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No Parachute

A Classic Account of War in the Air in WWI

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About this listen

This account of the Great War puts you right in the action - from one of the fighter pilots of the Royal Flying Corps.

From the young airmen who took their frail machines high above the trenches of World War I and fought their foes in single combat, there emerged a renowned company of brilliant aces - among them Ball, Bishop, McCudden, Collishaw, and Mannock - whose legendary feats have echoed down half a century. But behind the elite pilots in the Royal Flying Corps, there were many hundreds of airmen who flew their hazardous daily sorties in outdated planes without ever achieving fame.

Here is the story of one of these unknown flyers - a story based on letters written in the day, telling of a young pilot's progress from fledgling to seasoned fighter. His descriptions of air fighting, sometimes against the Richthofen Circus, of breathless dogfights between Sopwith Pup and Albatros, are among the most vivid and immediate to come out of World War I.

Arthur Gould Lee, who rose to the rank of air vice-marshal and also authored the classic Open Cockpit, brilliantly conveys the immediacy of air war, the thrills and the terror, in this honest and timeless account.

©1968 Arthur Gould Lee with the kind permission of David Reed- Felstead; copyright 2013 by Grub Street (P)2020 Tantor Air Forces Armed Forces Military Military & War World War I War Aviation Aviation History Air War
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Very interesting book from a flyers point of few in WW1. Lots of personal bits that you you don’t normally get in your usual history book. Towards the end the diary changes and you can almost feel the pressure building and the cracks appearing. Very enjoyable listen.

Great find

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This has got to be the best WW1 book I have read or listened to. I must admit that I struggled initially with the narrator, as he appeared wooden, but that’s probably because he was mainly reading letters the author had written, but I soon got used to him.
I like this book so much that I purchased it for a friend in paper back, and he too is loving it.
It is so descriptive, it’s like your there with the author, it’s simply day to day survival flying in what can only be described as death traps.
They were so brave, and it was unforgivable that the top brass wouldn’t issue them parachutes.
I’ve already downloaded the author’s second book ‘Open Cockpit’
If you have the slightest interest in aviation and WW1, you will love this book.

Fantastic, you felt you were there in the cockpit.

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A fascinating insight to the daily life of a new and latterly experienced WW1 pilot.

fascinating insight

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enjoyed this and some of the descriptions were very good but the voice characterisations were very stereo typical at times. The ground crew were basically simpleton morons (and reminded me of characters from The Goons. expected the phrase 'shut up Eccles' to make a showing), and the pilots very 'plum in mouth' types. However in some sadistic way, this added to the listening experience.

Bluebottle in battle dress

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What an amazing view inside the RFC during WW1. These young flyers, some aged as young as 17, were hero’s left unsupported by their senior officers echoing the experiences of the infantry below them. Well worth a listen. No parachutes! Disgraceful negligence.

Fantastic insight

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