Customer Reviews

Flying Fury: Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps

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James McCudden's book is one of the finest written about aviation of the first world war. It is basically written by a man who was a hero who was very modest, It takes the form of a diary and gives more or less a day to day event of what it was really like to fly planes made of canvas against an enemy who McCudden had great respect for. For anyone who has a passion for first world war history this is a book not to be missed,(maybe i'm biast) Please remember when reading this book that the man had very little schooling and wrote the book in a matter of weeks and the last entry is only a few days before he was killed. A GREAT BOOK.

Mud, gas, soldiers getting machine gunned by the tens of thousands, there was little about the ground war in World War One to be excited about. But in the sky new technology and new heroes were being born. James McCudden was one of these heroes. Many books were written during the war and just after the war by WWI aces as a type of propaganda. McCudden's book certainly bears some of these marks but there is more here. Look beyond the sometimes overstated "up and at 'em" spirit that occasionally comes out and this is a fine look at the war in the air during World War One. Several things stand out.

McCudden was in the war from the beginning. This means we are able to see the air war from the start. The air is filled with Bleriots, Farmans and even a Taube or two. We get insight into those early days. Airplanes were only good for reconnaissance right? Wrong. Almost immediately bombs are being fitted to Bleriots and observers begin toting rifles aloft to blast away at offending enemy airplanes. In McCudden's war there doesn't seem to ever be a time when enemy pilots wave to each other as they pass. From day one they are shooting.

We also gain a look at this new type of warfare. We feel McCudden's frustration as he learns just how hard it is to shoot down an airplane. We learn that those machine guns jammed with a maddening frequency, almost every flight it sometimes seems. We also learn the anguish felt when even an enemy burns. It is not until McCudden shoots one down in flames that he feels a pang of conscience over his role in the war. There is admiration for a noble foe and yet it is not shared by all. Arthur Rhys-David's attempted toast to VonRichtofen is a telling incident. Perhaps the greatest trajedy of the McCudden story doesn't actually appear in the book, at least not by McCudden's hand. Just days after completing the book James McCudden was dead, the victim not of a German aeroplane's guns but a faulty engine and the earth that was just a bit too close.

All of this make the propaganda aspect of the book fairly easy to shrug off. Originally called simply "Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps" editors saw fit to call the book "Flying Fury" when it was reprinted in the 1930s. I wish they'd left it alone. McCudden's title is better for this is truly what this book is. I recommend Flying Fury as a good look at the world's first air war.

This biographical account of the one of Britain's leading aces from World War I is one of the best flying tales ever written of any era. At the age of fifteen, McCudden started out as a bugler in the Royal Engineers before becoming a mechanic in the Pre-WWI Flying Corps when aeroplane technology was still very immature. He witnessed, indeed participated, in the trials and tribulations of the nascent Flying Corps and, as war arrived, saw the fragile craft used in experiments with armed combat against troops on the ground and against enmey flying machines. His interest in flying led to passenger rides in a variety of aircraft and eventually to his performing aerial observer and gunner roles in combat where he was decorated. That was just another step in his aeronautical adventure as he was subsequently selected to train as a pilot and thrown into combat in the same sector as some of the leading German aces such as Voss and Richtofen where he not only survived, but eventually become a leading ace himself. His description of his five years in the Royal Flying Corps was written while the war was still ongoing and literally days before his posting as a squadron commander and tragic death in a flying accident en route to his new squadron. His writing style is fresh and immediate capturing the day today life and passions of WWI aviators. His impressions of his foe and the relative performance of the various flying machines are unique and better than any other author from that conflict. The publishers deserve credit for recognizing the value of this slice of history and making sure it remains available to the public. The rating system only allows 5 stars...this book deserves special status beyond that. Indeed, it has such on my shelve.

Major McCudden died in an accident prior to the original publication of this book in 1918. Three days prior to his death, he dropped to the first manuscript off to the editor. Out of respect for McCudden, the editor refused to make the customary editorial changes and rewrites. The books stand in the raw, as provided by the author, which makes it all the more incredible that the book is so well written and captivating.

The book is written like a personal account or diary, shortly after the events. The story is vivid, and full of personal anecdotes and funny or amazing stories that keep the readers interest up. The editor did explain in the forward the names and abbreviations used by the author (for wartime security) to describe places and people.

McCudden transferred into the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) as a mechanic prior World War I. During the war, he was given the opportunity to become a pilot, and went on to be one of the leading British aces during the last two years of the war.
His account of his flight training (solo after only 2 hours! - flight instructor after only 8 hours solo!!) is nothing short of scary for pilots who trained under the current regimented and regulated schools.

The author makes several comments about his respect for his adversaries ("the Hun"), their bravery and flying ability. He even frequently remarks he expects some criticism from readers for speaking so highly of the Germans, but he explains his admiration for their skill is separate from his political opinion.

There is no question of his patriotism, his willingness to fight for "King and country," or his belief of the justness of the `cause.' This is especially clear when he describes his feelings on learning of his brother's death in combat. This is in stark contrast to Cecil Lewis' account, and they served in the same squadron, at the same time.

The book is an excellent read for pilots, aviation buffs, and those interested in World War I. First hand accounts always give the best portrayal of life and feel `real' - this one is no exception.

As with Sagittarius Rising, the reader will definitely want a World War I aircraft reference (Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I is good), but don't be surprised - the author frequently describes the machines differently, with a common (but unofficial name), or just by the manufacturer (e.g. a Pfalz scout).

One update, I have since acquired a hardcover edition from the late 1960's under the series name "Air Combat Classics" that includes many excellent pictures. If you can find that edition, try to get it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Considering his humble origins in an England heavily rooted in class, and his rise from a bugler in the Royal Engineers to a mechanic in the Royal Flying Corps to one of the finest fighter pilots of the First World War, James McCudden shows that anyone can aspire for greatness, provided one is willing to work and sacrifice.

For anyone with a curiosity about what air warfare in the First World War was really like, READ THIS BOOK. I highly recommend it.

What was it like to enter WW1 as a young lad, full of gusto and your head full of the absolute media poop hype of the day about what the war was? Or how you'd go about becoming a flyer, or even fight in the machine you were loaned to fly? This account gives the reader all the feel of 'the day' beginning in 1913 and then on through the start and to the end of the "great" war. We all know, there is no such thing as a great war by any means, except that of the spirits of the young lives wasted and those that survive through them, no matter how mislead their intent may have been.

Terrific description of what it was like to live and have to fly in combat, then.

1. Short review: :-D

2. Long review:
2.1. What I liked: The first-person account from one of the First World War top aces. (The Aerodrome lists him seventh in confirmed kills among all Aces.)
Roller-coaster or walk-in-the-park? Historical roller coaster.

2.2. What I did not like: McCudden's account of his early years in the RFC -- 1913 to 1915 -- read slow and he tried too hard to be droll. It is useful for the details that you will not find anywhere else, but his story finds its pace once he gets into FEs.

2.3. Who I think is the audience: History buffs, especially air combat history buffs.

2.4. Is the book appropriate for children to read? Yes. That is odd since this is a book about killing.

2.5. On the basis of reading this book, will I buy the author's next book? I would if there were any, but Major McCudden died when his SE5 crashed in July 1918.

2.6. Other: James McCudden was the most technical pilot of the First World War. He had mechanical abilities that other pilots did not, and he used them. He tweaked the performance of his airplane and got more speed and more altitude from it than other pilots got from their SEs. He used that improved performance to hunt high-flying German two-seaters -- observation airplanes. Of his 57 kills, 43 were two-seaters.

Besides his talents as a mechanic, McCudden also studied air combat; that is, the best practices for approaching enemy aircraft and for shooting at them (distance, angle, position).

Given all the study and practice of McCudden, I found it astounding how many times he reported that he returned to his aerodrome with his aircraft 'shot about'. Even in 1918 he returned from patrols with bullet holes in his airplane. From this I realized that survival in the air in the First World War was a matter of luck.

In Flying Fury, McCudden provided the definitive example of the role of luck in air combat. He remarked often on the fighting qualities of a German pilot who flew an Albatross fighter with a green-painted tail. McCudden respected this foe for the way he maneuvered to reduce his risk. One day McCudden caught 'Green Tail' leading a formation, dove on the formation, surprised them, and shot down 'Green Tail'.

In many ways, 'Green Tail' was McCudden's German equivalent: a student of air combat who worked to reduce risk. Both died in the war; 'Green Tail' because he was surprised in the air, McCudden because his engine failed on take-off.

(Addendum:
There are many discussions on The Aerodrome website -- a site devoted to WWI air combat -- about the identity of 'Green Tail'. From what I gather there, all pilots in Jasta 5 flew Albatrosses with green-painted horizontal stabilizers and elevators trimmed in red. McCudden may have mistakenly conceived there was only one German pilot who flew a green-tailed Albatross.

The experts on The Aerodrome disagree on whom it was that McCudden shot down 18 February 1918. McCudden's description was consistent with the Albatross flown by Vzfw Otto Koennecke, but Koennecke survived the war. That alone is not definitive. He might have been shot down and survived. Rittmeister Manfred von Richtofen, aka the Red Baron, was shot down twice before his death 21 April 1918. But Koennecke was not shot down that day.

Some say McCudden's victim was Vzfw Martin Klein of Jasta 5. Others say it was Uffz Julius Kaiser of Jasta 35b. As with all things, you pays your money, you takes your choices.)

This is a must-read for anyone with any sort of passing interest in WWI aviation or even military aviation in general. Not only did McCudden become one of Britain's best aces, he was also with the RFC since the near beginning. It's fascinating to read an account from a man who saw the complete evolution of air combat over the Western Front. And more than that, he does it with a professional eye. There is none of the bias or propagandizing one would expect from such a work written, as it was, during the War. McCudden has nothing but respect for his opponents, as exhibited in his record of the combat with Werner Voss (one of the best parts of the book).
Again, excellent read and everyone with any kind of interest in the dawn of aerial warfare should put this high on their reading list.

Excellent book by james McCudden who was sadly not killed in military combat,but in an accident , as in 1918 his new SE5 had a fault .