The Knights of the Air

If they have anything about the aviator's attitude towards chivalry, or the public perception of pilots, I would greatly appreciate seeing the diaries!

Thanks,
Gord

In my thesis proposal, I planned to look at the literature after the war and see how the image was romantized over the years. However, my supervisor suggested that I start with material relating to the pilots's pre-war life and war life. By the time I reach 1918, I may have enough material to stop the paper there (I am limited to about 100 pages). If not, looking at the post-war years, maybe even just to WWII, will be enough.

Thanks,
Gord

Hello,

All of the books Ed mentioned are obligatory; I especially think The First of the Few would help your research. For a perspective from outside the aviation/military circles, read the "The Aces" chapter in "A Passion For Wings: Aviation in the Western Imagination by Robert Wohl. Actually the entire book is excellent and covers early aviation in an indirect but very rewarding approach I haven't seen elsewhere. It is widely available in libraries and bookstore from my experience. I'd be curious to othere's reactions to it, if anyone else has read it out there.

Good Luck on the project!

Chris

Thanks for the books. Just now I became aware of a brand new book entitled Knights of the Air by David Bashow. It seems to be about Canadian scout pilots in WWI. I'm hoping it can help and not steal my thesis out from under me!

Thanks Again,
Gord

[Michael Skeet]

If you have the time and resources, a trip to Ottawa would definitely be in order. The Directorate of History at the Department of National Defence maintains a collection of primary material relating to Canadians involved in WWI aviation. I don't recall the specific subject of chivalry being mentioned, but my primary interest was in training, and I didn't have time to delve more deeply.

The most famous example of chivalry in combat is the account Udet give in his book on how Guynemer spared him when Udet ran out of ammo in their duel.

A VERY rare occurance i'm sure you'll find.

Pardon me, Udet's Gun's jammed, he did not run out of ammo.

[Ed]

In reviewing my comments, I basically said that books written between the 30's and 60's overly romanticized the war and those between the 80's and 90's tried to de-glorify it too much. I guess that means that any books written during the 70's were spot on?

[Barrett]

There was genuine chivalry in WW II but perhaps even rarer than the first time around. A 109 pilot I used to know in western Canada found a straggling, battle-damaged B-17 over the North Sea c. Dec '43 and let it go. He could not bring himself to kill 10 men whom he thought probably wouldn't make it home anyway. He didn't report the incident, fearing the reaction of Unser Hermann, and the 8th AF didn't publicize it because of the favorable slant on the Luftwaffe.
Lapse-dissolve, fast forward about 40 years. The B-17 pilot tracked down the 109 pilot through the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger and, long story, short, Franz was made a member of the bomb group association. He met most of the 25 children of the B-17 crew who otherwise never would have been born. When you see an unrepentant German fighter pilot pull out his hankie and dab at his eyes, you don't easily forget it.

I was thinking about going to Ottawa. My supervisor tells me it may not be necessary because Western has quite a bit of stuff. But if I can get some money out of the department I might go in the spring.

Gord