Men - Aeronaut Books

Oswald Boelcke –The Red Baron’s Hero

This is the complete story of Oswald Boelcke, one of the greatest pioneers of fighter aviation and the man Manfred von Richthofen, the “Red Baron,” called his hero. This definitive biography – lavishly illustrated with over 650 photos – provides a wealth of new information on this remarkable young man, including some of his original letters and accounts by people who knew him. After his tragic death in a mid-air collision with one of his closest colleagues, his teachings and the memory of his inspirational personality and leadership continued to influence fighter aviation up to the present day. 856 pages, 672 photos. Hard bound. ISBN 978-1-935881-64-3. $99.95

eagle of trieste Volume 1

Gottfried von Banfield and the Naval Air War Over the Northern Adriatic in WWI. This is a detailed, heavily-illustrated biography of the leading Austro-Hungarian naval ace of the Great War and the last surviving holder of the Order of Maria Theresa of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It has 260 photos, 16 in color, 15 color profiles, plus 33 color paintings and postcards. The book has 222 pages. $49.99

eagle of trieste volume 2

Gottfried von Banfield and the Naval Air War Over the Northern Adriatic in WWI. This book supplements the detailed, heavily-illustrated biography of the leading Austro-Hungarian naval ace of the war with additional information about the air war over the Adriatic that covers specific people, events, and aircraft in detail. It has 229 photos, 20 in color, 50 color profiles plus 24 color paintings and graphics. In addition, scale aircraft drawings of 12 different Austro-Hungarian naval aircraft are included. The book has 196 pages. $49.99

Jean navarre | France's sentinel of verdun

With aviation’s rapid growth in the Great War came air combat and the beginning of fighter aviation. Jean Navarre became the archetypal fighter pilot, the first French ace of aces, who, together with other brave airmen, created fighter aviation. They were a legend in their own time, and this is their story. Format 8.5″ by 11″ page size. $24.95

Inside the victories of the red baron, volume 1

This is a heavily-illustrated, comprehensive summary of all 80 victories of the famous Red Baron, the leading ace of WWI. Full details of each victory are given, including color profiles of the aircraft flown by Richthofen, the type and serial of the downed aircraft, the names of the crewmen and their fate, etc. So much information is provided that two volumes were necessary.

Volume 1 covers von Richthofen’s career up to his wounding in action on 6 July 1917 and has 203 photos (81 in color), 12 illustrations (8 in color), and a painting plus color profiles in its 240 pages. It has a detailed analysis of von Richthofen’s combat with Lanoe Hawker and of von Richthofen’s wounding. $49.99

Inside the victories of the red baron, volume 2

Volume 2 covers von Richthofen’s career from his wounding in action on 6 July 1917 until his death in action and has 163 photos (44 in color) and color profiles in its 234 pages. It has a comprehensive discussion of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) as a potential contributor to von Richthofen’s death in action and extensive coverage of his souvenirs together with statistics on his combat career.$49.99

carl menckhoff Reminiscenses of War and Captivity

This is the story of one of Germany’s great aces of WWI, who scored 39 victories and was awarded the Pour le Mérite, Imperial Germany’s highest award. Moreover, this story does not end with the war, but continues until today with the touching story of two families, the Menckhoffs and the Averys, uniting years after Menckhoff’s last combat when he was downed by fledgling American pilot Walter L. Avery of the 95th Aero Squadron. Much of the story is in Menckhoff’s own words, but to complete the picture and put it in perspective, further information on Menckhoff and the Menckhoff family is provided by author Dr. Hannes Täger. To make the story accessible to the greatest audience, the text is presented in both German and English. The book has 304 pages and contains 208 photos, 14 of them in color, 9 illustrations and maps, and splendid color profiles of three of the fighters flown by Carl Menckhoff. Hard bound. $39.95

the happy warrior | James thomas byford mccudden, vc

This is the story of a remarkable young man: James McCudden.VC; DSO+Bar; MC+Bar; MM; Croix de Guerre; America Medal of Honour and Merit. Following his family’s military tradition, James McCudden began his career as a professional soldier in 1910, at
the age of 15, as a bugle boy in the Royal Engineers. In the class dominated society of Great Britain of his time, his relatively humble origins meant that he could expect to rise through the ranks no further than sergeant major, that of a commissioned officer beyond
his reach. The war of 1914–18 was to change that. Opportunities for commissioned rank were awarded on merit rather than autocracy. At the outbreak of war James McCudden was an engine mechanic, but within four years, by sheer hard work and devotion to duty he and risen through the ranks to be a highly decorated Major: a fighter pilot with 56 official aerial victories to his credit. But his success as a fighter pilot was only part of his worth. Unlike many of his contemporaries McCudden studied the tactical aspects of air fighting, applying them to what he saw as his most important duty as a Flight Commander: to minimise the casualties suffered by his Flight. He was tragically killed in a flying accident in July 1918, flying to France to take command of a squadron. The book has 304 pages, 275 photos, and 4 color profiles. $29.99

Victoria Cross: WWI Airmen and Their Aircraft

This book tells the story of the 19 British pilots who were awarded Britain’s highest award for valour for their heroic actions during WWI. These biographies are illustrated with 144 photos and 42 color profiles of aircraft flown by these men, including of all the aircraft flown in the Victoria Cross actions. $34.99