Above the War Fronts

a Complete Record of the British Two-Seater Bomber and Observer Aces, the British Two-Seater Fighter Observer Aces and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces 1914 - 1918

Whilst the sub-title of this book is a bit of a mouthful, it says it all, 'A complete record of the British two-seater bomber and observer aces, the British two-seater fighter observer aces and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian fighter aces 1914-1918'. In other words the fourth and final* volume in the 'aces' series compiled by Norman Franks and his co-writers which, by now, will be familiar to most members. The basic format remains the same, each ace is given a potted biography with a list of his claims complete with annotations throughout and is as impressive as one has come to expect in this series.

This volume is more varied than the others as the title makes clear. The first 95 pages are devoted to British observer aces and the bomber and artillery observation pilots not covered in Above the Trenches. ATT, as it is sometimes called is where the reader would have to look to learn of the background to the British aces war as ATWF does not repeat the authors' very concise analysis of the situation. Similarly, the authors do not get embroiled in arguments over 'out of control' victories, nor indeed, 'shared' kills - which is quite a sticking point when evaluating two-seater crews scores.

Fresher ground is reached when discussing the five Belgian aces and their air service. Here, as in the Austro-Hungarian and Russian sections, the writing team are almost apologetic for presenting this material as it encroaches on the fine work of other authors. I understand the reticence as it feels as though they are poaching from other researchers such as the late Martin O'Connor but for those of us who haven't seen these specialist tomes, ATWF provides an invaluable condensed version. The details of the Russian aces is quite surprising. One, for instance, had three claims flying a Vickers FB19 while the post war dispersal of the Austro-Hungarian aces is a reminder of the upheavals even today in Eastern Europe. Perhaps the best section is the Italians as Gregory Alegi presents an array of information never before published in the English language. The background is explained and then the Italian fighter squadrons are carefully summarised before the aces are profiled in impressive detail. One is struck by a number of points here such as Baracca's fine record which was reflected by his squadron, the way Hanriot pilots do not feature as strongly as some writers would suggest, and the curious lack of victories by aces when flying two-seater aircraft. But then, this series has always stimulated the reader's mind and raised as many questions about these brave young men as it answers. Owners of the previous books will not need me to tell them how absorbing this one will be and it is an essential rounding off to the listing of aces of WW1.

Having said that and without wishing to carp, I can still find room for improvement. Norman and his team once stated that they were willing to improve and correct their information in successive volumes - which they did to a degree with the ATT supplement but here, in the final volume, they have let slip the opportunity to include updated entries for the French, American, German and British aces. Was there nothing new to say, or will we see a 'Volume 5' one day? If so, perhaps that would be the place to write of the one remaining ace not covered by Franks and Co, i.e. Commander A. Moritinius of the Greek Navy. Yet, if this is the end of the study of the aces of the Great War, we have been well served by the authors. It has been an impressive series and Volume 4 is, in some ways, the best of the lot. Thank you Norman and Co.