Far Beyond the Lines: A Story of Strategic Aerial Reconnaissance in the First World War

Far Beyond the Lines: A Story of Strategic Aerial Reconnaissance in the First World War, provides a fascinating look at a crucial—yet much overlooked—aspect of the first air war. While tactical reconnaissance squadrons monitored the forward combat zone and immediate rear areas, other select aircrews conducted missions far behind enemy lines. Their objective was to gather military intelligence—both through photographic reconnaissance and visual surveillance of broad areas—and relay the vital information to the Army High Command to assist with operational planning. In the German air service, they were sometimes referred to as "Fernflieger." One such "Fernflieger" was Friedrich Wilhelm Radenbach, whose experiences piloting Rumpler reconnaissance aircraft from airfields located near the center of the Western Front to distant objectives such as Paris and Le Havre were recorded in a semi-fictionalized memoir titled Weit im Rücken des Feindes. It is a fragmentary story he presents, which recounts prominent missions undertaken during his period of service with Flieger-Abteilung 23, from October 1917 to September 1918. In between the reader receives glimpses of his personal life and the atmosphere in his German homeland. These provide a somber contrast to some of the more colorful moments in the narrative. Weit im Rücken des Feindes is the only book-length account written by a strategic reconnaissance pilot on the Western Front during World War I. As such, it received favorable reviews by high-ranking officers at the time of its publication in 1938. These praised the portrayal of "the quiet heroism of the long-range reconnaissance flyers" and welcomed "the fact that a monument has been created here for this part of the air service." Part 1 of Far Beyond the Lines provides a thoroughly annotated English translation of Radenbach's book, which has been supplemented by previously unpublished passages taken from the original manuscript held by the Radenbach family. This was one of the surprises awaiting the translator when he visited the centuries-old house where Wilhelm (as he preferred to be called) was raised. In Part 2, Adam M. Wait "takes up the pen" to present an in-depth examination of Radenbach's book and to explore the activities of Flieger-Abteilung 23 during the period of Wilhelm's service with the unit. This includes a translation of some of the accounts left behind by Radenbach's observer, Alfred Kuermann, which appeared in the 1930s in the form of self-published booklets. Photos and sketch maps from this source supplement the photos found in Weit im Rücken des Feindes. The second half of Far Beyond the Lines also includes a fragmentary operational history of Flieger-Abteilung 23, from December 1917 to September 1918. This was made possible through archival documents, but also by the discovery in German archives of 150 reconnaissance photos taken by Flieger-Abteilung 23, including many by the crew of Wilhelm Radenbach and Alfred Kuermann. These were supplemented by photos from the collection of German WWI aviation historian Michael Schmeelke. The information from the data lines regarding date, location, and aircrew names give one at least a partial record of the unit's activities. This information is presented in conjunction with a survey of military operations on the Western Front from October 1917 to September 1918, providing context for the activities of the unit. The strategic relevance of specific photographic targets are discussed with the aid with British and French reference sources concerning transportation networks with their lines of supply, the locations of military storage depots, and the dispositions of Allied airfields. The 281 pages of Far Beyond the Lines are richly illustrated with 302 black-and-white and color images of airmen, aircraft (with one profile of Radenbach's Rumpler), and relevant locations.