The Balloonatics - Alan Morris
London: Jarrolds, 1970, Hardback in Dust Wrapper.Condition: Very Good — in Very Good Dust Wrapper.
Contains: Black & white photographs; Maps to the endpapers and blanks; Glossary; Cutaways; Appendices [5];
From the cover: “Bloody April and First of the Many have established Alan Morris as a leading historian of military aviation. By presenting in The Balloonatics the unique story of the kite-balloon units who were born in the Great War and who died with it, Mr Morris has again filled a major historical gap. The result is both an invaluable reference book for the enthusiast and a narrative of inspiring courage and fantastic drama for the general reader.
During the First World War the Balloonatics fulfilled the most bizarre of duties: to spy on enemy movements and to direct artillery by telephone while staked out like tiger-bait for hostile aeroplanes and anti-aircraft guns. The author has traced survivors and combed British and foreign archives to produce a closely documented record of aerial traps, ruses and miraculous escapes.
The personal stories of these men — and of their hunters, the balloon-busters — are woven into a colourful tapestry of campaigns, inter-service quarrels and political failings.”
Foreword or introduction by Air Vice-Marshal W. F. Macneece Foster. Size: 8½" x 5½". Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [X] 212 pages.
£20.00