Nick’s Reviews > Bloody April: Slaughter in the Skies Over Arras, 1917 > Status Update

Nieville's assault has failed and the British are forced to try and extend their diversionary attack to take pressure off the French forces. The weather is horrible restricting air support for a number of days in late April. Accounts of the first close air support missions in support of the British troops. Horrible losses after the initial success as German defenses recover.

The ground assault on Vimy Ridge has started. Really great accounting of an escaped observation balloon by those that were aboard!

Ch 4 continues with detailed day-by-day accounts of the activity over the Arras front.

The second chapter discusses the aviation technology race between the Western allies and the Germans. The Brits were clearly losing the technology race, counting on attrition to close the gap.

This is my first foray into WWI. So I will only be commenting on how I liked the book overall.

I've finished the first chapter and am about halfway through the second chapter. Mr. Hart does a great job summarizing the Western Front status through late 1916, along with introducing how aviation changed the face of war along with all the technology advances.