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Arthur Gould Lee

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Lee, Arthur, Stanley Gould

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Open Cockpit Kindle Edition

by Arthur Gould Lee (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

621 ratings

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A riveting firsthand account of training for—and surviving—air combat during World War I, by the author of No Parachute.

Thanks to a broken leg during flight school, Arthur Gould Lee gained valuable time flying trainers before he was posted in France during World War I. In November 1917 during low-level bombing and strafing attacks, he was shot down three times by ground fire. He spent eight months at the front and accumulated 222 hours of flight time in Sopwith Pups and Camels during a staggering 118 patrols, and engaged in combat 56 times. And yet he lived to retire from the RAF as an air vice-marshal in 1946.

Lee puts you in the cockpit in this compelling personal account of life as a fighter pilot at the front. At turns humorous and dramatic, this thoughtful, enlightening memoir is a classic of military aviation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... a well-crafted work that captures the environment from which a new type of warfare emerged through the eyes of a young, enthusiastic, naive, but smart pilot."
Air Power History

“…first hand account of a tenacious young man who persevered in his desire to fly in combat…this edition benefits from fresh typesetting and a new rendering of photos by Lee and others to support the text in a meaningful visual way…
Over the Front

About the Author

Arthur Gould Lee was born in 1894 and served in the Sherwood Foresters, RFC, and RAF from 1915 to 1946 when he retired as an air vice-marshal. He took up writing on retirement from the RAF and published eight nonfiction books, all of which have become classics in aviation nonfiction.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00G6SBIN8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grub Street Publishing (August 19, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 19, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 9.8 MB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #265,585 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #15 in Aviation & Nautical Biographies & Memoirs
- #55 in WWI Biographies
- #96 in World War I History (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
621 ratings

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Customers find this book to be an excellent first-hand account of life in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I, with a straightforward writing style that provides sufficient detail without being boring. They appreciate its pacing as a forthright book about air combat, and one customer describes it as a riveting account of the war in the air. The book receives positive feedback for its historical accuracy, with one customer noting its realistic portrayal of the period.

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Insight Readability Account value Writing style Pacing Narrative style Historical accuracy Authenticity

33 customers mention "Insight"33 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-written, with one review specifically praising it as an excellent personal account of early air combat.

"...the exciting action of the dog fighting but also analyzes the politics that drove the action, which sometimes pointlessly put the flyers’ lives in..." Read more

"...industry leader or politician, these books and people are to be read about and treasured ." Read more

"Arthur Gould Lee has written the finest book on WW I flying that I have encountered...." Read more

"...Daily life, flight and fighting experiences. But lacking any real emotion and therefore not thoroughly engaging." Read more

32 customers mention "Readability"32 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable, with one mentioning it can be read chapter by chapter.

"...Mr. Lee is a very good writer and this is an enjoyable and recommended read." Read more

"...I don't know. The upside is that you can read the book a chapter at a time, as I did, without losing the thread...." Read more

"...In spite of the works age, it is a valuable, and highly enjoyable read...." Read more

"...Lee's book is an Open Cockpit for he tells all. This is a fabulous book. An honest book and a well written book...." Read more

17 customers mention "Account value"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a great first-hand account and follow-up to previous works, making it a valuable addition to their collections.

"...or politician, these books and people are to be read about and treasured ." Read more

"...In spite of the works age, it is a valuable, and highly enjoyable read...." Read more

"This is a great follow-up to Arthur Gould Lee's "No Parachute" which is a well organized and edited collection of detailed letters and diary..." Read more

"This was a wonderful book to come across and read. Very interesting to read about a WWI fighters pilots day...." Read more

17 customers mention "Writing style"17 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, finding it well written with sufficient detail without being boring.

"...Mr. Lee is a very good writer and this is an enjoyable and recommended read." Read more

"...2. Long review: 2.1. What I liked: Easy-to-read narrative by a flyer in the Great War. Roller-coaster or walk-in-the-park?..." Read more

"...Lee had a very comfortable writing style. The reader doesn't have to labor to enjoy his message!" Read more

"...His writing is straightforward where needed and lyrical where needed. All aficionados of WW I flying need to read this book." Read more

11 customers mention "Pacing"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, describing it as a forthright account of air combat, with one customer noting it is a readable remembrance of a WW1 fighter pilot.

"Arthur Stanley Gould Lee first authored the fabulous book No Parachute (see my review for more details) [..." Read more

"Open Cockpit is the most honest and forthright book about air combat in WW1 that I have ever read and I have read a bunch ...." Read more

"...No false bravado; rather the honest emotions of his experiences are clearly illustrated...." Read more

"Seems like a humble, non biased, realistic account of the battles in the air during WW1! Easy read! Highly recommend!" Read more

7 customers mention "Narrative style"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the narrative style of the book, with one review describing it as a riveting account of the war in the air, while another notes its vivid depiction of aerial battles and enemy encounters.

"...It details the exciting action of the dog fighting but also analyzes the politics that drove the action, which sometimes pointlessly put the flyers’..." Read more

"...in a clear, straightforward manner that also shows the raw emotion of his experience...." Read more

"...Vivid enemy encounters and aerial battles recounted. This was the war of my Grandpa and I'm so glad he returned safe. A good read!" Read more

"...a little difficult to follow at times but finished with an extremely poignant and moving ending. Bravo." Read more

6 customers mention "Historical accuracy"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical accuracy of the book, with one noting its realistic portrayal of the period and another highlighting its detailed depiction of World War I.

"First let me say I did enjoy this book. It gives a very good description of the great war as seen from the cockpit...." Read more

"...It was very interesting to see the time between Kitty Hawk and WWI aerial fights." Read more

"Very realistic acccount of the period. You almost felt a part of it, the amount of detail that was brought to life...." Read more

"Seems like a humble, non biased, realistic account of the battles in the air during WW1! Easy read! Highly recommend!" Read more

5 customers mention "Authenticity"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the authenticity of the book, with one review noting it is a fine first-hand report from an unassuming pilot.

"Open Cockpit is the most honest and forthright book about air combat in WW1 that I have ever read and I have read a bunch ...." Read more

"A fine first hand report of a young WW1 pilot...." Read more

"...An authentic and well written account of the author's time in the RFC and the RAF in WW1...." Read more

"...prevailing at the time - an intelligent and honest account from an unassuming pilot...." Read more

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Regenia M.
Gripping first hand account of the WW1 air war
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2024
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This is a superior introduction to the history of the air war in the Great War. It details the exciting action of the dog fighting but also analyzes the politics that drove the action, which sometimes pointlessly put the flyers’ lives in peril due to a profound misunderstanding of what an armed air service could and could not accomplish. Mr. Lee is a very good writer and this is an enjoyable and recommended read.

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h lynn keith
Readable remembrance of a WW1 fighter pilot
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2013
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1. Short review: :-) (Amazon rating: 4 out of 5 stars -- I like it.)

2. Long review:

2.1. What I liked: Easy-to-read narrative by a flyer in the Great War.

Roller-coaster or walk-in-the-park? 80% walk-in-the-park; 20% roller-coaster.

2.2. What I did not like: The photos. There are six pages of black-and-white photos in the book plus the back of the dust cover and the cover photo (see above). They are not integrated into the text. They are just there. The cover photo is of a Nieuport two-seater of 46 Squadron -- AGL's squadron -- jinking to avoid flak, but when 46 Squadron flew Nieuports, AGL had not joined the squadron.

The non-scalable font. I have gotten used to e-books. I like to choose the size of the font I read. Not having that ability is an annoyance. (I bought the hardcover edition. I recommend you buy the ebook.)

2.3. Who I think is the audience: I don't know. Air combat history buffs -- like me -- prefer hard history like AGL's No Parachute. The general audience does not read air combat history. Open Cockpit lies in no-man's land between the hard air combat history buffs and the general audience.

2.4. Is the book appropriate for children to read? Yes. No worries.

2.5. On the basis of reading this book, will I buy the author's next book? Had I read only Open Cockpit, I would not buy another book by AGL. Based on No Parachute, I may order Fly Past.

2.6. The plot in a nutshell:

There is no plot. Instead, there are unconnected chapters. Why AGL bothered to number the chapters I don't know. For examples, Fourteen, Ground Strafer (an account of AGL's ground attacks in a Sopwith Camel); Fifteen, The Red Baron (AGL flew combat against Rittmeister Manfred von Richtofen himself in June 1917 in a Sopwith Pup); Sixteen, Evening Patrol (AGL recounts leading a late patrol of himself, another experienced pilot, and three air-combat virgins). Why are these chapters together? I don't know.

The upside is that you can read the book a chapter at a time, as I did, without losing the thread. There isn't any thread.

2.7. Other:

A couple of items: 1) Manfred von Richtofen and 2) The Great War.

The first book I read on air combat in The Great War was Quentin Reynolds, They Fought for the Sky.

www.amazon.com/They-Fought-Sky-Quentin-Reynolds/dp/B000X1TH1E/

QR painted MvR as the villain of air combat in the Great War. In QR's book, MvR came across as a cold killer.

That informed my view of MvR for years. But as I read more, including MvR's own Der rote Kampfflieger, I saw a different picture. There are many photos of MvR still extant. When he was photographed with his squadron mates, he smiled. Invariably. And his men smiled. Evidently, he liked them and they liked him. And MvR sat and slumped and relaxed. When he was photographed with his superiors, MvR stood to attention without a smile. Evidently, he was not comfortable with high-ranking officers. There is one photo of him smiling with a general. He was arm-in-arm with a squadron mate and appeared to be singing the praises of his mate to the general.

That MvR was a calculating killer is born out in his own words. He was calculating. All combat pilots are calculating. Those that live, anyway. MvR took the most favorable attack because he wanted to live. The one combat in which he violated all his own rules cost him his life.

It is a matter of record that MvR showed courtesy and chivalry to captured British airmen, going so far as to entertain them in his own mess.

AGL called MvR a fair and worthy foe. That he was.

In the last chapter, AGL called attention to the impact of the Great War. In one battle -- the Battle of the Somme -- "more British lives were lost than in the whole of the Second World War." During the Battle of Verdun, the French lost ten times as many men as the United States lost in all of the Vietnam War.

These numbers are the reason I think the Great War is headline news in the military history of the 20th century and all else is below the fold.

YMMV.

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michael Jowett
awsome factual and a great insite to the day.
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
This was an extremely well written book by some one who was there.
To fly with no extra oxygen at altitudes that these days would be considered dangerous for hours at a a time is beyond comprehension but to do it every day is beyond imagination and there was also the cold added to some one wanting to kill you.
These fliers also had to learn by feel and instinct how to fly plane that are now considered primitive but at the time were as advanced as the F18 or the Harrier was in its day.
This book also gives an incite to the pilot himself his thoughts and feelings. It almost puts you into the pilots seat. to come back from a mission with bullet holes around where he sat, through his clothing and still be unharmed would be enough to stop and make you think even stop, but these fliers went up and did it all again.
I take my hat off to you all.
The closest books I have read that I can compare in modern times are The one written by a Vietnam gun controller flying in Vietnam and the two books called Apache and Hellfire about an English Apache pilot and last is Chicken Hawk about an American helicopter pilot again in Vietnam or the Night Witches woman pilots over Russia during the second world war.
All these pilots had something special and as heros they are reluctant, They would say they were doing a job.
But as role models they beat any sports man or woman or so called industry leader or politician, these books and people are to be read about and treasured .

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5 people found this helpful

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P. A. Panozzo
An excellent account of R.F.C. pilot in World War One!
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2012
Verified Purchase
Arthur Stanley Gould Lee first authored the fabulous book No Parachute (see my review for more details) No Parachute: A Fighter Pilot in World War I (Wings of war) a series of letters and diary entries relating his World War One Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force career. He followed up that fabulous book with Open Cockpit. In this second volume, he "fills in" more details on his training and focuses his writing on the events that he sharply remembers. He went back to France in the late 1960s to visit his old Aerodromes (La Gorgue and the River Lys / the Canal, figured prominently in his memory). If you have read No Parachute, he clears up some ambiguities and provides a fuller account of the major events touched upon in the letters and diary entries. Especially valuable in Open Cockpit are the great photos of the author and various aircraft and personnel of Squadron 46. This book was published in 1969. Lee passed away (Gone West) on May 21, 1975. In spite of the works age, it is a valuable, and highly enjoyable read. I was worried that it was superfluous to No Parachute and could not shed light on anything new but, happily, that is not the case! I would recommend purchasing and reading both books, but Open Cockpit alone will satisfy one's curiosity. Lee had a very comfortable writing style. The reader doesn't have to labor to enjoy his message!

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Hugh Loxdale
Open Cockpit - review by Hugh D. Loxdale
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2013
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This book is a very well-written and an enthralling read. One gets the impression that he is a thinking man's war hero. Yes he went up and faced the enemy in mortal combat in the lonely skies, often, as he says, pitted effectively on his own again one or more adversary, and in an inferior flying machine in terms of performance and fire power (in his underpowered and under-armed Sopwith Pup vs. German Albatros D-III and later D-V aircraft), but one gets the impression that he does not enjoy killing his fellow creatures. Only his skill, courage and wits and the manoeuvrability of his small craft, and especially the fact that he could reach a higher altitude than the enemy planes, saved him many and oft from an early grave, as was the fate of 9,000 or so allied pilots in the First World War. The decades since this brutal and tragic conflict are quickly peeled away by his sage and well-chosen words, and the reader feels as if one is with him, seeing what he saw first hand. But gladly, we are not with him. He is both 'down to earth' (several times literally) and realistic and commented at the time on the stubbornness and conservatism of the RFC High Command who wouldn't even allow its brave young pilots parachutes - yet balloon observers were allowed them. Each pilot lived very much from day to day, hour to hour and sometimes when in a dogfight, from second to second. However good a pilot you were (and Arthur Lee one day meets the Red Baron himself), any stray bullet could have been yours, and all the pilots were worried about going down in flames, or nearly as bad, being captured in enemy territory, just a few miles away. Luck played a huge part in any pilot's chances of going home for tea. Lee reflects on the stupidity of it all, and that the German fighters were very much like the allied ones: brave men who had been ordered to do a job, an unpleasant yet exciting one, and it was best not to consider too deeply one's role, just get on with it. I would say that all young men and women who are interested in what their grandfathers and great grandfathers did in the fledgling air forces of Britain, France and Germany are well advised to read it. Only at the end does the author return, after 50 years, to the battlefields of northern France and Belgium and reflect on, and lament the passing of, the vast throng of fallen servicemen of many countries, including Britain and Germany. He feels lonely and, one almost gets the impression, believes that he should be there lying amongst them, a strange and perhaps understandable whimsy. Fortunately for him he survived, and went on to become an Air Vice Marshall in the RAF, retiring in 1946.

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Murray K. Morrison
ExcellelentvBook
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2020
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The mirrors the adventures of my late uncle , who was in the trench’s for the duration. Like so many, he rarely discuses it

Very interestiing book! ]
Strongly recommendsesd

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Olham
Im offenen Cockpit - ohne Fallschirm
Reviewed in Germany on September 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
Arthur Gould Lee war nicht nur einer dieser ersten Jagdflieger, die in Leinwand-Holz-Flugapparaten
diese Form des Kampfes erst entwickelten - er kann auch wunderbar schreiben und die Dinge und
Geschehnisse vor meinem Auge erstehen lassen.
Schon sein erstes Buch "No Parachute!" (Kein Fallschirm!) hat mich vom ersten bis zum letzten Wort
gefesselt. In den Briefen an seine Frau beschrieb er dort einfühlsam fast jeden Flieger-Tag, und die
Jungen (denn Männer waren sie noch kaum), die jeden dieser Tage so lebten, als könnte er der letzte
sein. Und früher oder später verlor er viele seiner Kameraden.
Daß er dennoch ohne Pathos oder Bitterkeit berichtete; daß er von den Deutschen auf der anderen
Seite nie abfällig oder unfair spricht; sie nicht als "Huns" (Hunnen) sondern als "opponents" (Gegner)
bezeichnet - das rechne ich ihm besonders hoch an. So hat er es geschafft, daß ich Deutscher mich
auf "der anderen Seite" einfühlen konnte, ja, sicher bin, mich dort wohl gefühlt zu haben.
Und er zeigt, daß Flieger auf allen Seiten ganz ähnliche Typen sind, die sich über die Fliegerei selbst
dann verbunden fühlen können, wenn sie im Krieg gegeneinander fliegen müssen.

"Open Cockpit" ist nun zu dem ersten, intimeren Buch die große Ergänzung - hier erfaßt Lee den
Luftkrieg und die einzelnen Ereignisse und Schlachten eher mit dem Blick dessen, der es hinter sich
und für sich überdacht und gewertet hat. Man erfährt viele wichtige Details, und Lee scheut sich nicht,
auch die Fehlentscheidungen der eigenen Seite zu beleuchten.

"No Parachute!" und "Open Cokpit" sind für mich neben "Sagittarius rising" die wichtigsten englischen
Bücher über die Jagdfliegerei im ersten Weltkrieg.

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Amazon Customer
Fascinating!
Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2020
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Well written.

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Kindle Customer
It is not a boy’s own adventure but quite serious
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2025
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An interesting read in a very stiff upper lip style
It is written in a very matter of fact way and so is quite a refreshing change from the modern guns and bullets style that seems to be prevalent today
Well worth the read

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5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping first hand account of the WW1 air war

4.0 out of 5 stars Readable remembrance of a WW1 fighter pilot

5.0 out of 5 stars awsome factual and a great insite to the day.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent account of R.F.C. pilot in World War One!

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Open Cockpit - review by Hugh D. Loxdale

5.0 out of 5 stars ExcellelentvBook

5.0 out of 5 stars Im offenen Cockpit - ohne Fallschirm

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!

5.0 out of 5 stars It is not a boy’s own adventure but quite serious

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Gripping first hand account of the WW1 air war

Readable remembrance of a WW1 fighter pilot

awsome factual and a great insite to the day.

An excellent account of R.F.C. pilot in World War One!

Open Cockpit - review by Hugh D. Loxdale

ExcellelentvBook

Im offenen Cockpit - ohne Fallschirm

Fascinating!

It is not a boy’s own adventure but quite serious