Aces Falling, Peter Hart
Aces Falling, Peter Hart
33 Rating(s)
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
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Aces Falling
War Above The Trenches, 1918

Author: Peter Hart

Narrator: Roger Davis

Unabridged: 16 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/07/2019

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

How the age of the great WWI aces came to an end in the skies over the Western Front

At the beginning of 1918 the great aces seemed invincible. Flying above the battlefields of the Western Front, they cut a deadly swathe through the ranks of their enemies, as each side struggled to keep control of the air. Some were little more than boys when they started to fly, yet they were respected and feared as some of the deadliest killers in the sky. But as the press of fighting increased with the great offensives of 1918, nervous stress and physical exhaustion finally began to take their toll - and one by one the aces began to fall.

This book charts the rise and fall of the WWI aces in the context of the vast battles that were taking place in 1918. It shows the vital importance of reconnaissance, and how large formations of aircraft became the norm - bringing an end to the era of the old, heroic 'lone wolves'. As the First World War came to a close very few of the aces survived. This epic history of the final year of the air war is both a chronicle of the ways in which 1918 changed aerial combat forever, and a requiem for the pioneers of aerial combat who eventually became the victims of their own brilliant innovations.

About Peter Hart

Peter Hart was born in 1955. He went to Liverpool University before joining the Sound Archive at the Imperial War Museum in 1981. He is now Oral Historian at the Archive. He is the author of several highly acclaimed works on the First World War.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Marcus on December 07, 2014

Together with its predecesor - 'Bloody April' - this book should in my opinion be on the mandatory 'to read'-list for anyone interested in history of First World War in the air. In both books, author's formula is deceptively simple - the core of the book consists of first person accounts of pilots w......more

Goodreads review by Mike on July 01, 2017

Growing up reading about the air war in WWI, my perspective was focused on the famous Aces: Ball, Richthofen, McCudden, Rickenbacker and all the rest. The observation planes and bombers of the time were simply fodder for their guns and scoring drives, piloted by nameless, faceless, sacrificial men w......more

Goodreads review by Mark on April 29, 2024

Fascinating book, it doesn’t just follow the Aces, there’s a very good chapter on two ordinary pilots one ends in tragedy the survives the war. Peter Hart uses real accounts from veterans, hero’s all in my opinion. Well worth reading.......more

Goodreads review by Alice on April 21, 2009

Historian Peter Hart raids the archives at the Imperial War Museum, where he has worked for many years, to bring us first-person accounts of the air war in 1918 from the men who flew, fought and died in it. This rare material, taken from letters, diaries and other documents, is put into context by H......more

Goodreads review by Robert on June 02, 2013

I was hooked from the first page. An excellent account of the war in the air and how it progressed from the 'chivalrous' knightly jousting to the mechanised, industrial scale conflict. Cannot wait to read the author's other books on the same subject.......more


Quotes

Casts fresh light on the broader canvas of the war Daily Telegraph

A fascinating account of the rise and fall of the men who pioneered aerial combat...first-hand recollections bring the subject to life Northern Echo

A timely book...this is a requiem for the brave men involved Big Issue in the North