The Fleet Air Arm in the Second World War, Volume II, 1942-1943
The Fleet Air Arm in the Second World War, Volume II, 1942-1943

Author: Ben Jones

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-06-13

Total Pages: 595

ISBN-13: 1351130854

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is the second of three volumes covering the transformation of the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. As the subtitle of this volume ‘The Fleet Air Arm in Transition’ suggests, the years 1942-1943 marked a stepping stone between the small pre-war cadre operating from a small number of carriers to a naval air arm flying modern aircraft types from a large number of ships and as will be seen in Volume III capable of operating a number of Fleet Carriers in the Pacific Ocean for sustained periods. Whereas the majority of Volume I dealt with operations, this volume has a much more even balance covering planning and policy on the one hand and operations on the other. This reflects the crucial nature of this period as the development and expansion of the Fleet Air Arm gathered pace, whilst an increasingly diverse range of operations took place with those in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic reaching a climax. The reader will gain a clear appreciation of the growing importance, indeed primacy, of the aircraft carrier within the proposals for the future composition of Royal Navy’s surface fleet together with the nature of the Fleet Air Arm’s expansion programmes. Such expansion programmes were hindered by the constraints of aircraft production and the acquisition of sufficient shore facilities for the formation of new squadrons and the continued support of others. Some of the Fleet Air Arm’s most famous operations occurred during these years such as the escort of the ‘Pedestal’ convoy to Malta, air cover for the landings in North Africa, Sicily and at Salerno and the gallant, but ill-fated attack of 825 Squadron during the Channel Dash. The increasing role played by the Fleet Air Arm aircraft operating from Escort Carriers and Merchant Aircraft Carriers in the Battle of the Atlantic during 1943 is also apparent. The documents in this volume will bring to life the difficulties of operating aircraft at sea, the nature of air combat and the complexities involved in expanding an organisation such as the Fleet Air Arm under wartime conditions. As such it will enhance our understanding of the history of the Royal Navy’s air arm during the Second World War.

Historical Dictionary of World War II
Historical Dictionary of World War II

Author: Anne Sharp Wells

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2023-12-15

Total Pages: 521

ISBN-13: 1538102560

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

World War II was the largest and most costly conflict in history, the first true global war. Fought on land, on sea, and in the air, it involved numerous countries and killed, maimed, or displaced millions of people, both civilian and military, around the world. In spite of the alliances that bound many of the same participants, the war was essentially two separate but simultaneous conflicts: one involved Japan as the major antagonist and took place mostly in Asia and the Pacific; and the other, initiated by Germany and Italy, was contested mainly in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic. This book focuses on the lesser known war, the war with Japan. It begins with Japan’s seizure of Manchuria from China in 1931 and covers Japan’s ambitious attacks on Pearl Harbor and other territories ten years later, the use of atomic bombs on Japan’s cities, and the end of the Allied occupation of Japan in 1952. Although Japan renounced war in its 1947 constitution, conflict continued across Asia, as former colonies fought for independence and civil war engulfed other areas. Historical Dictionary of World War II: The War Against Japan, Second Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 500 cross-referenced entries on the military, diplomatic, political, social, economic, and scientific aspects of the war, in addition to the lives of the people who participated in and directed the war. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the war against Japan during World War II.

The Fleet Air Arm in the Second World War
The Fleet Air Arm in the Second World War

Author: Ben Jones

Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781409452577

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is the first of three volumes detailing the history of the Fleet Air Arm, during the Second World War. It deals with the formative period between 1939 and 1941, incorporating an in depth coverage of significant operations, including the Norwegian campaign, and incidents involving the loss of and damage to aircraft carriers, including the sinking of Ark Royal. A wide range of official documents are used to enable the reader to appreciate the complexity of the operations and how the Royal Navy adapted to the use of air power in the Second World War.

Decision in the Atlantic
Decision in the Atlantic

Author: Marcus Faulkner

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Published: 2019-05-17

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 1949668037

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest campaign of the Second World War. This volume highlights the scale and complexity of this bitterly contested campaign, one that encompassed far more than just attacks by German U-boats on Allied shipping. The team of leading scholars assembled in this study situates the German assault on seaborne trade within the wider Allied war effort and provides a new understanding of its place within the Second World War. Individual chapters offer original perspectives on a range of neglected or previously overlooked subjects: how Allied grand strategy shaped the war at sea; the choices facing Churchill and other Allied leaders and the tensions over the allocation of scarce resources between theaters; how the battle spread beyond the Atlantic Ocean in both military and economic terms; the management of Britain's merchant shipping repair yards; the defense of British coastal waters against German surface raiders; the contribution of air power to trade defense; antisubmarine escort training; the role of special intelligence; and the war against the U-boats in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans.

A Companion to British and Irish Cinema
A Companion to British and Irish Cinema

Author: John Hill

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2019-07-18

Total Pages: 605

ISBN-13: 1118477510

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A stimulating overview of the intellectual arguments and critical debates involved in the study of British and Irish cinemas British and Irish film studies have expanded in scope and depth in recent years, prompting a growing number of critical debates on how these cinemas are analysed, contextualized, and understood. A Companion to British and Irish Cinema addresses arguments surrounding film historiography, methods of textual analysis, critical judgments, and the social and economic contexts that are central to the study of these cinemas. Twenty-nine essays from many of the most prominent writers in the field examine how British and Irish cinema have been discussed, the concepts and methods used to interpret and understand British and Irish films, and the defining issues and debates at the heart of British and Irish cinema studies. Offering a broad scope of commentary, the Companion explores historical, cultural and aesthetic questions that encompass over a century of British and Irish film studies—from the early years of the silent era to the present-day. Divided into five sections, the Companion discusses the social and cultural forces shaping British and Irish cinema during different periods, the contexts in which films are produced, distributed and exhibited, the genres and styles that have been adopted by British and Irish films, issues of representation and identity, and debates on concepts of national cinema at a time when ideas of what constitutes both ‘British’ and ‘Irish’ cinema are under question. A Companion to British and Irish Cinema is a valuable and timely resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students of film, media, and cultural studies, and for those seeking contemporary commentary on the cinemas of Britain and Ireland.

The Crisis of British Sea Power
The Crisis of British Sea Power

Author: James Levy

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-02-20

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13: 1003854540

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This work is a close examination of the conditions surrounding and precipitating the last gasp of British naval hegemony and events that led to its demise. Great Britain undertook a massive naval building program in the late-1930s in order to deter aggression and secure dominance at sea against her nascent enemies, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. But the failure of the policy of Appeasement to deter war or delay it into the early 1940s left the building program only partially complete, and the exigencies of war led to the cancellation of the critical but costly and time-consuming “Lion” class battleships, and the slow delivery of the “1940 battlecruiser” (HMS Vanguard) and two vital fleet carriers. Adding to these issues, the fall of France spurred the USA to initiate her own, even larger, naval building program, and together with the entry of the powerful and capable Imperial Japanese Navy completely overwhelmed Britain’s position as the world’s premier naval power. This book will be of value to those interested in the history of the Second World War, British strategy, and the British navy.

The Eastern Fleet and the Indian Ocean, 1942–1944
The Eastern Fleet and the Indian Ocean, 1942–1944

Author: Charles Stephenson

Publisher: Pen and Sword Maritime

Published: 2022-04-06

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 1526783649

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A study of the British Royal Navy’s activities in the Indian Ocean during World War II, led by Admiral Sir James Somerville. The story of the British Eastern Fleet, which operated in the Indian Ocean against Japan, has rarely been told. Although it was the largest fleet deployed by the Royal Navy prior to 1945 and played a vital part in the theatre it was sent to protect, it has no place in the popular consciousness of the naval history of the Second World War. So Charles Stephenson’s deeply researched and absorbing narrative gives this forgotten fleet the recognition it deserves. British pre-war naval planning for the Far East is part of the story, as is the disastrous loss of the battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Repulse in 1941, but the body of the book focuses on the new fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir James Somerville, and its operations against the Japanese navy and aircraft as well as Japanese and German submarines. Later in the war, once the fleet had been reinforced with an American aircraft carrier, it was strong enough to take more aggressive actions against the Japanese, and these are described in vivid detail. Charles Stephenson’s authoritative study should appeal to readers who have a special interest in the war with Japan, in naval history more generally and Royal Navy in particular. Praise forThe Eastern Fleet and the Indian Ocean, 1942–1944 “This meticulously researched, outstandingly clear, well written and absorbing account is long overdue and will most likely become a standard work. The text is most helpfully supported by over 80 pages of detailed end notes referenced to each chapter and a detailed index. This is not only a book for naval historians but also for anyone with an interest in the War in the Indian Ocean region. Highly recommended.” —Military Historical Society “I enjoyed this book – it gives us an account of an often neglected part of the war at sea, and of the achievements of Admiral Somerville, who kept his fleet intact in the face of a potentially overwhelming opponent, then was willing to acknowledge that his fleet needed to improve massively before it could take on the Japanese.” —Dr John Rickard, author and webmaster of the ‘Military History Encyclopedia on the Web’

Harrier II
Harrier II

Author: Lon Nordeen

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2014-02-15

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1612514561

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When the first Harrier strike fighter was introduced by the Royal Air Force in the late 1960s, it was hailed as a technological breakthrough with its speed, vertical, short takeoff and landing capability (V/STOL). Today, the Harrier II is one of the top weapons of choice for ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who need effective air support. This book chronicles the incredible development of this tactical fixed wing aircraft, a journey that, in the author's opinion, was successful solely because of the unswerving commitment of the U.S. Marine Corps. In tracing the Harrier II's history, Lon Nordeen highlights the teamwork, creativity, and innovation that went into the design, development, fielding, and operation of this unique aircraft. The story begins with the development of the U.S. Marine Corps air-ground team close air support concepts in the 1920s, on the battlefields of the Pacific in the Second World War and the Korean conflict. Later in Vietnam, efforts were directed at improving the aviators' response time to calls for air support. Seeing V/STOL tactical airplanes as the only practical solution to this problem, the Marine Corps received their first AV-8As in 1971 and then set out to improve the Harrier's capability. This is the Harrier II's story, including its near-cancellation in the late 1970s during the Carter Administration, developmental challenges in the early 1980s, international growth path with the addition of night attack capability and radar to its success in the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. This book includes interviews and insights from those involved- from pilots and military commanders to engineers and production personnel and even tothose who opposed the program. It is the first book to be written about the Harrier II from the U.S. Marine Corps perspective that also discusses the selection and operational use of the aircraft by the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy.