THE OFFICIAL HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA IN THE WAR OF 1914-1918

Volume eight, written by Frederic Cutlack, covers in great detail the first air operations in war undertaken by Australia. These first operations were carried out by the famous “Half Flight” of the Australian Flying Corps, which was despatched to disease-ridden Mesopotamia in 1915 to provide air services for the Anglo-Indian Army. This army was attempting to drive out the Turks and thus protect the Empire’s oil resources. The next phase came in early 1916, with the formation of No.1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, and its despatch to Egypt where it took part in operations in the Sinai desert and then Palestine. Cutlack places in perspective the role played by the young Australian aviators in helping to win air supremacy against the German Air Force. After that victory, the Australian pilots had a devastating effect in the ground attack role, particularly in the final offensive against the Turkish armies in 1918. Finally, Cutlack describes the achievements of squadrons 2, 3 and 4, which arrived in France at a late, crucial stage of the war. After the briefest introduction to an entirely new way of fighting, they were sent into the thick of the aerial battle, remaining on operations until the war ended.

Mesopotamia - The First Australian Airmen on Service. Mesopotamia - The End of the First Campaign. The Middle East - Advent of No.1 Squadron. Air Fighting in the Desert. Increasing Importance of Air Warfare. The Victory of Gaza.õThe Turkish Retreat to Nablus. Beginning of the Air Offensive. The Raids Across the Jordan. Growing British Supremacy in the Air. The Enemy Driven from the Sky. The Battle of Armageddon. Australian Airmen in France. Cambrai and Gouzeaucourt. Winter Work over Messines Ridge. Spring Fights North of the Scarpe. Meeting the German Offensive. Early Circus Fights with No.2 Squadron. No.3 Squadron’s Operations over the Somme. Exploits of No.4 Squadron over the Lys. Harassing the Enemy on the Lys. The British Offensive on the Somme. The Battles in the Hindenburg Line. The Lille Air Raids. Fights of the Sweep Formation. The Last Great Air Battles. Flights Home to Australia. 

The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 is a 12-volume series covering Australian involvement in the First World War. The series was edited by C.E.W. Bean, who also wrote six of the volumes, and was published between 1920 and 1942. The first seven volumes deal with the Australian Imperial Force while other volumes cover the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force at Rabaul, the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Flying Corps and the home front; the final volume is a photographic record. Unlike other official histories that have been aimed at military staff, Bean intended the Australian history to be accessible to a non-military audience. The relatively small size of the Australian forces enabled the history to be presented in great detail, giving accounts of individual actions that would not have been possible when covering a larger force.