AIRFIELDS AND AIRMEN : YPRES (Battleground Europe) [Paperback]

Michael O'Connor (Author)

Book Description

Series: Battleground Europe | Publication Date: March 2001

The Battleground Europe series has helped create a new audience for the story of the desperate battles of World War I, But up to now the series has largely been concerned with the ground war. Popular demand has inspired the editors to create a new series of guides to the air war 1914-1918. The first volume is devoted to the Ypres Salient, the northernmost sector of the Western Front. Here the Royal Flying Corps battled the German Imperial Air Service for supremacy over the battlefield, while the Royal Naval Air Service attempted to intercept Germany's Zeppelins and early long-range bombers before they could reach the skies over London.

The airfields, battle and crash sites, and monuments associated with the air war in the Ypres sector are covered with all the then-and now detail expected by battleground Europe readers. The dramatic text is backed up with numerous maps, photographs and an extensive bibliography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Pen and Sword; 1St Edition edition (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850527538
• ISBN-13: 978-0850527537
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,064,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming, Informative Travel Guide/History to WWI Air Combat!, June 20, 2008

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: AIRFIELDS AND AIRMEN : YPRES (Battleground Europe) (Paperback)

Numbering over 30 titles, Pen & Sword's "Battleground Europe" series offers combination guidebook/histories of WWI battlefields. AIRFIELDS & AIRMEN: YPRES is the first in the series to focus on the air action that took place over Great War battles, in this case the July 1917 battle of Ypres. Like other series titles, this volume is a marvelously informative "then and now" guide that should appeal to battlefield historians and WWI enthusiasts alike.

Author Mike O'Connor starts off with a brief summary of the development of military flying on both sides up to July 1917. He then takes the reader on tours of the western, southern and northern areas of the Ypres battlefield. Within each area he describes the aerodromes used in 1917, the squadrons based there and combats they took part in. Along with the history, he walks the reader through the various military cemeteries in each area, pointing out noted fliers buried there. Vintage photographs of aircrew, aircraft and bases are contrasted by current ground and aerial views of those same sites.

AIRFIELDS & AIRMEN: YPRES appeals on many levels. The combat exploits of such RFC and German fliers like Hawker, Guynemer and Voss over Ypres are well-told. The period pix of those fliers and their mounts offer a wonderful view of long-ago battles and warriors. The maps and contemporary photos offer a well-laid-out guide to touring those sites where history was made.

All in all, O'Connor's book is a double-barreled treat. Whether you're intending on touring Great War battlefields or only relive those events from the comforts of your home, you'll want to pick up a copy of AIRFIELDS & AIRMEN: YPRES. It's first-rate. Highly recommended.

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NB. Despite the similarity in names, I am not the author of this book. I do write military aviation history but my literary efforts center on WWII and Vietnam (i.e. DICK BONG, ACE OF ACES; MIG KILLERS OF YANKEE STATION; etc.) Interesting coincidence though!