Because of its recent invention, the aeroplane captured the imagination of both soldiers and civilians during World War I, and the psychological effect of the new weapon often outweighed its actual capabilities. This book recounts the history of the air war on the east and west fronts, the Middle East and Africa. Using official records, diaries, correspondence, memoirs and oral transcripts as well as established secondary sources, the book shows how the aircraft and the role they played in the war evolved between 1914 and 1918.