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WAR WINGS: Films of the First Air War
By Phillip W. Stewart
Have you ever seen a "Jenny" do a triple loop or a squadron of American made "Liberty" bombers take off on a mission over the front? You can...in glorious black and white!
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Description
WAR WINGS: Films of the First Air War was honored as an Award Finalist in both the Military History AND Film/TV/Radio categories of the National "Best Books" 2008 Awards! WAR WINGS is a unique reference guide that describes, in detail, over 2,500 scenes of WWI aviation related documentary motion pictures. According to aviation historian Walter J. Boyne, "This book is absolutely indispensable to a student of WWI aviation." To quote Leo Opdycke, author and publisher, "It's the next best thing to seeing the films themselves." Contrary to some widely held beliefs, large, heavy, wooden boxes with crude brass-encased glass lenses, metal hand cranks, and ungainly tripods were, indeed filming the events of the Great War. They were shot on location, as history happened, by dedicated and courageous U.S. Army Signal Corps soldier-cameramen. Scenes of pilot training, aerial combat in the skies over France, airplane manufacturing, and the post-Armistice testing of enemy airplanes were all captured on film during 1917 through 1919. The films that found their way back from "Over There" are considered official government records and are preserved at the National Archives. Unfortunately, few of these motion pictures show the newest weapon of the war, the airplane, in action. In fact, of the thousands of WWI related reels held in the National Archives, only 71 film titles document aviation activities, and half of those titles consist of only a few scenes. With the centennial of America's involvement in World War I less than a decade away, it's important for all of us, who share more than a casual interest in early aviation, to re-discover and explore all available resources. The films cataloged in this book document are a fascinating visual story of war in the air of 90 years ago. It is incumbent upon all of us, as we begin the process of re-telling, re-writing and re-showing the first air war to generations of people with little knowledge of it, that we include the moving image element--the motion picture. Whether you are a film researcher, aircraft museum curator, replica aircraft builder, media producer, historian, story teller or a student of WWI aviation, the information contained within the pages of this invaluable research tool provides an accurate and timeless word picture record of the aviation related moving images of the "War to End All Wars."
