Air War over Palestine.

[Guest Julian Hale]

I am reading for an M.A. degree at Lancaster University. The dissertation for my B.A. last year was on the Battle of Britain and research was no problem. Indeed, there was too much to read! However, I have decided to tackle a more original subject this time: the RFC over Palestine 1914-1918, concentrating on the last two years of the campaign. My tutor suggested this website's forum for research purposes. I have the army and RFC/RAF Official Histories relating to the campaign and I am planning expeditions to Kew and Hendon but wondered if anyone had any material on the matter.

Yours hopefully,

Julian Hale.

[De Petrowski Alexander]

I am reading for an M.A. degree at Lancaster University.  The dissertation for my B.A. last year was on the Battle of Britain and research was no problem.  Indeed, there was too much to read!  However, I have decided to tackle a more original subject this time: the RFC over Palestine 1914-1918, concentrating on the last two years of the campaign.  My tutor suggested this website's forum for research purposes.  I have the army and RFC/RAF Official Histories relating to the campaign and I am planning expeditions to Kew and Hendon but wondered if anyone had any material on the matter.

Yours hopefully,

Julian Hale.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You did not mention the AFC (Australian Flying Corps), there were crucial to the Air War over Palestine, Australia was the only country who acted on the British proposal to form their own separate Air Force, is it just the British RFC in which you are interested in or the whole Allied Air War in Palestine ?

http://www.australianflyingcorps.org/

If interested I can always give you a source concerning the opponents in Palestine, I have come recently in possession of a CDrom called "Ottoman Aviation 1909 - 1919, it has chapters about their Air War over Palestine (includes the "Pasha Air Force" = German)

[PFF]

See "Over the Front" magazine.

Volume 13

Number 1

Spring 1998

"THe Forgotten Fronts"

[Dolphin]

Julian

You might like to look at Peter Liddle's The Airman's War 1914-1918; ISBN 07137 1592.

Also Volume VIII of the Australian Official History is on-line at: http://awm.gov.au/histories/chapter.asp?volume=9

I hope this helps

Gareth

[Dolphin]

Julian

It might not be easy to find a copy, but the Summer 1970 edition of Cross & Cockade* (Vol 11 No 2) was devoted to the air war in the Middle East, especially the Palestinian Front, and contained some first-hand accounts.

* = this was the journal of the original US-based organisation that more or less evolved into Over the Front, not the UK-produced journal.

I hope this helps

Gareth

[domsim]

Hi Julian

I would say your best start point is the British Official History:

British Official history: ‘The War in the Air: Being the story of the part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force’ Volume 6 by H.A. Jones (1937)

supplemented by trips to Kew to look at unit war diaries

They are starting to release back issues of Cross & Cockade on CD rom:

Cross & Cockade

scroll down and click on Cross & Cockade US

I managed to get hold of useful articles using inter library at my college and got photocopies from the Library Of Congress! You could check your entitlement to this as a student.

As Gareth has already mentioned the Australian Official History by F.M. Cutlack is available on line and you can search for photographs at the Australain War Memorial Website here:

Australian search

They have some great aviation photgraphs.

Imperial war museum also has a collection with Palestine photographs and there are some at Kew including captured German aerial photographs.

As mentioned by others the background of the 'enemy' perspective is fascinating and is starting to be researched and published a lot more from the Ottoman and German view point.

My interest is the Arab revolt and the Ottoman airforce-bit of a side show to your interest. I would point out one warning as a result of my research of X flight 14 squadron who provided air support to the arab forces. Cutlack's Australian History is very poor on this (not to say it is all poor of course!) at best sketchy, at worst inaccurate, Jones' British History is much more detailed and accurate on this side.

A nice article on X-flight's earlier deployment in the Hejaz can be found here:

Lawrence's air force

Hope this helps

Cheers

Dominic