Marked for Death: The First War in the Air by James Hamilton-Paterson

Marked for Death: The First War in the Air Reviews

• 
  'Aussie Rick'

  I wish I had read this book as soon as I received it in the mail instead of putting it aside to read later. I think I was slightly put off as it wasn't going to be a chronological narrative of the Great War in the air but a book with each chapter based on a certain theme of the air war between 1914-1918.
  
  Once I did start reading the book I found it hard to put down, it was a well told story of the war in the air and how it was fought, with chapters covering a range of topics, every one of which was interesting and full of fascinating information. I found that each chapter moved seamlessly into the next subject and I never felt like the book was disjointed by not being a strictly chronological narrative.
  
  The chapters included in the book are:
  
  1 Air War and the State
  2 Why Biplanes
  3 Armed to the Teeth
  4 Combat and other Missions
  5 The Making of a Flying Man
  6 How they Lived
  7 Aces
  8 Airmen and Medics
  9 Parachutes and Fatalism
  10 Home Defence
  11 Balkans and Mesopotamia
  12 Postscript
  
  The author has utilised numerous first hand accounts from pilots of that era, some I have read and some that were entirely new to me. Of course the author discusses the fragile nature of the early planes: " .... Men with a mechanical bent who for ten years had been putting together flying machines of their own design in sheds and garages, each convinced that his would prove revolutionary, only for the dream to end in a tangle of wire and fabric in the middle of rough plaster land. 'The only bones left unbroken in the cadaver', as one army medic bleakly observed, 'we're probably those of the inner ear'."
  
  W. E. Johns of 'Biggles' fame is quoted numerous times in the book; "... Johns later wrote in his magazine Popular Flying that in early 1918 when he was stationed in Norfolk no fewer than thirteen pilots and observers were burnt to death in crashes in as many days and the local village blacksmith, who had been a juryman at all the inquests, committed suicide, overcome by the horror of it all."
  
  I enjoyed the authors style of writing, at times he could be quite caustic: "Apparently the requirement was for young men who were not very bright, pig-ignorant about the technicalities of their aircraft, and with a feckless enough sense of humour to view killing and being killed as just a game." Or; "Aircraft designers, too, could seem comfortably distanced from the consequences of their designs, To take an example at random: the radiator of the German Albatros D.III, the bane of the RFC in early 1917, was initially placed over the centre section immediately above the pilot's cockpit. If it was holed in flight the pilot could be suddenly drenched in boiling water. One would have though this foreseeable, and in time the radiator was indeed moved off to starboard along the top wing."
  
  Of course the subject of parachutes and the RFC/RAF was discussed. I found this interesting quote from the book from the inventor of one of the British parachutes developed during the war: "Calthrop wearily gave what he felt was the reason for the British authorities' foot-dragging: 'No one in high quarters had any time to devote to investigating the merits of an appliance whose purpose was so ridiculously irrelevant to war as the saving of life in the air'."
  
  And of course there were lots of great little bits of information scattered throughout the book like this: "The top Italian ace, Francesco Baracca, fell in flames in June 1918 with a total of thirty-four victories. An inspirational figure, he flew French machines exclusively, mainly Nieuports and SPADs, painted with his personal emblem of a prancing horse: the cavallino rampante. Many years after his death, when Baracca was an enshrined national hero, his mother presented a copy of this emblem to Enzo Ferrari who adopted it as his company logo and on whose cars it can be seen to this day."
  
  Overall I found this book to be a great story of how the war in the air was fought during WW1. It mainly covers the RFC/RAF and the Western Front but the stories really cover what it was like for all aviators fighting in the Great War on all fronts.
  
  I think this will be the book that most fans of the genre will treasure in their libraries and if you are looking for just one good book that covers the subject then I think this may be the book for you.
  
• 
  KOMET

  Though the main focus of "Marked for Death: The First War in the Air" is on the growth and development of British military aviation (as represented by both the Royal Flying Corps [RFC] and Royal Naval Air Service [RNAS], which later amalgamated to form the Royal Air Force [RAF] on April 1st, 1918) during the First World War, it also sheds considerable light on the evolution of aviation from its inception through 1918. Topics such as 'Why Biplanes?', 'Armed to the Teeth', 'Combat and Other Missions', 'The Making of a Flying Man', 'How they lived', 'Parachutes and Fatalism', and 'Home Defence' give the reader a full perspective on the science, prevailing attitudes, mysteries, joys and hazards of flying. This is a first class book, well-written and comprehensive. I learned so much in reading it.
• 
  Tony

  Marked for Death is a history of WW1 in the air. As such, it’s also a history of the early development of the airplane and its use in combat. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of the air war ("Aces", "Home Defence") so this is not a chronological history, although information is presented chronologically within each chapter. The book focusses on the Western front, and mainly on the British RFC/RNAS/RAF, although other nationalities do get a look-in.
  
  I really enjoyed this. Although packed with information, this is not a detailed technical text, which suited me. And there are plenty of eyewitness accounts, including from W.E. Johns who went on to write the Biggles stories. I found it well written, very readable, moving, and occasionally even funny. James Hamilton-Paterson has done a great job of conveying the dangers & horrors that pilots faced going to war in these fragile planes. I'd definitely recommend this.
• 
  Casey

  A good book, providing an in depth history of World War I Air Combat. Written mostly as an overview of the UK’s Royal Flying Corps, the author does cover aspects of the German, French, and US air forces, but only as comparison points to the UK. Rather than a chronological history, the book covers various aspects of the air war, from the technological and production facilities which developed and built the aircraft through to the methods of combat which evolved at the front. There are a number of interesting chapters dealing with the life of the airmen, both at home and at the front, looking at the unique psychological burdens they faced. Though mostly concentrating on the Western Front, there is some investigation with air combat in the other theatres and the final chapter gives a very good summary of the first strategic bombing campaigns. Most of the book has a tone of prelude to the WWII campaigns and there are many references to ongoing customs and traditions of the air services which started in The Great War. The author didn’t explicitly mention it as a thesis point, but the fact that these flyers were developing a spectrum of warfare, with new innovations constantly upending the established formulae of battle, certainly draws a comparison with the ongoing developments of networked and autonomous forces in our own day. Reading about the way in which the bureaucracy at home and flyers in the field dealt with this rapid pace of change was the most interesting part of the book. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to know more about WWI air combat and the development of new methods of warfare in a fast changing environment.
• 
  Andrew Richardson

  This was a book I wasn't expecting too much from. The title and cover gave it a populist air, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a much more sober book than that.
  
  The basic explanations of aerodynamics that drove the development of biplanes and triplanes, and of improved bonding techniques that produced sturdier aircraft, allied to easily comprehensible descriptions of radial engines, were a real highlight. It's clear that the author spent time in and around museum pieces and speaking with aircraft engineers and historians familiar with great war aircraft development.
  
  What was less convincing - and ultimately brought my review down from a 4+ star to 3 star - was the occasional self-indulgent value judgement and unqualified claim. It reaches its worst in the postscript, where he regurgitates the tired concept of these men (aircrews in this instance, but it could be infantry, artillery or any other soldier) dying for nothing. That was clearly not the case - the service and death of pilots and observers contributed toward the Entente's ultimate goal of defeating an aggressive, industrialised, peer-level enemy who had occupied large tracts of France and Belgium, and had to be ejected. The loss of life throughout was awful, but the alternative didn't bear consideration. One can abhor war while also recognising that those who fell did so contributing toward a worthy end. The author's observations (and rant) in the Postscript of the decline of the RAF after the 1960s is similarly not the appropriate place to engage such a topic.
  
  The author also makes some spurious claims without a shred of evidence: the most egregious being claims that Canadian and Australian pilots were superior to British born aviators by virtue of their upbringing and familiarity with different terrain. A similar argument was put forward by Australian official historian CEW Bean about Australian soldiers being 'natural shots from the bush' which has recently been utterly demolished. As James Hamilton-Paterson seeks to make like claims about the alleged superiority of Dominion versus British-born airmen without citing any evidence, treat it with a great deal of suspicion.
  
  The author touches on infantry-air liaison, but this is an area he could have delved more deeply into. Flying contact patrols to mark the advance and location of ground forces was absolutely critical to field commanders, and was a large part of reconnaissance work done by squadrons during major battles. The means of signalling from the ground to pilots are worthy of a book itself, so it would have been nice to get a little more focus on that.
  
  Hamilton-Paterson relies too heavily on accounts by W.E. Johns (WWI pilot and author of the Biggles series), as well as the Canadian ace, Billy Bishop. There are also nowhere near as many primary sources and squadron histories consulted as there should have been, and if he had done so, the book would have lost some of its self-righteous edge and been more authoritative as he'd have had a larger pool of experiences to draw from and the broader work would have been more representative.
  
  What Hamilton-Paterson did well, though, is strip away the romance of WWI aerial combat. He rightly argues that pilots were not 'knights of the sky', but pioneers in developing and exploiting a risky new technology which, while in its infancy, evolved rapidly. Young pilots and their navigators had a short life expectancy (due to the primitive aircraft they flew and the comparative lack of safety and medical standards) and their deaths were often terrifyingly brutal. Being incinerated while plunging to the ground in a timber and fabric contraption is not a romantic way to die, yet aerial combat in the Great War is still regarded as almost genteel (watch the Peter Jackson directed short film at the Australian War Memorial in support of the 'Over the Front' exhibition for a glimpse into the savagery - with some artistic licence). The author also notes von Richtofen was a cold blooded killer, musing at the apparent celebrity he enjoys in the twenty-first century which has separated the savagery of his deeds with his romanticised reputation. Richtofen was exceptionally good at his job, and that meant shooting down and killing Allied airmen. It is where the author strips back the myth that he is on strongest ground (pun unintended) with this work.
  
  Overall, however, the book is too patchy to be considered a really good title, but there are pockets of excellence throughout. The early chapters set the scene well, but it's a frustration that the remainder isn't able to maintain that standard. Still, for an introductory text to give a broad treatment of WWI aviation and its experience - with useful explanations of aircraft technology for contextual understanding - it's a worthwhile place to start.
• 
  Jeff Bryant

  Despite an uneven and editorial Introduction and Postscript and a dry first half of Chapter 1 which worried me about continuing to read the book, the rest of it takes off and provides an excellent reference work into the realities of WW1 aviation.
• 
  Jeanmarie

  Surprisingly good and held my attention. I’m going down to the pub now to show off my new found knowledge of the Sopwith Pup vs the Fokker M.6.
• 
  Pete

  Marked for Death : The First War in the Air (2016) by James Hamilton-Paterson is a fascinating history of WWI in the air concentrating on British aviation.
  
  Hamilton-Paterson takes apart the myths of WWI aviation and examines in detail just how aircraft and tactics changed throughout the war. The book also looks at the many mistakes made by the various sides. Hamilton-Paterson has had access to the archives of the British services and he points out repeatedly how they failed to understand what aircraft could do and took a long time to improve practices.
  
  The way that pilots were trained by the British is remarkable. One in five were killed while training. One in three pilots crashed when first soloing in a Sopwith Camel. It was not uncommon for British pilots to be told to try to solo after one and a half hours experience of flight.
  
  The remarkable bravery of the pilots is given due respect. The amazing way that they flew in primitive devices over a battlefield is truly something. On the Western Front there was also a good degree of chivalry.
  
  There is a chapter on how long it took parachutes to come into use. Some of which was due to the technical challenges, some due to terrible management.
  
  The book also discusses the famed aces and their achievements, as well as the difficulty in verifying their claims. The aces of WWI often died and many became traumatised while flying.
  
  Marked for Death really is a very interesting read for anyone interested in aviation. The incompetence of management, the skill of the airman and the fragility of the aircraft is all fascinating.
• 
  Raughley Nuzzi

  This excellent history of aerial combat in WWI does a great job of covering the topic from myriad angles. From the flight science of early and advancing aircraft to the development of air-to-air and air-to-ground combat strategies to the effects of high-altitude flight on the human body, James Hamilton-Paterson demonstrates a comfort with all aspects of The First War in the Air. The writing is compelling and clear, regardless of the esoterica of any given chapter.
  
  The only major criticism I have of the book is that while it does delve into aspects of the war from French, German, and Italian perspectives, it remains heavily grounded in its British perspective. Other countries' experiences are framed in conjunction with or opposition to the Britain's air force's. For example, the chapter about the training regimen of the airmen focuses on how poorly trained British pilots were, contrasting them with the French and German schools of aviation. Scant mention is made of the air war on the Eastern Front, though the Russians are credited with inventing a four-engine behemoth and the German pilots British flyers encountered in the Balkans spoke superstitiously of the barbarism of the air war against Russia. A deeper dive into other theaters or other nations' perspectives would have made this book an easy 5 stars.
• 
  Mike White

  A comprehensive and well-researched study of the first war in the air, covering politics, technology (there’s a chapter called “Why Biplanes?”), and strategy in all theatres of WWII where aircraft were employed. The writing is calm and reasoned, covering all points of view, but pulls no punches. He quotes Calthrop, inventor of a parachute: “No one in high quarters had any time to devote to investigating the merits of an appliance whose purpose was so ridiculously irrelevant to war as saving of life in the air.”
  The author covers events since 1918 in a postscript and draws parallels. There are useful appendices. A very good book if one is interested in the subject. Though some anecdotes are included don’t look for exciting stories of aerial heroics. Despite the cover and title Biggles it ain’t.
  
• 
  Leigh Kimmel

  Delves into the deep background of how the various combatants' air corps were developed, from the technology of airplanes, weaponry and safety gear (astonishingly little, by present-day lights) to the medical tests to determine which recruits should be put into flight training. And it may seem astonishing to present-day readers, who are accustomed to pilots being commissioned officers, that in those days the pilots were often non-coms, under the direction of the observer in the second seat, who was generally the commissioned officer.
• 
  Fraser Sherman

  Hamilton-Paterson argues that the Great War's air battles have been seen as a thing apart and above (metaphorically) the bloody trench warfare, an old-fashioned world of daring and knightly single combat. In reality, there was lots of death (though with fewer people up, only a blip compared onn the infantry) and much of it came from defective planes, the refusal to give pilots parachutes (what if they chickened out?) crude flying instruments and all the other weaknesses of early aviation. A grim, vivid and realistic look at the subject and where movies get it wrong.
• 
  Miikka Lehtonen

  A good and thorough discussion of the air war in World War I, with a focus on the British experience. The book discusses the early days of flight, the first steps of military aviation, the technology arms race of both sides making leaps and bounds in plane design, the mental stress experienced by pilots etc.
  
  It's not going to teach experts much new, beyond forming a good throughline on the topic and putting things in the proper context, but for someone who is interested in the reality of aerial combat in World War I, it's hard to do much better than this book.
• 
  Stephanie

  I really appraised the topical nature of this book - the chronology of the subject has been beat within an inch of its life so this was really refreshing. It really lacks a log of the glitz/glam/schmaltz usually associated with books on the WWI air war. It was very UK centric although did have the brief occasional asides on the French/other Allies and the Central powers too. I could've done without the dead pilot crash photos.
• 
  Paul Stevens

  I can't praise this book enough. It gave a concise and meaningful account of what the men of the RFC and RAF went through and how the planes they flew went from machines held together with robe and luck to being lethal killing machines. It is packed with eye witness accounts and anecdotes. I found it very easy to read and hard to put down.
• 
  Ken

  Alas, I can see why the author chose to write in this style, while informative I found it kind of disjointed and sometimes distracting. I would have preferred a chronological rather than a subjective based content narrative.
• 
  Jerel Wilmore

  An interesting examination of the technology and underlying strategies of the air war during the First World War. This is not a narrative "story" book, rather it is a look at various topics that gave the air war its distinctive quality.
• 
  J H

  Seldom do you stumble on a book that is both informative in so many ways you didn’t expect, as well as entertaining and riveting. I enjoyed this read thoroughly and have to add it to my list of military histories to recommend.
• 
  David

  Each chapter is about a part of the air war, training, medicine, improvements. If you want those details this may be the best place. I don't think he tied to all together very well.
• 
  Kent Beck

  Topic-oriented history of British WW1 aviation.
• 
  Stephen Tuck

  I’ll write a proper review later. Neither the best nor worst history I’ve ever read. Very anglocentric. Some good insights but pretty repetitive.
• 
  Des Pemberton

  I found this a very interesting and easy read. I've read very little of the first air war so most of the facts and figures were new to me. James Hamilton-Paterson tackles the subject in an interesting way: instead of going through the War in a chronological parade; he does it by subject matter, ie Chapter 1 - Air War and the State; Chapter 2 - Why Biplanes; Chapter 6 - How They Lived etc. This way he could go backwards and forwards to investigate a topic, not only during the War, but also pre- and post-War. Comparisons are made with modern trends.
  
  The only area that he skirted around was that of British non-commissioned officer (NCO) ranks skippering aircraft. He mentions that the Germans frequently used NCO pilots with officer observers (the German observer was the aircraft's skipper, as opposed to the British practice). Why do I feel he should have covered it? Well, he goes into great detail of the officers' backgrounds, education and social life; were the NCOs similar? What was the officer and NCO pilot relationships like? What was the officer observer and NCO pilot relationships like? Who was the patrol leader of two aircraft, one skippered by a straight-out-of-the-egg 2nd lieutenant and the other by an experienced NCO? The latter I should imagine.
  
  Overall, an enjoyable read that confirmed life as an aircrew was, by and large, better than the infantry, sappers and gunners in the trenches. Even though the aircrew faced the stress of danger for longer stretches of time (4 - 6 months), while I believe infantry battalions were pulled out of line every few weeks for rest and training. As I read this book on an ereader, it was useful to have my laptop handy so I could bring up pictures, on a search site, of the different types of aircraft.
• 
  John

  During WW1 warplanes were made of wood and fabric, engines underpowered, pilot training methods haphazard. Results: High casualty rates even before battle. Many Brit planes were lemons cobbled together in furniture factories; no American-made planes ever made it to battle. I found much fascinating information in this book. Why were there no monoplanes, mostly bi-planes, a few tri-planes? Why were parachutes an anathema? How did pilots deal with g-forces and vertigo? With absence of helmets and goggles? Much more. Though much was learned about the dynamics of air warfare, mostly by trial, error and battle, it was only in the last few months of the war that truly effective planes evolved.