Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 On August 7, 1916, the youngest pilot in his squadron, Cecil Blain, took off from Fienvillers. He flew his Sopwith 1½ Strutter biplane eastward, and soon left behind the tented camp and the orchard next to the aerodrome. #2 The British and French began a massive offensive on the upper reaches of the river Somme on July 1, 1916. The offensive took a bite out of the German lines, but at the cost of almost twenty thousand British dead and double that figure in wounded. #3 The five Sopwiths flew across no-man's-land, and as they reached Maubeuge, they saw a lone German reconnaissance plane flying straight westward. The airmen didn't engage, and continued their reconnaissance. #4 The airplane became a multipronged weapon in a conflict that would envelop the world. Many remained unconvinced, including Douglas Haig, future commander in chief of the British Expeditionary Force.