WGFF: EAGLES OVER THE WESTERN FRONT

[monse]

Book Title:

EAGLES OVER THE WESTERN FRONT

Author:

Mike Butterworth, Bill Lacey

ISBN:

978-2353254859

Category:

Fiction

Format:

Hardback

Summary:

Presentation
A black and white comic strip in 3 volumes published in the 70s and recently reissued.
The adventures of a young pilot of the RFC during the 1st World War described in short stories of 6-8 pages sometimes funny but always richly documented.
Historical but only German characters (Immelman, Boelke, Richthofen, the Konprinz), authentic technical discoveries (synchronized machine guns) and an impressive gallery of Allied and German aircraft:
Farman Longhorn, RAF BE2 - RE8 - SE5a, Airco DH2 - DH4, Sopwith Triplane - Camel, Nieuport 17, Spad VII, Handley Page O/100.
Albatros DI - DIII and DV, Fokker EIII and DrI, Gotha GIV, Roland two-seater, Zeppelin airships, observation balloon.

Personal opinion
These books are to be put between all the hands, even the youngest (the destructive effects of the war are visible but the dead are never represented), the situations being often funny with characters a little caricatural.
The dramatic side of the cover scenes (especially that of the first volume) is the opposite of the content of the comic (which some may regret).
Note that the Bristol F2b Fighter featured on the covers of volumes 1 and 3 does not appear in the stories.
A curiosity: the Roland seems to be the only two-seater that the Germans have in the 3 volumes, even at the end of 1917 (either with the upper wing attached to the fuselage like the C.II that we know well in miniature, or as a classic C class biplane like the Albatros, DFW, Rumpler ...).

[Spad VII]

This Book looks fabulous with Its black and white drawings real vintage jewel !

Thank you for posting It

[camelbeagle]

Looks interesting. Just order a copy from Bear Alley Books. Hope it doesn't take too long to get to the US.

[Stumptonian]

... Just ordered a copy from Bear Alley Books...

Same here.
Thanks for posting, Simon.