Aces Up

In Short

This first-person account of aerial warfare follows American and Allied flyers through the grueling months leading up to the Meuse-Argonne offensive of 1918. Arriving in France as instructors and pursuit pilots, McGee and his fellow airmen face the chaotic reality of combat, from midnight air raids over Paris to lethal dogfights with Count von Herzmann’s notorious German Circus. The book has endured because it captures the visceral, unglamorized tempo of early military aviation—the clatter of anti-aircraft fire, the sudden loss of comrades, and the quiet resolve of men flying primitive machines into an uncertain sky.

The Story

The narrative opens at an American air depot in France, where veteran pilot Tex Yancey—dubbed "The Flying Fool"—and instructor McGee evaluate the incoming wave of eager, under-equipped American aviators. Among the squadron is Siddons, a haughty New Yorker whose detached composure sets him apart, and Hampden, a affable flyer who quickly befriends him. Despite their sharp differences in temperament, the men are bound together by the tedious wait for combat-ready Spad fighters and the looming threat of a massive German drive along the Western Front.

When the enemy breaches French lines along the Marne, the unit is hastily dispatched to the front near La Ferté-sous-Jouarre. The transit exposes the raw reality of the war: roads choked with weary refugees, desperate French infantry holding the line, and constant night raids. During an unannounced nocturnal attack on their airfield, McGee commandeers a motorcycle sidecar, takes to the dark skies without ground flares, and helps beat back the incoming bombers, though the enemy leaves destruction in its wake.

Combat takes a heavy toll once regular patrols begin over Belleau and Féré-en-Tardenois. The squadron encounters Count von Herzmann’s formidable, brightly painted flying circus. In the ensuing dogfights, mid-air collisions and precise enemy fire claim the lives of several unit members, including Carpenter, McWilliams, and Rodd. Major Cowan leads the surviving group back to base with a newfound, somber discipline, realizing the deadly truth of the eighty-percent monthly casualty rate.

McGee himself faces disaster when his plane flips into a shell hole during a forced landing, leaving him severely injured with a broken arm and head trauma. Recovering in a field hospital, he learns of the rapid movements on the ground as the Allied forces prepare for a massive, coordinated push to break the Hindenburg Line. Returning to duty despite his lingering physical exhaustion, McGee joins the march toward the front lines under cover of night and fog.

The narrative culminates during the opening hours of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Beneath an impenetrable blanket of dawn fog, thousands of infantrymen charge over the parapets while McGee and his fellow pilots take off singly into the blinding white weather. Flying mere feet above unseen terrain to support the ground troops, McGee faces the final, desperate struggle of the war, where skill and blind luck determine who survives the last big show.

How It Unfolds

The new instructors arrive Tex Yancey taunts the squadron in the mess hall after inspecting the newly arrived flight instructors. McGee takes the wheel of a staff car to transport Siddons and Hampden through the darkened, shuttered streets of Is-Sur-Tille.

A night raid strikes the airfield German bombers attack the aerodrome under the cover of darkness, sending townspeople fleeing into air-raid shelters. McGee commandeers an orderly’s motorcycle to reach his aircraft and takes off into the black sky to intercept the prowlers.

Tragedy over the lines The squadron engages Count von Herzmann’s elite Circus in a swirling air battle over the sector. A horrific mid-air collision between Carpenter and McWilliams, along with the loss of Rodd, leaves the surviving pilots shaken and sobered.

Crash and recovery McGee brings his damaged Camel down into a shell crater, suffering a skull injury and a broken arm that land him in a base hospital for days. His friend Larkin visits his bedside to report on the squadron’s losses and ongoing preparations.

The push to the front Rejoining the war effort before fully healing, McGee marches alongside exhausted infantry columns along pitch-black, rain-soaked roads toward the Argonne. They pass through ruined French villages lit only by the distant, rhythmic flashes of heavy artillery.

Into the zero-hour fog On the morning of the grand offensive, an obliterating blanket of fog settles over the trenches as the whistles blow for the attack. McGee lifts his Spad off the tarmac alone, flying blind over dangerous terrain to locate the advancing ground forces.

The People

• McGee: A steady, highly skilled pilot who previously served with the British Royal Flying Corps. He wants to train his men effectively and keep them alive, but his sense of duty repeatedly draws him into perilous solo missions and low-altitude reconnaissance.
• Tex Yancey: Known as "The Flying Fool," Tex is a tall, lanky Texan with a cynical grin and a taste for practical jokes. Behind his irreverent posture lies a fierce, aggressive fighter who prefers free-lance hunting over rigid flight formations.
• Siddons: A cool, self-absorbed aviator from New York whose arrogant demeanor alienates most of his peers. He accepts military delays with indifferent stoicism, concealing motives that eventually draw the suspicion of his commanding officers.
• Buzz Larkin: McGee’s lively companion and fellow instructor. Impatient with administrative delays and eager for action, Larkin’s high spirits mask a deep, protective loyalty to McGee, whom he faithfully visits during his hospital stay.
• Major Cowan: The stern, businesslike squadron commander. Initially regarded as an unfeeling taskmaster, he earns the respect of his men through his tactical sharpness and his cold determination to avenge fallen pilots in battle.
• Count von Herzmann: The legendary German ace who commands a colorful, highly lethal flying circus. Fearless yet calculating, he serves as the elusive primary threat to the Allied squadrons along the sector.

In Its Own Voice

"By the shore of life and the gate of breath, / There are more things waiting for men than death."

An epigraph setting the somber tone for the young flyers facing high casualty rates on the Western Front.

"No pilot in the service could lift a Camel off the ground quicker than could McGee, but this morning he taxied slowly forward and was getting dangerously near the end of the field before he began to get the tail up."

McGee hesitates during a takeoff after forgetting to perform his routine mechanical checks.

"The gateman, who controls the airways of the skies, was taking his toll, and every one of the group that flew westward toward La Ferte, leaving three comrades behind, now more soberly considered the alarming casualty figures of eighty per cent per month--and wondered!"

The sobering realization that strikes the squadron after losing three pilots in a single engagement with von Herzmann’s Circus.

What It's Really About

Behind the aerial maneuvers and dogfights lies an examination of how unseasoned young men confront the sudden reality of mass mortality. The book explores the stark contrast between romanticized notions of military aviation and the mechanical, unforgiving nature of industrial warfare. It examines the tension between individual bravado—represented by flyers who long to become "aces"—and the strict collective discipline required to survive against an experienced enemy. Underneath the banter in the mess halls sits a quiet questioning of preparedness, as green American units are thrust into critical gaps along the French line with borrowed equipment, forced to rely almost entirely on sheer endurance and morale.

Why Read It Today

Aces Up offers an authentic, unvarnished window into the tactical atmosphere of World War I aviation. Readers drawn to military history will appreciate its meticulous technical details—from the behavior of rotary engines and wind socks to the precise mechanics of ring sights, Very pistols, and anti-aircraft fire. The prose avoids modern sensationalism, capturing the period's speech, localized military slang, and the distinctive cadence of early 20th-century aviation culture.

The story does present structural challenges typical of its era: the pacing shifts abruptly from long stretches of dialogue and waiting to frantic, disorienting battle scenes. Additionally, modern readers will encounter dated period attitudes and colloquialisms scattered through the troop interactions. Yet the book remains deeply rewarding for its vivid atmospheric description. The damp fog of the French countryside, the eerie flicker of artillery light against ruined church steeples, and the silent tension of the aerodrome before dawn create a grounded, memorable portrait of flight when aviation itself was young.