King of Airfighters

A penetrating study of Britain’s top fighter ace in the Great War . . .Ira Jones’ biography of Britain’s top scoring ace of World War I has become the subject of some controversy over the last few years, most notably as it is the source of the claim of 73 “kills” for Mannock, thereby making him the number one scoring Allied Ace of the war. Later research has thrown serious doubt on this claim and indeed Mannock himself only claimed 51 kills. Jones’s biography is nevertheless an important account, especially when seen in the context of the time in which it was first written. In particular the biography delves into the mind of Mannock, portraying the singular nature of his character and the true stress that these pioneer air fighters experienced in the last few months of the war.