Customer Reviews

Three Wings for the Red Baron : Von Richthofen, Strategy, Tactics, and Airplanes

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At last, an intelligent reader's Red Baron!

Not the usual shoot-em-up pap; not the old "dicing with death" baloney, but a solid study of how tactical needs and airplane design limitations led the Red Baron to press for a German Triplane and what happened when he finally got one. It turned out to be slow but maneuverable; maybe not the greatest, but a good defensive machine.

I don't agree with everything the author says and believe that the final clouded victory over Richthofen can be attributed more definitely than he suggests. But agree or not, the author's carefully researched work, given in hundreds of listed references, will help you think your way through to your own answers. For example-what was wrong with the Triplane when first introduced? There were some serious accidents initially and as an old timer pilot, I've found the standard answer-mechanical defectscompletely believable. However, the author puts out a new explanation and makes it stick. The real problem had to do with over-balanced ailerons. Given a bit of deflection and a yawed flight path, the ailerons ran away, producing a spin and crash. It's all here, with plenty of sketches to make it clear.

There's also good stuff about combat odds. If it's two to one against you, what are your chances? If you think the odds are two to one, you better read the book, because the correct odds are four to one. It's all here, and you don't have to sweat the math-the author does it for you.

All in all, the book offers good reading together with a learning experience. If you are interested in Great War air combat or aircraft, it's a must read,

I have read a number of books about Richthofen and the Fokker Triplane over the years; have built an R/C Triplane as well as the Hasagawa Museum Series Tripe, and thought I was an expert on both man and plane. It wasn't until I read Bennett's book that I discovered just how little I actually knew. Written by an aeronautic engineer, it clears up many myths about the Triplane and explains in very simple yet detailed terms, with numerous charts and graphs, not only how the Triplane was built, but why it was built the way it was. Bennett also details the tremendous influence Richthiofen had on its construction, and how it was tailor-built to fit in with his personal concepts of air strategy and combat. Tactics and construction details and flight concepts that I had assumed I understood, were explained in a way that was like opening a door onto an entire new level of learning. E.g., I had read about the Triplane's ability to 'hang by the propeller', thought I understood what it meant, discovered that I was close but incorrect, but most importantly, learned why the plane's ability to do this mattered.
I am not an engineer by any means, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is not for the casual reader, but if you have built R/C planes or have a deep interest in WW1 air combat, I guarantee you will learn a lot from Mr. Bennett's book.
(This review was originally attributed to Paul Leaman's 'Fokker Dr1 book by mistake. Mr Leaman's book is more of a straight history of the Triplane & makes a good companion book to Mr. Bennett's more technically oriented work.)

Wow! A real in-depth analysis of World War I aerial combat and the Fokker triplane's role in it. The author, Leon Bennett, is a retired aeronautical engineer. And he does an outstanding job of explaining the challenges of rudimentary (and dangerous) WWI flying. With an unbiased and unsentimental perspective, Bennett conducts an insightful (and readable) technical analysis of the triplane against its biplane and monoplane opponents. In addition, Bennett relates why Richthofen decided to switch to the triplane after a long and spectacularly successful career in the Albatros biplane series. With a copious array of graphs and diagrams, Bennett clearly and concisely explains numerous technical issues to the layman. And he always reiterates the effects of the human element and environmental factors in tactics, strategy, and aircraft procurement.

I was very impressed with this book - I read it in just two days. The first chapter about Richthofen's death appears to be a bone thrown by the publisher, aiming to popularize the book a bit. The thoughtfully interspersed photos and posters throughout the book provide short mental breaks between technical discussions. I highly recommend it!

This book tells a story. It tells the story of the triplane, of the people who spent the most time and effort designing one and the companies who built them. The author gives the story a personal slant by keeping Manfred von Richthofen as a central focus through the entire book. Not only did Manfred fly the famous Fokker triplane but he used his considerable influence as Germany's top ace to have one built and put into service.

Since the subject of Bennett's work is focused on the single triplane topic he goes into quite a bit of detail about it and at times the read gets pretty technical. That is not to say I didn't find it informative. I especially enjoyed how Bennett explained how difficult it was to actually hit a moving target in 3 dimensional space with primitive machine guns mounted on temperamental aircraft.

The first chapter is the only chapter in the book that strays from the topic of the triplane specifically. In this chapter Bennett discusses Richthofen's last combat mission and the evidence concerning his death. This chapter is very useful for those who have wondered why there is so much debate over how the great Red Baron met his end

In this discussion of World War I aircraft, Three Wings for the Red Baron covers everything from aerodynamics to structures to fighter tactics. Throughout, it includes comprehensive information not only about Richtofen, but also about many other aviation personalities of the times. This balance between accurate information and personalities makes for excellent reading. The many illustrations help the reader to fully understand the text. I believe this book will become the definitive text about World War I fighters and pilots.

A great book for anyone interested in aircraft design and development during WW1. Just the right combination of hard facts, performance data, and humor to keep it entertaining.
Learned a lot reading this book, and thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.

As an engineer I found this book to be refreshing change from the repetition of previously stated opinions so often passing for the technical side of discussions of the operation of war machinery. Bennett actually understands how airplanes work and the relationship between that and their use as tools of killing. The author refrains from excessive 20th century pyschoanalysis of the "Bloody Red Baron" and simply sees him as a soldier hunting for and using the best tools for the job he was given to do. While clearly explaining the aerodynamics, stuctural dynamics, and exterior ballistics of early aircraft (using many informal charts and graphs but no equations) he does not neglect consideration of the human element involved in 1917/18 aircraft operations.

The tools and approach used in this book could be used for a more comprehensive and complete study of the influence of technical decsion making on aircraft performance in the 1914-18 war. Of particular interest were the comparison of German and British research efforts during war time. Many questions about how these machines actually worked were still being learned as they were being used in large numbers, leading to inevitable disappointments and shortcomings. It is not always clear who knew what when in a time of rapidly changing technology and Bennett does his best to sort this out relative to the design and development of the Dr. 1.

What would have given this book five stars ? Perhaps a bit more on the relationship between the German Army Air Service staff and procurement functions and the Fokker and Albatros firms would be helpful. From the material presented it would seem like Manfred Richthoven just ordered the planes from Tony Fokker. Although the issues surrounding the rotary engine are well covered, the reasons for the shortcomings of the German efforts are more suggested than explained in any systematic way. Perhaps a seperate study on aircraft engine developement in this time frame but with this perspective is needed. Perhaps I am criticizing the author for not having written a different book.

All in all, a useful and helpful, if narrowly focused, study of how technology and technical decision making changes our lives and livelihoods. One thing to add...on page 17 he explains why the high aspect ratio advantage postulated by A.V. Roe applying to multiple long narrow wings does not actually occour. The explanation is certainly correct as far as it goes but not as clear as it might be. It would be helpful to say that the efficiency loss of a finite span wing is due to the energy lost in vortex formation at the wing tips. The triplane therefore produced six tip vortices instead of the four for a biplane or the two for a monoplane. This could be easily illustrated with a sketch.

Leon Bennett's Three Wings For The Red Baron tells of the famous air ace of the war, examining the aeronautical technology of his times and military strategy and techniques. World War I fighter plane insights abound as the man and his methods are analyzed.

This is a not well-researched book. Many miscaptioned photos and inaccurate historical "facts". I do not recommend it.

There are better sources of information. I recommend the following:

"The Fokker Triplane" by Alex Imrie.
"Fokker Dr.I. Aces of World War One" by Franks, Van Wyngarden
"The Red Air Fighter" by Manfred von Richthofen
"Richthofen" by A.E. Ferko
"Richthofen: Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron" by Peter Kilduff
"Who Killed the Red Baron" by P J Carisella and J W Ryan
"The Red Baron's Last Flight" by Norman Franks and A Bennet