• Dreaming war: airmindedness and the Australian mystery aeroplane scare of 1918

    Author(s):
    Brett Holman (see profile)
    Date:
    2018
    Subject(s):
    Australia, History, Technology, Military history
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Australian history, History of technology
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/9nd4-nr68
    Abstract:
    Numerous false sightings of mysterious aeroplanes, thought to be German and hostile, were reported by ordinary people around Australia in the Autumn of 1918. These reports were investigated by defence authorities, who initiated a maximum effort to find the merchant raiders presumed to be the source of the aeroplanes. The scare is interpreted in the context of reports that a German seaplane had flown over Sydney in 1917; fears that the German offensive in France would lead to an Allied defeat; wartime paranoia about German subversion; and the growth of negative airmindedness thanks to the wartime press.
    Metadata:
    Published as:
    Journal article    
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    3 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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