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A review by komet2020
Knights of the Air: an American Pilot's View of the Aerial War of the French Squadrons During the First World War by Bennett A. Molter
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Knights of the Air: an American Pilot's View of the Aerial War of the French Squadrons During the First World War was originally published in 1918 while the war was still being fought. Its author, Bennett A. Molter, was a chasse de pilote (fighter pilot) who saw action with a French squadron at the Front during 1917. He speaks about himself only in relation to the type of training he received.
Mainly Molter provides the reader with a rough sketch of French military aviation as it had developed from the beginning of the war, and its various categories - that of pursuit, photo reconnaissance/artillery spotting, and bombing -- and the roles played by planes in these categories at the Front. I have a feeling that Molter himself may have been commissioned by the U.S. government to shed light on his wartime experiences as a way to encourage Americans to "do their bit" and help defeat the Germans. Some famous American pilots who had flown with France before the U.S. entry into the war, had returned home on leave, and were enjoined to write at some length about their frontline experiences.
The value of this book comes in giving the reader some tangible understanding of French military aviation as it had become by 1918, and of the contributions made by some of its famous pilots. My curiosity was whetted about Molter himself. I've done online searches about him, but sadly haven't been able to find much information about him. What he has left us through this book is invaluable for anyone who wants to gain some understanding of what the First World War was like for someone who was a participant in it at a time when its end was as yet uncertain.
Mainly Molter provides the reader with a rough sketch of French military aviation as it had developed from the beginning of the war, and its various categories - that of pursuit, photo reconnaissance/artillery spotting, and bombing -- and the roles played by planes in these categories at the Front. I have a feeling that Molter himself may have been commissioned by the U.S. government to shed light on his wartime experiences as a way to encourage Americans to "do their bit" and help defeat the Germans. Some famous American pilots who had flown with France before the U.S. entry into the war, had returned home on leave, and were enjoined to write at some length about their frontline experiences.
The value of this book comes in giving the reader some tangible understanding of French military aviation as it had become by 1918, and of the contributions made by some of its famous pilots. My curiosity was whetted about Molter himself. I've done online searches about him, but sadly haven't been able to find much information about him. What he has left us through this book is invaluable for anyone who wants to gain some understanding of what the First World War was like for someone who was a participant in it at a time when its end was as yet uncertain.