DORSET, Vt., March 18, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Warring nations use aviation as an effective military tactic, a brilliant offensive and defensive strategy. But when did the idea of using aviation for battles take form? Did it originate from the amazing discovery of the Wright brothers in 1903 -- or does this conception point to events much earlier than that? Find out the answers in author Garritt C. Van Dyk's new book, Napoleon's Air Force.
Napoleon's Air Force is a well-researched account that revisits a period of world history to capture and study a military genius' life, character and philosophy, and the conception of an idea that would become of great importance to humanity in the present.
During his lifetime, the great Napoleon Bonaparte pondered upon the possibility of aviation for military purposes. For one, he requested a balloon from the Committee of Public Safety to assist him in the siege of Mantua in 1795. Approximately four years later, he took a balloon company with him on his career-building showcase Egyptian campaign. Bonaparte was also said to have inquired on the possibility of the use of balloon transport vehicles for an invasion of England. Unfortunately, France's observation balloon corps, les aerostiers, was neglected until it withered and died into oblivion.
Van Dyk digs up archival records of a long-forgotten chapter of history to document the story of Napoleon's unconscious discovery -- the world's first military air arm. He painstakingly lays down the details of his research, to inform readers of the origin, implementation and battlefield successes of Napoleon's Air Force, followed by the sudden halt of its operation, and the eventual abandonment. Why was such a revolutionary technological breakthrough and brilliant military asset allowed to fade away?
A fruit of Van Dyk's thorough research, readers will get fresh historical and political insights from this treasured work! Get a copy now! For more information, log on to www.Xlibris.com.
About the Author
Author Garritt C. Van Dyk, Jr. was born in New Jersey and earned his bachelor's degree at the Stevens Institute of Technology, and his MBA from the University of Connecticut. Much of his engineering career was in aerospace, and includes design of the control and display panel of the lunar landing module. He served in the Air National Guard for nine years.
Garritt presented several papers before the Napoleonic Society of America, which became the basis for this book. Following his retirement from engineering, he researched Napoleonic history in France, England, and the United States. His experience in aerospace engineering and his military service are combined here with a passion for bringing history to life. He died in Dorset, Vermont in 2005.
Napoleon's Air Force * by Garritt C. Van Dyk
A Battle for a Change
Publication Date: March 17, 2009
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 197 pages; 978-1-4363-6069-2
Cloth Hardcover; $29.99; 197 pages; 978-1-4363-6070-8
To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7479. Tear sheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Marketing Services. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7876 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.