Book Reviews

AEROSPACE / MARCH 201844

Afterburner

Aerial view of bombing on the Western Front from 11,000ft in 1916. RAeS (NAL).

To accomplish its aim, this relatively compact book of 168 pages has nine chapters, whose scope includes discussion of artillery observation, infantry liaison, and aerial photography

the air, learned at great cost in WW1, had to be re-invented in WW2.

The book is a useful and affordable addition to the literature and joins a small collection (eg T J Finnegan Shooting the Front: Allied Aerial Reconnaissance in the First World War (Spellmount. 2014) – reviewed in AEROSPACE November 2015) of works which have appeared in the last decade attempting to record the true value of aviation in the Great War.

Aerial reconnaissance and photography were the principal source of intelligence because, once the two belligerent sides settled into their trenches, the only way to find out what was going on was from the air. While fighter aircraft were important and necessary, primarily to enable the aerial reconnaissance to take place and to prevent the enemy from doing the same, this book makes an effective case for the value of the aerial gathering of intelligence.

Barry TomlinsonFRAeS

EYES ALL OVER THE SKY

Aerial Reconnaissance in the First World WarBy J StreckfussCasemate Publishers, 10 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW, UK. 2016. 255pp. Illustrated. £19.99. ISBN 978-1-61200-367-2.

To many people, aviation and WW1 immediately bring to mind stories of aerial combat and Aces like the Red Baron. The essence of this book is not the ‘romantic’ air conflict, but the vital non-fighting parts. It is another attempt to portray the significant contribution to the war effort of aerial reconnaissance and intelligence gathering and counter the more usual focus on the fighter ‘aces’ and the glamour of air combat.

The author aims “to highlight the significant influence reconnaissance and observation crews and aerial photographers had on the way the First World War developed.” He claims that most of the books on aviation in WW1 have ‘barely acknowledged’ this aspect of air power. To meet this aim he sets out to trace the development of aviation’s reconnaissance functions and, finally, tries to demonstrate that “by putting eyes all over the sky, aviators significantly altered the manner in which (ground and naval operations) were conducted.” The book does not deal with the technology of the aircraft of the period or with the techniques of aerial photography but more with the policies, processes and procedures and with the broad results.

To accomplish its aim, this relatively compact book of 168 pages has nine chapters, whose scope includes discussion of artillery observation, infantry liaison and aerial photography, as well as chapters on ‘the oldest military aircraft’, ie balloons and on naval operations. The main text is complemented by a 13-page bibliography and a 52-page collection of source materials from the UK, France, the US and some from Germany. Photographs, mostly devoted to the US Air Service, are in one block of 16 pages but are not referred to explicitly in the text. There are just two maps, both executed in a childish drawing style, which contain errors and which detract from the rest of the work.

Despite the book’s main thesis (its sub-title is Aerial Reconnaissance in the First World War), Chapter 8 is a review of the post-war struggles in the UK, France and the USA to consolidate or establish an independent ‘air force’. While not the main theme of the book, this chapter reveals how air commanders played down the role and value of observation and reconnaissance to emphasise offensive air power. One consequence of this was that the techniques and processes of photo-reconnaissance and intelligence gathering from

For further information about the National Aerospace Library or its archives please contact:T +44 (0)1252 701038 or 701060E nal@aerosociety.com

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Above: This Douglas DC-3 flew more than 56,700 hours with Eastern Air Lines, making its last commercial flight on 12 October 1952, when it flew from San Salvador to Miami. It was subsequently presented to the Museum by Eastern’s president, Edward V Rickenbacker. It hangs above the first production Boeing 247-D which Roscoe Turner and Clyde Pangborn flew in the 1934 England-to-Australia MacRobertson Race. The aircraft was placed third overall and second in the transport category, completing the 18,180-kilometre (11,300-mile) journey in just under 93 hours. dave_7.

Above left: The Lockheed Vega 5B in which, on 20-21 May 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman (and the only person since Charles Lindbergh) to fly nonstop and alone across the Atlantic Ocean. xiquinhosilva.

MILESTONES OF FLIGHT

American parade of aeronautical advances, the homebuilt ‘Little Gee Bee’ and the Arlington Sisu IA (the first sailplane to accomplish a flight over 1,000km) probably the most unfamiliar to a non-US reader.

As one turns the pages, one learns that, by 1939, 90% of the world’s airline traffic was carried by the Douglas DC-3, the North American F-86A Sabre achieved a 10 to 1 victory ratio during the Korean War and how an unauthorised 367-80 barrel roll by test pilot Alvin ‘Tex’ Johnston endangered the future of the Boeing company, though no mention is made of the major controversy that arose over the exhibition of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay in the article by Jeremy R Kinney.

Individual aircraft timelines are included though perhaps a wider aeronautical timeline placing the exhibits in context would have been more informative to record how far we have progressed in just a few lifetimes, unfortunately no guidance for further reading being included for those who wish to learn more.

Brian RiddleAffiliate

The Epic of Aviation with the National Air and Space MuseumBy F R van der Linden et al

Zenith Press, Quarto Publishing Group USA, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401, USA. 2016. 208pp. Illustrated. £23. ISBN 978-0-7603-5027-0.

To “memorialize the national development of aviation” (‘space flight’ was added in a 1966 amendment) was the far-sighted goal of 12 August 1946 Act of Congress Public Law 722 signed by President Truman which culminated 30 years later on 1 July 1976 – during the week of the bicentennial celebrations of the Declaration of Independence – with, in the words of President Ford, “a perfect birthday present from the American people to themselves” – the opening on Washington’s Mall of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM).

Published during NASM’s 40th year – now enhanced by the additional 170 aircraft displayed (and the James S McDonnell Space Hangar) at the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center opened on 15 December 2003 at Dulles International Airport – this large-format volume focuses on 29 ‘milestone’ aircraft in its collections through a series of 26 well-illustrated articles authored by NASM staff.

With, surprisingly, no Introduction or biographical notes on the 14 contributors (other than the three listed on the book’s dustjacket), the reader is launched straightaway with Peter Jakab reviewing the history of the iconic Wright 1903 ‘Flyer’, the volume ending with Roger D Connor on the General Atomics MQ-1L Predator 3034 which, on 7 October 2001, delivered the first successful operational UAV-delivered precision-guided weapon, the century which began with the goal of sustained manned flight ending with unmanned aircraft performing roles which formerly involved piloted aircraft.

Some of those featured (such as the Lockheed Vegas of Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post, Charles Lindbergh’s Ryan NYP [New York-Paris] ‘Spirit of St Louis’ and Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1/XS-1) are included on the aircraft’s individual achievements, others are representative of their type, such as John D Anderson placing the Mach 6.7 North American X-15A-2 rocket-powered flight of ‘Pete’ Knight (3 October 1967) within the wider context of hypersonic aerodynamics research and Tom Crouch using the Explorer II to relate the history of high-altitude balloon flights. The Blériot XI, Caudron G.4, Messerschmitt Me262-A and Concorde represent the European contribution in an otherwise all-

46

Book ReviewsAfterburner

AEROSPACE / MARCH 2018

THE BOEING KC-135 STRATOTANKER

... this second edition of a book first published in 1997, updates a comprehensive history of one of the longest serving aircraft types in aviation history

More Than a TankerBy R S Hopkins

Crecy Publishing, 1a Ringway Trading Estate, Shawdowmoss Road, Manchester M22 5LH, UK. 2017. 384pp. Illustrated. £27.95. ISBN 978-1-91080-901-3.

The first three chapters of this book set the scene with a description of the evolution of US strategy in the nuclear era, then moving on to a history of air-to-air refuelling, before describing Boeing’s role in flying the Dash 80 demonstrator aircraft in 1954, which gave birth to the KC-135 in 1956. Mention is also made of the fact that the Dash 80 lead to the Boeing 707 and in effect to Boeing’s domination of the civil aircraft market, while noting that this topic is largely outside the scope of this publication.

The next chapter gives a comprehensive technical description of the aircraft based on the flight manual, including the major upgrades introduced over its 60-year service life, such as three major engine types and new glass cockpits. However, there is no tabulated data on aircraft weights, dimensions and performance, although much of this information can be found scattered around the text.

The author, who flew the KC-135 and derivatives over many years, then moves on to the service history of the aircraft, which is the real meat of the book. He first describes how the aircraft’s aerial tanker role evolved over the decades, from directly supporting the US nuclear deterrent force, then with increasing demands for conventional operations, firstly in Southeast Asia and then in later conflicts, including Desert Storm, all of which put severe strains on both the aircraft and its crews.

The effort to improve the basic tanker and supplement or even replace it with more modern types is also addressed, as are specialist tankers, such as those used to re-fuel the Lockheed SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft and the rather limited foreign use, in particular by France.

After a description of its less than successful employment as a pure transport, the myriad of research and development projects that relied on KC-135 airframes are comprehensively described. This provides some fascinating insights into areas such as icing research, observations of the Aurora Borealis, comets, meteors and rocket plumes and support for the Gemini and Apollo programmes, to name but a few. Moving on, there are long chapters describing the use of KC-135 versions as nuclear command posts and as electronic intelligence reconnaissance platforms, which go into the fine detail of political factors, roles, equipment fit, performance improvements, bases, units, cabin

layouts, individual aircraft histories and, in some cases, the names of individual crew members. The latest variant to be covered is the RC-135W, which has recently entered RAF service in the electronic intelligence role, filling a gap left by the retirement of the Nimrod R1 and likely to continue in service until the 2040s.

Finally, the tremendous engineering effort required to keep these ancient airframes flying is described, together with planned and possible replacements for the aircraft in its many roles. There are also a number of annexes listing aircraft serial numbers and brief histories, of those lost to attrition, retirements and major awards and achievements, together with a very useful glossary of abbreviations and a comprehensive index. However, a list of major variants, their designations and major features would have been helpful in navigating the complex history of this aircraft. The book is also replete with photographs of KC-135 variants, displaying a myriad of radomes and other external installations, together with some other relevant types, both friendly, such as the B-47 and B-52, and some rather threatening MiGs.

In summary, this second edition of a book first published in 1997, updates a comprehensive history of one of the longest serving aircraft types in aviation history.

Colin FrazerAMRAeS

Top: A USAF Boeing KC-135 refuels a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II en route to Eglin AFB, Florida. Lockheed Martin.

Above left: A Royal Air Force Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint landing at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. MoD/Crown copyright.

Above right: A Boeing KC-135A with NASA winglets in flight over the San Gabriel mountains, south of Edwards AFB. NASA.