Terrence Finnegan and Shooting the Front

A review from the USAF Air and Space Journal - July/August 2012

Leighton Brewer’s admonishment notwithstanding, tales of World War I fighter pilots continue to dominate the literature on aviation in that war. In contrast, writers have paid far less attention to the contributions of airmen involved in the less glamorous mission of aerial reconnaissance—or “observation,” as it originally was known. And virtually nothing has been written about the World War I origins and rapid evolution of “photographic interpretation”—the art and science of analyzing aerial photographs for useful information. At over 500 pages and based on prodigious research in US and European archives, Shooting the Front represents a monumental effort to provide an in-depth examination of these important but understudied aspects of the air war as practiced by the major Western allies: France, Britain, and the United States. Read more.

London 2012