Stalking the U-Boat: U.S. Naval Aviation in Europe during World War I

Preface and Acknowledgments

Preface and Acknowledgments The seeds of this project were planted many years ago. While preparing the World War I correspondence of naval aviator Kenneth MacLeish for publication , I found myself in need of a concise, detailed study of the Navy’s aeronautic efforts in Europe in 1917–1919. Every time I requested such a volume, however, I was told it didn’t exist. Right then I decided to write the book myself when time became available. My perhaps overly ambitious idea received a great boost from three distinguished historians who kindly took me under their wing: Dean Allard, then director of Naval History at the Naval Historical Center, his eventual successor, William Dudley, and William “Bill” Still. With their enthusiastic support I received a Vice Admiral Hooper research grant from the Center, which underwrote the first stages of the research process. In recent years the Salisbury School in Salisbury, Connecticut, has provided generous additional travel and research funding. Researching a subject like this is a lengthy and circuitous journey, and my efforts took me to Washington, D.C., Florida, Ireland, London, and Paris. I also enjoyed locating and visiting the long-abandoned sites of the Navy’s World War I stations throughout Ireland, England, and France. Professional staff on two continents proved invaluable in tracking down sources. In Europe , special thanks go to librarians and archivists at the Cork and Wexford County (Ireland) Libraries, the National Archives in Kew, England, and the Service Historique de la Marine at Chateau Vergennes, Paris. In the United States the various professionals at the Library of Congress and the Naval History and Heritage Command could not have been more helpful. The same was true at the Emil Buehler Library at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. Richard von Doenhoff at the National Archives provided invaluable access and guidance in sorting through the documents held there, greatly assisted by Barry Zerby. The volume of material documenting the aviation campaign of 1917–1919 is staggering, filling many hundreds of feet of archives shelving, but a few sources proved central to the task. Official records include flight reports, xviii Preface and Acknowledgments training manuals, blueprints, photographs, headquarters memos, station logs, daily and weekly schedules, inspection reports, and a hundred other types of paperwork familiar to any member of a large, military bureaucracy. The manuscript history of operations in France prepared at the direction of Capt. Thomas Craven in 1919, though containing some errors, is a monumental work. Similarly, Clifford Lord’s enormous administrative history of naval aviation 1898–1939 identified the players, gathered the documents, and limned the outlines of organizational and policy efforts. Published and unpublished letters, memoirs, and journals of the participants proved illuminating and inspiring. In addition, visiting the largely abandoned sites of the former Naval Air Stations in Ireland, England, and France provided a perspective not otherwise available. Finally, Reginald Arthur’s Contact! gathered together biographical and service-related details of the Navy’s first 2,000 aviators, an extraordinary achievement. As the manuscript began to assume shape, several individuals generously read various drafts and offered helpful corrections and advice, including my mentor of many years, Roger Lotchin, Dwight Messimer, Richard Curtis, William Still, Lt. Col. (Dr.) John Abbatiello, and William Trimble. They all offered encouragement and saved me from many gaffes. I appreciate the diligence of the copy editor, Patterson Lamb, who tightened the manuscript and raised questions that needed to be asked. Any remaining errors are my own. Finally, I would like to thank my girls, Joan, Margaret, and Chloe, who waited patiently while I tapped away at the word processor, wished me bon voyage as I set out on my research trips, and welcomed me home at the end of my journeys. This book is dedicated to them. ...