WAR IN THE AIR MAP CASE 5

Being the story of the part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force. Airship & Aeroplane Raids from 16-17 March 1917 to 19-20 May 1918

212 Seiten, Taschenbuch

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

"The Air Raids that Shook Britain in the First World War", shown in a chronological series of Ordnance Survey maps, overlaid to show the path taken, at first by German Zeppelins, and later Gotha bomber aircraft.Zeppelin tactical numbers are shown along with weather information, number of bombs dropped, casualties - both killed and wounded - and, interestingly, monetary damage. Of immense value to both the air historian and local history expert.During the First World War, Britain came under attack from the air, putting civilians in the firing line for the very first time. At the start of the war, Britain was ill-prepared to deal with the threat from enemy airships and aircraft. Traditionally, its home defence focused on defending the coastline rather than its airspace and with most of the Royal Flying Corps operating overseas, few aircraft remained to defend Britain.The first aerial threat came from German Zeppelins in 1915. At 11,000 feet, Zeppelins could turn off their engines, drifting silently to carry out surprise attacks. Successive damaging Zeppelin attacks in both 1915 and 1916 caused public outcry and government embarrassment.To counter the threat, streetlights were dimmed, and guns, searchlights and observers were mobilised. Some RFC and Royal Naval Air Service squadrons were recalled, and defence switched from anti-aircraft guns to aeroplanes. Incendiary ammunition for aircraft was developed for bringing down the airships.In June 1917, the first air raid on Britain by huge Gotha bomber aircraft took place. To meet this latest threat, new tactics in aerial combat were developed. Wireless communication, coupled with sophisticated observation and reporting of enemy movements, enabled fighters to be despatched to meet the bombers. Anti-aircraft fire and barrage balloons also forced enemy aircraft higher, compromising their bombing accuracy. By May 1918, over 60 Gothas had been destroyed and the aerial threat to Britain was effectively over.LIST OF MAPS IN THIS VOLUME:AIRSHIP RAIDS, 19171. 16-17 March2. 23-24 May3. 16-17 June. 21-22 August4. 24-25 September5. 19-20 October6. 19-20 OctoberAIRSHIP RAIDS, 19187. 12 March 13 March8. 12-13 April9. 5-6 AugustAEROPLANE RAIDS, 191710. 25 May 5 June11. 13 June. I12. 7 July.13. 4-5 September14. 24th September15. 25 September16. 28 September17. 29 September18. 30 September19. 1 October20. 31 October21. 6 December22. 18 DecemberAEROPLANE RAIDS, 191823. 28-29 January24. 29-30 January25. 16 February26. 17-18 February27. 7-8 March28. 19-20 MayPublished in c1935 separately to the 7 volumes of the official "War In The Air" text volumes, and folded within in a map case, to be more practical, and convenient, whilst not impeding the easy referencing of the smaller format of the text volumes - now reprinted in book form, both as key map, with segmented sheets, all reproduced in Full colour facsimile.

• Reihe: No Series Linked
• Themen: Geschichte und Archäologie Geschichte Militärgeschichte
• ISBN: 9781474540049
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 10.06.2024
• Größe: 297 x 210 mm
• Verlag: Naval & Military Press