World War I saw a dynamic increase in the capabilities of aircraft. Though military airplanes were initially devised as airborne reconnaissance and artillery spotting, it soon became obvious that it was not a good thing to have the other side's planes over one's side of the front. Though initially crews brought up pistols and rifles to shoot at the opposition, what was really needed was a dedicated aircraft whose sole purpose was to shoot down enemy airplanes.

This required the use of forward firing machine guns mounted in the nose of the airplane. This had the issue of figuring a way not to shoot off one's propeller. While Roland Garros came up with the idea of using metal wedges on the prop blades to deflect errant bullets, it was Anthony Fokker who devised an interrupter gear the prevented the gun from firing when the blade was in the way. This was installed on his Fokker E.I Eindekker aircraft. For many, this was the first true fighter aircraft. It helped the Germans gain the upper hand in air warfare that lasted, on and off, for the rest of the war.

Based on the success of his first book on two seaters, the artist Ronny Bar decided to concentrate on German Fighters. This is the second volume that covers the period from about mid-1917 until the end of the war. In this case, there are a fairly large variety of aircraft covered. Due to the large number, this edition has a considerably larger number of profiles and pages. Types convered are the Albatros D.Va, Pfalz D.III and D.IIIa, Fokker F.1, Fokker Dr.I, Pfalz D.VIII, Roland D.VIa, Fokker D.VI, Fokker D.VII, Pfalz D.XII, Fokker E.V, Siemens-Schuckert D.III, Siemens-Schuckert D.IV and Junkers D.I. It is not surprising that there are a lot of Fokker D.VII and Albatros profiles. As you can see from the images, you are provided two large profiles per page with some having an upper and lower image as well.

The book is real eye candy for the WWI enthusiast and an interesting look back. It is a book that no WWI fan should be without. I highly recommend it.

October 2023

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