Afterburner Book Reviews EYES ALL OVER THE SKY

Aerial Reconnaissance in the First World War By J Streckfuss

Casemate 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 the air, learned at great cost in WW1, had to be Aerial view of bombing on the re-invented in WW2. Western Front from 11,000ft (ground and naval operations) were conducted.” in 1916. RAeS (NAL). The book does not deal with the technology of the The book is a useful and affordable addition aircraft of the period or with the techniques of aerial to the literature and joins a small collection (eg photography but more with the policies, processes T J Finnegan Shooting the Front: Allied Aerial and procedures and with the broad results. Reconnaissance in the First World War (Spellmount. To accomplish 2014) – reviewed in AEROSPACE November To accomplish its aim, this relatively compact its aim, this book of 168 pages has nine chapters, whose scope 2015) of works which have appeared in the last includes discussion of artillery observation, infantry decade attempting to record the true value of relatively liaison and aerial photography, as well as chapters aviation in the Great War. compact book on ‘the oldest military aircraft’, ie balloons and on Aerial reconnaissance and photography were of 168 pages naval operations. The main text is complemented by the principal source of intelligence because, once a 13-page bibliography and a 52-page collection of the two belligerent sides settled into their trenches, has nine source materials from the UK, France, the US and the only way to find out what was going on was chapters, whose some from . Photographs, mostly devoted from the air. While fighter aircraft were important scope includes to the US Air Service, are in one block of 16 pages and necessary, primarily to enable the aerial discussion but are not referred to explicitly in the text. There are reconnaissance to take place and to prevent the just two maps, both executed in a childish drawing enemy from doing the same, this book makes an of artillery style, which contain errors and which detract from effective case for the value of the aerial gathering of observation, the rest of the work. intelligence. infantry liaison, Despite the book’s main thesis (its sub-title and aerial is Aerial Reconnaissance in the First World War), Barry Tomlinson Chapter 8 is a review of the post-war struggles FRAeS photography 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 For further information about the National of observation and reconnaissance to emphasise Aerospace Library or its archives please contact: offensive air power. One consequence of this T +44 (0)1252 701038 or 701060 was that the techniques and processes of photo- E [email protected] reconnaissance and intelligence gathering from

44 AEROSPACE / MARCH 2018 MILESTONES OF FLIGHT

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

Zenith Press, Quarto Publishing Group USA, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, , 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 Above: This Douglas DC-3 Independence – with, in the words of President flew more than 56,700 hours Ford, “a perfect birthday present from the with Eastern Air Lines, making American people to themselves” – the opening on its last commercial flight on 12 October 1952, when it Washington’s Mall of the Smithsonian Institution’s flew from San Salvador to National Air and Space Museum (NASM). Miami. It was subsequently Published during NASM’s 40th year – now presented to the Museum by enhanced by the additional 170 aircraft displayed Eastern’s president, Edward V Rickenbacker. It hangs (and the James S McDonnell Space Hangar) at above the first production the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center opened on 15 247-D which Roscoe December 2003 at Dulles International Airport – Turner and this large-format volume focuses on 29 ‘milestone’ flew in the 1934 - aircraft in its collections through a series of 26 well- to- MacRobertson Race. The aircraft was placed illustrated articles authored by NASM staff. third overall and second in the With, surprisingly, no Introduction or biographical American parade of aeronautical advances, the transport category, completing notes on the 14 contributors (other than the three homebuilt ‘Little Gee Bee’ and the Arlington Sisu the 18,180-kilometre listed on the book’s dustjacket), the reader is IA (the first sailplane to accomplish a flight over (11,300-mile) journey in just under 93 hours. dave_7. launched straightaway with Peter Jakab reviewing 1,000km) probably the most unfamiliar to a non-US the history of the iconic Wright 1903 ‘Flyer’, the reader. Above left: The 5B in which, on 20-21 volume ending with Roger D Connor on the General As one turns the pages, one learns that, by May 1932, Amelia Earhart Atomics MQ-1L Predator 3034 which, on 7 October 1939, 90% of the world’s traffic was carried became the first woman (and 2001, delivered the first successful operational by the Douglas DC-3, the North American F-86A the only person since Charles UAV-delivered precision-guided weapon, the century Sabre achieved a 10 to 1 victory ratio during Lindbergh) to fly nonstop and alone across the Atlantic which began with the goal of sustained manned the Korean War and how an unauthorised 367- Ocean. xiquinhosilva. flight ending with unmanned aircraft performing 80 barrel roll by test pilot Alvin ‘Tex’ Johnston roles which formerly involved piloted aircraft. endangered the future of the Boeing company, Some of those featured (such as the Lockheed though no mention is made of the major controversy Vegas of Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post, Charles that arose over the exhibition of the Boeing B-29 Lindbergh’s Ryan NYP [New York-Paris] ‘Spirit of Superfortress Enola Gay in the article by Jeremy R St Louis’ and Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1/XS-1) are Kinney. included on the aircraft’s individual achievements, Individual aircraft timelines are included though others are representative of their type, such as perhaps a wider aeronautical timeline placing John D Anderson placing the Mach 6.7 North the exhibits in context would have been more American X-15A-2 rocket-powered flight of ‘Pete’ informative to record how far we have progressed Knight (3 October 1967) within the wider context of in just a few lifetimes, unfortunately no guidance for hypersonic aerodynamics research and Tom Crouch further reading being included for those who wish to using the Explorer II to relate the history of high- learn more. altitude balloon flights. The Blériot XI, Caudron G.4, Messerschmitt Me262-A and Concorde represent Brian Riddle the European contribution in an otherwise all- Affiliate

Find us on Twitter i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com MARCH 2018 45 Afterburner Book Reviews THE BOEING KC-135 STRATOTANKER

More Than a Tanker By 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 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 . However, there is no tabulated data on aircraft weights, dimensions and performance, although much of this information can be found scattered around the text. layouts, individual aircraft histories and, in some Top: A USAF Boeing KC-135 The author, who flew the KC-135 and cases, the names of individual crew members. The refuels a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II en route to derivatives over many years, then moves on to the latest variant to be covered is the RC-135W, which Eglin AFB, Florida. service history of the aircraft, which is the real meat has recently entered RAF service in the electronic Lockheed Martin. of the book. He first describes how the aircraft’s intelligence role, filling a gap left by the retirement Above left: A aerial tanker role evolved over the decades, from of the Nimrod R1 and likely to continue in service Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint directly supporting the US nuclear deterrent force, until the 2040s. landing at RAF Waddington, then with increasing demands for conventional Finally, the tremendous engineering effort Lincolnshire. MoD/Crown copyright. operations, firstly in Southeast Asia and then in later required to keep these ancient airframes flying conflicts, including Desert Storm, all of which put Above right: A Boeing is described, together with planned and possible KC-135A with NASA severe strains on both the aircraft and its crews. replacements for the aircraft in its many roles. There winglets in flight over the San The effort to improve the basic tanker and are also a number of annexes listing aircraft serial Gabriel mountains, south of supplement or even replace it with more modern numbers and brief histories, of those lost to attrition, Edwards AFB. NASA. types is also addressed, as are specialist tankers, retirements and major awards and achievements, such as those used to re-fuel the Lockheed SR- together with a very useful glossary of abbreviations 71 reconnaissance aircraft and the rather limited and a comprehensive index. However, a list of major foreign use, in particular by France. variants, their designations and major features After a description of its less than successful would have been helpful in navigating the complex ... this second employment as a pure transport, the myriad of history of this aircraft. The book is also replete research and development projects that relied on with photographs of KC-135 variants, displaying a edition of a KC-135 airframes are comprehensively described. myriad of radomes and other external installations, book first This provides some fascinating insights into areas together with some other relevant types, both published in such as icing research, observations of the Aurora friendly, such as the B-47 and B-52, and some 1997, updates a Borealis, comets, meteors and rocket plumes and rather threatening MiGs. support for the Gemini and Apollo programmes, to In summary, this second edition of a book comprehensive name but a few. Moving on, there are long chapters first published in 1997, updates a comprehensive history of one describing the use of KC-135 versions as nuclear history of one of the longest serving aircraft types in of the longest command posts and as electronic intelligence aviation history. serving aircraft reconnaissance platforms, which go into the fine detail of political factors, roles, equipment fit, Colin Frazer types in performance improvements, bases, units, cabin AMRAeS aviation history

46 AEROSPACE / MARCH 2018