Summary of Neal Bascomb's The Escape Artists - E-book - ePub

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 On August 7, 1916, the youngest pilot in his squadron, Cecil Blain, took off from Fienvillers. He flew his Sopwith 1oe Strutter biplane eastward, and soon left behind the tented camp and the orchard next to the aerodrome. #2 The British and French began a massive offensive on the upper reaches of the river Somme on July 1, 1916.
The offensive took a bite out of the German lines, but at the cost of almost twenty thousand British dead and double that figure in wounded. #3 The five Sopwiths flew across no-man's-land, and as they reached Maubeuge, they saw a lone German reconnaissance plane flying straight westward. The airmen didn't engage, and continued their reconnaissance. #4 The airplane became a multipronged weapon in a conflict that would envelop the world.
Many remained unconvinced, including Douglas Haig, future commander in chief of the British Expeditionary Force.