{"product_id":"bloody-april-9781399643443","title":"Bloody April : The Unforgettable Story of the Air War over Arras, 1917","description":"\u003cp data-bb-audio=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eListen while you read.\u003c\/strong\u003e The audiobook is on Libro.fm, and part of every sale comes back to our shop. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/bb-listen.thomasjohnjunk.workers.dev\/a\/9781399643443?s=product\"\u003eGet the audiobook\u003c\/a\u003e, and it opens the edition sold in your country.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom acclaimed military historian Peter Hart, discover a story of heroism and sacrifice in the skies over Arras, 1917\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the Allies embarked upon the Battle of Arras – a British offensive on the Western Front in April 1917 – they desperately needed accurate aerial reconnaissance photographs. But by this point in the First World War, pilots from the Royal Flying Club were flying obsolete planes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe new German Albatros fighters massively outclassed them in every respect: speed, armament, ability to withstand punishment and manoeuvrability. Many of the RFC’s pilots were straight out of flying school; as they took to the air, they were sitting targets for the experienced German aces.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver the course of the air support operation that became known as ‘Bloody April’ the RFC suffered casualties of over a third. The average life expectancy of a new subaltern on the front line dropped to just eleven days. And yet they carried on flying, day after day, in the knowledge that – in the eyes of their commanders at least – their own lives meant nothing compared to the photographs they brought back, photographs that could save tens of thousands of soldiers on the ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Bloody April, military historian Peter Hart tells the vital story of the air war over Arras with eyewitness accounts from the men who were actually there.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor: Peter Hart\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch4\u003eGeneral \u0026amp; world history, European history, First World War, Air forces \u0026amp; warfare\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003ch5\u003ePublished on 5 Nov 2026 by Orion Publishing Co.\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePaperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Peter Hart","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57549525778810,"sku":"9781399643443","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0373\/4125\/files\/9781399643443.jpg?v=1794346644","url":"https:\/\/belfastbooks.co.uk\/nl\/products\/bloody-april-9781399643443","provider":"Belfast Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}