Just Finished Reading: 1940 – The World in Flames by Richard Collier (FP: 1979) [323pp] 

Covering the first full year of the Second World War is quite the challenge and the author makes quite a good go at it. From the Phony War, the Norway Campaign, the Fall of France, Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the invasion fears, the Blitz and so much more we are presented with a world, with a way of life, being ripped apart. Apart from the actual battles we are also presented with the political aspects of the great conflict – from Vichy France, the arguments and upheavals in the UK parliament and often heated debates in the US between isolationists and those who wanted to get more involved (directly or indirectly) in the conflict. 

Unfortunately, despite covering the ground well, I’m going to spend the rest of this review criticising the book in ways large and small. I’ll start with the small to get it out of the way. Now, I’m not generally a stickler for footnotes. If something needs to be said, then say it in the main text. There are times when footnotes are useful, but I don’t generally demand them. Here, however, their lack irked me many times. The problem was when the author was quoting people – especially those who disagreed with each other – without sufficient (or any!) context. What would have been useful would to know exactly when and where the people involved said such things – in letters to others or in dairies written soon after the event? Or in minutes of meetings? Or in autobiographies written years (or decades) later complete with faulty memory? It’s IMPORTANT.  

Then we have the generally laudable idea of contrasting the world events and political decisions made in lofty smoke-filled rooms in the world’s capitals besides the experiences of the men and women on the ground. So far so good. Unfortunately, I found that the authors use of this ‘plot device’ kept slowing the narrative down resulting in a jerky overall feel to things. The micro-narratives where also generally too long and contained too many irrelevant details. I was tempted more than once to skim read those bits! 

My final (and most major) problem I had with the text was the general tone of things. I think anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the war understands that the Allies at the start of things were unprepared for the conflict to say the least! Of course, the Axis Powers were also unprepared for a LONG war, but that’s a whole other issue. The author, much to my annoyance, constantly harped on about the lack of modern Allied equipment, hidebound leaders, poor communications, and so on. Yet, the British still managed to save around 400,000 troops at Dunkirk, prevent any possible invasion of the UK and roundly beat the Luftwaffe over the South of England. Whilst it's true that the British took around 2 years (admittedly MUCH longer than it should have) to finally figure out exactly how to beat the Germans on land, both the Royal Navy and the RAF already had their measure very early on.  

The iconic Battle of Britain is a case in point. Both the Spitfire and Hurricane were comparable to the standard German fighters of the time and, gradually, in the next 4-5 years became much better than their German rivals. The reason the Luftwaffe failed to win air superiority over Southern England are numerous, but it is largely due to the fact that they had never encountered a modern integrated air defence system before – because such a thing had not existed before the British invented it during WW1 and perfected it in WW2. Such innovations cannot simply be dismissed with the usual ‘last minute’ and ‘thrown together’ platitudes as it was anything but. The truth of the matter is that the RAF actually INCREASED in size during the battle. Each day the RAF received or recovered more fighters than they lost. There was NEVER a shortage of airframes only the worry of a shortage of qualified pilots. The reason for the nighttime bombing raids during the Blitz was that it was FAR too dangerous for the Luftwaffe to attack in the daylight! 

Likewise talk of invasion. Op Sealion (of which more later!) was unlikely to go ahead and even more unlikely to succeed. Although it couldn’t really be dismissed out of hand and was certainly a concern at the time any careful analysis of the idea would’ve shown just how unlikely it was. The RAF was never really in danger of being swept from the skies in 1940 and without that the proposed invasion – with tugs pulling flat bottomed barges for God’s sake! - would have been a massacre. Likewise, without much of a navy of their own, the German forces attempting a crossing would have been cut to pieces by the Royal Navy. If you compare the proposed German invasion force in 1940 to the actual Allied invasion force in 1944 it's really obvious that the German operation would have failed spectacularly. The supposed incompetence and inadequacies of the British forces, even at this early stage of a STEEP learning curve, were all too often overplayed by the author which really didn’t help my enjoyment of the book. 

Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox now and take a DEEP breath. Generally, this wasn’t a bad book (or at least not a terrible one). It’s readily apparent that the author was a journalist rather than a historian which explains a great deal. The ground he covered – factually at least – was competently done and has prompted me to investigate some areas further (which is good). But it was the tone of the writing more than anything else which soured me to this work. Reasonable. 

Just Finished Reading: Squadron Airborne by Elleston Trevor (FP: 1955) [238pp] 

Summer, 1940. Nineteen-year-old pilot officer Peter Stuyckes (pronounced Stewks) wasn’t aware of it yet, but his first day with the squadron was going to be one hell of a day. On arrival the Squadron Leader looked him up and down and told him to get his gear. They were going to ‘stooge’ around for a while to see what’s what. Stuyckes, understandably nervous, failed to impress all that much by trying to land back at the airfield without lowering his undercarriage. Forgiving, but less than impressed, the Squadron Leader calmly explained just how expensive and in great demand the Spitfire was and that he should kindly remember to lower his wheels next time. Almost before the embarrassment had faded a loud voice over the Tannoy called out **SCRAMBLE!**. Told to stand off to watch and learn, Stuyckes did the only thing he could. Picking an enemy bomber he attacked...  

This is my second experience with the Imperial War Museum Wartime Classics series. As before the author drew on his own wartime experience as an aircraft engineer with the RAF during the Battle of Britain. The novel was split between action in the skies over Kent with some very creditable battle scenes and life on the ground with the crews responsible for fixing, arming and fuelling the main defence against Luftwaffe attack and the long-awaited for invasion. The whole novel takes place over a few weeks – a month at most I think – where the pilots are called upon to scramble more and more often each day and the ground crews work all the harder to keep all twelve aircraft in tip-top fighting condition which, as the days roll on, becomes steadily more difficult. 

A few things stuck out in particular. The most surprising, which thinking about it shouldn't have surprised me, was that one of the engineer ground crew was a woman. I was aware of the number of women posted to RAF stations in various roles but I don’t think I’d come across female flight engineers before. I’ve certainly seen pics of female engineers in other roles – building tanks, building aircraft (in factories), fixing trains – but not in a front line almost combat role. Of course, later on, women did ‘man’ anti-aircraft guns across Britain but it did seem odd in this context. 

I did think, at least initially, that the RAF pilots portrayed here were just *too* good and seemed to be responsible for a higher number of enemy downed aircraft than seemed reasonable. As the novel progressed however the strain and the British casualties began to show. There were clear cases of PTSD across the squadron with several characters voicing the opinion that they did not expect to survive the battle. Of course, quite a few didn’t so I’d recommend not getting TOO attached to anyone in the novel. An interesting read in many ways and I’m looking forward to moving on to the next few books dealing with the ‘Blitz’ from the civilian PoV. Recommended.   

Just Finished Reading: The Spitfire Story – Told by Those Who Designed, Maintained and Flew the Iconic Plane by Jacky Hyams (FP: 2017) [243pp] 

It is understandable that the RAF pilots who flew the iconic Spitfire in the Battle of Britain and beyond get the lion's share of the attention. But they could never have achieved their deserved reputation without so many others. In this slim but interesting book the author addresses that oversight by including the stories of those who designed, built, delivered, maintained, armed and repaired the fighter to ensure it flew when it needed to and kept on flying when it had to. 

From the original test pilots who were most impressed with the original design to the armourers who struggled to fit early cannon ‘upgrades’ that failed to operate as advertised because of lack of testing and an accelerated development schedule, there are many voices here to give the reader a more rounded picture of the aircraft and its operations. The fighter itself, even in action over the English countryside, was only the tip of a very long and complex spear. A significant number of cogs in this machine were, as seen in previous books, were women including transport pilots, factory workers, radar operators, anti-aircraft gunners, plotters at Sector stations, nurses, and much else besides. No doubt, if such a thing had ever been allowed or required, a goodly few would have made excellent combat fighter pilots too. 

The Spitfire airframe experienced major changes throughout the war adding armament, upgraded engines, and various design improvements. All of this had to be designed, manufactured, tested and evaluated in combat – then changed, approved or discarded as required. All of this required a whole host of experts in their particular fields – again given voice here. 

Overall, this was an interesting if a rather shallow ‘broad brush’ affair. It did cover a wide canvas, rather inevitably, but it suffered by being a bit too diffused at times. Still, it’s certainly worth a read to fill in gaps in the aircrafts story that are too often overlooked by other writers. Reasonable. 

This is the last of my ‘deep’ dives for now. I have some more scheduled for later in the year. I hope you enjoyed these first attempts and I’ll see if I can go deeper with other topics whenever possible.          

Just Finished Reading: Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell (FP: 2007) [280pp] 

It was a fight even before the fighting had started. From the very beginning of the conflict the Air Ministry knew that the supply of aircraft of all types in a timely manner was vital to the war effort. But the idea that these aircraft could be delivered, flown, by women was unthinkable. Fortunately for the female pilots themselves desperate times call for apparently desperate measures. Naturally it was never going to be quite that simple. For starters the women pilots would need to have flying hours under their belts far in excess of their male counterparts – at least to begin with. Naturally they would need to fly with a perfect record – the fear of a single crash landing causing the cancelation of the whole effort was a real one – and naturally they would be restricted to the most basic trainer aircraft. Oh, and a few other things: the women would be required to wear skirts, no matter how impractical and, naturally, they would receive 70-80% of their male counterpart's wages. 

This was what the original female pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) were up against. But at least they got to fly and to assist with the war effort in an immediately useful and practical way – plus it was, once some of the stranger restrictions were lifted or modified, fun. Starting with the most basic of basic trainers, it wasn’t long before operational needs required that they fly larger, faster and eventually, multi-engine aircraft. More than a few lusted after piloting the latest fighters – Hurricanes and especially Spitfires – but it took quite a long time and much persuading before that happened. Once fast fighters were at last on the cards it wasn’t long that logic and need (again) led to the women being authorised to deliver two engine and then four engine bombers to front line commands. But it was the fighters and, most especially, the spitfire in particular that many of the women loved. It was, they said, designed for them. Many would remember those experiences their entire lives. 

Covering much the same ground as my previous read on the ATA (Hurricane Girls – The Inspirational True Story of the Women who Dared to Fly by Jo Wheeler) I thought this was a better look at both the organisation itself and the women who served there. Overall, this had more heft, more gravitas and more depth than my previous read so (naturally) I enjoyed this rather more. The author gave a more solid background to the women involved – from all classes (eventually!) and from across the Empire, Occupied Europe and the US, plus a few other notables. The author also extended the narrative into the early jet age which was interesting in itself. Definitely worth a read for a host of reasons – not least the struggle of more than competent women to be taken seriously be the authorities – and therefore recommended as an example of an all too often overlooked aspect of the Battle of Britain. 

Just Finished Reading: Battle of Britain by Patrick Bishop (FP: 2009) [332pp] 

It is virtually without argument that the Battle of Britain, fought mostly in the skies over southern England between 10 July and 31 October 1940, was the most significant conflict in the country's modern era. If the battle had been lost and the Luftwaffe had gained even temporary air-superiority over the coast there was a real danger that an invasion could have been attempted (it would have failed IMO). Fortunately for Britain and, again arguably, the world the battle was won and Operation Sealion – the ‘planned’ invasion of Great Britain – was postponed indefinitely. 

Organised in 5 sections covering (very roughly) 2-6 weeks depending on the level of activity, this well written and often fascinating study lays out the battle as it ramped up. Initially German High Command (or at least AH himself) fully expected Britain to seek terms following the retreat from Dunkirk. Of course, Churchill had no intention of surrendering and it was always going to be ‘fight on’. Although essentially on our own – not strictly true in the grand scope of things – the UK had a lot going for it. The English Channel was only 26 miles at its most narrow point but was often both a treacherous and unpredictable stretch of water. However much the Germans thought of it as a particularly wide river it was nothing of the sort. Despite the loss of a great deal of equipment in France the British army was far from defeated and would, it was expected, give a good account of itself if any planned invasion did occur. What is more, the Royal Navy was still the largest in the world and would be expected the throw everything it had at any invasion fleet. It would be far from plain sailing even across a theoretically calm English Channel. But it was the RAF that was Britain’s first line of defence. If it could hold back the might of the Luftwaffe all bets would be off – but could it do so? 

On the face of things, it was going to be a very hard fight indeed for the RAF. Not only were they greatly outnumbered in both fighters and bombers, but the German pilots had gained a great deal of valuable experience on their European battlefields. However, that wasn’t a completely good thing. OK, they had gained experience – but at the cost of overconfidence. Most of their enemies across Europe had been using out of date aircraft and had quickly succumbed to highly effective tactics and had been largely destroyed on the ground. Such conditions would not prevail over England. Likewise, the Luftwaffe was mainly designed to excel at one task – supporting the army in its Blitzkrieg tactics – and this it did very well indeed (at least early on). But over England these tactics would not be required and a whole other skill set would be needed. The German bomber force, likewise, was a tactical rather than a strategic one. In 1940 the Germans did not possess a single 4 engine bomber, so their range and bomb load were limited. 

Facing them were two fighters – the Hurricane and Spitfire – that were at least the equal of anything the Germans had to oppose them. On top of this the British boasted probably the most sophisticated and technically advanced air-defence system in the world – something the Luftwaffe had never faced before. Although outnumbered, the RAF fighters always seemed to be in the right place and the right time. It was very rare indeed for any number of German aircraft not to be intercepted either on their way to a target, on their way back or even both. Although initial losses for Germany were light, they were constant. What made things worse of course, was that a German pilot bailing out over England was captured whereas a RAF pilot doing likewise could be back in a fighter the very next day. What was even more telling was the disparity in aircraft production. During the battle the RAF were hardly ever short of fighters – indeed production of new planes and recovery of damaged ones increased during the fight. The shortage – sometimes desperate – was pilots, especially experienced ones. There are so many stories of fresh, incredibly young, pilots who went straight from minimal training into combat within hours of arriving at their new squadrons only never to come back. 

Without trying to precis the whole book, the Battle of Britain amounted to a massive miscalculation on the part of the Luftwaffe and most especially of Herman Goering who promised AH that he could defeat England in a matter of weeks. German ‘intelligence’ was quite pitiful consistently underestimating the strength of the RAF until it became obvious that they could not be defeated in the given timeframe with the planned invasion of the Soviet Union pressing. But failing to knock Britain out of the war allowed for the dreaded ‘war on two fronts’ that the German High Commanded worried about so much – rightly. Ultimately, of course, it allowed Britain to be a jumping off point for European liberation and as an unsinkable aircraft carrier for bombing raids deep into the Reich itself. 

Even if you have a good grasp of the Battle of Britain this is definitely worth a read. Although I regard myself as reasonably knowledgeable, I still picked up on a few things – even such basics as why the RAF fighters flew in ‘Vic threes’ whilst the Luftwaffe flew in ‘Finger fours’ - which always pleases me. I think this is my second book by this author and it won’t be my last. Recommended.  

Just Finished Reading: Transforming the Skies – Pilots, Planes and Politics in British Aviation, 1919-1940 by Peter Reese (FP: 2018) [250pp] 

The end of WW1 (AKA ‘The Great War) came as a relief to millions across the world but as a shock to Britain’s aircraft industry. Not only were government contracts terminated with immediate effect – despite aircraft still rolling off production lines – but a war ‘excessive profits’ tax was levied, again with immediate effect. The economic shock of both government actions sent companies into bankruptcy, hasty amalgamation or heavily in debt to banks, other institutions and friends with deep pockets. With few private orders, no more government contracts for the foreseeable future and a glut of engines and airframes on the market things looked bleak and remained so for most of the 1920’s. But all was not lost and a few companies, through hard work and a dose of luck managed to survive and, in some cases, almost thrive on the crumbs that came their way. This book is their story. 

Covering the earliest days of civil aviation - locally within the UK, the trickle to Europe and (mostly) to connect the Empire to London – the author looked at pioneering, often record breaking, flights to (very) far off places as proof of concept. Using, at least initially, old military stock the public became used to the idea of flight as a viable (just!) alternative to ocean liners – if you were especially adventurous. But old stock only took you so far and so fast. Bigger, faster and more spacious planes were needed and started to appear helping the air industry survive a little longer. But it wasn’t just air transport that drove innovation. An important sporting event thrown into the mix was the Schneider Trophy races where the need for speed helped produced both the fabulous Supermarine S5 (precursor to the Spitfire) and the iconic Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Innovation in the RAF, however, was a long time coming stymied by lack of funds, a strong international movement for disarmament, the belief that the bomber would ‘always get through’ so what was the point in a fighter-based defence (I kid you not) and, to be honest, sheer bloody mindedness in the Air Ministry. Luckily a handful of men (and at least one woman) saw which way the wind was beginning to blow in the 1930’s and laid the groundwork for the buildup of the RAF in the run up to the war and especially the Battle of Britain. 

I knew some of this from previous reading but I was honestly amazed at how close Britain actually was to losing its historic encounter with the Luftwaffe over the fields of Kent in 1940. Not for want of effort but for want of the right weapons. It was a real possibility, right up until the last years of the 1930’s that Britain could’ve been facing the German 109 fighters with BIPLANES. Astounding. Both the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters were essentially private ventures that the Air Ministry initially reluctantly agreed to entertain as potential front-line aircraft. Only after MUCH effort and the ever-encroaching clouds of war did they get their finger out and start (just in time!) to produce these aircraft in significant numbers. 

But this excellent volume covers much more that that most significant fact. Full of interesting insights into British airship building, the earliest days of British Airways and tales of the great designers this was a fascinating read. Definitely a must for anyone interested in the aircraft industry between the two World Wars. Recommended.   

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Just Finished Reading: Hurricane Girls – The Inspirational True Story of the Women who Dared to Fly by Jo Wheeler (FP: 2018) [330pp] 

It seemed like a reasonable request, a reasonable offer. But the idea of women flying to aid Britain’s war effort was too much to ask, a step too far. Anyway, it was argued more than once, women where temperamentally unsuited for such things. Flying, most especially in wartime, was a man's job. Reality, and most especially the base reality of simple logistics, had other ideas. Aircraft had to be delivered from factories and other locations to training bases and frontline units. Britain didn’t have enough male pilots to spare to ferry them. They were, primarily, required for combat duties that everyone agreed definitely could not be filled by women pilots – no matter how good. But air-taxi drivers and deliveries? Women could do that, right? With much grumbling and a fair bit of bad grace it was decided that, yes, women could fly in wartime.... But.... 

There’s always a but... The women would be under military supervision but would hold no rank or have any authority and they would wear regulation uniforms, including skirts of regulation length. Naturally this was highly impractical. Flying an aircraft in a skirt was bad enough but getting in and out of one – especially the older trainers was impossible. Again, with much grumbling, the female pilots were allowed to wear regulation trousers whilst in flying duty. Initially they were only allowed to fly trainers and only if they had 600 hours flying time accrued (which was FAR in excess of that required by male pilots performing the same duties) and finally they would be paid 1/3 less than their male compatriots. Wanting to ‘do their bit’ the first batch of female pilots agreed – even (at least initially) to the reduction in pay. So began the influx of women into the Air Transport Auxiliary. 

In the years that followed the flying hours threshold dropped, dropped again and was finally abandoned all together – they'd learn to fly on the airfields they were based at. The trainers gave way to transport planes, then fighters and finally heavy bombers. After years of pressure, they even achieved equal pay – a first for the time. The pilots also risked their lives on a daily basis – from bad weather, faulty equipment (most of the early planes had no radios or navigation equipment), barrage balloons, trigger happy anti-aircraft gunners and even the odd enemy plane! Pilots died in accidents or simply vanished, never arriving at their intended destination. It was most definitely not a soft option.  

Told with obvious love of the subject this was an interesting, if at times somewhat ‘thin’, look at an often-overlooked aspect of wartime Britain. The Air Transport Auxiliary provided a much-needed service providing aircraft where they were required to enable the continued prosecution of the war effort. More on this subject to come. 

Just Finished Reading: Hurricane – Victor of the Battle of Britain by Leo McKinstry (FP: 2010) [322pp] 

In the mid-1930's in was becoming increasing clear that war with Germany was coming. The question this posed, with Britain still only just recovering from the Great Depression, was what to do about it – and specifically where to spend the scarce resources in rearmament. Arguments raged, and nowhere more heatedly that in the RAF. The majority, the doctrine fundamentalists, where convinced by the long agreed upon argument that the bomber would ‘always get through’ which made beefing up air defences less than useless. A good defence, no matter how good, would never deter an attack. No, the only way to deter Germany was the building of an overwhelming bomber force that could crush its targets with a sheer weight of bombs. Luckily, for Britain's survival and for world history, other voices had the power to make themselves heard. Rather ironically, with the advantage of hindsight, one of those voices was Neville Chamberlain. Before he became Prime Minister in 1937, he was responsible for Britain’s finances and ensured that there was money (never enough but at least it existed) to build a proper fighter defence organisation headed by Hugh Dowding. But what of the fighters themselves? 

Like many other nations after the horrors of WW1 Britain had drastically cut its defence spending and especially during the dark Depression years. Home Defence in the mid-30's relied on out-of-date biplanes which could barely keep up with the new generation of light bombers never mind chase and kill them. Something clearly needed to be done and done it was. The Air Ministry sent out for proposals of single engine monoplane fighters and began sifting through applications. Fairly quickly it was decided that one design was the clear winner in all regards – the Supermarine Spitfire. Orders were placed and production of the first operation planes expected at least a year before war broke out. Whilst the Air Ministry and RAF waited, and waited, and waited some more it became clear that all was not well at Supermarine. But what could be done? Other designs had been rejected as unusable or simply unnecessary – like Hawker’s design. The simplicity of mass production really called for a single fighter design rather than introducing the increased logistical problems of having two. However, with the war drums getting louder and the Spitfires still not arriving a decision was made to start producing as many Hawker Hurricanes as soon as possible. A legend, and the backbone of Fighter Command during the pivotal Battle of Britain, was about to be born. 

I think, like many kids growing up post-war, I saw the Hurricane as a rather podgy and somewhat inelegant substitute for the much more iconic Spitfire. In many ways it was – it was slower and (generally) less maneuverable but could carry a much bigger offensive armament and could take a LOT of damage and still bring the pilot home. Without it in the fighting line its arguable that the Battle of Britain could have been lost with the faster Spitfires simply overwhelmed by the Luftwaffe. This was a very interesting read and alerted me to a whole host of facts I was completely unaware of – the early production difficulties with the Spitfires for one! The author didn’t shy away from the fact that the Hurricane was increasingly combat ineffective following the Battle of Britain – at least in a fighter role – but had a revived (even if only short lived) role as a ground attack fighter-bomber and very effective early tank buster. I shall definitely be looking out for the authors other works on other iconic aircraft. Definitely a must read for anyone interested in the Battle of Britain or fighter aircraft development.      

Just Finished Reading: With Wings Like Eagles – The Untold History of the Battle of Britain by Michael Korda (FP: 2009)

The Battle of Britain, fought in the skies over South-East England in the months following the retreat from Dunkirk, is very arguably one of the most important battles in the 20th century. If it had been lost then England would have been open to invasion or at least forced to seek an armistice from a position of weakness. With England out of the war Germany could have turned her full might against Russia and, maybe, knocked her out too. America would then stand-alone against both Germany and Japan unable to easily strike at either. The whole complexion of 20th century history could have been very different indeed.

Britain was not expected to stand up to Hitler, or if she did she was expected to bluster and then surrender or to fight and lose. History tells us otherwise. England stood alone with few friends and no allies. It took on the might of the German air force and, seemingly against all odds and logic not only survived but pushed back – hard. A case can be made that Germany’s failure to subdue the RAF in 1940 cost them the war. The ill-judged attack on Soviet Russia in 1941 simply accelerated the inevitable end.

But how did England mange this unexpected feat of arms. It was part foresight, part planning, part genius and part luck. The foresight was of the unexpected kind. Churchill’s predecessors, both of whom history considers appeasers, were instrumental in moving forward the development of Radar and the design and manufacture of the iconic Hurricane and Spitfire both of which came into service more than 2 years before the Battle of Britain began. The planning and the genius combined was in the form of the head of Fighter Command – Hugh Dowding – who was personally responsible (despite persistent high level opposition and obstruction) for the layout of the air sectors to be defended and the use of underground operations centres that could be used to prosecute the coming battles in ‘real-time’ and more besides. Coupled with a souped-up and streamlined manufacturing system and almost magical repair and recovery processes the number of available aircraft was hardly ever in doubt. The luck came in the darkest hour when it looked, for several days, like the Germans had begun to break the RAF and a pull-back was even contemplated but never put into action. The luck, as the legend goes (I’m not 100% convinced of this and have heard different versions of the story), is that several German bombers accidently bombed London against standing orders and that Churchill resolved to hit them back by bombing Berlin. After much effort (and little actual result) the British did so sending Hitler into a rage and causing him to change the object of attack from the RAF to the destruction of London. This, so the story goes, saved the RAF from destruction forever postponed the invasion and lost Hitler the war. It’s a good story but is, I think, both too romantic and too simplistic. I guess I’ll find out as I read more about this most fascinating period in our history.

This very well written book was essentially in two halves – the background and preparation for the battle (covering RAF policy from the 1920’s and the ill-fated Battle of France) and then the battle itself told from both sides and from both pilot and senior officer/political levels. Most of the details are familiar to anyone with a passing knowledge of the time. What I wasn’t aware of was the incredible in-fighting and bad blood within the RAF organisation with its almost exclusive focus on the bomber and the erroneous belief that ‘the bomber will always get through’. Fighter Command – despite winning the battle and saving England from invasion (hardly single handed but still…) – was looked down upon, often side-lined and seen as an embarrassment to the rest of the RAF. I found the whole episode quite incredible considering that Dowding’s plan was clearly working where the other alternatives/criticisms clearly did not. I shall have to read more about the personalities behind the events to get myself a much more rounded view of the thing. So get ready for a whole host of books on the subject largely brought on by watching the recent movies ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Darkest Hour’. There is much good to take from this book and I found it to be a breeze of a read. With the RAF 100 years old this year I thought it was time to wheel out a few books on that iconic organisation. Many more to come. Highly recommended. 

Just Finished Reading: The War in the West – A New History: Volume 1 Germany Ascendant 1939-1941 by James Holland (FP: 2015)

We all know the story. In September 1939 the technically advanced German army along with the best air support in the world erupted across the Polish border and started World War Two. Quickly defeating the Polish armed forces the victorious Germans turned on Norway, the Low Countries and France completely dominating them in frightening quick succession with Britain only surviving destruction by the skin of its teeth. Barely holding on during the Battle of Britain the English breathed a sigh of relief when Hitler attacked Russia despite his forces sweeping all before them yet again. Meanwhile German U-boats sank unprecedented numbers of allied ships bringing Britain’s capitulation due to starvation ever closer. Only America’s massive manufacturing base untouched by war could keep pace with both the increasingly desperate demands of the British and the depredations of the wolf-packs prowling the Atlantic.

All of that, or at least a goodly chunk of the received narrative is nonsense according to the author of this impressive part-work. Running to a little over 720 pages I waited until I had a lengthy break to do it justice. At the beginning of the book I was largely of the opinion that a mixture of luck, fortitude and Winston Churchill saved the day back in 1940. My opinion has since shifted somewhat. Although German armed forces are normally portrayed as technically brilliant and highly advanced this is only part of the story. Only a small number of German units were fully mechanised – most forced to walk across Europe – and the Army itself used thousands of horses to transport everything from supplies to artillery. Despite being famous for its tanks it transpired that France both had more of them and of a higher quality. The British Expeditionary Force sent to France was actually a far more integrated and mechanised force than the Germans it faced prior to the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk’. In the air the Germans initially had the advantage of any attacking force – the ability to attack anywhere at their own choosing without their enemies knowing where to concentrate their defences. When they tried it over the Channel and the South East of England it was a very different story. With Radar and a co-ordinated aerial defence strategy the Luftwaffe quickly realised they were up against something they had yet to face – an enemy air force at least their equal technically and one much better directed, led, supplied and reinforced. Looked at in this way it is little surprise that the Battle of Britain was lost by Germany and was a defeat they never really recovered from. Not only did this leave a powerful and dangerous enemy on their western flank but it also showed the world that German might could indeed be challenged and overcome. Britain then became a future bridgehead into Continental Europe growing stronger each month and ever eager for payback. Rather than dealing with this problem Germany and Hitler stupidly looked East.

Looked at from the point of view of Germany’s need for resources – rather than as just a string of German victories – things start making sense a great deal. With the Southern flank apparent secure with Italy joining the Axis and with the non-aggression pact with Russia (inexplicable to many at the time) securing the Eastern flank Germany needed a quick series of victories before their resources bottomed out and before the inevitable British blockade began to bite. It was a hell of a gamble and everything had to go right – always. Norway was only a victory of sorts securing sources of iron but losing much of its naval forces in the process (effectively meaning that a successful invasion of Britain became much more problematical), the invasion of Holland and France although spectacularly successful resulted in the loss of many aircraft that would take time to replace – using up precious resources – and this was exacerbated considerably by the failure to destroy the RAF at even greater cost. Despite a series of quick wins England was still in the fight and actually getting stronger. In order to secure the required resources to continue the fight the occupied territories were asset stripped and the much avoided war on two fronts became a necessity. Again the great gamble was undertaken with the attack on Soviet Russia. Everything rested on a complete and swift victory. If that was impossible then everything was lost.

Whilst not exactly a revisionist history this rather hefty volume did look at the same events we all know and look at them from much more an economic and strategic point of view. When you realise how strapped for resources Germany was even in 1939 when they started the whole affair you can see why they reacted how they did and why they attacked where they did. But the author shows the reality of the situation. From the earliest days of the conflict Germany was in a bind. Everything it did had to go well. Yet even victories as unprecedented as the 6 week defeat of France only made matters worse not better. Occupation cost men, time and money. Every tank lost, even plane shot down, every bullet fired had to be replaced from a shrinking pool of resources and through a highly inefficient production system. As the war grew though necessity the problems just got bigger and bigger. Eventually they would get so big as to fall on the Axis powers and bury them. As soon as they failed to defeat Britain (an almost impossible task in 1939 the author maintains) it was only a matter of time before the German war machine lay in ruins. This was a very interesting look at a war I’m pretty familiar with or I thought I was familiar with. It has both made me rethink my views on the war and feel the desire to dig deeper into the many strategic decisions (almost always bad) made by the Germans in particular in the early years of the war. There is much food for thought here and much to chew over. I’m really looking forward to the second volume which I’ll be reading over Christmas. Highly recommended for all history buffs.

Just Finished Reading: Wings – The RAF at War 1912-2012 by Patrick Bishop (FP: 2012)

It seems to be written into our DNA that whenever a new technology is developed we either use it to race against others, use it as a weapon or to get someone into bed. The invention of the aircraft turned out to be useful in all three areas of human endeavour. But here the author concentrates on its adoption, adaptation and perfection by the RAF over the last century.

Shortly after its invention it became clear both to the Army and Navy that aircraft could extend the reach of commander’s eyes ‘over the horizon’ and help to dissipate the ever present fog of war. Not only did the first flight across the English Channel (especially as the plane came from France TO the British mainland) concentrate minds wonderfully, at least after the initial panic, but early tests of aircraft dedicated to the requirements of reconnaissance previously the role of the ground based cavalry proved them to be far superior to horses in the mud. With these ideas in mind and little doctrine to work on initially the newly formed Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and its naval equivalent the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) stepped up for action in WW1. Quickly proving their worth by spotting enemy units and averting potential disaster they moved from an interesting and novel toy to a vital element in war planning. Their ability to fly over enemy positions and accurately map their trenches, correct fall of shot and, if possible, attack targets of opportunity became an early defining role for this new weapon. Of course the enemy had them too which led to the inevitable development of the fighter and the rise of the iconic air ‘aces’ still famous to this day. Less glamourous but with even heavier portents for the future was the development of large bombers and the beginnings of the belief that ‘the bomber would always get through’ with resulting devastation and panic on a previously unimaginable scale.

A mere 20 years after the RFC and RNAS amalgamated in 1918 to create the Royal Air Force (RAF) everything so patiently and expensively learnt in WW1 was put to good use. Often criticised for being short sighted and adverse to innovation the RAF (through the Air Ministry) already had in place two of the most iconic fighter aircraft in the world – The Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire (apparently no one knows exactly where the name Spitfire originated. Its designer apparently called it a ‘bloody stupid name’). So when Hitler decided to knock us out of the war he very soon discovered that he had a real fight on his hands. In the defining Battle of Britain that followed the Germans, for the first time in WW2 failed in their objective and arguably sealed their fate from that point on. With the new Lancaster bombers eventually coming on line replacing older and obsolete models and with American aid pouring across the Atlantic it was only a matter of time before the Axis where eventually defeated. With the development of jets in the closing months of the war and the independent development of the atomic bomb soon after Britain developed the V Force to project our nuclear deterrent wherever it was needed. Later still the revamped Fleet Air Arm (freed from the RAF just before the start of WW2) showed its metal and teeth in the short and sharp Falklands Conflict in the 1980’s.

It’s quite a story and is told here with some passion and with plenty of little details that were unfamiliar even to someone who has read a great deal on the subject. Being told very much from a war perspective the author concentrates on combat so seems to leap across the decades missing out huge chunks of RAF history. Such a book would be much larger than this 369 page volume. No doubt there are books available in numbers for those who want to delve into the years of non-combat flying. A useful and sometimes fascinating look at the development of a modern weapon and the men who fought with it. Recommended to all 20th century military history buffs.

Next in History: The Vikings are Coming!

Just Finished Reading: England and the Aeroplane – Militarism, Modernity and Machines by David Edgerton (FP: 1991/2013)

In this highly entertaining and illuminating polemic the author has a definite axe to grind. This particular axe is aimed at a persistent myth surrounding England: that we are a country of lone eccentric inventors who muddle through in desperate times producing machines that arrive just in the nick of time to save us against a seemingly more prepared and technically proficient foe. That is, of course, our supposed experience of WW2 in a nutshell. Faced with the supposed inevitable defeat at the hands of the Luftwaffe we pulled the fabled Spitfire out of a hat at the last moment and snatched victory from the jaws of certain defeat. It’s a nice story and one which has enough of a grain of truth to seem reasonable at first glance. Of course it wasn’t like that at all.

You see, as the author points out with repeated examples, the English are actually a country of engineers and damned good engineers at that. Since the very earliest days of manned flight we have improved, invented and perfected new techniques, new machines and new ways to use them. Just look at the difference between the barely flight worthy planes in 1913/14 and those 5 years later. The difference in every sphere is astonishing. Critics point to the decline in production and innovation between the wars but even here new designs where commissioned, records broken and great aircraft produced. There was, again as the author points out repeatedly, much more going on in England that the production of the Schneider Trophy winning craft from Supermarine that morphed into the iconic Spitfire.

Of course, when war came in 1939, most of our aircraft where obsolete or close enough but we were far from alone in that. Yet enough in the earliest days of the Battle of France and the later Battle of Britain we had more long range bombers than Germany and used them from the earliest days with some effect. Already tooling up for war our industry raised itself to the challenge and consistently produced more aircraft than Germany throughout the war – and constantly improved existing ‘stock’ whilst creating new machines such as the, again iconic, Lancaster bomber. This is hardly the act of a backward looking, technophobic nation of cottage industries. This was in fact the act of a country used to prosecuting war through air power and with the industrial might to produce some of the world’s best aircraft and engines in enormous quantities.

Post-war things got a bit difficult as they tend to do even for the victors. But a much reduced industry still managed to build the first Meteor jet fighters, the English Electric Lightening, the Vulcan bomber and much else besides. Innovation was far from dead either in the military or civilian side of aviation as proven by the Harrier jump-jet and Concorde. So tales of resistance to innovation and change, whilst hardly unknown, are very much exaggerated. If things had been as bad as some commentators relish in pouring over then most of the craft built and used to great effect in the last 100 years would never have left the drawings boards never mind the ground. Tales of decline and hidebound obstacles put in the way of brilliant individuals are part and parcel of our national myth – the story we constantly tell ourselves about ourselves. Just don’t believe it tells the whole story and never believe that it’s the historical unvarnished truth. It clearly isn’t. Recommended to anyone with an interest in the Aviation industry.