Aloft in the Gun-Buses - The Exploits of the Flyers and Fighters During the First World War

Accounts from the fliers of the First World War

The author of this book was a prolific writer on the subject of early aviation. As most students of the subject know, only eight years had passed since the Wright brothers had taken to the air before Italy used aircraft in warfare in Libya and less than a further three years before the great nations of Europe began fighting the conflict which became known as the Great War. So, inevitably, Middleton's focus was drawn to activities of the RFC, RAF and RNAS as its airmen fought their German and Turkish counterparts in the skies over the continent and the wider world. The principal book in this Leonaur edition was first published in 1918 and is essentially a collection of word 'sketches' describing the routines, adventures and battles of allied airmen during the war. Whilst it is decidedly partisan in its perspectives, Middleton was able to rely of first-hand experiences and access to recent records, so his work has become part of the invaluable record of that short lived period of aerial warfare fought in simple craft of timber, canvas and wire. The nineteen 'sketches' in the principal book are supported in this Leonaur edition by an extract from E. W Walters book, 'Heroic Airmen and their Exploits', which offers a host of other engaging reports on the fight for the skies from other sources.

Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.