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1918 in aviation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Years in aviation: 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921
Centuries: 19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades: 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s
Years: 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1918:

Events

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January

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  • Gunner-observer Captain John H. Hedley is thrown from the cockpit of his Bristol F2B Fighter without a parachute during a dogfight when his pilot, Captain Reginald "Jimmy" Makepeace, puts the plane into a steep dive. After he falls several hundred feet, Hedley and the aircraft come back together and he manages to grab the fighter's after fuselage and crawl back into his cockpit unharmed.[7]
  • The British Army convenes an inquiry to look into the failure of the British offensive in the Battle of Cambrai in November–December 1917. The inquiry finds that the German use of massed aircraft for close air support of German ground troops subjected British ground troops to so much machine-gun fire that they felt helpless and became demoralized, allowing a successful German counterattack.[8]
  • January 3 – With its owner, Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, concerned about declining support for the war effort by the British public and believing that news about the successes of living British pilots by name would create popular heroes and improve public morale, the British newspaper the Daily Mail publishes an editorial strongly criticizing the British Army's policy of not disclosing the names of successful Royal Flying Corps pilots unless they are killed, a policy instituted because of a belief by the British Army's leadership that such publicity would harm the esprit de corps of their fellow aviators. Other British newspapers quickly take up the cause, prompting the British Army to begin identifying pilots by name. France and Germany had identified their pilots to the press since early in World War I.[9]
  • January 5 – A rapid series of explosions and quickly spreading fires at the Imperial German Navy airship base at Tondern destroys four hangars and five airships in five minutes, killing four civilian workers and 10 naval personnel and injuring 134 naval personnel.[10]
  • January 7 – After the British Army drops its policy of not disclosing the names of successful Royal Flying Corps pilots unless they are killed, the Daily Mail publishes "Our Wonderful Airmen – Their Names At Last," the first article in the British press identifying living RFC pilots by name. The article discusses the exploits of Captains Philip Fuller and James McCudden.[11]
  • January 9 – In a dogfight over Moorslede, Belgium with three RFC aircraft including a No. 21 Squadron R.E.8 and two No. 60 Squadron S.E.5as, Max Ritter von Müller's Albatros D.Va is set on fire and he jumps to his death. Von Müller's 36 victories make him the highest-scoring Bavarian ace of World War I.[12]
  • January 12 – A decree issued by the Council of Peoples' Commissars of the Republic puts all Russian aircraft manufacturing companies under state control.[13]
  • January 28–29 (overnight) – The first German bombing raid against the United Kingdom of the new year is carried out by 13 Gotha Grossflugzeug and two Riesenflugzeug bombers. Six Gothas turn back due to poor visibility, but the other bombers attack targets in England, resulting in the deaths of 67 people and injuries to 166, including 14 killed and 14 injured in stampedes when "maroons" warning rockets are fired to warn of an imminent attack. Another 11 are injured by shrapnel from British antiaircraft shells. Most of the casualties are from a single 300 kg (660 lb) bomb that hits Odhams Press in Long Acre, London, where people are sheltering. British aircraft fly over a hundred defensive sorties, and two Sopwith Camels of the Royal Flying Corps's No. 40 Squadron shoot down a Gotha, the first victory over a heavier-than-air bomber over the United Kingdom for British night fighters. Both pilots, Second Lieutenants Charles C. Banks and George Hackwill will receive the Distinguished Flying Cross.[14]
  • January 29–30 (overnight) – For the first time, German Riesenflugzeug bombers attack the United Kingdom without Gotha bombers accompanying them; the four bombers are from Riesenflugzeug Abteilung ("Giant Airplane Detachment") 501 (Rfa 501). One bomber turns back. The other three bomb England, inflicting only light damage and casualties. British aircraft fly 80 defensive sorties; five of them bring one of the German bombers under attack but succeed only in disabling one of its engines, and it returns safely to base.[15][16] Unfamiliar with the great size of the bombers, many of the British pilots underestimate their size and fire at them from too great a range.
  • January 30 – Second Lieutenant Carl Mather is killed in an aircraft collision at Ellington Field, Texas. The future Mather Air Force Base, later Sacramento Mather Airport, at Rancho Cordova, California, will be named for him.

February

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  • February 2 – The Imperial German Army's air service, the Luftstreitkräfte, forms its second and third Jagdgeschwader (fighter wings), bringing together four Jagdstaffeln (fighter squadrons) – Jagstaffeln ("Jastas") 12, 13, 15, and 19 – to form Jagdgeschwader II, with Adolf Ritter von Tutschek as its first commanding officer, and four other JagdstaffelnJasta 2 "Boelcke" and Jastas 26, 27, and 36 – to form Jagdgeschwader III, with Bruno Loerzer as its first commanding officer.
  • February 5 – Second Lieutenant Stephen W. Thompson achieves the first aerial victory by the U.S. military.
  • February 8 – The United States replaces the () national insignia for its military aircraft adopted in 1917 with a roundel with an outer red ring, then a blue ring, and a white center . The roundel will remain in use until the United States reverts to its former markings in August 1919.[17]
  • February 16–17 (overnight) – Four Riesenflugzeug bombers of the German Luftstreitkräfte's Riesenflugzeug Abteilung ("Giant Airplane Detachment") 501 (Rfa 501) raid England. One of them carries a single 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) bomb which aims at London Victoria station, but it lands .5 mi (0.8 km) away on the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.[18]
  • February 17–18 (overnight) – A single German Riesenflugzeug bomber attacks England, hitting St Pancras station in London, killing 21 people and injuring 32.[19]
  • February 18 – The Lafayette Escadrille, the American volunteer squadron serving in the French Army, is transferred to the United States Army and redesignated the 103rd Aero Squadron.
  • February 20 – The German high command issues a memorandum governing the employment of German ground-attack squadrons in the upcoming spring offensive on the Western Front, Operation Michael. It lays out the role of the squadrons as "flying ahead of and carrying the infantry along with them, keeping down the fire of the enemy's infantry and barrage batteries," adding that the appearance of ground-attack aircraft over the battlefield "affords visible proof to heavily engaged troops that the Higher Command is in close touch with the front, and is employing every means to support the fighting troops." It also directs the squadrons to "dislocate traffic and inflict appreciable loss on reinforcements hastening up to the battlefield."[20]

March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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First flights

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January

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February

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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Entered service

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January

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February

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March

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April

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June

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August

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October

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November

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Notes

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  1. ^ Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 1-55750-432-6, p. 15.
  2. ^ Scheina, Robert L., Latin America: A Naval History 1810-1987, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1987, ISBN 0-87021-295-8, p. 199.
  3. ^ Angelucci, 1987, p. 195.
  4. ^ Francillon, René J., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 0-87021-313-X, p. 21.
  5. ^ Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 1-55750-432-6, p. 16.
  6. ^ David, Donald, ed., The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Nobles Books, 1997, ISBN 0-7607-0592-5, p. 185.
  7. ^ Wilkinson, Stephan, "Amazing But True Stories," Aviation History, May 2014, p. 33.
  8. ^ Blumberg, Arnold, "The First Ground-Pounders," Aviation History, November 2014, p. 42.
  9. ^ Mortimer, Gavin, "Aces Without Faces," Aviation History, March 2016, pp. 39-40.
  10. ^ Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, pp. 237-238.
  11. ^ Mortimer, Gavin, "Aces Without Faces," Aviation History, March 2016, p. 40.
  12. ^ a b c Franks, 1998, p. 63.
  13. ^ Hardesty, Von, Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982, ISBN 0-87474-510-1, p. 41.
  14. ^ Fredette, Raymond H., The Sky on Fire: The First Battle of Britain 1917–1918, New York: Harvest, 1976, ISBN 0-15-682750-6, pp. 181-182.
  15. ^ Cole, Christopher and Cheesman, E. F., The Air Defence of Great Britain 1914–1918, London: Putnam, 1984, ISBN 0-370-30538-8, pp. 390-393.
  16. ^ a b Guttman, Robert, "German Giant," Aviation History, September 2014, pp. 14, 15.
  17. ^ Angelucci, Enzo, with Peter Bowers, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1985, ISBN 0-517-56588-9, pp. 19.
  18. ^ Fredette, Raymond H., The Sky on Fire: The First Battle of Britain 1917–1918, New York: Harvest, 1976, ISBN 0-15-682750-6, p. 188.
  19. ^ Cole, Christopher and Cheesman, E. F., The Air Defence of Great Britain 1914–1918, London: Putnam, 1984, ISBN 0-370-30538-8, pp. 400-401.
  20. ^ a b c Blumberg, Arnold, "The First Ground-Pounders," Aviation History, November 2014, pp. 42-43.
  21. ^ Fredette, Raymond H., The Sky on Fire: The First Battle of Britain 1917–1918, New York: Harvest, 1976, ISBN 0-15-682750-6, pp. 192-193.
  22. ^ Franks, N. (2000). Nieuport Aces of World War 1. Osprey. ISBN 9781855329614. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  23. ^ "Adolf Ritter von Tutschek". theaerodrome.com. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  24. ^ a b Sturtivant, Ray, British Naval Aviation: The Fleet Air Arm, 1917-1990, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990, ISBN 0-87021-026-2, p. 215.
  25. ^ Kilduff, Peter, The Red Baron: Beyond the Legend, London: Cassell, 1994, ISBN 0-304-35207-1, pp. 16-17.
  26. ^ Hastings, Max, Bomber Command: Churchill's Epic Campaign - The Inside Story of the RAF's Valiant Attempt to End the War, New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1987, ISBN 0-671-68070-6, p. 39.
  27. ^ a b Guttman, John, "Heinecke Parachute: A Leap of Faith For German World War I Airmen," Military History, May 2012, p. 23.
  28. ^ Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Sixth Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, ISBN 1-55750-076-2, pp. 14-15.
  29. ^ Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p. 236.
  30. ^ Infoplease: Famous Firsts in Aviation
  31. ^ Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p. 238.
  32. ^ Napier 2018, p. 14
  33. ^ a b c Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 4. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
  34. ^ "Edward Rickenbacker". The Aerodrome. 2007–2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  35. ^ Sherman, Stephen (August 1, 2001). "René Fonck - Highest Scoring Allied Ace, 75 kills". acepilots.com. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  36. ^ Fredette, Raymond H., The Sky on Fire: The First Battle of Britain 1917–1918, New York: Harvest, 1976, ISBN 0-15-682750-6, p. 196.
  37. ^ Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, pp. 239-240.
  38. ^ Anonymous, "Today in History," The Washington Post Express, May 13, 2013, p. 26.
  39. ^ Who's Who in American Aeronautics. Aviation Publishing Corporation. 1922. p. 85.
  40. ^ Jensen, Richard, "The Suicide Club," Aviation History, May 2017, p. 62.
  41. ^ Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN 0-87021-210-9, p. 27.
  42. ^ Aviation Hawaii: 1879-1919 Chronology of Aviation in Hawaii
  43. ^ Fredette, Raymond H., The Sky on Fire: The First Battle of Britain 1917–1918, New York: Harvest, 1976, ISBN 0-15-682750-6, p. 266.
  44. ^ Maurer, pp. 3-4.
  45. ^ a b c Blumberg, Arnold, "Bombing, Italian Style," Aviation History, November 2015, p. 50.
  46. ^ Hardesty, Von, Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982, ISBN 0-87474-510-1, p. 36.
  47. ^ Frankland, Noble, Bomber Offensive: The Devastation of Europe, New York: Ballantine Books Inc., 1970, p. 11.
  48. ^ a b Butler, Glen, Colonel, USMC, "That Other Air Service Centennial," Naval History, June 2012, p. 56.
  49. ^ Turpin, Brian J., North Sea Three Archived 2010-06-17 at the Wayback Machine
  50. ^ Franks, 1998, pp. 38, 62.
  51. ^ Guttman, Robert, "German Giant," Aviation History, September 2014, p. 15.
  52. ^ *Grosz, Peter (1998). Dornier D.I. Windsock Mini datafile # 12. Hertfordshire, UK: Albatros Publications. p. 8. ISBN 9780948414923.
  53. ^ Globe & Mail, Toronto Star
  54. ^ Caverlee, William, "Flyboy Faulkner", Aviation History, January 2011, p. 19.
  55. ^ Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN 0-87021-210-9, p. 61.
  56. ^ Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Sixth Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, ISBN 1-55750-076-2, p. 12.
  57. ^ Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, pp. 241-242.
  58. ^ tondernraid.com The Story of the Raid on Tondern, 19th July 1918
  59. ^ A Chronological History of Coast Guard Aviation: The Early Years, 1915-1938.
  60. ^ a b Knapp, Walter, "The Marines Take Wing," Aviation History, May 2012, p. 52.
  61. ^ Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Sixth Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, ISBN 1-55750-076-2, p. 15.
  62. ^ The date of this event is placed on 1 August 1918 in Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters: The Fascinating Story of the Great Zeppelin Raids of the First World War, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p.251.
  63. ^ Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Sixth Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, ISBN 1-55750-076-2, p. 97.
  64. ^ Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN 0-87021-210-9, p. 102.
  65. ^ Dobson, Christopher, and John Miller, The Day They Almost Bombed Moscow: The Allied War in Russia, 1918-1920, New York: Atheneum, 1986, no ISBN, pp. 63-64.
  66. ^ a b c Franks, 1998, p. 62.
  67. ^ Cross, Wilbur, Zeppelins of World War I, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1991, ISBN 1-56619-390-7, pp. 175-179.
  68. ^ Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, pp. 245-248.
  69. ^ Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, p. 8.
  70. ^ Donald, 1997, p. 51.
  71. ^ firstworldwar.com Who's Who: Rudolf Berthold
  72. ^ Franks, 1998, pp. 58, 63.
  73. ^ Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, no ISBN, p. 251.
  74. ^ Franks, 1998, pp. 56, 58.
  75. ^ a b c d Angelucci, 1987, p. 114.
  76. ^ Tillman, Barrett, "Above and Beyond," Aviation History, January 1918, p. 30.
  77. ^ themedalofhonor.com HAMMANN, CHARLES
  78. ^ Crosby, Francis, The Complete Guide to Fighters & Bombers of the World London: Hermes House, 2006, ISBN 9781846810008, p. 25.
  79. ^ Guttman, Jon, "Honored By the Enemy," Aviation History, January 2018, pp. 12-13.
  80. ^ Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN 0-87021-210-9, pp. 66, 70.
  81. ^ Bell Davies, Richard (2008). Sailor in the Air: The Memoirs of the World's First Carrier Pilot. Seaforth Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-4738-1784-5.
  82. ^ "René Paul Fonck".
  83. ^ a b c d e Knapp, Walter, "The Marines Take Wing," Aviation History, May 2012, p. 53.
  84. ^ Blumberg, Arnold, "The First Ground-Pounders," Aviation History, November 2014, p. 43.
  85. ^ fly.historicwings.com Flight Stories 25 April 2015.
  86. ^ Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN 0-87021-210-9, p. 28.
  87. ^ Phythyon, John R., Jr., Great War at Sea: Zeppelins, Virginia Beach, Virginia: Avalanche Press, Inc., 2007, p. 14.
  88. ^ Knapp, Walter, "The Marines Take Wing", Aviation History, May 2012, p. 50.
  89. ^ Borch, Fred L., and Robert E. Dorr, "Bravery Over Belgium," Military History, March 2012, p. 17.
  90. ^ a b Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-85602-7, p. 53.
  91. ^ Gardiner, Robert, ed., Conway′s All the World′s Fighting Ships 1906-1921, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985, ISBN 0-87021-907-3, p. 191.
  92. ^ Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-521-85602-7, p. 52.
  93. ^ Franks, Norman, Aircraft vs. Aircraft: The Illustrated Story of Fighter Pilot Combat From 1914 to the Present Day, London: Grub Street, 1998, ISBN 1-902304-04-7, p. 63.
  94. ^ Clark, Basil, The History of Airships, New York: St Martin's Press, 1961, Library of Congress 64-12336, p. 147.
  95. ^ a b Angelucci 1987, p. 378.
  96. ^ Donald, 1997, p. 186.
  97. ^ Angelucci, 1987, p. 427.
  98. ^ a b Donald, 1997, p. 93.
  99. ^ Angelucci, 1987, p. 430.
  100. ^ Swanborough, Gordon, and Peter M. Bowers, United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911, London: Putnam, 1976, ISBN 0-370-10054-9, p. 424.
  101. ^ Angelucci, 1987, p. 116.
  102. ^ Donald, 1997, p. 77.
  103. ^ Angelucci 1987, p. 117.
  104. ^ Angelucci,, 1987, p. 293.
  105. ^ Angelucci 1987, p. 195, claims that this flight was in "mid-August 1918."
  106. ^ Angelucci, 1987, p. 196.
  107. ^ Guttman, Robert, "The Navy′s Flying Cannon," Aviation History, May 2017, pp. 16, 17.
  108. ^ Angelucci, 1987, p. 291.
  109. ^ Angelucci, 1987, p. 420.
  110. ^ Donald, 1997, p. 39.
  111. ^ Donald, 1997, p. 40.

References

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  • Franks, Norman (1998), Aircraft vs. Aircraft: The Illustrated Story of Fighter Pilot Combat From 1914 to the Present Day, London: Grub Street, ISBN 1-902304-04-7
  • Napier, Michael (2018). The Royal Air Force: A Centenary of Operations. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472825384.
  • Angelucci, Enzo (1987), The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books
  • Donald, David, ed. (1997), The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, ISBN 978-0-7607-0592-6