The USA and the UK are divided by having a common language as well as the Atlantic. As soon as I began to read this book, I became aware that 'through World War I' does not mean 'during' but 'from the very beginnings until the end of', and indeed the most fascinating part of a very well told story is the shenanigans that took place prior to America joining the War in 1917. In fact the actual Army Aviation participation in the War understandably takes up a very small part of the book. I had always wondered how and why America, the cradle of aviation, made absolutely no progress at all for so many years; this book explains all.

There are so many parallels to be drawn between the British and American experiences. Our military aviation was run by the Royal Engineers, theirs by the Signal Corps, with the Navy pursuing their own line in both countries. Pilot's Certificates were issued by private clubs which also had much too much influence on such strategy as there was, usually adopting the attitude that flying was for gentlemen and fun, and had very little military significance. Politicians interfered ignorantly (in 1910 one US Congressman wanted to know why the Army needed money for aircraft, as they already had one). There was vacillation about heavier or lighter than air being the way forward, and so on. Meanwhile the Signal Corps wanted to keep control of the Aviation side, as aircraft were only good for reconnaissance, and would not have anyone in command unless they had flying experience as well as seniority. As the flyers were all young men, (until 1916 aviators had to be single lieutenants under 30) they never took over, being too junior.

At the same time, venality was rife - the story of The Goodier Court Martial alone is worth the money for the book; he was court-martialed under the US equivalent of our Section 40 of the Army Act, which is a catch-all if you have done nothing specific wrong other than annoy a senior. His crime was to know that the Signal Corps' running of aviation was a disgrace. He was, of course, found guilty, but the repercussions were that investigations and changes did take place. Furthermore the stultifying effect of the Wright Brothers' patent litigation is shown to have been totally devastating. Therefore the United States entered World War I with obsolete aircraft, virtually no capacity to manufacture new planes and a history of animosity and mistrust between army pilots and their commanders, as well as ignoring the knowledge gained from total access to Allied military thinking and performance during the first two plus years of the War. Quite remarkable.

The book contains 77 pages of notes, bibliography and index, as well as many excellent illustrations - Col. Charles B Winder, who graces the dust cover, the frontispiece and page 65 in the text, must be the most visually challenged person ever to take control of an aircraft. I found this book quite absorbing, and also a very good read.