In 1908, H. G. Wells wrote “The War in the Air” in which he envisioned destruction and terror from the air. It didn’t take long for that vision to become a reality during World War I. Americans such as Billy Mitchell, John Macready, and William Moffett recognized the value of airpower and sought to conquer aerial frontiers as men like Glenn Martin developed bombers for the American military.

At the same time, Herrmann Goring, Manfred von Richthofen, and Hugo Junkers were similarly involved in the development of airpower for Germany. And, after having declared war on Germany at the beginning of World War I, Japan continued its production of airplanes.

This, then, set the stage for what would ultimately become war from the air.

In the aftermath of the First World War, the players, the planes, the trial, the skirmishes of war combine to tell the story of the evolution of military aviation. Archive photographs of the people, the planes, the battles accompany the narrative and illustrate the unfolding saga of the architects of airpower.

Part of the Epic of Flight series, this is the story of the development of the aircraft of war.

Recommended for readers interested in aviation history, the role of the airplane in war, and/or early aviation pioneers. ( )