The Army in the air : the history of the Army Air Corps / General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley ; with a foreword by HRH the Prince of Wales.

"Published in association with the Army Air Corps."--Verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-256) and index.

"From military ballooning in the Sudan in the nineteenth century to helicopter assignments in the Gulf in the late twentieth, Army aviation has been at the forefront of Britain's military operations. Here, for the first time, the remarkable story of the Army Air Corps is compellingly told....The British Army was first involved in airborne operations as early as the 1880s , when it established a Balloon Section in the Corps of Royal Engineers. Subsequently, it was among the first armies in the world to recognize the military implications of the invention of the aeroplane and, following the success of the Air Battalion , which replaced the Balloon Section in 1911, a handful of enthusiasts emerged to form the Royal Flying Corps. The Army returned to the air once more with the outbreak of the Second World War, making a unique contribution to ground operations through aerial observation for artillery and by providing glider pilots for British airborne forces. Soldier pilots were retained after the war for target spotting and liaison work, and when helicopters arrived, the Army insisted on operating those engaged in the warp and weft of land battle, reviving its own Army Air Corps to this end. 'The Army in the Air' tells the fascinating story of those spirited and skilled individuals who lie behind the distinguished history of the Army Air Corps, from the early military balloonists of the Victorian age to the efficient fighting force of today and tomorrow."