The war in the skies
The war in the skies
When war broke out in August of 1914 aviation was still in its infancy. Nevertheless pilots and their aeroplanes could count on a lot of attention from the press on both sides of the conflict. Pilots credited with five or more victories were called aces and received a lot of admiration. The most famous Belgian ace was Willy Coppens who shot down 37 enemy targets.
The attention lavished on aces proved to be a source of tension with foot soldiers, who lived in squalid conditions in the trenches and often remained anonymous to the public.
Part of
De grote oorlog
Other collections by Redactie