German and Austrian Aviation of World War 1: A Pictorial Chronicle of the Aircraft That Forged German Airpower

Here is another intriguing book from the pen and archive of aviation historian Hugh Cowin. This volume concentrates solely on the aircraft designed and flown by the Central Powers - and there were a lot of types, as the authorities believed in spreading their purchases around the industry. (The French and British, on the other hand, realised the operational benefits of concentrating on few models). This book reveals all manner of little known aspects of World War I aviation. The Zeppelin airships, which apparently brought terror to the streets of London, were not that much of a success from the German side. The army lost half its fleet in the first month of the war and the navy suffered awful attrition including L31, shot down at Cuffley to the north of London - an event witnessed by this reviewer's father in 1916. The Fokker legend is exposed for the mainly PR exercise it was. The jovial, self-promoting Dutchman, was a master at cultivating the German top brass. He rented the top floor of Berlin's Hotel Bristol for the duration, where suitable entertainment was laid on for his customers. Apart from the period of the 'Fokker Scourge' in 1915, his aircraft were not that effective. In particular, the famous Fokker Triplane was not the Red Baron wonder plane of popular imagination. But he never lacked energy to try something new, even coming up with a five-winged plane, the Fokker V 8. Those who have seen the 1966 film 'The Blue Max' starring George Peppard may recall the final scene where the hero perishes during the maiden flight of a prototype when the wings come off, the telephoned warning of a discovered fault having been suppressed. It actually happened. Read all about it in the entry on the Zeppelin-Lindau D1! Names from World War 2 like Göring (misspelt as Goring), Udet and Student appear at early stages of their careers. Perhaps better known today as manufacturers of domestic appliances, companies like AEG and Siemens were then building aircraft. Possibly there should be better caption management, as not all text is logically related to the pictures. Nor should a specialist of Hugh Cowin's distinction equate a US captain with a British squadron leader. These are minor points. This is an excellent book, with 180 pictures, featuring almost as many different types. One would probably be hard pressed to find pictures of the rarer aircraft. The vast body of data - the men who designed and flew the aircraft as well as the aircraft - is presented in an easy, readable style.