ISBN 0 09 475190 0
SB 237 pages £9.95
“The Royal Flying Corps in France. …” Is a book that all students involved in the study of the Great War and the fledging Aviators should read. It is written in an easy free flowing style. Ralph Barker covers the subject in considerable detail.
The book starts with the crossing of the Channel, remembering that it was only a few years previously that Bleriot had made its first crossing! From the start, the Royal Flying Corps proves its value to the Generals with aerial reconnaissance at the Battle of Mons. Barker quickly introduces the men who would shape the RFC into an effective force, Trenchard, Dowding and Hawker.
As the War becomes bogged down in the mud of Flanders, the young aviators are flung into the fray, many of whom can only just fly. The losses are appalling. Trenchard as the supreme leader gives the RFC its “raison d’être” saying ‘No call from the army must ever find the RFC wanting’.
The ‘scraps’ with Boelcke and Immelmann show the frailty of the young aviators, but through this slaughter the first of the VC’s are awarded. With the arrival of Ball and the departure of Immelmann the book moves towards the Somme. The losses continue but those of the Germans are greater. Ball and McCudden are the first hero’s and Aces. With better machines the balance of aerial supremacy is held by the RFC.
At all times Barker uses the experiences of those who were flying in combat to illuminate his book. The losses were dreadful, but one young aviator explains why they continued. He is quoted as saying “its better to fly for 1 hour in shear terror knowing that if you get back you will live in peace and safety for the next 8 hours. In the trenches it can end at anytime.”
This book is a masterly anecdotal history of those fighting and flying in France, and is fitting tribute to the RFC.
Reviewer: Martin Hornby
