The Ship-busters. The Story of the R.A.F. Torpedo-bombers. [With Plates, Including Portraits, and Maps.]. PDF Download

Author: Ralph Barker (Flight-Lieutenant.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Author: Ralph Barker
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1909166685
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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A “vividly told” history of torpedo attacks from the air in the Second World War, by a member of the Royal Air Force (The Sunday Times). Low-level strikes against enemy shipping by torpedo-carrying aircraft were perhaps the most dangerous forms of air attack developed during WWII, and few isolated actions had such a direct impact on naval and military actions. This book tells the story of the RAF men involved, from the early attacks by single Beauforts off the Dutch and Norwegian coasts to the massed assaults of later years by the famous “strike-wings.” The author, who joined the RAF in 1940 as a wireless operator/ air gunner, and served in the UK, the Middle East, and West Africa, and whose career on torpedo work ended in a crash in which his pilot and navigator were killed, includes many historic actions: the lone moonlight attack by a twenty-two-year-old flight sergeant on the pocket-battleship Lützow; the torpedoing of the Gneisena in Brest harbor; the Channel Dash of the Scharnhorst, Gneisena, and Prinz Eugen and the heroic Swordfish attacks; and the vital strikes from Malta in 1942 against the Italian fleet and the supply shipping of the Afrika Korps. The result is a fascinating book, vivid in its true picture of aircrew life, stirring in its descriptions of heroic actions, intensely moving in its record of human endeavor.

Author: Ralph Barker
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 253

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Author: British Library
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 538

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Author: British Library
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 644

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Author: British Museum. Department of Printed Books
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : English imprints
Languages : en
Pages : 560

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Author: British Museum. Department of Printed Books
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Best books
Languages : en
Pages : 670

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Author: Jean-Denis Lepage
Publisher: Pen and Sword Aviation
ISBN: 1526763486
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 663

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The torpedo-bomber was a very short-lived weapon system, operational for scarcely half a century from just prior WWI to the 1960s. Yet during its brief existence it transformed naval warfare, extending the ship-killing range of ships and coastal defences to hundreds of miles. The Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm led the way, recording the first sinking of a ship by aerial torpedo in August 1915 but all major navies eagerly developed their own torpedo bomber forces. The torpedo-bomber reached its zenith in WWII, particularly from 1940-42, with notable successes at the Battle of Taranto, the sinking of the Bismarck and Pearl Harbor. It was the weapon of choice for both the US and Japanese in the big Pacific battles such as Midway. In the latter stages of the war, increasingly effective anti-aircraft fire and interceptor aircraft started to render it obsolete, a process completed post-war by long-range anti-ship missiles. Jean-Denis Lepage traces the development of torpedo bombers worldwide, describing their tactics, operational history and the aircraft themselves, including such well-loved types as the Swordfish, Beaufighter and Avenger. Over 300 aircraft are beautifully illustrated.

Author: Peter C. Smith
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 178303873X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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This is a highly illustrated history one of the most deadly types of atta aircraft. The torpedo bomber first appeared during the later years of World War One but served their most useful role in the Second World War. The most famous attas include Taranto, where Fairey Swordfish destroyed the Italian Battle fleet and the infamous surprise atta on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. In both these cases the attas were against ships laying in harbor and therefore stationary. Heavy defensive anti-aircraft fire was the greatest danger to the torpedo bombers in those circumstances but ships under way in the open sea had far more room to take evasive action. The lengthy time it took a torpedo to reach its target allowed many ships to escape destruction. However notable exceptions were the sinking HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse by the Japanese during the early stages of the war in the Far East. During the hunt for the Bismar it was an air-launched torpedo from a Swordfish that severely damaged the ships steering gear and enabled the Royal Navy to close in for the final kill. Some of the types included are the Fairey Swordfish, Bristol Beaufort, Fairey Albacore, Bristol Beaufighter, Heinkell He 115, Marchetti SM.79, Fokker T.VIII, Grumman Avenger and the Nakajima B5N.

Author: Ralph Barker
Publisher: New York : Ballantine Books
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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