{"product_id":"9780750959148","title":"UFOs of the First World War : Phantom Airships, Balloons, Aircraft and Other Mysterious Aerial Phenomena by Nigel Watson","description":"Lieutenant R.S. Maxwell took off in his BE2C fighter but saw nothing unusual until 8.25 p.m. when, according to his report: `My engine was missing irregularly and it was only by keeping the speed of the machine down to 50 mph that I was able to stay at 10,000 feet. I distinctly saw an artificial light to the north of me, and at about the same height. I followed this light northeast for nearly 20 minutes, but it seemed to go slightly higher and just as quickly as myself, and eventually I lost it completely in the clouds.' Such sightings occurred frequently during the war. The reasons are fascinating in themselves: the first is that aviation is in its infancy, so light phenomena at altitude are a new experience. The second is fear: for the first time a real threat came from the skies. It wasn't just the Western Front: on 21 August 1915 twenty New Zealand soldiers allegedly saw eight bread-loaf shaped clouds over Hill 60, Suvla Bay. `A British regiment, the First- Fourth Norfolk, of several hundred men, was then noticed marching . . . towards Hill 60.' They marched into the cloud, which lifted off the ground, and were never seen again.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294630687093,"sku":"9780750959148","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780750959148.jpg?v=1762765407","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9780750959148","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}