Fallen Eagles

The 50 pilots featured in Fallen Eagles were all decorated for bravery during The Great War. All survived the conflict only to die flying in the post-war years.The causes of their deaths ranged from being casualties of small wars, then as now rife in the Middle East, mechanical failure or pilot error. The 1920s were still pioneering years for aviation and aviators and test flying, air races and displays, record attempts etc were fraught with dangers known and unknown.

In addition to the better known names such as Sir John Alcock, Captain W Beauchamp-Proctor VC and Sammy Kincaid there are many that will be unfamiliar to all but the most ardent enthusiasts. But all have courage and love of flying in common and sadly luck ran out for each of these men who made a contribution to the history of flight. Thanks to acclaimed aviation historian Norman Franks, their names are not forgotten.

About the Author

Norman Franks is a respected historian and author. Previous titles for Pen and Sword include In The Footsteps of the Red Baron (co-authored with Mike O'Connor), The Fighting Cocks, RAF Fighter Pilots Over Burma, Dogfight, The Fallen Few of the Battle of Britain (with Nigel McCrery) and Dowding's Eagles. Over the course of his career, Frank has published some of the most compelling works on First World War fighter aviation, being one of the world's leading authorities on the subject. He lives in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.