First Air Campaign (Great Campaigns) [Hardcover]

Harry O Lawson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Great Campaigns | Publication Date: March 21, 1996

The skies over Europe during World War I saw a uniquely modern contest for tactical and technological supremacy. Each new strategy or invention by the Allies or Central Powers quickly brought a deadly response from the other. Each innovation was tested in the air by combat pilots who were gambling with their lives. At times with a life expectancy of only 21 flying days, the pilots became the most enduring legend of the War.Eric and Jane Lawson present a unique treatment of the air actions of World War I as a single grand campaign, with the balance of power shifting back and forth with each new weapon or tactic.World War I broke out in August 1914, only 11 years after the Wright brothers’ first airplane flight. The warring nations assembled makeshift air forces of civilian aircraft flown by amateur pilots, largely for reconnaissance purposes.By the end of 1915 haphazard observation, hand-dropped bombs, and pilots occasionally shooting at each other with carbines and begun to give way to specialized air squadrons, specially designed aircraft, bomb racks, aerial cameras and mounted machine guns.By war’s end long-range bombing, rudimentary aircraft carriers, rocket - and cannon - armed planes, radios, ground-attach tactics, and other features of modern warfare had made an appearance. Eric and Jane Lawson maintain focus on the human dimension of the conflict. The most important commanders and pilots are examined, as well as groundbreaking coverage of the first African-American combat pilot, the first women to fly military missions, and Fiorello LaGuardia’s days as an Italian bombardier. Billy Mitchell’s image as an advocate of air power is balanced with a detailed account of his role in the St. Mihiel offensive, in which he assembled the war’s largest air armada, made up of American, British, French, and even Italian aircraft.The First Air Campaign features a fast paced narrative supplemented by detailed information on unit organization and aircraft performance and innovated new maps illustrating the first attempts to apply the principles of war to aerial maneuver. Also included are unique war-time photographs, some not seen in 75 years, and specially-prepared charts, available nowhere else, graphically portraying the ever-changing balance of air power throughout the war.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Eric Lawson has contributed several early aviation articles to magazines. He lives in Massachusetts. Jane Lawson has contributed several early aviation articles to magazines. She lives in Massachusetts.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 249 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938289446
• ISBN-13: 978-0938289449
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #771,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and humanizing, September 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: First Air Campaign (Great Campaigns) (Hardcover)

This book is a good basic survey of the first campaign of aerial warfare, from the opening days when gentlemen amateur aviators threw bricks at each other to the highly systematized deployments of 1918.

"The First Air Campaign" combines a substantial discussion of tactics, overall air strategy, and technological innovation with a surprisingly human touch. This last aspect of the book derives in part from several well-placed "capsules," or vignettes separate from the text. This allows sample stories of individuals into the text without interfering with the main discussion's flow. I found a section on women pilots particular interesting and new.

Finally, the book's photographic reproductions are superb. Connecting the black-and-white faces of young men whose voices the text recreates either as they rhapsodize about fighting like knights above the clouds or write resignedly of their (usually accurate) premonitions of death puts a power into this book that can't easily be described.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good beginner for those interested in the subject., December 28, 1999

By 

DMF - See all my reviews

This review is from: First Air Campaign (Great Campaigns) (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book with a great format. The authors created a chapter for each year of the war and then followed each up with a conclusion and a facts page/biography. Although not as indepth relating to those who flew, it gives an otherwise well encompassing look at WWI aviation. This book is definitely going to spark an interest in anyone who reads it.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Beware the softcover edition because it is missing pages, November 14, 2008

By 

Chris Morris - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The First Air Campaign: August 1914- November 1918 (Paperback)

I was really enjoying this book until I hit page 37. That is because I then realized there was no page 38. Or 39 for that matter. In fact, it does not resume until page 46, so I would say be wary of purchasing the softcover version of this book. To be fair it does seem like a nice introduction to this subject. I just have a preference for new books containing all their pages.