Product Description

Published in association with the Royal Navy, this is the official history of the first century of British naval aviation. It chronicles naval aviators' involvement in two world wars and other conflicts worldwide, and the crucial developments in the technology of ships, aircraft and weaponry that made victory possible. The narrative is supported by text panels describing a host of different subjects related to naval aviation, including vivid personal accounts of operations from those who were there. Comprehensive appendices list battle orders, aircraft and ships, and describe naval fighter aces and VC winners.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88386 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

About the Author
Christopher Shores ARHistS is among Britain's top aviation historians and authors. He has written and co-authored more than 35 books on military aviation history. He is a volunteer at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, and lives in Dorset.

Customer Reviews

Fleet Air Arm story
This large format book has a wonderful cover with a montage of those two stalwarts of the service - the Fairey Swordfish and Sea Harrier. Turn the book over and there is a dramatic shot of the two carriers HMS Invincible and Ark Royal on active service in the Adriatic.
The Royal Navy was reluctant to be associated with flying in the early days but rapidly came to see the merit in having lookouts placed somewhat higher than the top of ships' masts. One astonishing aspect was the incredibly short distances needed by those early aircraft to get in the air - just 20 or 30 feet. Aircraft were flown from platforms erected over gun turrets on battleships. The first vessel to be constructed for carrying aircraft was HMS Furious in 1917 although the first to be designed from the outset as an aircraft carrier was HMS Argus.
Like the navy itself, the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was assigned a strategic role in the Great War to attack the enemy rather than defend the fleet. As the Western Front absorbed resources, the RNAS was called on to provide aircraft and pilots to help the army. By 1918 it had some 2.900 aircraft and 100 airships flying from over 100 bases in the UK and a score in France.
One of the continuing problems during the war was limited aero-engine production. Competing demands from Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and RNAS led to the government setting up an Air Board. Pressure for consolidation led to the merging of the RNAS and RFC into the Royal Air Force in 1918. By the 1920s, the Royal Navy was in possession of a four aircraft carriers but without any air resources. In 1923, the Fleet Air Arm of the RAF was formed.
Chapter 9 describes the conflict between Admiralty and Air Ministry over control of this body. The Admiralty posed operational arguments while the Air Ministry based theirs on procurement and development. Throughout the 1930s, the navy had been acquiring aircraft carriers and the RAF aircraft to fly from them. The debate was finally resolved in favour of the Admiralty when it retook control of the Fleet Air Arm in May 1939.
When war broke out later in that year, the navy had seven aircraft carriers, more than any other navy in the world. There was less to commend the choice of aircraft that flew from these vessels, as most were slow but dependable biplanes. Several chapters describe in some detail the triumphs and failures during World War 2. There were astonishing failures of torpedo attacks: of 24 launched at the Battle of Cape Matapan only 2 hit their targets. A dozen Hurricanes and pilots were lost when they were flown from an aircraft carrier at too great a range to reach Malta.
The chapters on the war in the Mediterranean are very detailed yet provide no overview of how the war in that theatre developed. The drama of the convoys facing continual attack from air, sea and sub surface is told well. Defence by the Fleet Air Arm was vital although not always available in the necessary strength. It was similar in the Atlantic except the threat was largely from U-boats rather than air or surface. Some fine early colour photographs illustrate these chapters.
The story of the Fleet Air Arm afterwards demonstrates the value of power exercised from an aircraft carrier. It was in action in the Korean War (the chapter on which contains the only factual error I spotted in the book: Pusan confused with Inchon), the Suez debacle, and then the Cold War. In that period, aircraft types had astonishingly short service lives but it also saw the introduction of the angled flight deck and mirror landing aid, features that were adopted worldwide within a few years.
The Falklands War is given the chapter it deserves and then the book concludes with a review following the end of the Cold War. The Fleet Air Arm is now essentially a rotary aircraft service. Its Harriers and crews are combined with those of the RAF in the Joint Force Harrier. The future of Fleet Air Arm depends on the promised construction of two new aircraft carriers to be equipped with the Lockheed F-35 or Joint Strike Fighter.
This book is fine tribute to the centenary of the Fleet Air Arm. It is not exactly a history but more a historical review of the service. It contains a wonderful collection of photographs in an attractive format.
This book is an excellent buy.