The Sky Their Battlefield by Trevor Henshaw (reviewed by Peter Hart)

Fetubi Books, ISBN: 9–780–992–977–115 (softback) £40.00 ISBN: 9–780–992–977–108 (hardback) £50.00 

This is the most important book published on the Great War this year. The first edition produced back in 1995 seemed unbeatable, but this is even better.

Revised from top to bottom it covers the carefully indexed contributions to the air war of some 16,800 British, Commonwealth and US air personnel, with details of some 13,500 casualties described. Put like that it sounds dry, tedious even – far from it!

Using a day–by–day format it tracks every detail of the air fighting on all war fronts, linked by a cool and authoritative commentary, which places events in the air and on the ground in a proper context. Well written and lively, it is never dull.

For this brand new edition, nearly half the entries have been updated or are new, and there is now a 4,500 strong section on accidents in all war theatres from 1912–1919. Much more cross–checking of casualties with German records has been achieved with more than 3,000 German claims now firmly linked to Allied losses. T

here are extensive new analytical appendices as well. 

Available from www.crossandcockade. com or www.theskytheirbattlefield2.com 

[This review first appeared in Stand To! No.103 May 2015. Members receive three issues of Stand To! And three of our sister publication Bulletin each year. The entire archive of Stand To! Is available online to Members via their Member Login. Digital copies of both magazines are sent to our Digital Members.]