Marked for Death: The First War in the Air

by James Hamilton-Paterson

Overview

A dramatic and fascinating account of aerial combat during World War I, revealing the terrible risks taken by the men who fought and died in the world's first war in the air.

Little more than ten years after the first powered flight, aircraft were pressed into service in World War I. Nearly forgotten in the war's massive overall death toll, some 50,000 aircrew would die in the combatant nations' fledgling air forces.

The romance of aviation had a remarkable grip on the public imagination, propaganda focusing on gallant air 'aces' who become national heroes. The reality was horribly different. Marked for Death debunks popular myth to explore the brutal truths of wartime aviation: of flimsy planes and unprotected pilots; of burning nineteen-year-olds falling screaming to their deaths; of pilots blinded by the entrails of their observers.

James Hamilton-Paterson also reveals how four years of war produced profound changes both in the aircraft themselves and in military attitudes and strategy. By 1918 it was widely accepted that domination of the air above the battlefield was crucial to military success, a realization that would change the nature of warfare forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681775067
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	742,177
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

James Hamilton-Paterson is the author of Empires of the Clouds, the classic account of the golden age of British aviation. He won a Whitbread Prize for his first novel, Gerontius. His most recent book was Marked for Death, a history of aerial combat during World War 1. He lives in Austria.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Air War and the State 13

2 Why Biplanes? 39

3 Armed to the Teeth 69

4 Combat and Other Missions 95

5 The Making of a Flying Man 123

6 How they lived 151

7 Aces 177

8 Airmen and Medics 205

9 Parachutes and Fatalism 233

10 Home Defence 253

11 Balkans and Mesopotamia 281

12 Postscript 305

Chronology of the First Air War 311

Note on the Classification of Aircraft Types 319

Glossary 321

Acknowledgments 327

Bibliography 331

Endnotes 335

List of Illustrations 344

Index 346

Editorial Reviews

"Marked for Death is as interesting as it is scholarly. It is an authentic and comprehensive history of air war as well as the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force. Both experts and laypeople will find it highly readable."

The Washington Book Review

"Marked for Death tells its inherently vivid story with more sheer comprehensive energy than any previous English-language history has ever done. Hamilton-Paterson’s book traces the rackety youth of human flight and its initially sloppy and largely undirected adaptation to the field of warfare, and his storytelling skills are on point and gratifyingly varied—there isn’t a dull page in this book."

Open Letters Monthly

"A terrific story, which Hamilton-Paterson tells with tremendous relish, elegance, and attention to detail. An acclaimed poet and novelist, he is excellent at capturing the sheer courage of the pilots who ran risks that almost defy credibility."

The Sunday Times (London)

"Penned by one of Britain’s most prolific and highly regarded authors, this book exhibits a clear, engaging prose so generously adorned with anecdotes and descriptive quotes that readers will want to keep on reading. This expertly written and nicely illustrated book is highly recommended."

Over the Front

"Supremely readable. "

Washington Times

"An exhilarating book. By turns, thrilling, joyful, wistful, and provocative."

Rowland White

Hamilton-Paterson's thorough research reveals much—his book is a wide-ranging education of WWI aviation and is written by someone who really knows flying. Highly recommended!

Pilot Magazine

Hamilton-Paterson's superb book, not only meticulously researched but also supremely readable, tells the tales of many heroes. He unearths fascinating information, but the book is just as good on the nuts and bolts of flying, and what it waslike to engage in a dog fight.

The Daily Mail