Invoking only the 'history and technology' provisions of this blog, here are some images from a book which I decided to save. It was originally for sale for $10 in our local symphony-sponsoring used book sale. People donate old books; they get sorted, priced and shelved in a warehouse by volunteers; then, for a week or so, successive waves of book buyers select and purchase these used books. The remainder must be discarded.
I had looked through this book a number of times, expecting it to be snapped up before my next visit. I didn't have the space for it because it didn't match my so-called 'collection criteria'.
On the last day - the day before non-antique books head for the dumpster - I decided that I had to adopt it. I'll explain why.
As an artifact, this undated book presents aerial photos and descriptions of various cities and industrial plants in the Netherlands circa 1925-1930. A decade or so later, unknown to the producers of the book at the time, these urban features and also the Netherlands' colonial possessions would be irrevocably changed.
The art and science of aerial photography really came into practical use during the Great War - they didn't call it World War I at the time because they couldn't have predicted they were starting a mini-series. True aerial reconnaissance and photography was first done from tethered balloons and other airships, and then from more versatile - but frail - observation aircraft.
On both sides of the European battlefield, the aircraft arms race of the Great War resulted in the rapid evolution of aircraft capabilities: photographic platform, armed destroyer of photographic platforms, defensive and offensive machine gun platform, battlefield ground attack weapon. This culminated in the development of heavy bombers which had the ability to conduct high explosive or incendiary attacks on cities.
Regarding attacking cities located behind the front lines, the Germans 'started it' by using Zeppelins between 1915 and November 1916 to bomb targets in England - however, these hydrogen-filled airships were easily shot down. Very large German Gotha bombers began their work on harbours and railway targets in England in May 1917. School children were also to be found at large railway stations, it turned out. The unpredictability of the future frequency and scope of these air attacks set off a panic in the civilian population.
The Royal Flying Corps became the Royal Air Force in June 1918 and it was led by the vigourous and forceful Hugh Trenchard. In September 1918, he received this message from the new air minister:
'If I were you, I would not be too exacting as regards accuracy in bombing railway stations in the middle of towns. The German is susceptible to bloodiness and I would not mind a few accidents due to inaccuracy. I would very much like if you could start a really big fire in one of the German towns.' Sir William Weir
However, the minister of munitions (later secretary of state for air) made an observation on civilian behaviour during bombing campaigns on cities which would be proven true, once again, a couple of decades later:
'In our own case we have seen the combatant spirit of the people roused, and not quelled, by the German air raids. Nothing that we have learned of the capacity of the German population to endure suffering justifies us in assuming that they could be cowed into submission by such methods, or, indeed, that they would not be rendered more desperately resolved by them.' Winston Churchill
The Wright brothers, optimistically, had thought their invention would make war practically impossible. A decade later, it had become a cutting-edge weapon which was indispensable in modern warfare.
Ten years after the end of the Great War (as described below in my 'artifact') civil aviation was coming of age. Royal Dutch Airlines, KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij) describes itself as the oldest aerial navigation company in the world. In many cases, the annual units of KLM's various classes of traffic (shown 1920 to 1927) are increasing almost exponentially. KLM claims it originated world air tourism - having already operated some trips to east Asia.
Sadly, in spite of the Netherlands' neutrality in the Great War, and the fact that German Kaiser Wilhelm II lived there in exile after his 1918 abdication (he died there in 1941) ... it was to become a famous target of aerial attack in May 1940 ...
Sadly, in spite of the Netherlands' neutrality in the Great War, and the fact that German Kaiser Wilhelm II lived there in exile after his 1918 abdication (he died there in 1941) ... it was to become a famous target of aerial attack in May 1940 ...
Thirty-seven years after the Wright brothers' first flight ... about 1300 bombs dropped by the German Luftwaffe killed 900 people in Rotterdam and made 85,000 homeless. This action guaranteed the surrender of the city. The armed forces of the Netherlands surrendered the next day.
... that ends my brief overview of the historical context of this KLM book.
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To sum up my own reasons for preserving this book: This book was beautifully produced at a key point in the development of civil aviation. It preserves many interesting aerial views which were to vanish during the war. Many of the factories and harbours were served by interesting rail and water transport connections.
My copy of the book survived through the war in the Netherlands. In November 1945 (6 months after the German surrender) it was inscribed with a careful and elegant fountain pen script to document its presentation by a particular family to a captain in the military. The location recorded in the inscription was Apeldoorn - which was liberated by Canadian troops. One might conclude that the captain was a member of the Canadian armed forces who was billeted with this family. This might explain its presence in Canada at a used book sale about 70 years later.
It was that human connection which ultimately caused me to preserve this book.
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