Get Free Shipping on orders over $79
The Bad Boy : Bert Hall, Aviator and Mercenary of the Skies - Blaine Lee Pardoe

The Bad Boy

Bert Hall, Aviator and Mercenary of the Skies

By: Blaine Lee Pardoe

Hardcover | 18 January 2010

At a Glance

Hardcover


RRP $50.99

$48.99

or 4 interest-free payments of $12.25 with

 or 

Ships in 10 to 15 business days

Weston Birch (Bert) Hall carved out his place in history with an almost devilish delight. Much of what has been written about him, including his own two autobiographies, has proven over the years to be more fiction than reality. He was labelled numerous times in his career: rogue, scoundrel, card cheat, forger, human cannonball, World War 1 pilot, criminal, bigamist, deserter, filmmaker, author, soldier of fortune, hero, Chinese General, arms smuggler, Foreign Legionnaire, salesman, aerial racer, aviation pioneer, father, and entrepreneur. Oddly enough, these titles were all true. Bert Hall's fantastic life and status as the bad boy of the Lafayette Escadrille have often eclipsed the truth. Turning to primary sources in archives around the world, many that have been overlooked for decades, this book makes the first attempt to reconstruct the life of Bert Hall. For the first time aficionados of World War 1 aviation and aviation history will get a glimpse into the life of a man who lived in extraordinary times and took advantage of them. While Bert's autobiographies were penned mostly to create a myth around his life, they often were based on kernels of truth. This book finds those kernels and paints the real-life picture of an amazing man who lived in incredible times. As the elder man of the Lafayette Escadrille, Bert was basically run out of the squadron by his colleagues. That should have been the end of his story. In reality, it was just the beginning. In an age where the world was fascinated by aviators, Bert became a real-life comic book character - a mercenary of the skies! Within two years, the Lafayette Escadrille, a squadron or rogues, playboys and misfits has claimed an incredible 900 kills and produced 72 aces!

About the Author

Blaine Pardoe is the author of numerous books in SF, military non-fiction, and business management genres. He has appeared on a number of national television and radio shows to speak about his books and has been a featured speaker at the US National Archives, the United States Navy Museum and the New York Military Affairs Symposium. He is also a member of the League of World War 1 Aviation Historians. His books have even been mentioned in the US Congress. His books have been printed in six languages and he is recognised worldwide for his historical and fiction works

More in Historical, Political and Military Biographies

On My Watch : Leading NATO in a Time of War - Jens Stoltenberg

RRP $39.99

$31.75

21%
OFF
100 Diaries That Chronicled World Events - Colin Salter

RRP $44.99

$35.75

21%
OFF
The Look : The No1 New York Times bestseller - Michelle Obama

RRP $69.99

$52.25

25%
OFF
Oliver Cromwell : Commander in Chief - Ronald Hutton

RRP $26.95

$22.99

15%
OFF
Mitchell : Father of the Spitfire - Paul Beaver

RRP $34.99

$28.75

18%
OFF
Ten Doors Down : The story of an extraordinary adoption reunion - Robert Tickner
Fly, Wild Swans : My Mother, Myself and China - Jung Chang

RRP $37.99

$30.75

19%
OFF
An End to Suffering - Pankaj Mishra

$31.75

Freedom : Memoirs 1954 - 2021 - Angela Merkel

RRP $34.99

$31.75

Winston and the Windsors : How Churchill Shaped a Royal Dynasty - Andrew Morton
Ned Kelly : The Story of Australia's Most Notorious Legend - Peter FitzSimons
Big Blue Sky : A memoir - Peter Garrett

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF