New Zealand's airmen in the Great War

[kiwithrottlejockey]

Sunday Morning on Radio NZ National featured an extensive interview with author Adam Claasen (who is a senior lecturer in history at Massey University's Albany campus) this morning about his book “FEARLESS: The extraordinary untold story of New Zealand's Great War airmen”

CLICK HERE to view photographs on Radio NZ's website and listen to the interview, which runs for 26 minutes and 27 seconds.

You can either listen to the interview directly from the website, or download and save it as an mp3 file to your computer.


The book is published by Massey University Press and features on their website HERE

The website also has a page HERE featuring 10 questions with author Adam Claasen.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

I saw a copy of the book in Hedley's Bookshop in Masterton the other day when I was in there, but I didn't have time to stop and take a detailed look at it.

However, after listening to the interview with Adam Claasen on Radio NZ National this morning, I'll definitely be purchasing a copy.

Taking a quick look around the internet, the book is available online directly from Massey University Press, and from many other online outlets, including Fishpond, and Amazon (UK).

[kiwiruna]

Got my copy yesterday. Adam was in my local bookstore so I was able to get him to inscribe and sign it.
While I've been busy with a sociology essay, I did take time to have a quick flick through and I'm looking forward to sitting down soon and having a cover to cover read.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

I purchased my copy this morning and you can tell it was written by an academic historian....everything is source-referenced in the extensive appendices at the rear of the book.

I'm going to really enjoy reading the book. It appears to be a really extensive account of NZ's Great War airmen.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes I received my copy in the post yesterday, and Adam has done a fine job of the book. It's a lot larger than I'd expected with almost 500 pages, and there are loads of photos and stories not seen before. Excellent job Adam!

[kiwithrottlejockey]

I've read four chapters in the book so far today and I am gobsmacked at the quality of the research and the photographs.

In fact, it's hard to put the book down once you start reading it.

I'm amazed that nobody has taken on that topic so comprehensively before. It certainly fills a huge gap in NZ's aviation history literature.

If you're even thinking about purchasing this book, bite the bullet and acquire it. You definitely won't regret it.

And it is an excellent companion to Errol Martyn's trilogy, “A Passion For Flight: New Zealand Aviation Before The Great War”.

[nuuumannn]

Lovely book, very well researched and written. Not to detract from the efforts of the aurthor, but I sense our friend Errol Martyn has had a wee input in it.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

The appendices are full of references to Errol Martyn's books.

This is a seriously good book....I've now read six chapters.

Although there is some overlap, it basically carries on from where Errol's triology ends.


And just as an aside, I've got in one of my bookcases a copy of an earlier book by Adam Claasen, published five years ago — “Dogfight: The Battle of Britain” — which tells the story of New Zealand and Australian pilots who took part in the Battle of Britain. I was surprised to read in that book some rather interesting statistics: out of 574 foreign pilots who flew combat missions in the Battle of Britain, 134 of them were New Zealanders, yet there were only 37 Australian pilots involved.

[Dave Homewood]

There were actually 136 New Zealanders recognised in some lists as being operational with Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, but there were also loads more, perhaps hundreds, involved in the battle in Bomber Command, Coastal Command and other areas too. The British make a huge fuss of the Poles who fought but the Kiwi contribution which was huge gets largely overlooked.

[nuuumannn]

I like the source of the title, the last line of the book; “When friend and English ace William Fry was asked his opinion of ‘Grid' [Caldwell], he uttered one word: ‘Fearless’”.