forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => WW1 Aircraft Information/Questions => Topic started by: Whiteknuckles on June 02, 2012, 04:09:21 PM
-
Hello all,
as the subject states, is there a good (i.e. fairly in depth/comprehensive), introductory book on WW1 German Aviation?
Not so much on the Aces and their antics, but things such as the structure of the force leading up to and during WW1, descriptions of the terms used (i.e. Jasta, Jagdstaffel, etc) and the aircraft, etc.
I know a lot is on the internet but I like having good reference materials/books at hand ;)
Thanks in advance,
Andrew
-
- Bump -
:)
-
Andrew,
Sorry I'd missed your question earlier. I believe I have a title for you that fits your quest. The book is " German Aircraft of the First World War" by Peter Gray and Owen Thetford . I have no idea as to it's current availability but perhaps a search on Amazon would turn up something for you.I've had my copy since the late 70's while aboard. I hope you can locate a copy it will be worth it to you.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
-
Osprey's Airwar series that spanned WWI and II in 24 soft covers was reprinted a few years back. I believe it was 2 volumes on the German units.
Steve
-
Thanks gents, will see what I can find ;)
Andrew
-
try this site to hunt for the Book (or any book you seek).. it's AddALL Book Search. they search all the online book search sites and give you a listing of the available copies of the book from the various search sites...
http://used.addall.com/ (http://used.addall.com/)
I have used this Site for a number of years and have found plenty of books to add to my every growing library of various subjects I like... ;)
-
Dean,
Thanks for the excellent link my friend. An excellent resource for used books.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
-
Thanks Dean, that's a very useful site....
Andrew
-
Gregory & Andrew, You are both very welcomed...
it is a very useful site.. at draining one's bank account.. ::)
Glad to assist where and when i can.....
Dean ~~~ 8)
-
Dean,
Great link you provided. I had a quick look, found a book I've been considering for some time, and got it for $30 vice the best price of over 100 everywhere else I tried............ Thanks for sharing this little gem!
Cheers,
Lance :)
-
This might not be news to you fellows, but I recently discovered that I don't necessarily have to pay the asking price for books on secondhand book sites like Abebooks, etc. I found a lone copy of William Fry's excellent autobiography Air of Battle listed with a private retailer on Biblio.com for $75.00. I checked the listing periodically for a month and it never sold so I offered the bookseller $50.00 and they accepted the offer. It never hurts to ask.
Cheers,
Chris
-
News for me Chris, so thanks for the tip ;)
Andrew
-
There is a book called "The History of the German Airforce" by Bryan Philpott, you get it on ebay for about £5. Basic info and some nice illustrations.
The Osprey books are worth getting though, but don't get ripped off, only 48 pages long so don't pay more than £6 each.
Regards :)
-
If you're looking for a book describing the structure and operations of the German Air Forces in WWI I would recommend one I'm reading at the moment:
"Germany's War in the Air" by General Ernest von Hoeppner (subtitled "The Development and Operations of German Military Aviation in the World War").
It's a fascinating book, going into great detail (but not monotonous) about how the air arms developed, both in command structure and weaponry. It covers all aspects including aircraft (the different types and their changing roles), dirigibles/spotter balloons, anti-aircraft artillery, communications, etc in a logical format, following the war rather than a particular branch at a time. A real eye-opener on how and why things developed the way they did and from an expert, on-the-spot source. Also an interesting glimpse into the thoughts of a Senior officer at the time, it includes many thought provoking comments on how well the Allies (particularly the French!) were perceived to be doing!
A little hard to read in places due to translation/proof reading errors, but very well worth picking up.
Ian
-
Thanks for the tip Ian - that sounds ideal!
Funds are a bit tight at the moment but I'll keep my eyes out for this one.
Cheers.
Andrew
-
Messieurs !
Osprey carries a lot of detailed books, but it is hard to get a book on the
German Air Force Units etc. .
There's a lot about aircraft types, but not too much on the Luftwaffe itself .
Gunther
-
Meine Herren !
I. If you are interested in WW I themes - not only air warfare - I highly recommend the new volumes published over the past few years by the Austrian publisher VERLAG MILITARIA ( www.militaria.at). The website is in English, too .
Those books are based on real scientific work together with museums in Germany and France and are available in English language.
Them are massive volumes with completely new photographies ( first class quality toujours !) of real artifacts in full colour and
with historic (unpublished) photos, even original autochrome early real colour photos in the volumes on the French Army.
Until now they do not deal much with airforce items.
You can expext up to 1000 frames and more
They deal with organization, equipment, weaponry, uniforms.
Qualitywise the best I ever had in my hands - photos + text aaaand print quality !
One Volume is around 100€.
II. Albert Kahn (oh yes, an ancestor to that banker Strauss-Kahn who in the US was accused of a violent sex affair last year ) wanted to create a photographic record of our whole earth via autochrome colour photography. Among them you will find WW I frames. There is a BBC book and a BBC DVD-Series available via Amazon and very interesting - you may plunge into this time via real colour photography...
III. Schiffer Military History
a) SCHLACHTFLIEGER by Rick Duiven & Dan-San Abbot (Schlachtflieger (sing. and plural) = Ground Attack airplane /s)
b) The Imperial German Eagles in World War One - Their Postcards and Pictures by Bronnenkamp
large volumes with a plethora of photos (b/w) and lots of info
IV. FLYING MACHINE PRESS
Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of WW I by Peter M. Grosz George Haddon Peter Schiemer (+ Organization of the Fliegertruppe)
large volume, drawings, lots of b/w frames
V. OSPREY ELITE
Osprey Elite # 135
German Air Forces 1914 - 1918 Ian Schirmer (Organization)
Military History is so occupied with WW 2 themes, that the Great War , the summer of '14 and the beginning of what Charles de
Gaulle (POW nearby where I live) called "Europes Thirty Years War" was obscured by gunsmoke.
To us those times are now as far away as to those men in 1914 Waterloo was.
( But maybe you still knew someone having witnessed WW 1 times ?)
But the shaping of our world was cast by a world that got out of shape then.
Even people as from far away as your beautiful country were sucked into the maelstrom.
Besides :THE WOLF- story of a WW1 german raider is a very nice book written by two Australians! Highly recommended.
Therefore real info on WW I items was a mere jigsaw puzzle.
Up to now (Hoeppner's book is an artifact postwar 1918 I assume) I never came across of a groundbraking volume on the whole theme of the German Fliegertruppe (literally this means: Aviator Troops; Air Force is the better translation to WW 2 Luftwaffe).
As I noticed: even in our times shortly afterwards a lot is obscured, and only for ex. 50 years later Aviation historians have to dig
severly for information on the Luftwaffe etc. .
Lot of archives burnt down by incendiary bombs , too .
Maybe there were volumes written in the 1960s or 1970s and are out of print now.
Sometimes Amazon is a good source to find books - I got my anglo-american military history books via Amazon because
you won't get very far in an normal book shop.
Maybe even Hoeppner's volume will show up.
If I come across a book introducing into the Fliegertruppe, I will inform the forum, of course.
If there are any questions on the translation of german military terms or the real conception of a term please feel free to ask.
Knowing expressions from 'the other side' enhances the feeling for a theme .
The sound of a language translates emotions.
bizz bald, Gunther
-
Thanks for the info Gunther, somehow I missed this post :)
Andrew
-
Meine Herren !
Osprey Elite # 135 I already mentioned does give quality insight; I'm reading it at the moment.
Via Amazon one still gets almost all Osprey Volumes.
Hoepner's book edited in 1921 is very useful; got a reprint copy via Amazon - you know, those books they advertise
with completely different envelopes showing landscapes etc. .
Maybe there is a copy in English language, too.
But an in-deep scientific volume I could not find yet; Verlag Militaria stays down on earth up to now... but touches the sea already.
see Ian B's post
viele Grüße, Gunther
-
Meine Herren !
I. If you are interested in WW I themes - not only air warfare - I highly recommend the new volumes published over the past few years by the Austrian publisher VERLAG MILITARIA ( www.militaria.at). The website is in English, too .
Those books are based on real scientific work together with museums in Germany and France and are available in English language.
I highly recommend their products! I've encountered them at militaria shows I've attended in recent years, and these are some wonderful books!
Warren
-
Hallo Warren !
I'm very surprised to hear that you saw those books !
I came to know them via members of the Friends of the Bavarian Army Museum .
The Museum itself contributed to the volumes.
They are profoundly researched by scientists and so well photographed!
viele Grüße, Gunther
-
Gruse Gott Gunther!
I have a couple of dear friends from my days of doing living history and reenacting that make their living by buying/selling militaria with a heavy emphasis on WWI. They were the ones carrying those books (at least I think it was those) on their tables. Very nice volumes.
Warrem