World War I
aerial tactics and the death of Richthofen. Fighter
pilot Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) lacked innate aerobatic ability. As
a tyro, he attempted to solve this problem through denial, going so far as to
sneer at stunting as pointless. Great War air combat experience proved quite the
reverse, and so we would anticipate a short and sad fighting life for the
fellow. Yet the Red Baron became the Great War's single greatest scorer, as
measured by total victories. How did he do it?
This book is concerned with tactics, especially those tactics used by the
Red Baron and his opponents. It offers the how and why of Great War aerial
combat. The author leans heavily on his expertise in engineering and aerodynamic
techniques to explain this, with his reasoning presented in a readable,
non-mathematical style. Absent are both the usual propaganda-laced Air Service
reports and psychobabble. Offered instead is the logic behind Great War aerial
combat; i.e., those elements determining success or failure in the Red Baron's
air war.
Gunnery experience led to the machine gun as the weapon best suited for
aerial combat. Joined with a suitable aircraft, the extremely successful Fokker
diving attack resulted. In reaction, effective defensive techniques arose, using
forms of shrewd tactical cooperation by two-seater crews: pilot and gunner.
These are detailed. Numbers mattered, establishing the level of assault
firepower. Tactics of machines flying together in formation are given, as well
as those of 'formation busters', intent upon reversing the odds and turning
large numbers into a disadvantage. A pilot's nature and emotions had much to do
with choosing between the options defining tactics. What were the aces like? How
were tactics tailored to suit personality? What traits made for the ability to
grapple with a jammed machine gun? A dozen high achievers are examined in terms
of tactics and background. In a fascinating study Leon Bennett covers all of
these aspects of WWI aerial combat, and more.
Similarly, the author turns his attention to examining the cause of von
Richthofen's death, employing the tools of logic, rather than merely except one
of the many conflicting eyewitness reports as truth. In doing so, much testimony
is exposed as unlikely. The bullet scatter to be expected from ground
anti-aircraft fire matters greatly, and is developed, along with the odds
against lone riflemen hoping to hit a fast-moving low altitude target. The most
dangerous altitude for front-line crossing is established. The author concludes
by rating the possibility of a rifleman downing the Red Baron as quite realistic
- certainly as likely as any of the more celebrated possibilities.
This is an important book, offering a groundbreaking account of WWI
aerial tactics, and a thorough examination of the final combat and death of the
Red Baron.
