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Aviation History
1935
1935 - 0841.PDF
APRIL II, 1935- FLIGHT. 405 FOR the BOOKSHELF The Flow of War Books Continues : About Airships : Some Useful Handbooks War in the Air " Richthofen, the Red Knight of the Air." By " Vigilant." I John Hamilton, Ltd. ys. 6d. net.) T WO books have been written about Manfred von Richthofen, one by himself and one by an American, Mr. Floyd Gibbons. The latter was not a perfect example of biography, and a better life of the German pilot could be imagined. There would be justification for a writer who did produce a better book, but there is no excuse for a third biography which is not a marked improvement on that of Mr. Floyd Gibbons. It cannot be said that '' Vigilant'' has pro duced a book which is markedly better than the earlier life. The opening passage, which makes a comparison of sorts be tween von Richthofen and Mr. Mollison, puts the critical reader out of humour with the author, and there is little in what follows to improve the relationship. Some of the photo graphs which illustrate the book, however, are quite interesting. " The First War in the Air." By R. H. Kiernan, author of "Captain Albert Ball, V.C., D.S.O.," with a preface by Air Marshal Sir R. Brooke-Popham, K.C.B. (Peter Davies, Ltd., ss.) This is very nearly the book for which we have been looking for some time past, namely, a concise history of the war in the air, showing the different phases, and the part played by the technical advances in aircraft, first by one side and then by the other. It is not quite the ideal book of this class, be cause, although it does tell a good deal about the various epoch-making types of aeroplane, it does not always give the salient fighting qualities of each. It does not explain, for example, that the S.E.5A. could break off a combat by- its strength and speed in a dive, whereas the " Camel," though more manoeuvrable and desperately quick in a right- hand turn, usually had to stay and fight it out when engaged with Fokker triplanes. Still, though this book might have told us more, it does, in fact, tell us a good deal, and tells it very well indeed. If it had not been done it would have seemed an impossible task to set forth an adequate history of the war in the air in 188 pages of print. Mr. Kiernan, however, has done it. War Flying in Macedonia." By Haupt Heydemarck, translated by Claud W. Sykes. (John Hamilton, Ltd., ys. 6d. net..) Few books about the War make really pleasant reading, but this is an exception. Haupt Heydemarck has a happy style, and he has been very well translated. It is an addi tional attraction that not very much has been written about the Balkan front from the air point of view, and so the reader gets instruction as well as amusement from this book. Perhaps one cannot pay the author a higher compliment than to say that while reading his book it is almost impossible for the reader not to sympathise with the German airmen on the Drama aerodrome, to rejoice when any of them escapes from peril, and even to exult with them when they shoot down a British aeroplane. The work of the Staffel at Drama was reconnaissance and bombing, but one fighter pilot was attached to it. The hero of the book is Lieutenant von Eschwege, who shot down sixteen British aeroplanes and three kite balloons. Finally he was trapped and killed by a balloon with a powerful bomb in the basket, which was detonated from the ground and destroyed the German fighter. F. A. DE V. R. Lighter than Air "Airships in Peace and War." By Captain ]. A. Sinclair (late executive officer, Polegate Air Station). (Rich and Cowcm. Ltd., London. 18s.) The exploits of the German airship Graf Zeppelin have pro vided a striking lesson of what an airship one not of ideal streamline shape, but handled by officers and crew of great experience and skill, can do in the way of safe and comfort able travel across oceans. The war records of the German Zeppelins were also extremely good, so long as they stuck to their proper work of scouting for the fleet, though as night bombers they met more than their match in the aeroplane. The airships of our own Royal Naval Air Service during the war were all non-rigids, and they did fine work in recon naissance, and particularly as escorts to convoys of food ships, and at a negligible cost in casualties. These facts are too often forgotten by those to whom the word airship means nothing more than the disasters to the Roma, fl.38, the Dix- mude, the Shenandoah, R.101, the Akron and the Macon. All these disasters were- due either to inexperience in design or in handling, and not one of them condemns the airship case. Captain Sinclair is thoroughly justified in making all these points, and in stressing them. He has also written an excel lent history of the work of British airships before and during the war, and has told some very interesting stories, most of which have not been published before, so far as the present reviewer is aware. All these sections of his book deserve high praise, and the selection of photographs which illustrate the story has been judiciously made. These photographs add much to the attraction of the book. In the last chapters the author gives full rein to his bitter ness at the official desertion of airships by the British Govern ment. It is easy to understand his feelings, and to sym pathise with them, but he certainly overstates his case. Many of his claims can easily be refuted, and not a few of his arguments are positively illogical. Those who, like the author, hope to see Britain return to an airship policy will think it a pity that a good case should be supported by arguments which an able counsel on the other side would find small difficulty in de molishing. Apart from these last chapters, this is quite a good and interesting book. F. A. DE \. R. All About It " The Royal Air Force, Its Organisation, Duties, and Prospects as a Profession or a Trade." By T. Stanhope Sprtgg. (Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons, Ltd., 5s. net.) There are many ways in which a man can serve his country in connection with flying, among them being permanent com missions in the R.A.F., short-service and medium-service commissions in the R.A.F., the R.A.F. Reserve, the Special Reserve, the Auxiliary Air Force, and the Auxiliary Air Force Reserve of Officers. There are various ways of obtaining com missions. There are also various groups of airmen, some being aircraftsmen and some aircraft hands. It all sounds very complicated, until the whole subject is brought together con cisely in one small volume, and then it all becomes clear at once. Mr. Stanhope Sprigg has collected all this information and set it forth in 120 pages. He goes into every detail, even to giving rates of pay and pension in the appendices, and the correct forms on which applications must be made. Philatelic Air History " BY Air—Through the Stamp Album." By Stanley Phillips. " Stanphil" Stamp Books, No. 1. (Stanley Gib bons, Ltd., 391, Strand, London, W.C.? is. net.) Stamp collecting, although indulged in by a comparative few, is undoubtedly a very fascinating hobby, but that side of philately associated with air mails provides a much wider interest and appeals to many who are not otherwise interested in postage stamps. Several " guide-books "-cum-catalogues have been pub lished for those who wish to take up air mail stamp collecting, and these serve their purpose well, but "By Air—Through the Stamp Album" is something new, for it places air mail stamps in a new light. For one thing, even those who have no intention of taking up air stamp collecting as a hobby will find this little book most interesting reading, as it is in the nature of a history of aeronautics told by means of stamps and "covers" carried by air.. For Aeromodellists " Power-driven Model Aircraft." By F. ]. Camm. George Newnes, Ltd., London, is.) On the whole the aeromodellist in this country has not been inundated with handbooks to help him with his hobby, and so far few of the books published have provided much information concerning ' power-driven" models Mr. F J. Camm' new book, Power-driven Model Aircraft, should, there fore, on this score alone receive •? ready welcome, especially as this type of model is growing in popularity
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