JOHAN R. RYHEUL was born in Bruges, Flanders, and has written various articles for local and international magazines on archaeological and First World War subjects. Ryheul has participated in First World War documentaries for the BBC and The History Channel. He has written nine books in Dutch about First World War aerial and naval warfare.
"... looks into the histories of Kampfeinsitzer Kommandos (also
known as KEKs) and the Fokkerstaffels (the first of these fighter
units), which appeared in 1915-1916. The author presents each of
these units, their notable pilots, and the actions that took place
over the front as well as the aerodrome locations. Familiar names
such as Boelcke, Immelmann, Buddecke, Frankl, Wintgens, von
Althaus, Loerzer, and their contemporaries fill the pages along
with their "first" actions. The accounting of these early combats
is the heart of this work, details of which proffer a foretaste of
what was yet to come. The author has taken a great deal of effort
to locate where the aerodromes were and provides the reader with a
view of their locality using modern maps. It would have been even
more valuable had the geographic coordinates been included, though
the author does give a descriptive caption of their locations.
Reading this work has shown just how widely dispersed these 26
units were; with bases ranging from the Vosges to Flanders there is
good reason for the term "Fokker Scourge" having entered in the
wartime vocabulary. With over 250 images there is a good visual
representation accompanying the text. Ryheul makes clever use of
digital imaging technology with a variety of "then and now"
composited images. This technique works by combining a 100-year-old
photograph with a recent color image of the same view of the
locality, thereby creating a sense of connection to the past. The
bibliography is useful though the details of the archival research
material are not provided and only the institutional name is
listed. This book is a good example of the level of study that is
being undertaken by a growing group of dedicated researchers and
historians; it is a valuable work and one that warrants
attention."-- "Aerodrome"
"a good example of the level of study that is being under taken by
a growing group of dedicated researchers and historians. It is a
valuable work and one that warrants attention from those interested
in the first major war in the air."-- "Air Power History, Summer
2016"
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