FE 2b/d vs Albatros Scouts: Western Front 1916-17

by James F. Miller, Jim Laurier (Illustrator), Mark Postlethwaite (Illustrator), James F. Miller (Illustrator)

Overview

In the spring of 1916 the deployment of the RFC's FE 2 – with its rotary engine 'pusher' configuration affording excellent visibility for its pilot and observer, and removing the need for synchronized machine guns – helped wrest aerial dominance from Imperial Germany's Fokker Eindecker monoplanes, and then contributed to retaining it throughout the Somme battles of that fateful summer. However, by autumn German reorganization saw the birth of the Jagdstaffeln (specialised fighter squadrons) and the arrival of the new Albatros D scout, a sleek inline-engined machine built for speed and twin-gun firepower. Thus, for the remainder of 1916 and well into the next year an epic struggle for aerial superiority raged above the horrors of the Somme and Passchendaele battlefields, pitting the FE 2 against the better-armed and faster Albatros scouts that were focused on attacking and destroying their two-seater opponents. In the end the Germans would regain air superiority, and hold it into the following summer with the employment of their new Jagdgeschwader (larger fighter groupings), but the FE 2 remained a tenacious foe that inflicted many casualties – some of whom were Germany's best aces (including 'The Red Baron').

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780963273
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	01/20/2014
Series:	Duel , #55
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

James F. Miller is a married father of two who lives in Naples, Florida. A commercial pilot and lifelong student of all aspects of aviation, his current research focuses on the middle years of World War I.
Jim Laurier is a native of New England and lives in New Hampshire. He attended Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, from 1974–78, and since graduating with Honours, he has been working professionally in the field of Fine Art and Illustration. He has been commissioned to paint for the US Air Force and has aviation paintings on permanent display at the Pentagon.
Mark Postlethwaite was born in Leicestershire in 1964 and has developed a lifelong passion for aviation history. He first worked as a photographer before turning his attention solely to artwork, and is now highly regarded in his field for the quality and accuracy of his work. He became the youngest elected member of the Guild of Aviation Artists in 1991. Mark is a valued Osprey artist and has contributed to more than 100 of its books.

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Chronology 8

Design and Development 10

Technical Specifications 20

The Strategic Situation 40

The Combatants 45

Combat 51

Statistics and Analysis 69

Aftermath 77

Further Reading 79

Index 80