The bombing of the Milan power plants by Austro-Hungarian military aviators was a high-risk commando raid on a completely new strategic target. However, this plan only became feasible in February 1916, when Ferdinand Porsche was able to supply the improved Austro-Daimler engine and Lohner-Werke the new B.VII aircraft model. Now, at last, a unique opportunity arose for the attack on the power supply of the Italian war industry. But for this unprecedented squadron flight, all performance limits had to be at least reached, and the plan, despite the greatest secrecy, was betrayed even at the last moment.
The author has succeeded for the first time in reconstructing the history of this feat without any gaps. The documentation of this particularly exciting chapter of imperial and royal military aviation is complemented by many previously published articles. The documentation of this particularly exciting chapter of the k.u.k. military aviation is supplemented by many plans, diaries and original photos from archives and private collections that have never been published before.
The Air Raid on Milan on 14 February 1916
Gerald Penz is an internationally renowned specialist in the operational history of the Imperial and Royal Air Force. His work focuses on military aviation on the southwestern front. In this context, the aviation companies play a central role within the complex organizational structure of the 11th Army (Tyrol), 10th Army (Carinthia), and especially the 5th Army (Isonzo). An extensive bibliography and his regular activities as a speaker at symposia and specialized events in Austria and abroad prove him to be one of the most profound experts on Austro-Hungarian military aviation. Gerald Penz lives and works in Vienna.
You can find a reading sample here.
8.5" x 12" x 0.7"
146 pages, hardcover
941g weight
126 photos and illustrations
German and English
ISBN 978-3-9505136-0-8
As the first publication of the Stanger Verlag, this book about the history of the bombing raid by the k.u.k. Luftfahrtuppen on Milan in February 1916 was recently published.
It is not only a book about a military operation, but also a thoroughly researched history of the people involved, the technical requirements, the means of combat and the aircraft used.
Superbly researched by the author Gerald Penz in years of research work and realised by the publisher in the highest quality form, this book is a treat not only for those interested in military history, but above all for those interested in historical technology.
Austro Daimler is a major player in this event, as the 160 hp aircraft engines were an essential prerequisite for the realization of this attack.
Due to the abundance of detail and the many aspects dealt with, the complex interlocking of the use of state-of-the-art technology in conjunction with military requirements is made visible on the basis of a single event.
Absolutely recommended.
Gerald Penz is a renowned aviation historian in the field of the Imperial and Royal Air Force. He is well known to the readers of the ÖFH-Nachrichten through several articles about the air war of that time. With this book he presents a comprehensive work on the air raid on the Milan Electricity Works in 1916. This is considered to be the first strategic air attack with the aim of interrupting the energy supply of a large city. The preparations up to the flights are described in detail. Many details complement the very well written treatise. So there is an overview of the flights carried out, which crew, which aircraft, which armament, the flight duration, ... are listed. There are flight times of over 4 hours! Impressive the high-quality picture material, which is also very well reproduced. New is the publishing house of Dr. Olaf Stanger, who publishes this book. The text is bilingual in German and English to reach also the large circle of people interested in this topic in the Anglo-American area. There is an "1" on the spine of the book, which gives hope for further books on the subject of aviation. A book that every person interested in Austrian aviation should have!
The first book in the Aviatik / Aviation edition of the new Austrian publishing house Stanger Verlag (Salzburg) focuses on 143 pages of A4 format in a single combat operation of the Austro-Hungarian Air Force, a raid on power plants in Milan in February 1916. The author of the publication, Gerald Penz, is certainly not an unknown person to those interested in the history of the Imperial and Royal Air Force, especially as the author or co-author of a number of professional articles, especially in the periodical ÖFH Nachrichten, or monothematic specials of the same publisher (eg Sonderheft No. 25, Feldpilot Stfw. Rudolf Palm), or presentations published in proceedings of historical conferences together with Italian historians. Already his previous book "Die k.u.k. Flieger an der Tiroler Front im Jahre 1915 ”deals with the air war on the South Tyrolean front.
The new hardcover book with sheets of very solid, but not glossy paper is designed as bilingual. The text is always in the left column German and in the right English, both languages are then systematically used in the captions to photographs and other graphic attachments. The publication contains not only about a hundred authentic images, but also maps, drawings, postcards, quotes from periodicals, reproductions of archives, photographs of commemorative cap badges and two plastic maps to better illustrate what obstacles the pilots had to overcome. All illustrative materials and captions for the photographs were prepared by another renowned Austrian historian, Dr. Marcus Zelezny.
The fact that the book is intended for the general public than just rock fans The k.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe (LFT) reflects not only on English but also on the content of the text itself. After an introductory speech by the publisher Dr. Olaf Stanger is followed by a preface by the author and an apt introduction to the situation of the Austro - Hungarian Air Force from the beginning of the war into a state of war with Italy, a former federal ally. The text is further divided into chapters "Preparation and Planning", "Execution", "Reactions and Effects" and "The Second Attack", which took place a week later on February 21, 1916, but this time the goal was not directly the Lombardy metropolis, but the Porto d‘Adda and Trezzo sull‘Adda.
Readers can thus become very thoroughly acquainted with this event, which is generally known, but it has not been widely written about or its importance has not been sufficiently emphasized. The author clarifies precisely that this was a pre-planned attack on the enemy's strategic target, which was the power plants. Electric plants, supplying energy to armories, textiles and other companies with orders for the Italian army, respectively. It is also very interesting information about the role of the professional press, which played a crucial role in strategic considerations. Among other things, the book also publishes an original article from the Hungarian weekly "Molnárok Lapja" (Miller's Journal) of June 5, 1915, which directly inspired the chief command of the Austro - Hungarian army to plan a raid. The article clarified that Italy does not have coal reserves, but energy is produced by a network of hydropower plants. We can also read, for example, that among those interested in the aviation history of the Great War, the much better known Austro - Hungarian naval air raid on Venice on the night of October 24-25, 1915 was essentially a test and prelude to the air raid on Milan. The target was already the Venetian power plants at that time. The problem of missing bombers is also described, which The k.u.k. LFT only partially solved it at the very end of the war. We also learn about the crucial role played in the whole story by Ferdinand Porsche's newly designed Austro Daimler engine with 160 horsepower (you will find a period drawing in the publication), the installation of which in part of the Lohner B.VII series of aircraft (specifically 17.31 to 17.46, while the previous machines 17.01-17.24 powered by a weaker Daimler engine with an output of 150 hp) finally decided on the type of aircraft used. It was necessary to deploy a machine that would reliably fly the ridges of the Tyrolean Alps with the crew and bombs without unnecessary fears of an almost certain emergency landing due to insufficient engine power.
The groundbreaking bombing operation on February 14, 1916 was carried out by Lohner B.VII aircraft of Flik 17 from Gardolo airfield and Flik 7 and Flik 16 from Pergine airfield. The crews of three older machines with weaker engines also launched from Pergine to attack a closer target, the textile factory in Schio. The commanders of all three companies took part in the raid on Milan. FP Hptm. Nikolaus Wagner von Florheim (Lohner 17.40), FP Hptm. Raoul Stoisavljevic (17.32) and FP Hptm. Eugen Steinner-Göltl von Auring (with his personal machine 17.35 "Gral II"). The description of the raid itself is based on authentic records, which were written mainly by BO Lt. Josef Friedrich from Flik 16 and the already mentioned commander Flik 17 FP Hptm. Eugen Steinner-Göltl von Auring. From the diary of Lt. Friedrich, a later ace with 9 confirmed victories, has, for example, a humorous mention of a previous precision bombing practice in Pergine, where only fish from the bombed Lake Caldonazzo had on their menu for several days… After all, the book also mentions the construction of the first bomber sights. As for Company No. 16, it was temporarily moved in February 1916 from the Carinthian Front (Villach) to South Tyrol to Pergine and then back again due to a planned air raid. The text devotes quite a lot of space to the reactions to the raid in both the domestic and Italian press, and also briefly mentions the Italian revenge, consisting in the raid on Ljubljana (Laibach) on February 18, 1916 by the formation of Caproni bombers.
With the captions "Before the raid on Milan" or "Up in Milan" dating from February 14, 1916, a number of photographs of Lohner B.VII and their crews are known. The author proves the current assumption of the researchers that these pictures are probably taken later after returning from the event - you can look forward to an explanation. In most of these pictures, the individual pilots are marked with additional numbers in circles directly in the photos, which is unusual and in my opinion it seems a bit disturbing, but on the other hand, almost all the protagonists of the story are identified in the captions. I do not even have to emphasize that we can find a number of Czech flyers or born in the former Czech Kingdom (in addition to the already mentioned Josef Friedrich also Josef Ehret, Erwin Funk, Franz Goder, Josef Holub, who later served in the Czechoslovak legions in Italy, Josef Houba, Gottlob Karasek, Gottfried Russ, Peter Schönhöfer, August Slavik, Heinrich Szeliga or Karl Wanke).
In conclusion, the book contains several supplements - on the one hand, a schedule of individual flights on 14 and 21 February 1916 by aircraft and crews, which were formed by flying personnel Flik 7, Flik 16 and Flik 17, on the other hand, brief biographies of all participating pilots, almost all portrait shots - very valuable for all those interested in the history of k.u.k. LFT, as well as, for example, an overview of the types of bombs used, including drawings and photographs. With regard to civilian casualties, the book also includes a postcard of the Milan memorial to the raid on February 14, 1916 on Via Tiraboschi from 1923 and pictures of the commemorative medal issued to unveil it. At the end, there is also a list of abbreviations, a register of names and a rich notebook, numbering 190 references, which also serves as a list of sources used. Overall, it is a very successful and modern graphically conceived book, which can definitely be recommended to all interested parties. The topic of an important milestone in the history of the Austro - Hungarian Air Force, which was the raid on Milan, is discussed in a comprehensive and exhaustive way.
As promised by the title, this book gives a comprehensive account of the raid on the power stations of Milan by the Austro-Hungarian air service and also tells, in equal detail, the ‘story behind the story’ with details of the reasoning behind the raid, the development of the unit participating, and the reaction, by both sides, after the raid was carried out. Details of the aircraft and personnel involved are also given, with brief biographies of each of the aircrew, along with numerous photographs, and a number of maps and charts.
All the text; narrative, photograph captions indexes and acknowledgements, is provided in both German and English, with a different font used for each language. The English text reads very well. The book is completed by a list of all abbreviations used in the text and full details of the sources used.
The author is an internationally renowned specialist in Austro-Hungarian military aviation and, in this book provides a wealth of information that has never previously been published.
The book is very nicely produced with crisp, clear illustration on good quality paper, and is recommended to anyone with an interest in the war away from the western front.
You can find the Review form S. Bartmann here.
You can find the Review form B. de Broglio here.