French Strategic And Tactical Bombardment Forces of World War I

Martel, who fought the Great War from the sky as an observer and bombardier, first published this most important and detailed description of the French art of bombardment in 1939. It is only now that his work has been translated into English and edited, revealing how strategy and tactics in French aviation warfare developed as the war progressed to include simple bomb-dropping, creating and effectively using bombsights, targeting based on intelligence, flying in formation and as escorts, and using aerial photography to assess damage. The able and accessible translation gives the general reader better insight into the non-technical aspects of the world of the bombardier, as Martel also writes of the propaganda war about bombing on both sides and closely describes the work of pioneers in war aviation to make a new technology fit a war fought on very traditional principles. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Rene Martel served his native France as an observer/bombardier during the First World War. He published widely in history, politics, and geography from the 1920s to the 1940s.

Allen Suddaby received his degree in Romance Languages from Syracuse University and is currently retired and living in North Carolina.

Steven Suddaby has published several articles on the strategic bombing campaigns of the First World War, winning the Thornton D. Hooper Award for Excellence in Aviation History in 1998 and 2004.