By John Guttman
Osprey, 2009
Reviewed by Dale Thompson
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| The Breguet M-5 |
Jon Guttman is well known for the meticulous detail and broad scope of his WWI aviation histories. In this unique volume on the early war, Pusher Aces of World War I, he brings to life the story of the pusher aircraft and their pilots.
"Pusher" aircraft were so called because the propeller was behind the wing, just like the Wright Fliers of ten years previously. They were deployed with the French and British squadrons at the start of the war in 1914. Initially they were used as observation and photo-reconnaissance platforms. What better place for the observer than out in front? As soon as the observers began shooting at each other it was found that the gunner did very well out in front…it was also found that these aircraft were highly vulnerable to attack from the rear.
The German aircraft in 1914 were all tractors, with the engine and propeller ahead of the pilot. At that time the British and French were developing their own tractor-type fighter aircraft that began to displace the pushers. With the arrival of the Fokker Eindeckers and their synchronized machine guns in 1915, the pushers were completely outclassed as fighters.
Pusher Aces traces the development and deployment of these aircraft, following their combat action and the pilots and gunners who flew them. This book will serve as a valuable source for historians who are studying either aircraft or combat crews during World War I. There is little detail on the developmental history of the various models built by Voisin, Farman, Vickers, de Havilland, and others. The book features substantial detail about the crews and combat the pushers encountered.
The author covers many aces who flew pushers including Lanoe Hawker VC, who formed and led Britain's first fighter squadron before dying in a ten-minute duel with Manfred von Richtofen, American "cowboy" ace Frederick Libby, third-ranking French ace Charles Nungesser, and the aggressive Belgian ace Fernand Jacquet.
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Guttman augments his text with 24 superb color plates showing makes, models, and color schemes for the pushers. A fine collection of black-and-white photos is distributed throughout the book. The appendix includes a table of the aces who flew these aircraft, tabulated by name, scores, aircraft type and serial number and their squadrons. This listing should be of special interest to researchers. A bibliography is included in the appendix. In Guttman's 2009 work that is still in print, he has contributed yet another valuable volume on WWI aircraft and pilots and their contributions in that war.
Dale Thompson
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