The First Eagles

The American Pilots Who Flew With the British, Became Aces, and Won World War I

Nonfiction, History, Military, World War I, Science & Nature, Technology, Engineering
Cover of the book The First Eagles by Gavin Mortimer, Voyageur Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gavin Mortimer ISBN: 9781627882453
Publisher: Voyageur Press Publication: August 15, 2014
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Gavin Mortimer
ISBN: 9781627882453
Publisher: Voyageur Press
Publication: August 15, 2014
Imprint:
Language: English

An incredible history of the American WWI pilots who refused to be grounded.

There was a time when the United States didn’t believe in aerial warfare. Wars, after all, were for men—not flying machines. When Europe went to war in the summer of 1914, the U.S. military boasted a measly collection of five aircraft, with no training programs or recruitment procedures in place. But that didn’t mean the country lacked skilled pilots. In fact, it was just the opposite.

In The First Eagles, award-winning historian Gavin Mortimer engagingly profiles the restless, determined American aviators who grew tired of waiting for the their country to establish an aerial military force during World War I. It was these men who enlisted in Britain’s desperate and battered Royal Flying Corps when, in 1917, it opened a recruitment office in New York. After an intensive and deadly year of training that gave recruits a frighteningly realistic taste of the combat they would face, 247 fresh American RFC pilots were shipped over to Europe, with hundreds more following in the next two months. Twenty-eight of them claimed five or more kills to become feted as “aces,” their involvement lauded as pivotal to the Allied victory. In this book, Mortimer compiles their history through letters, diaries, memoirs, and archives from top museums in the United States and Britain—from John Donaldson, who left for France at age twenty and shot down seven Germans before being downed himself, to the Iaccaci brothers, who accounted for twenty-nine German aircraft between them. Complete with 150 period photographs, The First Eaglescaptures the bravery of these intrepid American pilots, who chose courage over idleness and saved the European skies.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

An incredible history of the American WWI pilots who refused to be grounded.

There was a time when the United States didn’t believe in aerial warfare. Wars, after all, were for men—not flying machines. When Europe went to war in the summer of 1914, the U.S. military boasted a measly collection of five aircraft, with no training programs or recruitment procedures in place. But that didn’t mean the country lacked skilled pilots. In fact, it was just the opposite.

In The First Eagles, award-winning historian Gavin Mortimer engagingly profiles the restless, determined American aviators who grew tired of waiting for the their country to establish an aerial military force during World War I. It was these men who enlisted in Britain’s desperate and battered Royal Flying Corps when, in 1917, it opened a recruitment office in New York. After an intensive and deadly year of training that gave recruits a frighteningly realistic taste of the combat they would face, 247 fresh American RFC pilots were shipped over to Europe, with hundreds more following in the next two months. Twenty-eight of them claimed five or more kills to become feted as “aces,” their involvement lauded as pivotal to the Allied victory. In this book, Mortimer compiles their history through letters, diaries, memoirs, and archives from top museums in the United States and Britain—from John Donaldson, who left for France at age twenty and shot down seven Germans before being downed himself, to the Iaccaci brothers, who accounted for twenty-nine German aircraft between them. Complete with 150 period photographs, The First Eaglescaptures the bravery of these intrepid American pilots, who chose courage over idleness and saved the European skies.

More books from Voyageur Press

Cover of the book How to Raise Rabbits by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book US Special Ops by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book Quilts in the Attic by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book Juan Marichal by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book Guns of Outlaws by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book The Edible Landscape by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book Speed Brewing by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book Railroad Signaling by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book How to Raise Rabbits by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book Noble Warrior by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book Swashbucklers and Black Sheep by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book Four Stars of Valor by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book The CSA Cookbook by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book The Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook by Gavin Mortimer
Cover of the book Steel by Gavin Mortimer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy