{"product_id":"bloody-april-slaughter-in-the-skies-over-arras-1917","title":"Bloody April","description":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom acclaimed military historian Peter Hart, discover a story of heroism and sacrifice in the skies over Arras, 1917\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Readers say:\u003cbr\u003e 'A must for any military history or aviation buff. Excellent' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003cbr\u003e 'A truly worthy account of the sacrifices made by the brave men of the RFC' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003cbr\u003e 'An exciting and emotional journey' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAs the Allies embarked upon the Battle of Arras - a British offensive on the Western Front in April 1917 - they desperately needed accurate aerial reconnaissance photographs. But by this point in the First World War, pilots from the Royal Flying Club were flying obsolete planes.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe new German \u003ci\u003eAlbatros\u003c\/i\u003e fighters massively outclassed them in every respect: speed, armament, ability to withstand punishment and manoeuvrability. Many of the RFC's pilots were straight out of flying school; as they took to the air, they were sitting targets for the experienced German aces.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOver the course of the air support operation that became known as 'Bloody April' the RFC suffered casualties of over a third. The average life expectancy of a new subaltern on the front line dropped to just eleven days. And yet they carried on flying, day after day, in the knowledge that - in the eyes of their commanders at least - their own lives meant nothing compared to the photographs they brought back, photographs that could save tens of thousands of soldiers on the ground.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eBloody April\u003c\/i\u003e, military historian Peter Hart tells the vital story of the air war over Arras with eyewitness accounts from the men who were actually there.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Unity Books","offers":[{"title":"Bloody April : Slaughter in the Skies over Arras 1917","offer_id":50937768280261,"sku":null,"price":28.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0625\/6679\/3413\/files\/978-1-3996-4344-3.jpg?v=1794356300","url":"https:\/\/unitybooks.myshopify.com\/products\/bloody-april-slaughter-in-the-skies-over-arras-1917","provider":"Unity Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}