Mick Mannock, Fighter Pilot: Myth, Life and Politics

by A. Smith

Overview

Mick Mannock, Fighter Pilot is the authoritative life story of Britain and Ireland's most successful fighter pilot of the First World War; a working class hero and staunch socialist who in the skies above the Western Front combined engineering prowess, tactical initiative, and grim determination to become an inspirational squadron commander.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781349418053
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	04/16/2001
Series:	Studies in Military and Strategic History
Edition description:	1st ed. 2001
Pages:	211
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Adrian Smith is Professor of Modern History at the University of Southampton, UK. His many publications include a history of the early New Statesman, a portrait of his native city Coventry, a study of the Ministry of Defence, and a biography of Admiral Lord Mountbatten. Like Mick Mannock his formative years were spent in Canterbury.

Table of Contents

Map: Mick Mannock's Western FrontIntroduction to the Second Edition 1. Introduction 2. A Pre-war Education, 1888-1914 3. Preparing for War, 1914-1917 4. 40 Squadron, 1917-1918 5. 74 and 85 Squadrons, 1918 6. Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

Adrian Smith has written an excellent article on one of the Great War's most successful fighter pilots.

Journal of Military History

Smith (historical studies, University of Southampton New College) recounts the story of a staunch socialist who became Britain's most successful fighter pilot in the First World War. He traces the myth of the "ace with one eye," examining how Mannock has been represented in biography and in fiction, and considering his endurance as a popular British icon. Mannock's collaborative approach to aerial combat is traced back to his socialist beliefs, and his engineering background is seen as a crucial factor in his surviving seventeen months of fighting above the trenches. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"Adrian Smith has written an excellent book on one of the Great War's most successful fighter pilots." - The Journal of Military History

From the Publisher