Sign-In
Cart
Canadian Airmen and the First World War: The Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force
Paperback
Series: Heritage
Canadian HistoryAir CombatWorld War I
ISBN13: 9781487572358
Publisher: Univ Of Toronto Pr
Published: Dec 15 1980
Pages: 918
Weight: 3.26
Height: 1.87 Width: 6.69 Depth: 9.61
Language: English
The first of three volumes of the Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force, this book provides the definitive story of Canadian airmen in World War I and, moreover, a revisionist account of the war in the air.
Organized topically, this volume begins with an overview of military aviation in Canada prior to 1914, as successful aircraft experiments like Baldwin's and McCurdy's Silver Dart are set against Defence Minister Sam Hughes' rejection of any government air policy. Financial timidity and political uncertainty subsequently decreed that the 20,000 Canadians who trained for, or fought in, history's first air war would have no air force of their own but would fly in the British flying services.
The sections which follow show that Canadians excelled in every aspect of the air war. Indeed, although the First World War never saw an exclusively Canadian squadron in action and no Canadian rose to a command above Group level, Professor Wise has been able to write a full account of the war in the air from the Canadian perspective. Recruitment and training, the maritime air war, the strategic bombing of Germany and the defence of Great Britain, as well as action on the Western Front, in Italy, and in Macedonia, are all covered in depth. Each section reveals the complexity of air operations, as tactics, strategy, and aircraft evolved with astonishing speed. The exploits of remarkable fighter aces such as Billy Bishop, Raymond Collishaw, D.R. MaccLaren, and W.G. Barker, and of bomber leaders like R.H. Mulock, are set in the context of the air war and the many thousands of Canadians who served with them.
In his conclusion Wise traces the development of Canadian government air policy to the year 1920, during which time the first Canadian air force was born and quickly died. In analysing this major step in Canada's entry into the air age he lays the foundation for postwar civil expansion and the formation of the RCAF.
Illustrated with specially prepared colour and sketch maps and over 200 photographs, many of them published here for the first time, this book should prove invaluable to the military historian and of wide appeal to the aviation enthusiast and general reader alike.
The other volumes in the Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force are The Creation of a National Air Force by W.A.B. Douglas (out of print) and The Crucible of War, 1939-1945 by Brereton Greenhous, et al. (available).
Also in
Canadian History
Aprender inglés para adultos principiantes: 5 libros en 1: ¡Habla inglés en 30 días!
Towin, Explore
Paperback
The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism
Bacon, John U.
Paperback
Sorry, Not Sorry: An Unapologetic Look at What Makes Canada Worth Fighting for
Critch, Mark
Hardcover
Erebus: One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time
Palin, Michael
Paperback
The Knowing: How the Oppression of Indigenous Peoples Continues to Echo Today
Talaga, Tanya
Hardcover
Journey From Fort Prince Wales, in Hudson's Bay, to the Northern Ocean [microform]: for the Discovery of Copper Mines and a North West Passage, Perfor
Hearne, Samuel 1745-1792
Hardcover
So You Think You Know CANADA, Eh?: Fascinating Fun Facts and Trivia about Canada for the Entire Family
Jennings, Marianne
Paperback
The Mill Girls: The Newfoundland Women Who Transformed Canada's Industrial Heartland
Barrett, Heather
Hardcover
A Drum in One Hand, a Sockeye in the Other: Stories of Indigenous Food Sovereignty from the Northwest Coast
Coté, Charlotte
Paperback
A Vacation for Victory: An Illustrated History of the Women's Land Army in Canada
Lonie, Kelsey M.
Paperback
The Canadian Army in Afghanistan: Volume II, Part 1: Counter-Insurgency in Kandahar
Maloney, Sean M.
Hardcover
Animation for the People: An Illustrated History of the National Film Board of Canada
Solomon, Charles
Hardcover
The North-West Is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel's People, the Métis Nation
Teillet, Jean
Paperback
Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation
Sanderson, Douglas
Sniderman, Andrew Stobo
Paperback
Guardians of the North: Canadian Warships and Maritime Aircraft, 1910-2025
Gimblett, Richard H.
Gagnon, Karl
Hardcover
Canadian History Stories: 50 True and Fascinating Tales of Major Events and People from Canada's Past
Publications, Ahoy
Hardcover
Saskatchewan's Playground: A Photographic Celebration of Prince Albert National Park
Waiser, Bill
Hardcover
Canada's UFO Secrets: Disclosing Government Files on What Is Happening in Our Skies
Rutkowski, Chris A.
Paperback
Murder City: The Untold Story of Canada's Serial Killer Capital, 1959-1984
Arntfield, Michael
Paperback
A History of Canada in 15 Moments: Making and Remaking a Nation Since 1867
Blake, Raymond B.
Keshen, Jeff
Paperback
The Canadian Army in Afghanistan: Volume 1: A Nation Under Fire, 2001-2006
Maloney, Sean M.
Hardcover
Coastal Connections: A History of British Columbia Ferries and Passenger Ships
Hayes, Derek
Hardcover
Chain Her by One Foot: The Subjugation of Native Women in Seventeenth-Century New France
Anderson, Karen
Paperback
Being Chinese in Canada: The Struggle for Identity, Redress and Belonging
Dere, William Ging Wee
Paperback
Canadian History: A Captivating Guide to the History of Canada, French and Indian War, Klondike Gold Rush, and Quebec
History, Captivating
Hardcover
Performance and Protest: Inuit of Labrador and the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893
Markham, Nigel
Paperback
Canadian History Stories: 50 True and Fascinating Tales of Major Events and People from Canada's Past
Publications, Ahoy
Paperback
Constitutional Challengers: The Heroes, Villains, and Crusaders Behind Canada's Biggest Cases
Dodek, Adam
Paperback
Your Country, My Country: A Unified History of the United States and Canada
Bothwell, Robert
Paperback
Accounting for Genocide: Canada's Bureaucratic Assault on Aboriginal People
Neu, Dean
Therrien, Richard
Paperback
Lament for a Nation, 40th Anniversary Edition: The Defeat of Canadian Nationalism
Grant, George
Paperback
Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Indigenous Life
Daschuk, James
Paperback
The Howleyites: Toronto's Changing City, A Stadium Rising, and The Champions of 1926
Fox, D. M.
Paperback
Atlantic's Last Stop: Courage, Folly, and Lies in the White Star Line's Worst Disaster Before Titanic
G. Chaulk, Robert
Paperback
The Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage
Brandt, Anthony
Paperback
The French Traveler: Adventure, Exploration & Indian Life In Eighteenth-Century Canada
Gairdner, William D.
Paperback
Liberation and Libido: Masculinity, Sexuality, and the Aesthetics of Gay Liberation in Canada, 1971-1987
Hrynyk, Nicholas A.
Paperback
The Fox Wars: The Mesquakie Challenge to New France Volume 211
Edmunds, R. David
Peyser, Joseph L.
Paperback
A Race for Real Sailors: The Bluenose and the International Fishermen's Cup, 1920-1938
McLaren, Keith
Paperback
Congress's Own: A Canadian Regiment, the Continental Army, and American Union Volume 73
Mayer, Holly A.
Paperback
The (Almost) Perfect Heist: The Incredible True Story of the Vancouver Safety Deposit Robbery
Levers, Don
Paperback
A History of Photography in Canada, Volume 2: A Medium Unleashed, 1919-1969
Langford, Martha
Hardcover
A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Edited and Abridged
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
Paperback
Hearts of Freedom: Stories of Southeast Asian Refugees
Molloy, Michael
Duschinsky, Peter
Lundy, Colleen
Paperback
Pour Sortir Les Allumettières de l'Ombre: Les Ouvrières de la Manufacture d'Allumettes E. B. Eddy de Hull (1854-1928)
Durocher, Kathleen
Paperback
Trudeau as Statesman: 1965-2000, Son of Quebec, Father of Canada
Milne, David
Nemni, Max
Nemni, Monique
Paperback
Seven Bucks a Head: The Scandalous Child Resettlement Scheme That Built a Nation
Cuthbertson, Ken
Hardcover
Poutine Nation: Lessons from the Unglamorous Rise of a Canadian Culinary Icon
Charlebois, Sylvain
Hardcover
Murder by Decree: The Crime of Genocide in Canada: A Counter Report to the "Truth and Reconciliation Commission"
Annett, Kevin Daniel
Paperback