
Aces High
The War in the Air over the Western Front 1914-18
Alan Clark(Author)
Bloomsbury Reader (Publisher)
Published on 20. December 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
162 pages
978-1-4482-0019-1 (ISBN)
Description
Aces High is the vivid chronicle of aerial warfare over the Western Front in World War One and the personalities that characterised the era.
These were the airmen who became legends in their own lifetimes: Albert Ball, Manfred von Richthofen (also known as the Red Baron), Mick Mannock, Rene Fonck and Georges Guynemer. The key to maintaining military superiority was by perfecting the aeroplane, which meant many of these pilots were flying dangerous, untested machines.
From the birth of powered flight for reconnaissance purposes to the development of strategic bombing and the creation of the Royal Air Force in 1918, this was as much a war of technological advances as it was of skill and endurance.
These were the airmen who became legends in their own lifetimes: Albert Ball, Manfred von Richthofen (also known as the Red Baron), Mick Mannock, Rene Fonck and Georges Guynemer. The key to maintaining military superiority was by perfecting the aeroplane, which meant many of these pilots were flying dangerous, untested machines.
From the birth of powered flight for reconnaissance purposes to the development of strategic bombing and the creation of the Royal Air Force in 1918, this was as much a war of technological advances as it was of skill and endurance.
Reviews / Votes
Aces High serves to remind us that ... Alan Clark really was a superb military historian. -- Christopher HartMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
263 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4482-0019-1 (9781448200191)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2011
1st Edition
Bloomsbury Reader
€12.49
Available for download
Person
Alan Clark (1928 -1999) was a British Conservative MP and diarist. Clark is perhaps best known from the years that he served as a junior minister in Margaret Thatcher's governments at the Departments of Employment, Trade, and Defence, and in the Privy Council.
Despite being a slightly controversial character politically, he wrote throughout his life and parts of his diaries were published and subsequently televised. He was the author of several books of military history, including his controversial work The Donkeys (1961), which is considered to have inspired the musical satire, Oh, What a Lovely War! And Aces High, The War in the Air Over the Western Front 1914-18 (1973)
Despite being a slightly controversial character politically, he wrote throughout his life and parts of his diaries were published and subsequently televised. He was the author of several books of military history, including his controversial work The Donkeys (1961), which is considered to have inspired the musical satire, Oh, What a Lovely War! And Aces High, The War in the Air Over the Western Front 1914-18 (1973)
Content
Prologue
Part One: The Opening Shots
Background 1914 - 15
1 Airmen
Part Two: The Weapons are Drawn
Background 1915 - 16
2 Machines
3 Tactics
4 Death
Part Three: The Killing Time
Background 1917
5 Aces
6 Circuses
7 Squadrons
8 Braves
9 Storks
Part 4: The End of the Battles
Background 1918
10 Vapour Trails
Appendices
1 Comparative weights and performance of leading combat aircraft of the First World War
2 Comparative chart showing when leading combat aircraft were in operation during the First World War
A Note on the Author
Part One: The Opening Shots
Background 1914 - 15
1 Airmen
Part Two: The Weapons are Drawn
Background 1915 - 16
2 Machines
3 Tactics
4 Death
Part Three: The Killing Time
Background 1917
5 Aces
6 Circuses
7 Squadrons
8 Braves
9 Storks
Part 4: The End of the Battles
Background 1918
10 Vapour Trails
Appendices
1 Comparative weights and performance of leading combat aircraft of the First World War
2 Comparative chart showing when leading combat aircraft were in operation during the First World War
A Note on the Author