The Fleet Air Arm in the Second World War: Norway, the Mediterranean and the Bismarck

625 Pages·2012·2.43 MB·English

by  Ben Jones

The Fleet Air Arm in
the Second World War
Edited by

Ben Jones
Publications
of the
navy RecoRds society
vol. 159
the fleet aiR aRM in
the second WoRld WaR
1939–1941
Fairey Swordfish Mk I torpedo bombers on training flight from RNAS
Crail, 1940. By permission of the Imperial War Museum – Image
A3532.
the fleet aiR aRM in
the second WoRld WaR
voluMe i
1939–1941
norway, the Mediterranean
and the Bismarck
edited by
ben Jones, M.Phil., Ph.d.
lecturer, air Power studies division,
King’s college london
Published by ashGate
foR the navy RecoRds society
2012
© the navy Records society, 2012
crown copyright material is reproduced by permission of the stationery office.
all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
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ashgate Publishing limited ashgate Publishing company
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Jones, ben.
the fleet air arm in the second World War. – (navy Records society
publications)
1. Great britain. Royal navy. fleet air arm–history. 2. World War,
1939–1945–aerial operations, british.
i. title ii. series
940.5'44'941–dc23
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jones, ben, 1974–
the fleet air arm in the second World War / ben Jones.
p. cm. – (navy Records society publications)
includes index.
isbn 978–1–4094–5257–7 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Great britain. Royal navy. fleet air
arm–history–World War, 1939–1945. 2. World War, 1939–1945–aerial operations, british.
3. World War, 1939–1945–naval operations, british.
i. title.
d786.J639 2012
940.54'5941–dc23
isbn 978-1-4094-5257-7 (hbk)
isbn 978-1-4094-5737-4 (ebk – Pdf)
isbn 978-1-4724-0422-0 (ebk – ePub)
Printed on acid-free paper
typeset in times by Manton typesetters, louth, lincolnshire, uK.
IV
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for these the editors of the several works are
entirely responsible.
the council
of the navy RecoRds society
2012–13
PATRON
h.R.h. the PRince PhiliP, duKe of edinbuRGh,
K.G., o.M., f.R.s.
PRESIDENT
admiral of the fleet sir benjamin bathurst, G.c.b., d.l.
VICE-PRESIDENTS
Professor d. law, M.a., f.c.l.i.P., f.i.inf.sc., f.K.c., f.l.a.
Professor e.J. Grove, M.a., Ph.d., f.R.hist.s.
Professor M. duffy, M.a., Ph.d., f.R.hist.s.
COUNCILLORS
Professor P. halpern, M.a., Ph.d. J. Robb-Webb, M.a., Ph.d.
a.P. McGowan, M.a., Ph.d. M.J. Whitby, b.a., M.a., b.ed.
l. Rowe, M.a., Ph.d. M.s. seligman, M.a., d.Phil., f.R.hist.s.
M. sheldon, M.a. vice-admiral sir alan Massey, K.c.b.,
Professor J. beder, M.a., Ph.d., c.b.e., a.d.c.
f.R.hist.s. v. Preston, M.a., Ph.d.
b. Jones, M.Phil., Ph.d. R.W.a. suddaby, M.a.
d. Redford, M.a., Ph.d. captain R. Woodman, M.a., f.R.hist.s.,
col. h. boscowan, b.a. M.n.i.
t. Wareham, M.a., Ph.d. captain c.l.W. Page, M.a., R.n.
Professor d.M. loades, M.a., Ph.d., h. doe, M.a., Ph.d.
litt.d., f.s.a., f.R.hist.s. M. llewellyn-Jones, M.b.e., M.a.,
Rear admiral J.v.P. Goldrick, a.M., Ph.d.
c.s.c., R.a.n. o. Walton, M.a., Ph.d.
t.J. benbow, b.a., M.Phil., d. Phil., Professor n.a.M. Rodger, M.a., d.Phil.,
P.G.c.a.P., f.h.e.a. f.b.a., f.s.a., f.R.hist.s.
HON. SECRETARY
R.h.a. brodhurst, b.a.
HON. TREASURER
P. northcott, M.a.
GENERAL EDITOR
R.a. Morriss, b.a., Ph.d.
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY
Mrs a. Gould
this volume is dedicated to the memory of henry lambert
(1926–2011), honorary treasurer of the navy Records society 1976–
1984, a true servant of the society.
contents
Page
list of illustrations................................... ix
acknowledgements .................................. xi
Glossary of abbreviations ............................. xiii
General introduction ................................. xxiii
Part i: 1939: the fleet air arm of the Royal navy.......... 1
Part ii: 1940: norway and taranto....................... 61
Part iii: 1941: cape Matapan and the Bismarck ............ 303
sources and documents............................... 561
index ............................................. 571
vii
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