Bloody April Quotes

“In their open front cockpit the crew were completely unprotected from the bitter lash of the wind. And the same westerly winds also proved an additional threat when at last, mission accomplished, they tried to fly back to safety: The prevailing wind was against us when returning from any flight over the lines and when it was strong, as it often was, our ground speed was much reduced thereby presenting us as ‘sitting birds’ for the anti-aircraft guns. When landing back at the aerodrome I have known the wind speed to be greater than my landing speed, so that I had to use my engine to get down after finding that my aeroplane was flying backwards relative to the ground.7 Second Lieutenant Geoffrey Hopkins, 22 Squadron, RFC”
― Peter Hart, Bloody April: Slaughter in the Skies over Arras, 1917