The follow-up to Bloody April 1917 continues fifteen months later into
World War I. Much had happened over this period. More battles had been
fought, won and lost on both sides, but now the American strength was
feeding in to France with both men and material. With the mighty push on
the French/American Front at St Mihiel on 12 September and then along
the Meuse-Argonne Front from the 26th, once more masses of men and
aircraft were put into the air. They were opposed by no less a
formidable German fighter force than had the squadrons in April 1917
although the numbers were not in their favour. Nevertheless, the German
fighter pilots were able to inflict an even larger toll of British,
French and American aircraft shot down, making this the worst month for
the Allied flyers during the whole of World War I - and this just a mere
six weeks from the war's bloody finale. As with their previous book, the
authors of Black September 1918 have analysed the daily events
throughout September with the use of lists of casualties and claims from
both sides. The book also contains seven detailed appendices examining
the victory claims of all the air forces that fought during September
1918. Although it is difficult to pin-point exactly who was fighting who
high above the trenches, by pouring over maps and carefully studying
almost all the surviving records, the picture of 'who got who' in the
air slowly begins to emerge with deadly accuracy. Coinciding with the
centenary of the end of World War I, Black September 1918 is a profusely
illustrated and essential reference piece to understanding one of the
crucial months of war in the skies.
