The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cavalry of the Clouds, by Alan Bott

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Title: Cavalry of the Clouds

Author: Alan Bott

Release Date: February 7, 2010 [EBook #31211]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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CAVALRY OF THE CLOUDS

[Illustration: "CONTACT"

CAPTAIN ALAN BOTT, M. C.

OF THE BRITISH ROYAL FLYING CORPS]

CAVALRY OF THE CLOUDS

BY

"CONTACT"

(CAPT. ALAN BOTT, M.C.)

_With an introduction by_

MAJOR-GENERAL W. S. BRANCKER

(Deputy Director-General of Military Aeronautics)

[Illustration]

GARDEN CITY - NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1918

Copyright, 1917, by
Doubleday, Page & Company

_All rights reserved,
including that of translation into foreign languages,
including the Scandinavian_

DEDICATED

TO

THE FALLEN OF UMPTY SQUADRON, R.F.C.

JUNE-DECEMBER 1916

PREFACE

Of the part played by machines of war in this war of machinery the wider
public has but a vague knowledge. Least of all does it study the
specialised functions of army aircraft. Very many people show mild
interest in the daily reports of so many German aeroplanes destroyed, so
many driven down, so many of ours missing, and enraged interest in the
reports of bomb raids on British towns; but of aerial observation, the
main _raison d'etre_ of flying at the front, they own to nebulous ideas.

As an extreme case of this haziness over matters aeronautic I will quote
the lay question, asked often and in all seriousness: "Can an aeroplane
stand still in the air?" Another surprising point of view is illustrated
by the home-on-leave experience of a pilot belonging to my present
squadron. His lunch companion--a charming lady--said she supposed he
lived mostly on cold food while in France.

"Oh no," replied the pilot, "it's much the same as yours, only plainer
and tougher."

"Then you do come down for meals," deduced the lady. Only those who hav