Fighter Pilot on the Western Front

Wing Commander E D Crundall DFC AFC

ISBN 0 7183 0144 7

192 pages

Black & White Photographs
Hardback

Flight Sub-Lieutenant Edward Duncan Crundall was posted to No 8 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service straight from flying training on 11 February 1917, just as the Squadron was re-equipping with Sopwith Triplanes. Some 50 years later, he would rediscover his diary of WWI experiences, leading to the production of 'Fighter Pilot on the Western Front', one of the very few autobiographical books about WWI fighter pilots.

What follows is an exciting day-to-day diary of his patrols flying Triplanes and then Sopwith Camels. He recounts in simple, matter-of-fact, but graphic detail the dog-fights, the kills and the losses, as well as the minutia of day-to-day life on the Squadron and his encounters with many of the famous names of the time, including Naval Eight's first Commanding Officer, Geoffrey Bromet. Seasoned aviators will marvel at his exploits, and wonder how he and his colleagues got away with everything they achieved, given that both the art of flying and the construction of aeroplanes were still in their infancy, and that flying in the machines of the time was only marginally less dangerous than taking them into combat.

This daily record provides a unique picture of the intrepid men who fought in the air and established the fundamentals of air combat, on which subsequent generations embellished superbly. So often after hairbreadth escapes, sometimes with injuries and wounds, they determinedly lived to fight another day.

'Fighter Pilot on the Western Front' is now out of print, but occasionally available on the secondary market. It is thoroughly recommended for anyone interested in the genesis of air power and the exploits of a truly remarkable generation of aviators and warriors.

Published by
William Kimber & Co Ltd
Godolphin House

22a Queen Anne's Gate

London

SW1H 9AE

E6 6LS

First printing 1975