Hardback (6.5×9.5 inches). 277 pages. 1926.
I picked up this 100-year-old book at a book sale not knowing who wrote it. It is a day-by-day diary of a US pilot in British service starting on Sept. 20, 1917. The last entry has no date, but the entry before that is dated August 27, 1918.
Entries offer matter-of-fact accounts of training, crashes, deaths, and ultimately postings to France and fights against the German aircraft. They also offer what seems to be a rather leisurely pace of training interspersed with parties, trips to the pubs, girl-chasing, and other hijinks.
Some of the entries are highly detailed recaps of aerial combat. Others are simple statements. The number of pilots killed in training accidents is rather distressing.
The book contains 20 black and white illustrations and six color illustrations.
I went to the web to find out more about the book. Wikipedia sez:
“The legal battle over War Birds arose because Elliott White Springs initially published the text anonymously, heavily weaving his own wartime journals with those of his late friend, John McGavock Grider.
Grider and Springs were exceptionally close friends who trained and flew together during WWI. Before Grider was shot down and killed in 1918, the two men made a pact: if one died, the survivor would compile and publish their shared experiences. True to his word, Springs edited the materials and secured a lucrative serialization deal followed by a 1926 book release.
Springs actually based a significant portion of the book on his own diaries, using Grider more as a tragic composite “hero” for the narrative.
Financial Settlement: The Grider family accepted a $12,500 settlement, which effectively amounted to half of the total net earnings from the initial serialization and the Hollywood movie sale.
Public Credit: Moving forward, John McGavock Grider was officially credited as the primary author, transforming War Birds from an anonymous novelty into one of the most respected first-hand accounts of WWI aviation.”
There you have it. A captivating dual-account, perhaps with a wee bit of embellishment, of WWI air warfare.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
