Eyes all over the Sky - a review

John Streckfuss' book "Eyes all over the Sky: Aerial Reconnasaince in the Fist World War" (Casemate Publishers) turns a spotlight onto the importance of aerial observation to the war effort and how this key activity came to be overshadowed and forgotten by it's owning institutions and historians.

It's certainly a well researched and documented work. Of the books 239 pages almost 30% of the work is taken up by the citations. While this quantity shows a level of rigor worthy of academia, the level of writing is quite accessible to the casual reader.

Streckfuss lays out the case that the majority of aerial activities during the war were observation actions - be it spotting for guns, mapping the battlefield or searching for the enemy. The quantities of fighters was less and the role of the fighter was supplemental to that of the observation aircraft - that is the fighters role was either to deny space to enemy observation aircraft or to escort friendly observation aircraft to ensure they accomplished their mission.

The book provides a good high level discussion of the origins and growth of observation activities both over land and at sea and speaks to the challenge of creating a 'data source' that struggled to feed the voracious demands of the operational staffs on both sides.

Much of the narrative is constructed to support the  author's hypothesis that observation activities became overshadowed and forgotten for multiple reasons. There is good coverage of post-war political jockeying in the United States for the creation of a separate Air Force along with the positions advanced by the post-war warrior theorists that the real value of aircraft lay in the fighting power and not in their observational ability.

Streckfuss' lays out an interesting case for reclaiming an emphasis on observation, one made even more timely when reflected through the prism of the observation revolution that UAV and digital systems have made possible in the past twenty years. 

The author has been researching WWI aviation history for nearly fifty years. He is a founder of the League of World War I Aviation Historians and a long-standing editor of its leading journal Over the Front, as well as President of the League for eleven years. He has edited and contributed to several books on aviation history and holds a PhD from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Rising from the ashes…the Phönix C.I

All three models in line abreast. The game mat is the coastal mat from Nexus games.

In early 1918 the Austro-Hungarian Air Force - the K.u.K. Luftfahrtruppe -  deployed a new two seat biplane – the Phönix C.I. Deployed to the Flik/D and Flik/K squadrons, the Phönix C.I was used in the reconnaissance and general-purpose (i.e. light bombing and escort duty) roles supporting their respective division or Army corps. 

With a production run of 110 aircraft, the C.I was never a dominant part of the K.u.K. Luftfahrtruppe, being just 4% of the aircraft produced in 1918. It’s unique rudder and stabilizer structure gave the C.I an excellent field of fire to the rear (much like the Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 or W.29). 

The C.1’s were pressed into the air defense role as the imbalance in production rates saw the weight of numbers shifting in favor of the Italians. The Italian 1918 air offensive put the K.u.K. Luftfahrtruppe mostly on the defensive, though limited tactical bombing and the occasional strategic mission still occurred.

 

One of the models done up in the gray and green colors that research indicates is more prototypical.

 

This C.I has the Italian right where he wants him.

These models are from the Shapeways shop of colinwe.  The listing for the Phonix C.I has several options for materials. All three of the models were done in White, Strong and Flexible. WSF does require a bit of prep work to get a good painting surface. As an aside - I recommend the Black Strong and Flexible as it’s an easier surface to prep (it still needs some work).  Yes, it costs slightly more, but the result is worth the investment.

Overhead shot of all three models.

Painting of the models were a case of a variation on a theme. Working from a Jack Herris plate, the first plane ended up with a brown and green pattern more reminiscent of the WWII Luftwaffe. Next was the same type of pattern but using colors the text indicates were more prototypical based on research of a museum aircraft. Lastly was a lighter palette choice that more closely matches the Herris artwork.

Decals help enhance these models. The national markings are a mix of I-94 and 1/144 Direct. The white stripe is from a set of S Gauge boxcar decals.

The C.I's in a loose V formation. The squadron leader has the classic Austro-Hugarian red-white=red stripes on the tail.

The one area that Shapeways designers are still working on is including crew figures for the planes. While the basic airframe is very nice, adding crew helps bring the plane ‘alive’. For these planes, I used crew figures from Riveresco. The pilots are mostly lost to view, but the gunners are very much on display. 

A Flik/D en route to bomb an Italian bridgehead. Prop discs and bases are from the Aerodrome store.

 

Queen of the North Sea sky

We often think of the air war in the Great War as one between dueling individuals. “Knights of the Air” atop their aerial steeds sparring in combat over the muddy trenches. It was the origin of the fighter pilot mythology – one man risking it all in battle with a gallant foe. As with many things the reality was much more complicated. The air war over the trenches was fought for specific aims – air photo reconnaissance, artillery observation and bombing. 

But a second, less glamorous air war existed. One that was as important – if not more important – to the ultimate outcome of the war. That was the air war at sea.  While naval aviation had no direct effect in the rare battles between the fleets, aviation was critical in the areas of naval patrol and interdiction. Airships and aircraft of both sides patrolled the North Sea on the hunt for u-boats, enemy aircraft – including airships, light coastal craft, warships and mine layers. In a defensive role, they escorted their own forces through dangerous waters. 

By late 1916 The Felixstowe flying boats were the premier patrol aircraft in the North Sea. Possessing great range, a good bomb load and impressive armament for the day, these aircraft were the Queens of the North Sea sky. 

Overhead view - roundels from Dom's Decals.

Felixstowe F2 early model ready for action. The red lines on the base denote various firing arcs.

Wings of War included the Felixstowe F2 (And Curtiss H-12) in the expansion game “Flight of the Giants”. You thought the Caproni and Gotha were big – think again! The Felixstowe is huge with a broadside of enough machineguns to make any German pilot think twice about engaging in combat. So much so, that the Germans would throw flights of W12 and W29 at a Felixstowe to even the odds a bit.  

Several nice models of the Felixstowe can be had from Shapeways from either Decapod or Colinwe. I ordered mine in the standard White, Strong and Flexible material. The model is an impressive piece of resin. The wingspan actually exceeds the length of the range ruler for the Wings of Glory game.

I didn’t model a specific historical paint scheme for this aircraft. Many of the planes were painted in a dazzle paint scheme. It was not as much camouflage as it was a colorful easily identifiable pattern to help identify a plane. Unfortunately this is something that is beyond my skill set to paint. 

Good port quarter shot of the model.

I went with a fairly bland combination of PC 10 for the fuselage and camel for the wings. It’s a fairly conventional scheme. To make it somewhat unique, I used decals from a variety of sources to put identification marks and symbols on the aircraft hull. 

The flag was scavenged from a set of decals for an Avro CF-105 kit.

Good shot of the magnets joining the model to the flight peg. The grain of the White Strong and Flexible surface is visible here, but when back up to normal game viewing distances the grain fades from view.

A strong rare earth magnet was attached to the bottom of the hull and paired with a magnet on the flight peg. This ensures the plane is not likely to tip over or fall off it’s stand. The magnets came from K&J Magnetics. 

The base ships without color. I had to paint all the lines and text. This is easy - the lines are laser cut and a paper backing protects the surface of the base while you paint. In hindsight - white is a better color choice for the altitude numbers on the acrylic base. The black numbers fade into the playing mat when not on the straw colored field,

The custom base is a product of the Aerodrome store. 

I know - I can't paint a straight line. 

Now to get this beast onto a table for a game!

Progress on the WWI front...with Floatplanes!

Our recent group mega-order from Shapeways arrived and with it the fun. I've got a lot of work lined up for the winter. For a quick start, I primed two models that were ready for priming. These are two German Imperial Naval Air Service planes - the W12 two seat fighter and the W29 late war two seat monoplane.

The W12 is in the foreground with the W29 behind.

These models are printed in the Fine Ultra Detail (FUD) material. It's basically a smooth plastic resin that provides great details. The only downside is that it's not as durable (i.e. game table friendly) as the White Strong Flexible (WSF) in which I get most of my models printed.

 

You can see the detail on the wing ribs, the engine exhaust and struts. 

The model has the Wings of Glory flight peg cast to the bottom of the model - that's a plus.

The W12 next to it's predecessor the KDW.  North Seas gaming anyone?

Wonderful detailed model. The only assembly required was to attach the propeller.