1917: Machines of War (Kiwis at War)

17-year-old Bob Sunday has stolen his brother’s identity to enlist in World War I. Keith was killed at Gallipoli, so doesn’t need it any more, anyway. But Bob is keen to join the Royal Flying Corps, and soon finds himself flying patrols over the front line in France, up against the likes of the Red Baron – Manfred von Richthofen. A boy’s dreams of adventure are soon shattered amid the horrors of war; culminating in his witnessing the destruction at Passchendaele. The fourth episode in a gripping series that tracks each year in World War One, from 1914 to 1918, each focussing on different aspects of war. Each book in the series is written by a top New Zealand author and features threads that link the stories together.