T H E C O L O P H O N B O O K S H O P Robert and Christine Liska P. O. B O X 1 0 5 2 E X E T E R N E W H A M P S H I R E 0 3 8 3 3 ( 6 0 3 ) 7 7 2 8 4 4 3 World War I Aviation All items listed have been carefully described and are in fine collector’s condition unless otherwise noted. All are sold on an approval basis and any purchase may be returned within two weeks for any reason. Member ABAA and ILAB. All items are offered subject to prior sale. Please add $4.00 shipping for the first book, $1.00 for each additional volume. New clients are requested to send remittance with order. All shipments outside the United States will be charged shipping at cost. We accept VISA, MASTERCARD and AMERICAN EXPRESS. (603) 772-8443; FAX (603) 772-3384; e-mail: [email protected] http://www.colophonbooks.com ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼ 1. (8 NAVAL SQUADRON). BROMET, Squadron Commander G. R. Naval Squadron No. 8. Attd. 10th. Wing, R.F.C. Summary of Work Done from 20th. April to 5th. May, 1917. (Sheet title). SIGNED by Bromet. "In the Field": May 6, 1917, 8 x 12 3/4 inches, (6 sheets). 8 Naval Squadron was formed on 25 October, 1916 at St. Pol and moved to the Army front the next day. In mid-November it was flying Sopwith Pups on offensive patrols with great success and by the end of the year had destroyed twenty enemy aircraft. The Pups were replaced by Sopwith Triplanes in March and moved back to the coast for a brief time after which it returned to the front. S/Cdr. G. R. Bromet commanded the Squadron from Oct. 1916 to Oct. 1917. A very informative Summary listing "Work carried out", numbers of Offensive and Line Patrols, Special Missions and Bombing Escorts. There are numerous mentions of Australian 47 victory ace Capt Robert A. Little. "APRIL 30th. Flight Sub Lieut. R.A. Little on the same patrol saw a red Albatross [sic] Scout with a larger engine than the rest diving on him from the sun. Pilot's gun jambed [sic] so he tried to break off combat but the H.A. still fired at him. It shot the pump off the machine so Pilot got below H. A. and stopped there. He turned when H.A. turned and dived when it dived. During this time Pilot managed to clear his gun and fired at the German machine which was about 20 ft in front and about 10 ft above him. Half the engine and fuselage was all that Pilot could see of him through his sight. Pilot saw his tracers enter the H.A. which started to climb, then stalled and sent down in a dive turning slowly. H.A. was last seen about 1,000 ft from the ground completely out of control." Signed by Squadron Commander G. R. Bromet. (25267) $850.00 2. (BARLOW, 2nd. Arthur Norman). Partially Printed Post Card as Prisoner of War , Kriegsgefangenensendung Schweidnitz. Schweidnitz Prisoner of War Camp: October 4, 1918, 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, Barlow flew DH4's with 57 Squadron in France. On 10 August 1917 he was hit by enemy fire and crashed at Ingelmunster. He and Lt C. D. Hutchinson became prisoners of war. The victory was claimed by Ltn M. Muller of Jasta 28. This is a form "courtesy card" from the prison camp filled in and addressed by Barlow to his father (?) who lived in Manchester, England. He notes that he has received recent parcels in good condition, his address is correct and he has signed the card. Very slight wear, otherwise fine. (25262) $110.00 3. (RICHTHOFEN, Manfred von). WOOTTON, Frank. "Encounter with the Red Baron". SIGNED, 1 of 2 Printer's Proofs. (1988), 31 x 21 1/4 inches, Limited to 850 numbered, signed copies, this is number 1 of 2 Printer's Proof Copies. Between 1916 and 1918, Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron, shot down eighty Allied planes. Even though he did not survive the war, no other World War I aviator equalled this record, making him the war's top scoring ace. He was emulated by other German airmen, feared by his enemies and admired by both for his flying and fighting skill. Manfred von Richthofen was born May 2, 1892, to an old landed Prussian family. In 1912, he followed in his father Major Albrecht Baron von Richthofen's footsteps and enlisted in the army, but found the ground war, even on horseback, a muddy chaos promising little glory. He transferred to the Imperial Air Service's Jasta II (hunting squadron) in 1916 and after several kills, painted his Albatros D-III scout scarlet, earning his his "nom de guerre," the Red Baron. In 1917, Richthofen was awarded the "Pour le Merite," a medal called the Blue Max, which was roughly equivalent to the British Victoria Cross and the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor, after he had brought down sixteen enemy planes. He was given command of Jasta 11 and later that year, command of JF(Jagdeschwader: hunting wing) which commanded Jasta 4, 6, 10 and 11. The aviators under his command began painting their own planes in bright colors and British pilots dubbed JGI "Richthofen's Flying Circus." The red Albatros scout was exchanged in August 1917 for a prototype Fokker and over the next months, the Red Baron flew several models, each painted scarlet, of this maneuverable, tight-turning plane. On April 21, 1918, JG 1, with Richthofen in command, engaged RAF Squadron No. 209, commanded by Capt. Arthur R. Brown, in an air battle near Sailly-le-sec, Somme, France. The battle raged over Allied field artillery and the Red Baron was shot down. Both RAF Squadron No. 209 and the Australian Field Artillery's 53rd Battery claimed the kill but whatever unit was responsible, the Red Baron's war had ended. "Here I've portrayed the Red Baron in a Fokker Dr-1 triplane engaging a British S.E. 5a during an air battle between the German JG 1 and British RAF Squadron No 56. A very fine copy, will be shipped rolled. (25282) $375.00 4. (ROYAL FLYING CORPS). Royal Flying Corps pinky ring. (Circa 1917), measures approximately 5/8 inches across, Nice example of an RFC (Royal Flying Corps) pinky ring made about 1917. Original brass RFC cuff button made into a tiny ring. Button is mounted on a silver (although not stamped as such) ring. It comes with the case which came along with the ring when we purchased it about ten years ago. The box silk lining is printed J. & H. Faiore, 32, Sloans Square, London. Button shows slight wear, box has a few scuffs. (25263) $150.00 5. (43 SQUADRON). BEDLE, Jimmy. The Fighting Cocks. Barnsley: Pen & Sword, (2011), octavo, boards in dust jacket. 352 pp. First Edition. In April 1916, a group of early aviators gathered in the fields beneath the crags and ramparts of Stirling Castle to form what was to become one of the Royal Air Forces most distinguished fighter squadrons. Few squadrons can match the history of 43 Squadron, including being the first squadron to undertake ground attack operations during the First World War, shooting down the first enemy aircraft over England in the Second World War, and achieving the remarkable double of shooting down 6 enemy aircraft in one day in both World Wars. Its distinctive emblem of the Fighting Cock embodies the spirit and resilience of a fighter squadron that has been in the vanguard of RAF operations for almost a century. Perhaps the Fighting Cocks finest period occurred during the Battle of Britain when its Hurricanes destroyed 60 enemy aircraft with a further thirteen probables and twenty-five more damaged. With the advent of the jet age, 43 Squadron became the first unit to fly the Hunter, seeing operational duties in Aden, before re-equipping with the Phantom until the end of the Cold War. This new edition of the Fighting Cocks history brings the story up to date and covers its 20 years of service with the Tornado F3, including the Gulf War, NATO operations over Bosnia, and the Iraq War. Extensively illustrated with the last 64 pages in full color. Very fine. (22218) $60.00 6. (14 SQUADRON). NAPIER, Michael. Winged Crusaders. The Exploits of 14 Squadron RFC & RAF 1915-1945. (Barnsley): Pen & Sword, (2012), large octavo, black boards in pictorial dust jacket. xii, 324pp. First Edition. Formed in 1915 and still operational today, 14 Squadron is one of the RAF's longest serving and most senior Squadrons. Spending the first thirty years of its operational life in the Middle East, the history of this Squadron is a rich one, but one that, until now, has gone largely unrecorded. Napier effectively brings together all the historical scraps and shreds of stories, which make up the collective history of this unit, from 1915 -1945, a period of great military and social upheaval. The author himself attests to the fact that the work is not merely about the airplanes operational history during this period, or the stark military facts (although enthusiasts of both these areas will find much here); rather, the work concerns itself largely with the people who flew such aircraft. Recording the dramatic trials and tribulations of the people who were 14 Squadron, Napier provides a sympathetic and engaging account of this period of military history.