just beyond that beckoning "haze," Captain Bogart Rogers and his fellow pilots flew into enemy territory to fight the world's first air war. Suffused with the romance of flight and the harsh realities of aerial combat, Rogers's letters to his fiancee, Isabelle Young, vividly detail his wartime experiences against a lethal and elusive opponent exemplified by the likes of Baron von Richthofen's Flying Circus. The son of controversial Los Angeles attorney Earl Rogers ("the greatest jury lawyer of his time," claimed Clarence Darrow) and brother to pioneering Hearst journalist Adela Rogers St. Johns, Bogart made his mark in the Great War. Of the three hundred-plus Americans who joined the British air corps in 1917, only Rogers and two dozen other volunteers became "aces" by shooting down five or more German planes. He himself claimed six "kills" in fighting during the Second Battle of the Marne, the Somme Offensive, Cambrai, Ypres-Lys, and six other major engagements. Rogers also had a definite flair for writing, one that launched his postwar career as a journalist and screenwriter in Hollywood. The letters in this volume are a striking testament to that skill. Lucid, reflective, highly articulate, and touched with flashes of humor, they illuminate the challenges of aviation training, daily life at the aerodromes, the liberating wonders of flight, and the sobering truths of a devastating war. They also reflect Rogers's constant longing for his future bride "Izzy" (who celebrates her 99th birthday in 1996).