Aces Falling
War Above the Trenches, 1918
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Narrated by:
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Roger Davis
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By:
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Peter Hart
About this listen
How the age of the great WWI aces came to an end in the skies over the Western Front.
At the beginning of 1918, the great aces seemed invincible. Flying above the battlefields of the Western Front, they cut a deadly swathe through the ranks of their enemies, as each side struggled to keep control of the air. Some were little more than boys when they started to fly, yet they were respected and feared as some of the deadliest killers in the sky. But as the press of fighting increased with the great offensives of 1918, nervous stress and physical exhaustion finally began to take their toll - and one by one the aces began to fall.
This audiobook charts the rise and fall of the WWI aces in the context of the vast battles that were taking place in 1918. It shows the vital importance of reconnaissance, and how large formations of aircraft became the norm - bringing an end to the era of the old, heroic 'lone wolves'. As the First World War came to a close very few of the aces survived. This epic history of the final year of the air war is both a chronicle of the ways in which 1918 changed aerial combat forever, and a requiem for the pioneers of aerial combat who eventually became the victims of their own brilliant innovations.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.
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In 1942, America's deadliest fighter pilot, or "ace of aces" - the legendary Eddie Rickenbacker - offered a bottle of bourbon to the first US fighter pilot to break his record of 26 enemy planes shot down. Seizing on the challenge to motivate his men, General George Kenney promoted what they would come to call the "race of aces" as a way of boosting the spirits of his war-weary command.
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Boring, confusing storyline, some technical details wrong
- By ATM on 04-09-20
By: John R. Bruning
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Lords of the Sky
- Fighter Pilots and Air Combat, from the Red Baron to the F-16
- By: Dan Hampton
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The New York Times best-selling author of Viper Pilot and retired USAF F-16 legend Dan Hampton offers the first comprehensive popular history of combat aviation - a unique, entertaining, and action-packed look at the aces of the air and their machines, from the Red Baron and his triplane in World War I to today's technologically expert flying warriors in supersonic jets.
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Great history, but ending goes off-topic
- By Lugal on 07-31-14
By: Dan Hampton
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Open Cockpit
- By: Arthur Gould Lee
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Author of three books, this is by far his best. Lee puts you in the cockpit in a riveting account of life as a fighter pilot at the front. At times humorous and dramatic, this thoughtful, enlightening, true account is a classic to be ranked with Winged Victory by W. V. Yeates, also published by Grub Street.
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Really great insights into WW1 air combat!
- By B Taub on 12-21-16
By: Arthur Gould Lee
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Unsung Eagles
- True Stories of America’s Citizen Airmen in the Skies of World War II
- By: Jay A. Stout
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The nearly half-million American air crewmen who served during World War II have almost disappeared. And so have their stories. Award-winning writer and former fighter pilot Jay A. Stout uses Unsung Eagles to save an exciting collection of those accounts from oblivion. These are not rehashed tales from the hoary icons of the war. Rather, they are stories from the masses of largely unrecognized men who - in the aggregate - actually won it.
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A great look into what so many gave for & to us.
- By Duane on 08-02-21
By: Jay A. Stout
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The Fighting Corsairs
- The Men of Marine Fighting Squadron 215 in the Pacific during WWII
- By: Jeff Dacus
- Narrated by: Jim Seybert
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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From historian and columnist in Leatherneck and Armor magazines, this is the exciting, personal account of a marine fighter squadron in the South Pacific during the critical days of 1943, when the tide turned against the Japanese. Based on individual interviews and wartime documents, this is a thrilling narrative of the marines who lived, and died, during the toughest battles of the entire war.
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The Fighting Corsairs
- By Thomas S. Connelly on 05-10-21
By: Jeff Dacus
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Spitfire
- Portrait of a Legend
- By: Leo McKinstry
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The gripping saga of the plane that carried Britain through the Second World War. In June 1940, the German army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. 'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain.
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Fills in the gaps.
- By Glenn on 10-22-18
By: Leo McKinstry
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Four Hours of Fury
- The Untold Story of World War II's Largest Airborne Operation and the Final Push into Nazi Germany
- By: James M. Fenelon
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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On the morning of March 24, 1945, more than 2,000 Allied aircraft droned through a cloudless sky toward Germany. Escorted by swarms of darting fighters, the armada of transport planes carried 17,000 troops to be dropped, via parachute and glider, on the far banks of the Rhine River. Four hours later, after what was the war’s largest airdrop, all major objectives had been seized....
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personal and powerful.
- By TXcustomer on 07-09-19
By: James M. Fenelon
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The Mighty Eighth
- The Air War in Europe as Told by the Men Who Fought It
- By: Gerald Astor
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 23 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Europe has fallen. Pearl Harbor is in flames. Enter: the Eighth. In 1941 the RAF fought a desperate battle of survival against the Luftwaffe over Britain. Then, from across the Atlantic, came a new generation of American pilots, gunners, and bombardiers, a new generation of flying machines called the B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 Liberator, the P-47 Thunderbolt, and the P-51 Mustang fighter.
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A Good Listen with 1 problem
- By Matthew Schuller on 08-23-19
By: Gerald Astor
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The Last Fighter Pilot
- The True Story of the Final Combat Mission of World War II
- By: Don Brown, Captain Jerry Yellin - foreword, Captain Jerry Yellin - contributor, and others
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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On the morning of August 15, 1945, Captain Jerry Yellin flew the last combat mission of World War II out of Iwo Jima. Today, Captain Yellin is a sharp, engaging, 93-year-old veteran whose story is brought to life by best-selling author Don Brown.
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A history Air War in the South Pacific & Iwo Gima
- By Amazon Customer on 06-30-20
By: Don Brown, and others
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Fighting the Flying Circus
- By: Eddie V. Rickenbacker
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Captain Eddie V. Rickenbacker, originally from Ohio, was best known as one of the commanders of the 94th "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron, a crack unit of World War I pilots that included many former members of the famed Lafayette Escadrille. The 94th ended the war in France with the highest number of air victories of any American squadron.
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World War 1 ace
- By Jean on 09-25-12
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The Big Show
- The Classic Account of WWII Aerial Combat
- By: Pierre Clostermann
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Pierre Clostermann DFC was one of the oustanding Allied aces of the Second World War. A Frenchman who flew with the RAF, he survived over 420 operational sorties, shooting down scores of enemy aircraft while friends and comrades lost their lives in the deadly skies above Europe. The Big Show, his extraordinary account of the war, has been described as the greatest pilot's memoir of WWII.
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Simply one of the best all time books on air combat ever written.
- By S. H. Moore on 12-08-20
What listeners say about Aces Falling
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Nathaniel Bunker
- 11-13-20
Very interesting
Very interesting book. I learned a lot of this book. I will get more of Peter Hart’s work.
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- Lorne
- 09-05-22
Fascinating!
Absolutely loved it. Thrilling yet relaxing. Highly recommend to anyone!
A very straight forward and logical account of the war above the trenches in chronological order.
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- JP Malloy
- 02-10-22
Eye opening account of the air war in WW1
An excellent overview of the final year of the First World War. I highly recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ben
- 09-28-21
best ww1 fighter pilot book I've listened to
click purchase! you will not regret listening to this book. narrator good, stories good, highly recommend.
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- J.Brock
- 03-23-21
the BEST work on WWI Flying Aces
I can't recommend this book enough. This is the very best of Peter Hart. To say its mesmerizing is an understatement. One rarely realizes the importance of the war in the air in WWI, namely the Aces, and what they actually accomplished, both Allied forces and the Germans. In 1918, the Germans were more-less alone in the fight, as Austro-Hungary was woefully weakened. Germany had its Ace in Manfred von Richthofen, while the Brits had Edward Mannock, Albert Ball, who died in 1917, and James McCudden, to name a few.
The Red Baron would not survive the war. And though few of these men would survive the war, they were instrumental in the formation of the Royal Air Force in 1918. This was just the beginning of an institution, that would dominate in WWII and lead the world from that point forward. This book is about the horrors of the war, how impossibly difficult the air war was, and how deadly. It makes the reader marvel at the sacrifices and bravery of the very young men who dominated the skies. All forces are covered, and their journeys are similar. I cannot recommend this book enough. I rewound and rewound to listen again and again to each chapter. I did not want it to ever end. It's that good. Roger Clark encapsulates the book with his narration.
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3 people found this helpful
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- B Taub
- 03-03-20
A MUST READ for students of military aviation
This was an amazing book! While it's focus is the air war in 1918, the book starts with background information on how the air war had evolved since the start of World War 1. The author does an amazing job detailing how equipment and tactics had evolved and what had changed by 1918. In the book he follows the war, month by month, and details the role that aviation played as overall strategies and tactics evolved. As a result, you learn not only about the air war, but also how overall military tactics had evolved. While the author didn't draw much attention to it, the astute listener can see how the changes in aviation in 1918 foreshadowed aviation in WW2.
This book, also, isn't just about aces. The author covers them (and how their role had shifted by 1918) but also bombing crew, observation crew, and even the experiences of balloon observers. These are perspectives largely lost in other books. While discussing each mode the author loads the book with first hand accounts so you get the big picture, and the hands-on view.
Finally, the narrator did a great job. I heard few, if any, mispronunciations and he had a clear, engaging style.
In the final analysis, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in military aviation and / or those with an interest in WW1.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Lisa R.
- 05-27-24
Random
Did not enjoy this book as much as several others. Decent but more like a collection of short stories in random order.
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- Brian Taylor
- 06-30-22
Horrible narrator
I nominate this narrator for the worst voice narration of all time. He has an extremely nasaly whiny voice that is impossible to listen to.
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1 person found this helpful