The birth of the RAF, 1918 : the world's first air force / Richard Overy.

UK : Allen Lane, 2018.

x, 149 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white), map (black and white) ; 23 cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The dizzying pace of technological change in the early 20th century meant that it took only a little over ten years from the first flight by the Wright Brothers to the clash of fighter planes in the Great War. A period of terrible, rapid experiment followed to gain a brief technological edge. By the end of the war the British had lost an extraordinary 36,000 aircraft and 16,600 airmen. The RAF was created in 1918 as a revolutionary response to this new form of warfare - a highly contentious decision (resisted fiercely by both the army and navy, who had until then controlled all aircraft) but one which had the most profound impact, for good and ill, on the future of warfare. Richard Overy shows how this happened, against the backdrop of the first bombing raids against London and the constant emergency of the Western Front.

9780241274217 (hbk)

358.4'00941
358.400941

English

The birth of the RAF, 1918 [electronic resource] : the world's first air force

No reviews available as yet
Add your review

2594193