Product Description

This fourth volume on the 2nd Tactical Air Force will tempt enthusiasts with a vast amount of unpublished material, and will complete an acclaimed quartet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #145484 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

Customer Reviews

A useful supplement to the previous three volumes
This is a slightly belated but very welcome fourth volume which adds to the previous three detailing the history of the Second Tactical Air Force. Those volumes covered 2nd TAF's operations chronologically from its formation to the end of the war, with day by day accounts of operations supplemented by short sections on particularly notable raids or subjects. This new volume is very much a collection of articles which adds to the story already told in them.

The first chapter looks at the tactics and operational techniques employed by 2nd TAF and covers formations flown such as the `fluid six', fighter-bomber operations, attack techniques for targets such as bridges, shipping and vehicles. Separate sections describe the differences for Tempest and Mosquito operations.

The second chapter describes the weapons used, from guns through to bombs and the famous rocket projectiles used by Typhoons. This tends to be a history rather than giving detailed weapon performance characteristics, but these can be found in other books.

The third chapter covers the training of 2nd TAF pilots, especially the training units they went through, and shows how the numbers trained and the duration of that training was changed to meet the needs of the front line - for example losses during the weeks following D-Day were less than expected and so OTU intakes were actually suspended.

The fourth chapter looks at camouflage and markings. Though camouflage remained little altered during the life of 2nd TAF there were variations in identification markings for Typhoons, Mustangs and Tempests and not surprisingly `invasion stripes' feature prominently. How these evolved over time on different aircraft makes for interesting reading and naturally this section is especially well illustrated.

The fifth chapter describes the histories of all the 2nd TAF squadrons. Each has a short paragraph detailing anything particularly notable about it and chronological lists of where it was based and who commanded it. Code letters and the call signs in use on D-Day are also given.

The sixth and seventh chapters provide two personal account from ground crew, a corporal in a Mobile Signals Servicing Unit and an airframe fitter, and their stories show how the operations of a whole air force were perceived by men seeing only a very small and often confused part of it.

The eighth chapter looks at the Luftwaffe orders of battle on five key dates and has short articles on the destruction of the prototype BV 238 flying boat and the sinking of several ships by 2nd TAF which were unfortunately crammed with survivors of concentration camps and their SS guards. There is also a large collection of photographs of German aircraft either abandoned at the war's end or taken over by the RAF.

The final two chapters briefly cover the post-war running down of the 2nd TAF and corrections to the first three volumes (often corrections in the spellings of place names).

The physical production of the book is up the usual very high Classic Publications standard. The numerous photographs are interesting, clearly printed and informatively captioned and there are many colour side-views of aircraft.

If you have not already read at least some of the previous three volumes then I would suggest that this book may be of little interest to you, as it comprises a series of independent chapters which add to the earlier books rather than being a stand alone volume (though with its many photographs and illustrations it would be very useful to modellers). If you have already read the previous volumes then this new one fleshes out their telling of the history of 2nd TAF and adds much detail on subjects not covered in depth before. If you enjoyed those books then this one is also well recommended.

Brilliant!
This is a quite brilliant book that rounds off the series dealing with the history of the 2 TAF magnificently.It is crammed with a wealth of detail about units, aircraft and bases, and contains lots of previously unpublished photographs. Very highly recommended to all aviation enthusiasts particularly those with an interest in the 2nd TAF.