The Sky on Fire: The First Battle of Britain – Hardcover by Major Raymond H. Fredette

This compelling and deeply researched volume chronicles the very first strategic air campaign against Britain—not during WWII, but in the skies of WWI. In The Sky on Fire, U.S. Air Force Major Raymond H. Fredette reconstructs Germany’s Zeppelin and Gotha bomber raids on London during 1917–1918, the earliest form of the “Blitz.” Drawing from wartime documents, firsthand reports, and military archives, Fredette paints a vivid picture of the panic, destruction, and political upheaval caused by this new dimension of warfare.

The foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning military analyst Hanson W. Baldwin sets the stage for a book that is both an operational history and a social chronicle. Fredette investigates how the British public and government adapted to aerial bombardment—creating the first anti-air defense network, shaping public policy, and altering public morale in ways that would echo into WWII.

FEATURES:

• Includes vintage photographs, maps, and contemporary newspaper reprints such as the dramatic “Sunday Pictorial” front page from July 8, 1917.

• Hardcover with original dust jacket; jacket shows minor edge wear and some foxing, consistent with age.

• An essential title for collectors of WWI aviation, air defense history, and strategic bombing doctrine.

AUTHOR:
Major Raymond H. Fredette (USAF) was a noted air power historian and analyst. His authoritative account remains a foundational text in understanding the genesis of modern air warfare.

PUBLISHER & EDITION:
Published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966. First Edition.

CONDITION:
Good overall with tight binding. Dust jacket intact with expected shelf wear. Interior pages clean and unmarked. Displays well with historic newspaper facsimile on rear cover.