A great book.

[VS816]

Hi everyone,

I've just been reading a great book....."First Blitz" - by Neil Hanson....it's all about the WW1 bombing of England, very interesting and packed with all sorts of facts.... for anyone interested in early flying it's a must read.

 

ISBN 978-0-552-15548-9. (for anyone interested)

[+Olham]

Sounds like the right book for Bullethead.

 

I don't like the idea of bombing England - it's a lovely nice country.

The people may be a bit strange but they're okay, when they've had a few.

[Red-Dog]

I've got to get up at 5 Olham so come and bomb my work place please...

[OvS]

I've got to get up at 5 Olham so come and bomb my work place please...

 

Koghol/Boghol 3 ... the Gotha Boys!!

[Bullethead]

I've just been reading a great book....."First Blitz" - by Neil Hanson....it's all about the WW1 bombing of England, very interesting and packed with all sorts of facts.... for anyone interested in early flying it's a must read. ISBN 978-0-552-15548-9. (for anyone interested)

 

Yeah, that's a great book. I think to go with it, you should also get The Sky on Fire, by Raymond H. Fredette. They compliment each other nicely, I think. One is more technical, the other (being a decade or 2 older) has more 1st-hand accounts by veterans of the affair.

 

The impression I get from reading these things is that the "England Squadron" was the Apollo program of its day. Just getting a few Gothas over London was every bit as hard then, it seems, as putting a couple guys on the moon. It could be done, but it was the very limit of available technology, so it was hugely expensive and fraught with risk from machinery of questionable reliability and the harsh environment. One day, for instance, the Gothas got caught in a very strong southwest wind and not only couldn't cross the Channel, but got blown far to the east, many crashing in the Netherlands and even Denmark, effectively wiping out the squadron. I think somewhere around 6 or 8 Gothas were lost to things like this and landing accidents for every one shot down by the defenses.

 

The other amazing thing about the 1st Blitz was the very few number of raids. I think there were only 6 or 7 daylight attempts, of which only about half reached London. There were a few more night raids, but not significantly more. But they definitely had a moral effect, what with diverting a thousand or so guns and numerous fighter squadrons from the front, plus leading to the amalgamation of the RFC and RNAS.

 

I don't like the idea of bombing England - it's a lovely nice country.

 

Oh I dunno. Every inch of that island has been fought over and burned down repeatedly for thousands of years by many waves of roughians, both foriegn and home-grown. It's what gives the place it's charm