[RussGannon]

"When the show started we all thought we had better do something a little special, so we fairly slapped it across him. The Corps brought down 50 or more that day, didn't they? Then the dear old 'Arch-Hun' puts in his official - 'Our airmen maintained their usual supremacy.' And these fat heads started swanking about their conquered territory." Diary Gwllym Lewis, 40 Sqn, 30 Mar 18.

Steve & Bristol

Now Gwllym Lewis fought the German Air Service over the Somme in a DH2 in 1916 and was then fighting them again over same territory in an SE5A. There is much in the above statement. Not that Lewis did not respect the Germen airmen, nor if anyone reads did the likes of JTB McCudden, Tich Rochford, or any of the scores of other Brit & Dominion (and volunteers from ex colonies) airmen icluding Mannock (see his diary) who have had their thoughts put into print. But they were most certainly not in awe of them. And my 30 year projectof building a day by day air war log leaves me with the same opion - respect but not awe.

I'll try to put this tactfully - This is the problem with the present wisdom of the air war, there is a heavy leaning towards holding the German Air Service in awe and swallowing without question the assertions of contemporary German propaganda in regards the the conduct of the air war - which results in a glaringly partisan perception, which gives almost no credit to those on the other side of the hill. The first casualty of this approach being historical truth and accuracy. Indeed in more recent times there has been a drive in a certain circle, to promote this unilatteralism and worse still place it above criticism.

My aim in my posts is to promote a more even handed understanding of the air war - which by necessity requires being a little harsh on the German Air Service in order to get the message across. A bitter pill no doubt for some. That is not to say that people should not be interested in things German, only that if one wants to dwell on the operational aspects, then one needs the clarity of looking at both sides of the hill.

That said Steve, I find the air fighting over the Ypres salient as the most rivetting - it was fiercly contested by both sides and did indeed see the RFC slowly gain the upper hand. But that in no way is to say the Germans were defeated; only that they no longer called the shots.

Cheers Russ.