FIRST AIR WAR

A pictorial history of the war in the air of 1914-18, this book covers the war from the first tentative acts of aggression in the air in 1914 to the employment of massive air power by the war's end. Subjects covered include: the early attempts to arm aircraft, the Zeppelin raids, the appearance of fighter "aces", the early employment of carrier-based aircraft, the development of the heavy bomber and of night flying, the formation of the United States Air Service (USAS), and the creation of the Royal Air Force - the world's first independent air arm - in 1918. Also presented are the exploits of American volunteer pilots flying with the legendary Lafayette Escadrille. The book does not restrict its scope to the Western Front; also covered are air operations in the Middle East and Central Europe, as well as the air attacks on British and German towns and cities.