The Western Front—1917. Barbed wire and waist deep mud. Artillery and mustard gas. Machine guns and snipers. Above the abyss, British BE2s and Sopwith Pups struggle to hold their own against the German Albatrosses.
The air war slowly turns with the arrival of the Sopwith Camel, the SE5, and the Bristol Fighter. In the east, the Bolsheviks sign an armistice with Germany, freeing up fifty German divisions. Ludendorff launches a series of massive attacks on the Western Front in the spring of 1918, but the Americans are arriving in strength and the Allies hold. Spearheaded by 500 tanks, the Allies counterattack near Amiens in August—the beginning of the Hundred Days Offensive that will end the war.
CHANGES WROUGHT takes us into the cockpits of Britain’s Royal Flying Corps above World War One’s Western Front; from a hospital in Yorkshire to a mansion in Bristol; from Parliament and Lloyd George’s “coupon election” to the steppes of southern Russia.
The Planes
Sopwith Pup
BE2
Sopwith Camel
SE5A
Bristol Fighter
DH9/DH9A
Albatros D V
The Triplanes
Fokker D VII
The Guns
Allied Vickers Machine Gun
British Lewis Gun
British 13-Pound 9 CWT
Anti-Aircraft Gun
German 7.7 CM
Anti-Aircraft Gun
The Situation on the Ground
All maps courtesy of the United States Military Academy Department of History
The Stabilized Front
In Book One of Changes Wrought Pete Newin is stationed near Hazebrouck (southeast of Calais) and Harry Booth is a little farther northeast, closer to Ypres. The front line has moved little since the autumn of 1914. The British gained some ground down on the Somme in 1916 at a terrible cost, while the French and the Germans slaughtered each other at Verdun. Now, in the summer of 1917, Field Marshal Haig is readying his troops for a major assault in Flanders.
31 July 1917
Plummer’s Second Army successfully captured Messiness Ridge in June (bottom of map). The British exploded nineteen mines under the German positions—the combined explosions may have been the loudest sound created by man until the arrival of the nuclear age. His right flank secure, Haig is ready to launch his attack, which will drag on for three horrible months.
The British and their allies will suffer around 300,000 casualties in the Third Battle of Ypres, without breaking the German line or capturing the U-Boat bases on the Belgian coast. The very high losses will aggravate the already tense relationship between Lloyd George and his senior generals.
Harry Booth’s first combat flight is a photo recce mission in a BE2 over Messiness Ridge. Harry’s 6 Squadron was attached to X Corps; however he and Jack were on loan to IX Corps that day. About six weeks later Pete Newin crosses the front line near Ypres in his Sopwith to attack a German aerodrome, in the early morning hours of 31 July 1917.
Spring 1918
The Germans transferred approximately fifty divisions to the western front when Russia dropped out of the war, allowing Ludendorff to launch a wave of attacks beginning in March of 1918. As can be seen the stagnated front was shattered and the Germans gained significant ground, but ultimately the Allies held. First Lieutenant Mark Newin is in action near the Lys River during the second German offensive in Book Four of CW.
The Books
Changes Wrought
— Book One
He lit a cigarette and tossed the burning match onto the table. Set the cigarette on the edge, put his fists down and his chin on his fists. Watched the match burn down, then out. The little blue-gray smoke trail curled up. He flicked the match with his finger and looked at the little burn mark. Felt it. Still warm. His contribution to the table’s character. He straightened up and looked over to the bar …
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Changes Wrought
— Book Two
The Devonshires held this trench, the Devonshires hold it still.
Pete read the words twice. Ran his fingers over the wood. It was gritty with dirt. He took his scarf out and wiped it off. Traced the words with his finger, the edges still sharp from the chisel. Looked down the row of simple wooden crosses …
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FAQs
1. Why did you choose to write about WW1 aviation?
2. What is the significance of the title “Changes Wrought?”
3. You can be very critical of Sir Douglas Haig. Do you believe he was a poor general?
4. What exactly is a rotary engine?
5. What can we look forward to in the later books?
6. What is the planned release schedule?
About The Author
Michael MacMurdy is the author of Changes Wrought. Michael flew T-37 trainers in Oklahoma and A-10 Warthogs in England in the USAF before moving on to the airlines. He currently lives in Frederick County, Virginia, with his wife, Ruth Margarita.
usaf student pilot
A-10 raf bentwaters
Tail-Dragger Flying
American Airlines
Stearman Flight Training
This is what the entry into a spin looks like. We pull the nose up and reduce power to idle. The airplane runs out of speed and the nose drops. We have full rudder in so that causes the spin. To recover: recheck the throttle at idle. Neutralize the ailerons and apply rudder opposite to the spin direction. Bring the column forward as necessary to break the stall. Once the spinning stops, neutralize the rudder and recover from the dive.
This is your basic traffic pattern and landing onto a grass strip. The final approach is very steep by airline pilot standards, due to the high drag of the Stearman. It’s easier to land on grass—more forgiving of yaw inputs than is a concrete runway.
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