The Legionnaire, by Harold Mills, Xlibris Corporation, softbound 5 3/4 x 8 1/4 in., 425 pp. ISBN 0-7388-5344-5 www.xlibris.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Many of us who are interested in WWI aviation history spend our time scouring documents and searching for details in photographs and digging for information that we sometimes don't stop to enjoy a good yarn. If you need a break, put down the magnifying glass and pick up a copy of 'The Legionnaire: American Boys in the Great War'. The book is a fictional novel reminiscent of 'Falcons of France' or similar works. It is a big novel, more than 400 pages. The cover illustration is illustrated with Henri Farr??s Nieuport Fighting a Fokker in the Region of the Somme. The author, Harold Mills, is somewhat knowledgeable of the subject matter. Mr. Mills grew up reading 'Flying Aces', and talking with the night watchman of the mill where his parents worked, who had flown Salmsons during the war. He also met and interviewed Paul A. Rockwell and studied Kiffin Rockwell's 'Letters from France', and James McConnell's 'Flying for France'. These, plus his own story ideas are what 'The Legionnaire' is all about. The story is sprinkled with historical characters, and events arranged around fictional personalities. Some details are obvious to the hard core researcher to be in error, like Jasta 45 existing in 1916, but remember, this is fiction. If you've got a long weekend, vacation time, or need to curl up and just read a good novel, this could be just the thing.
submitted by Aaron Weaver
