NASMREF copy 39088019500982 gift of Robert B. Casari.
Summary:
American Military Aircraft 1908-1919 is the story of the development of American military aviation before and during the First World War. Comprehensively told here for the first time, this story is one of inability to develop suitable airframes and aero-engines during the war, with the result that not one American-designed aircraft saw combat over the Western Front. That failure was not due to lack of effort and creativity: the military and industry were simply unable to resolve the complex technological and production problems in the time available. Fortunately, the lessons learned led to successful industrial mobilization for the next world war when victory was crucial. With the exception of the Liberty Plane, an American-built adaptation of a British design powered by the only truly successful American aero-engine, the United States Air Service went to war flying aircraft designed and built in Europe, and all these types are included in this account together with American designs.
