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The vivid air: Gerald and Michael Constable Maxwell, fighter pilots in both world wars

Revell, Alex

Kimber

Arthur Rhys Davids was shot down and killed in October 1917. He was just twenty and had been flying over the Western Front with 56 Squadron for six months. He had entered the Royal Flying Corps direct from Eton College. In his brief operational career he was awarded the Military Cross twice and the Distinguished Service Order once. In the opinion of the commanding officer of his squadron he deserved the Victoria Cross. He came to public fame through shooting down the German ace Werner Voss. Rhys Davids was more than an outstanding fighter pilot, he was a man of thought as well as a man of action. Coming from an intellectual family, he was a brilliant classicist and popular with his fellow pilots in the RFC including James McCudden. Alex Revell has written a sensitive and deeply moving biography. It is based on letters from Rhys Davids early boyhood days at Eton to his last letter written on the night before he died.returncharacterreturncharacter returncharacterreturncharacter REVIEWS returncharacterreturncharacter..". a fascinating account of life and death in World War I." Cross and Cockade, 05/2010

Brief glory: The life of Arthur Rhys Davids, DSO, MC and Bar

History

Europe

W. Kimber

This is the story of the single-seater fighter operations over the Western Front flown by the fighter pilots of Great Britain and her Commonwealth. Along with their opposite numbers from Germany and her allies, these pilots of the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Naval Air Service and later, the Royal Air Force, were the world's first fighter pilots. The Great War of 1914-1918 saw the advent of a new type of warfare. For the first time in history the aeroplane was to play an important and vital role in the pursuit of war. The stalemate of trench warfare on the Western Front, where trenches stretched from the coast of Belgium to the borders of Switzerland, saw aeroplane reconnaissance as the only way to observe the activities of the opposing side, a task previously carried out by cavalry. It was imperative that these two-seater observation/reconnaissance aeroplanes were prevented in carrying out their vitally important tasks and destroyed - in effect to deny the enemy his 'eyes'. Fast 'fighter' aeroplanes were used to carry out this task, which led to each side attempting to protect their reconnaissance aeroplanes with fighter aeroplanes of their own. It was the beginning of a new type of warfare - aerial combat.

British Single-Seater Fighter Squadrons in World War I

Military

Schiffer Military History

This book traces the combat history of British fighter units. Major aircraft types are all covered, and their missions detailed. Aircraft markings and aircrew uniforms are shown in full colour illustrations.

British Fighter Units: Western Front 1914-1916 (Osprey Airwar 14)

Osprey_Publishing

This book traces the combat history of British fighter units. Major aircraft types are all covered, and their missions detailed. Aircraft markings and aircrew uniforms are shown in full colour illustrations.

British Fighter Units: Western Front 1917-1918 (Osprey Airwar 18)

JAMES MCCUDDEN VC - ACES AND AEROPLANES 3

Albatross

The History of 56 Squadron, Rfc/Raf 1916-1920

High in the Empty Blue: The History of 56 Squadron, Rfc/Raf 1916-1920

Flying Machines Pr

By the autumn of 1916, with the formation of the new Jagdstaffeln, the pendulum of aerial supremacy had once again swung in favor of the German Air Force. The battle of the Somme in 1916 saw the RFC suffer losses of nearly 400 aircrew between September and November, and British casualties were to reach a zenith in the 'Bloody April' of 1917 when 319 aircrew were lost, killed or taken prisoner of war. This was the situation when No 56 Squadron arrived in France at the end of April 1917. Equipped with the superb new SE 5, it was the first fighter squadron of the RFC to be able to meet the Albatros and Halberstadt fighters of the Jagdstaffeln on equal terms. The squadron's pilots won an incredible tally of decorations, and by the end of the hostilities many famous fighter pilots had passed through its ranks - Albert Ball VC, Canadian Hank Burden and American Robert Caldwell to name but a few. In this fascinating study, Alex Revell uncovers the early days and development of No 56 Squadron, its victories and losses, and the birth of a proud tradition.

No 56 Sqn RAF/RFC (Aviation Elite Units, 33)

Arthur Rhys Davids was shot down and killed in October 1917. He was just twenty and had been flying over the Western Front with 56 Squadron for six months. He had entered the Royal Flying Corps direct from Eton College. In his brief operational career he was awarded the Military Cross twice and the Distinguished Service Order once. In the opinion of the commanding officer of his squadron he deserved the Victoria Cross. He came to public fame through shooting down the German ace Werner Voss. Rhys Davids was more than an outstanding fighter pilot, he was a man of thought as well as a man of action. Coming from an intellectual family, he was a brilliant classicist and popular with his fellow pilots in the RFC including James McCudden. Alex Revell has written a sensitive and deeply moving biography. It is based on letters from Rhys Davids early boyhood days at Eton to his last letter written on the night before he died.

Brief Glory: The Life of Arthur Rhys Davids DSO MC*

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Pen and Sword Aviation

When Gerald Constable Maxwell was flying as a fighter pilot in World War I, his brother Michael was born. Both went on to have distinguished flying careers in World War II. This is the story of both men and how their paths crossed during the second conflict. Gerald served with distinction with 56 Squadron, one of the crack fighter units of WWI in France. Upon his return to England he became Chief Flying Instructor of No. 1 Fighter and Gunnery School at Turnberry. In World War II he served as Station Commander at RAF Ford, a night Fighter station near Arundel, one of the most efficient and happy stations in 11 Group. Michael followed in his brother’s footsteps and joined 56 Squadron in April 1940 to fly the Hawker Hurricane. During May the squadron was moved to France to assist the fast retreating British and French forces as the Germans rapidly advanced. On 27 May, he was shot down whilst attacking ten Heinkel 111s on their way to bomb Dunkirk. Fortunately his first contacts upon landing by parachute were French and he managed to find his way to Ostend where he boarded a trawler and crossed the Channel back to Deal. 56 Squadron had by now returned to their English base at North Weald from where they were flying patrols over the French coast and escorting RAF bombers raiding the German positions. On 8 June, whilst trying to reach returning Blenheims over Le Treport, the Hurricanes were bounced by Bf 109s and again Michael was hit, wounding him in the leg and foot, fortunately he eventually managed a crash landing back at North Weald. During the height of the Battle of Britain Michael was again forced to make a crash landing near Herne Bay which he was lucky to survive as his Hurricane had disintegrated around him. In the autumn of 1941 Michael was posted to 604 Nightfighter Squadron, led by the legendary ‘Cat’s Eyes’ Cunningham flying Beaufighters and eventually Mosquitos. He was eventually to Command the squadron whose tally of enemy aircraft shot down when he left it had reached 100. This remarkable story includes firsthand combat accounts from both Michael and Gerald and the author has had access to the Constable Maxwell’s family records.

Fighter Aces! The Constable Maxwell Brothers: Fighter Pilots in Two World Wars

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