Given the paucity of information about the fighter aces who flew with the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Army & Navy) during the First World War, this book provides an interesting view of how military aviation in that nation acquitted itself on the various fighting fronts.
In contrast to Germany, France, Italy, and Britain, whose aviation industries under the impetus of war expanded and produced in excess of 100,000 military aircraft, only 4,768 aircraft were approved for use by the Austro-Hungarian military (the Luftfahrtruppen, LFT). Indeed, "[f]rom the beginning of the war, local aviation manufacturers had wasted already scarce resources on ill-conceived projects, and they ... lacked the skilled workers and raw materials to build new aeroplanes. They were also unable [in the last months of the war as Austria-Hungary faced the prospect of scarcer raw materials and foodstuffs owing to the tighter constraints of the longstanding British naval blockade] to send spare parts, fuel and even paint and bracing wires to the front. This left Austro-Hungarian airmen with little option but to bear their pain and continue to fight and die without hope, fully aware of the futility of their sacrifice."
The book also has a beautiful set of photographs and colored illustrations of the Albatros fighter used by some of Austria-Hungary's top aces. That, in itself, makes "Austro-Hungarian Albatros Aces of World War 1" a worthy addition to any aviation aficionado's library.