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mrwaverly:
The brave guys who took part in early aerial combat were literally making it up as they went along - nothing like it had ever been done before; heavier than air craft had only existed for eleven years at the start of the First World War. No armour protection, no parachutes -  you heard right, it was considered cowardly to bale out in the early part of the war;  you went down with your ship, plus they added weight. No radio, way too bulky, nor did you have heated cockpits or oxygen. A new pilot's operational life was measured in weeks, and that was if he was lucky. So, a big hand for all those who took off and came back, and raise a glass to all those who took off, perhaps on a dawn patrol, and who were never seen again.