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Albatros Production |
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Windsock Datafiles #108 The Bleriot XI at War |
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by Gregory Alegi |
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Reviewed By Clarence Wentzel, #11478 |
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| MSRP: £10.00
(GBP) This is the Latest Datafile from Albatros Productions, Ltd. When I initially heard the title of this Datafile, I wondered if it was an oxymoron title or a “Small Book” title like “Lower Slobovia War Heroes” etc. I was aware of the Bleriot XI in terms of the record making flights across the English Channel by Louis Bleriot and then by Harriet Quimby (a Michigan girl) but was not aware of any possible military use for the fragile aircraft. I had thought the Bleriot XI along with those other early pioneer aircraft were long obsolete by the start of any hostilities. In reality, the success of Louis Bleriot and others made the model XI very popular for the time and over 1500 in several versions were produced. This made the Bleriot readily available. In addition, there were a number of conflicts before World War I that gave the different countries opportunities to determine ways that this new technology could assist the armies of the day. The first usage was in the area of reconnaissance with the second area being bombardment. The Datafile covers the use of the Bleriot by the Italian Army in Libya in 1911 and the French Army in Morocco in 1912. In addition, the Bleriot was sold to the governments of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Greece, Guatemala, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. The problem with producing a book such as this is that there were so many minor and not so minor variations of the design known as the Bleriot XI. The book does an admirable job of trying to sort out most of the key variants. They describe thirteen single seaters and seven two-seaters as well as a three-seater and three variants of the Type XI-bis. Ninety-six photos are included which show various versions in the field as well as close-up photos of specific details. The usual great Datafile drawings show a 1913 version of a single seat Bleriot XI with a 50-hp Gnome engine and a 1914 two-seater version with an 80-hp Gnome engine. Three color profiles are included along with an interesting cover painting. I loved the colors of the airplane on the cover but could not find any additional information on this particular example. This book provides a good summary of the usage of the Bleriot XI in military applications and makes an attempt at explaining many of the variations of the Bleriot XI. Within the confines of the format, the author does a creditable job of meeting these objectives. Based on what was included in this book, I feel that it would take a several hundred page monograph to completely cover the subject. Until such a tome becomes available (don’t hold your breath) this Datafile will be the best source of information on the fascinating Bleriot XI. The book is recommended for WW I and aviation history enthusiasts. A big thanks to Albatros Productions for providing the sample for review and to John Noack for letting me learn more about this key pioneer aircraft. |
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