Germany's first air force, 1914-1918

When the Berlin Wall was demolished a new mine of information became available to historians, allowing them access to previously closed archives. Germany was the first nation to take war into the air with a dedicated force of aviators. It realised the need for specialization before Britain, France, the USA or Italy. This study of the formative years of German aviation describes how Germanys air force was created, how it developed, its airfleets and its personnel, and how quickly the battlefield advantage provided by military aviation was grasped by German authorities. The study makes use of many hitherto untapped archives from East Germany, and rare and unpublished photographs, letters, diaries and reports. All aspects of operations are covered, from bombing, reconnaissance, and balloons to fighter escort, ground-support, and marine interdiction. Researched from German archives and punctuated with interviews with more than a hundred German pilots, this is a valuable addition to aviation history. 160 pages, 125 b/w illus., 7 1/2 X 9 3/4. Germany was the first nation to take war into the air with a dedicated force of aviators. Making use of many hitherto untapped archives from East Germany, this study of the formative years of German aviation shows the creation and development of Germany's air force, its airfleets and its personnel. In the formative years of military aviation, Germany played a key role, both in respect of aircraft design and air warfare strategy. Using recent research and information from recently available German archives, Kilduff describes the first "army of the air".