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Windsock Datafile 150 Austro-Hungarian aviation has always fascinated me, so it was exciting to see the latest title in the Windsock Datafile series covering one of the later aircraft, the Phönix C.I. While not especially attractive, the Phönix C.I was a reliable and stable aircraft that managed to remain flying in the post-war years, with the last Swedish example retiring in the 1930s. Overshadowed by the more popular late-war types such as the Fokker D.VII, the fascinating story of the Phönix C.I is finally told in this excellent volume from Albatros Publications. The book begins with a short history of the Phönix company that includes an overview of the prototype C.I. Following this is the operational record, and here we get to hear about the C.I from those who flew it. Its performance was preferred over the UFAG competition, but although recommended, production never really caught up to demand. The few aircraft that were on the Italian front managed quite well, though, and it was highly likely that a Phönix C.I was the aircraft that shot down Italy's 'Ace of Aces', Francesco Baracca. The post-war history is more interesting, as the operations in Sweden proved just how good a plane the Phönix C.I was. Called the Dront (Swedish for dodo, the extinct bird), the Phönix C.I was initially used as an escort aircraft and designated E 1. When the type was superseded by more modern designs, the plane was relegated to the training role as the Ö 4, where it performed quite well. As noted, the last Ö 4 aircraft were finally stricken off in 1935. As we have come to expect from the Datafile line, this book is packed with excellent photos of the Phönix C.I. A great number of the photos are of Swedish aircraft, but there are also several of wartime Austro-Hungarian types and a few of the more rare Czechoslovak Flying Corps, Hungarian post-war services, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In addition to the photos there are the usual high quality scale drawings in both 1/72 and 1/48, and a trio of color profiles on the back cover highlighting Austro-Hungarian, Hungarian, and Swedish examples. This is a very welcome addition to the Datafile line and it is exciting to see Austro-Hungarian subjects getting good coverage. My thanks to Albatros Publications for the review copy. |
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