Author: David Hobbs
Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
ISBN: 1526793849
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 426
Book Description
“If you only read one book on the development of the Fleet Air Arm and Naval air warfare in the Mediterranean during World War 2 then this should be it.” —Military Historical Society After the Italian declaration of war in June 1940, the Royal Navy found itself facing a larger and better-equipped Italian surface fleet, large Italian and German air forces equipped with modern aircraft and both Italian and German submarines. Its own aircraft were a critical element of an unprecedented fight on, over and under the sea surface. The best-known action was the crippling of the Italian fleet at Taranto, which demonstrated how aircraft carriers and their aircraft had replaced the dominance of battleships, but every subsequent operation is covered from the perspective of naval aviation. Some of these, like Matapan or the defense of the “Pedestal” convoy to Malta, are famous but others in support of land campaigns and in the Aegean after the Italian surrender are less well recorded. In all these, the ingenuity and innovation of the Fleet Air Arm shines through—Taranto pointed the way to what the Japanese would achieve at Pearl Harbor, while air cover for the Salerno landings demonstrated the effectiveness of carrier-borne fighters in amphibious operations, a tactic adopted by the US Navy. The author’s years of archival research together with his experience as a carrier pilot allow him to describe and analyze the operations of naval aircraft in the Mediterranean with unprecedented authority. This provides the book with novel insights into many familiar facets of the Mediterranean war while for the first time doing full justice to the Fleet Air Arm’s lesser known achievements. “A full and fascinating story.” —Clash of Steel
Taranto
Author: David Hobbs
Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
ISBN: 1526793849
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 426
Book Description
“If you only read one book on the development of the Fleet Air Arm and Naval air warfare in the Mediterranean during World War 2 then this should be it.” —Military Historical Society After the Italian declaration of war in June 1940, the Royal Navy found itself facing a larger and better-equipped Italian surface fleet, large Italian and German air forces equipped with modern aircraft and both Italian and German submarines. Its own aircraft were a critical element of an unprecedented fight on, over and under the sea surface. The best-known action was the crippling of the Italian fleet at Taranto, which demonstrated how aircraft carriers and their aircraft had replaced the dominance of battleships, but every subsequent operation is covered from the perspective of naval aviation. Some of these, like Matapan or the defense of the “Pedestal” convoy to Malta, are famous but others in support of land campaigns and in the Aegean after the Italian surrender are less well recorded. In all these, the ingenuity and innovation of the Fleet Air Arm shines through—Taranto pointed the way to what the Japanese would achieve at Pearl Harbor, while air cover for the Salerno landings demonstrated the effectiveness of carrier-borne fighters in amphibious operations, a tactic adopted by the US Navy. The author’s years of archival research together with his experience as a carrier pilot allow him to describe and analyze the operations of naval aircraft in the Mediterranean with unprecedented authority. This provides the book with novel insights into many familiar facets of the Mediterranean war while for the first time doing full justice to the Fleet Air Arm’s lesser known achievements. “A full and fascinating story.” —Clash of Steel
Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
ISBN: 1526793849
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 426
Book Description
“If you only read one book on the development of the Fleet Air Arm and Naval air warfare in the Mediterranean during World War 2 then this should be it.” —Military Historical Society After the Italian declaration of war in June 1940, the Royal Navy found itself facing a larger and better-equipped Italian surface fleet, large Italian and German air forces equipped with modern aircraft and both Italian and German submarines. Its own aircraft were a critical element of an unprecedented fight on, over and under the sea surface. The best-known action was the crippling of the Italian fleet at Taranto, which demonstrated how aircraft carriers and their aircraft had replaced the dominance of battleships, but every subsequent operation is covered from the perspective of naval aviation. Some of these, like Matapan or the defense of the “Pedestal” convoy to Malta, are famous but others in support of land campaigns and in the Aegean after the Italian surrender are less well recorded. In all these, the ingenuity and innovation of the Fleet Air Arm shines through—Taranto pointed the way to what the Japanese would achieve at Pearl Harbor, while air cover for the Salerno landings demonstrated the effectiveness of carrier-borne fighters in amphibious operations, a tactic adopted by the US Navy. The author’s years of archival research together with his experience as a carrier pilot allow him to describe and analyze the operations of naval aircraft in the Mediterranean with unprecedented authority. This provides the book with novel insights into many familiar facets of the Mediterranean war while for the first time doing full justice to the Fleet Air Arm’s lesser known achievements. “A full and fascinating story.” —Clash of Steel
War at Sea
Author: Marcus Faulkner
Publisher: Seaforth Publsihing
ISBN: 9781848320475
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This atlas shows the global war at sea, with 225 maps and detailed charts and visualizes the great campaigns and major battles as well as the the smaller operations, amphibious landings, convoys, sieges, skirmishes and sinkings.
Publisher: Seaforth Publsihing
ISBN: 9781848320475
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
This atlas shows the global war at sea, with 225 maps and detailed charts and visualizes the great campaigns and major battles as well as the the smaller operations, amphibious landings, convoys, sieges, skirmishes and sinkings.
Struggle for the Middle Sea
Author: Vincent O'Hara
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 1612514081
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 362
Book Description
The Mediterranean is the maritime crossroads where Europe, Asia, and Africa meet. More major naval actions were fought there than in the Atlantic or Pacific yet remarkably little has been written about the subject. Th is fresh study of the Mediterranean’s naval war analyzes the actions and performances of the five major navies—British, Italian, French, German, and American—during the entire five-year campaign and examines the national imperatives that drove each nation’s maritime strategy. Struggle for the Middle Sea provides a history of the entire campaign from all perspectives and covers Germany’s largely unknown—and remarkably successful—struggle to employ sea power in the Mediterranean after the Italian armistice. Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy (August 2009) has called it “a new and stunningly important view of World War II” and “a fabulously readable and important book.”
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 1612514081
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 362
Book Description
The Mediterranean is the maritime crossroads where Europe, Asia, and Africa meet. More major naval actions were fought there than in the Atlantic or Pacific yet remarkably little has been written about the subject. Th is fresh study of the Mediterranean’s naval war analyzes the actions and performances of the five major navies—British, Italian, French, German, and American—during the entire five-year campaign and examines the national imperatives that drove each nation’s maritime strategy. Struggle for the Middle Sea provides a history of the entire campaign from all perspectives and covers Germany’s largely unknown—and remarkably successful—struggle to employ sea power in the Mediterranean after the Italian armistice. Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy (August 2009) has called it “a new and stunningly important view of World War II” and “a fabulously readable and important book.”
The Struggle for the Mediterranean, 1939-1945
The Path to Victory
Author: Douglas Porch
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780374529765
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 840
Book Description
The Mediterranean theater in World War II has long been overlooked by historians who believe it was little more than a string of small-scale battles--sideshows that were of minor importance in a war whose outcome was decided in the clashes of mammoth tank armies in northern Europe. But in this ground-breaking new book, one of our finest military historians argues that the Mediterranean was World War II's pivotal theater. Douglas Porch examines the Mediterranean as an integrated arena, one in which events in Syria and Suez influenced the survival of Gibraltar. Without a Mediterranean alternative, the Western Allies would probably have committed to a premature cross-Channel invasion in 1943 that might well have cost them the war. Brilliantly argued, with vivid portraits of Churchill, Montgomery, FDR, Rommel, and Mussolini, this original, accessible, and compelling account of a little-known theater emphasizes the importance of the Mediterranean in the ultimate Allied victory in Europe in World War II.
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780374529765
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 840
Book Description
The Mediterranean theater in World War II has long been overlooked by historians who believe it was little more than a string of small-scale battles--sideshows that were of minor importance in a war whose outcome was decided in the clashes of mammoth tank armies in northern Europe. But in this ground-breaking new book, one of our finest military historians argues that the Mediterranean was World War II's pivotal theater. Douglas Porch examines the Mediterranean as an integrated arena, one in which events in Syria and Suez influenced the survival of Gibraltar. Without a Mediterranean alternative, the Western Allies would probably have committed to a premature cross-Channel invasion in 1943 that might well have cost them the war. Brilliantly argued, with vivid portraits of Churchill, Montgomery, FDR, Rommel, and Mussolini, this original, accessible, and compelling account of a little-known theater emphasizes the importance of the Mediterranean in the ultimate Allied victory in Europe in World War II.
Cairo in the War 1939-1945
Author: Artemis Cooper
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780140247817
Category : British
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Book Description
This is an account of life, attitudes and events in Cairo during World War II. It describes the historical background of the events of the Desert War, as well as stories and descriptions of personalities gleaned from the Ambassador's diaries and those of her grandparents, Duff and Diana Cooper.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780140247817
Category : British
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Book Description
This is an account of life, attitudes and events in Cairo during World War II. It describes the historical background of the events of the Desert War, as well as stories and descriptions of personalities gleaned from the Ambassador's diaries and those of her grandparents, Duff and Diana Cooper.
Flag 4
Author: Dudley Pope
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780755130627
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
Flag 4 is the signal for 'attack with torpedoes'. In this authoritative and thrilling account of the actions of British motor torpedo boats in the Mediterranean during World War II, Dudley Pope uses eyewitness accounts of those who fought the many battles. Through assaults on enemy coastal convoys and clandestine operations, including operating with Special Boat Squadron units, the smallest ships in the navy helped keep the Mediterranean Sea open during the darker period of the war, and played a significant role in supporting various resistance movements and the eventual allied victories in North Africa and Southern Europe."
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780755130627
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
Flag 4 is the signal for 'attack with torpedoes'. In this authoritative and thrilling account of the actions of British motor torpedo boats in the Mediterranean during World War II, Dudley Pope uses eyewitness accounts of those who fought the many battles. Through assaults on enemy coastal convoys and clandestine operations, including operating with Special Boat Squadron units, the smallest ships in the navy helped keep the Mediterranean Sea open during the darker period of the war, and played a significant role in supporting various resistance movements and the eventual allied victories in North Africa and Southern Europe."
'Total Germany'
Author: David Wragg
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473844657
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
The author of A Century of British Naval Aviation, 1909-2009 examines the losses and successes of the Royal Navy during World War Two. On the declaration of war in 1939, the British Admiralty signaled all warships and naval bases “Total Germany, Total Germany.” It was fortunate that of Germany’s three armed services, the Kriegsmarine under Grosseradmiral Erich Raeder was the least well prepared. True, Admiral Karl Donitz’s U-Boat force was to give the Allies many anxious times, but Hitler was never comfortable or competent in his handling of naval surface forces. “Total Germany” is a concise yet comprehensive account of the Royal Navy’s part in the war at sea and the measures taken to ensure victory. The different approaches taken by the warring countries are expertly examined. The author reviews the differing strategies and tactics of the various theatres such as the Far East, Mediterranean, Atlantic and Arctic. “Not only does it cover every major event during WWII the author brings up some other less well known actions. A thoroughly enjoyable read.”—Ton Class Association
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473844657
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
The author of A Century of British Naval Aviation, 1909-2009 examines the losses and successes of the Royal Navy during World War Two. On the declaration of war in 1939, the British Admiralty signaled all warships and naval bases “Total Germany, Total Germany.” It was fortunate that of Germany’s three armed services, the Kriegsmarine under Grosseradmiral Erich Raeder was the least well prepared. True, Admiral Karl Donitz’s U-Boat force was to give the Allies many anxious times, but Hitler was never comfortable or competent in his handling of naval surface forces. “Total Germany” is a concise yet comprehensive account of the Royal Navy’s part in the war at sea and the measures taken to ensure victory. The different approaches taken by the warring countries are expertly examined. The author reviews the differing strategies and tactics of the various theatres such as the Far East, Mediterranean, Atlantic and Arctic. “Not only does it cover every major event during WWII the author brings up some other less well known actions. A thoroughly enjoyable read.”—Ton Class Association
The Longest Campaign
Author: Brian Walter
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612008577
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
The award-winning historian’s acclaimed account of British sea power throughout WWII: “a must-read for anyone interested in Naval warfare” (PowerShips magazine). For four centuries the British realm depended on sea power to defend itself against a myriad of threats. The Royal Navy established itself as the “Sovereign of the Seas,” helping transform a small island nation into the center of a global empire. But Britain’s maritime services faced an unprecedented challenge during World War II, and the survival of the nation was at stake. The Longest Campaign tells the epic story of British sea power in the Second World War. It is a comprehensive and detailed account of the activities, results, and relevance of Britain’s maritime effort in the Atlantic and off northwest Europe. Military historian Brian Walter looks at the entire breadth of the maritime conflict, exploring the contribution of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and British merchant marines, as well as their Commonwealth equivalents. Walter puts the maritime conflict in the context of the overall war effort and shows how the various operations and campaigns were intertwined. Finally, he provides unique analysis of the effectiveness of the British maritime effort and role it played in Allied victory.
Publisher: Casemate
ISBN: 1612008577
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
The award-winning historian’s acclaimed account of British sea power throughout WWII: “a must-read for anyone interested in Naval warfare” (PowerShips magazine). For four centuries the British realm depended on sea power to defend itself against a myriad of threats. The Royal Navy established itself as the “Sovereign of the Seas,” helping transform a small island nation into the center of a global empire. But Britain’s maritime services faced an unprecedented challenge during World War II, and the survival of the nation was at stake. The Longest Campaign tells the epic story of British sea power in the Second World War. It is a comprehensive and detailed account of the activities, results, and relevance of Britain’s maritime effort in the Atlantic and off northwest Europe. Military historian Brian Walter looks at the entire breadth of the maritime conflict, exploring the contribution of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and British merchant marines, as well as their Commonwealth equivalents. Walter puts the maritime conflict in the context of the overall war effort and shows how the various operations and campaigns were intertwined. Finally, he provides unique analysis of the effectiveness of the British maritime effort and role it played in Allied victory.
Mussolini's War
Author: Frank Joseph
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 1906033560
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241
Book Description
Among the great misconceptions of modern times is the assumption that Benito Mussolini was Hitler's junior partner, who made no significant contributions to the Second World War. That conclusion originated with Allied propagandists determined to boost Anglo-American morale, while undermining Axis cooperation. The Duce's failings, real or imagined, were inflated and ridiculed; his successes, pointedly demeaned or ignored. Italy's bungling navy, ineffectual army - as cowardly as it was ill-equipped - and air force of antiquated biplanes were handily dealt with by the Western Allies. So effective was this disinformation campaign that it became post-war history, and is still generally taken for granted even by otherwise well-informed scholars and students of World War Two. But a closer examination of recently disclosed, and often neglected, original source materials presents an entirely different picture. They shine new light, for example, on Italy's submarine service, the world's greatest in terms of tonnage, its boats sinking nearly three-quarters of a million tons of Allied shipping in three years' time. During a single operation, Italian 'human torpedoes' sank the battleships HMS Valiant and Queen Elizabeth, plus an eight-thousand-ton tanker, at their home anchorage in Alexandria, Egypt. By mid-1942, Mussolini's navy had fought its way back from crushing defeats to become the dominant power in the Mediterranean Sea. Contrary to popular belief, his Fiat biplanes gave as good as they got in the Battle of Britain, and their monoplane replacements, such as the Macchi Greyhound, were state-of-the-art interceptors superior to the American Mustang. Savoia-Marchetti Sparrowhawk bombers accounted for seventy-two Allied warships and one hundred-ninety-six freighters before the Bagdolio armistice in 1943. On 7 June 1942, infantry of the Italian X Corps saved Rommel's XV Brigade near Gazala, in North Africa, from otherwise certain annihilation, while horse-soldiers of the Third Cavalry Division Amedeo Duca d'Aosta defeated Soviet forces on the Don River before Stalingrad the following August in history's last cavalry charge. As influential as these operations were on the course of World War Two, more potentially decisive was Mussolini's planned aggression against the United States' mainland. Postponed only at the last moment when its conventional explosives were slated for substitution by a nuclear device, New York City escaped an atomic attack by margins more narrow than previously understood. It is now known that Italian scientists led the world in nuclear research in 1939, and a four-engine Piaggio heavy bomber was modified to carry an atomic bomb five years later. These and numerous other disclosures combine to debunk lingering propaganda stereotypes of an inept, ineffectual Italian armed forces. That dated portrayal is rendered obsolete by a true-to-life account of the men and weapons of Mussolini's War.
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 1906033560
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241
Book Description
Among the great misconceptions of modern times is the assumption that Benito Mussolini was Hitler's junior partner, who made no significant contributions to the Second World War. That conclusion originated with Allied propagandists determined to boost Anglo-American morale, while undermining Axis cooperation. The Duce's failings, real or imagined, were inflated and ridiculed; his successes, pointedly demeaned or ignored. Italy's bungling navy, ineffectual army - as cowardly as it was ill-equipped - and air force of antiquated biplanes were handily dealt with by the Western Allies. So effective was this disinformation campaign that it became post-war history, and is still generally taken for granted even by otherwise well-informed scholars and students of World War Two. But a closer examination of recently disclosed, and often neglected, original source materials presents an entirely different picture. They shine new light, for example, on Italy's submarine service, the world's greatest in terms of tonnage, its boats sinking nearly three-quarters of a million tons of Allied shipping in three years' time. During a single operation, Italian 'human torpedoes' sank the battleships HMS Valiant and Queen Elizabeth, plus an eight-thousand-ton tanker, at their home anchorage in Alexandria, Egypt. By mid-1942, Mussolini's navy had fought its way back from crushing defeats to become the dominant power in the Mediterranean Sea. Contrary to popular belief, his Fiat biplanes gave as good as they got in the Battle of Britain, and their monoplane replacements, such as the Macchi Greyhound, were state-of-the-art interceptors superior to the American Mustang. Savoia-Marchetti Sparrowhawk bombers accounted for seventy-two Allied warships and one hundred-ninety-six freighters before the Bagdolio armistice in 1943. On 7 June 1942, infantry of the Italian X Corps saved Rommel's XV Brigade near Gazala, in North Africa, from otherwise certain annihilation, while horse-soldiers of the Third Cavalry Division Amedeo Duca d'Aosta defeated Soviet forces on the Don River before Stalingrad the following August in history's last cavalry charge. As influential as these operations were on the course of World War Two, more potentially decisive was Mussolini's planned aggression against the United States' mainland. Postponed only at the last moment when its conventional explosives were slated for substitution by a nuclear device, New York City escaped an atomic attack by margins more narrow than previously understood. It is now known that Italian scientists led the world in nuclear research in 1939, and a four-engine Piaggio heavy bomber was modified to carry an atomic bomb five years later. These and numerous other disclosures combine to debunk lingering propaganda stereotypes of an inept, ineffectual Italian armed forces. That dated portrayal is rendered obsolete by a true-to-life account of the men and weapons of Mussolini's War.