BY THE STAFF OF " AEROPL PANECONTENTS eens ce! foe ey. = Page One British Mititary Aeroplanes +s Pages Two-Seventeen Bomber Comparisons «Pages Eighteen—Twenty-one German Military Aeroplanes. Pages Twenty-two—Thirty-four Fields of Fire... . Pages Thirey-ive—Thirty-eight Sithouettes . . . «Pages Thirty-nine—Forty-one Civil Wdentifcation ..._. Pages Forty-two-Forty-fourJOST people ba few opportunites before the War to become # Micgulated with the appearence of forgn miliary aeroplanes ‘Thoy were tobe seen at race intervals on the hms, Regular readers of aeronautical Meratize saw pictures of most of them som time fo time, If their menories wece sich as ean retain photographic impressions, these people stasted the War with the advantage of being able to distinguish between enemy and ally. Most other people ood ¢ small chance of recognising a rider and no chance at all fof dlstinguishing between British fighters and sacs fighters as aight De detailed for escort duty with an enemy bomber force ‘Many people who might be classed among these innocents hav since been embodied in His Majesty's Forces. Those who belong. fo the antiairerat batteries of the Royal Avtilley have at their Service official publications which assist them in recognising enemy" Aiteralt, At the beginning of the War those publications were either Scarce or insufficiently digested, for there was atleast one famous: fceasion on which ou own fighter were mistaken for enemy fecon- aissance machines, and the antiaircraft gunnersallowedthemssives {litle target practice to which they were not entitled. However uch the fighter pilots may have resented that Iieenee, they were hound o agree that twas all in the usual tradition Qe late in the Tast wat, British aeroplanes were "archied"” by the Preach ganners when they were suddenly transferred from the British to the French part of the Front, Occasionally ovr own guns Inade things unpleasant in those days for our own aiteralt. Unless the gunuers are soaked in the characterise details of diferent types “of aeroplane, they are always Fable to mistake one for the other at fny height above that at which the Servico markings can be seen. hee etsptow are ls oae tole pier oon She snaler points of diference ‘to be sucely identied “Consider, for instance, the relative similarity in general outine of the German fighler, the Heinkel 112, and the Supermarine | Spire. If the detuls can be observed, the lack of a radiator “der the starbourd wing may reveal the object as a Heinkel: nist br known if the types are 2 FOREWORD ¥ By E, COLSTON SHEPHERD, ».a,, nie (oxom, Editor of ao ‘upside down, might enable the observer to be sire 1 looking at a Heinkel. Sitch near parallels might be mul the bomber class, but for the angle of the wings, the Heinkel 111] right be mistaken, with fair exewse, forthe Anson, How easily th mistake may be made can be proved by ne familiar with modern acroplanes to identity one of the silhoxe contained in this book. The odds aginst hs Beng wrong a at least even, publication as this,” Experience, dearly bought have taught the gunners, the Observer Corps, th ¥ fu some of the geueal ull which were fairs and Wile Wee fiendly aircraft. They have been spared those hard lessons and sve, who have done our best to supplement thei sain wath nse information, have ample reason 40 know ow gladly they £e ur fort There has been & heavy and continous da pictures, dravrings and silhouettes of the aeroplanes engaged 4 War, And the demand, for the most part, has come fom concerned with air defence oe Hees n compact orm ost of th pital ormaton from the pages of Tits AEROPLANE which, in past weeks, Bas helping to Tighten the responsibilities of certain important B of the air defence fre overhead. Tt is offered fo those who, hy making thea scoustomed 10 the look of the wae machines, would Aptitude to pick them ont at sight. Tt may melewe any a guaner’s idle hours on duty and males bin a Waltable member of the ete at the same time 1a fn infantryman who late will have t0 tur is mach srouncstrafer It may help thousands of vila Jnteigen terest is the maehines which which defend