Book Title: Victor Chapman's Letters from France
Author: Victor Chapman and John Chapman
ISBN: n/a
Category: Reference
Format: Paperback and Hardback
Summary: This book is available through various online sellers. It was my priviledge, however, to have on loan a copy of the first printing (1917).
The majority of this book consists of letters from Victor Chapman to his family and friends. The first forty-two pages comprise a memoir written by Chapman's father. This is followed by a collection of Chapman's letters written while serving in the French Foreign Legion at a portion of the front which saw little action apart from the danger from snipers. It is in the last third of the book that Chapman writes his family about his activity in the newly formed Escadrille Americaine (later to be known as the Lafayette Escadrille).
It is clear from his letters that Chapman wanted to spare is family and friends from worry over his safety. Thus, he omits most details about his encounters with enemy aircraft. He does, however, tells of his joy and thrill in flying, especially flying the Nieuport 11. Throughout the book, Chapman writes of the men with whom he served, and the friendships he made.
The value in this book lies not in vivid descriptions of aerial combat, for the book is lacking in this respect. The book's value, I think, is in Chapman's sharing personal thoughts about life in spite of the war.
Bookmarks