Coastal Command, created in 1936 alongside Fighter and Bomber Commands in the reorganization of the RAF in its preparations for the coming war, was Britain’s mainstay in the battle against the German submarine. As more and more Allied merchantmen were sunk during the long voyage from North America, the Mediterranean, and points south, tracking down the U-Boats became a constant struggle against harsh weather on long-distance patrols out over the Atlantic and Bay of Biscay. To counter the threat, Coastal Command established a ring of bases stretching from Scotland and Northern Ireland to Iceland, and from south Wales and south-western Britain to Gibraltar and the Azores, all 53 of these stations are covered in this book.

Written by the Air Ministry and first published in 1942, this account provides a vivid description of the RAF Coastal Command operations during World War II. A must-read of intrinsic historical value and importance for all avid readers of British Military History.

The Battle of Britain saved the country from invasion. If the RAF had been defeated all the efforts of the British Army and the Royal Navy would hardly have averted defeat in the face of complete German air superiority. With all Europe subjugated, Germany and Japan would later have met on the borders of India. This remarkable book traces the varied fortunes of the Royal Air Force in the 1930s, and shows how it readied itself for the mighty German onslaught in the summer of 1940 and won a great victory by the narrowest margins. It provides a comphrensive account of the Battle of Britain, including the day-by-day summaries of the battle. It is illustrated with photographs and maps, an appendix of the aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and by the Luftwaffe with schematic drawings, also a list of all pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain from July 10 to October 31 1940. The authors are military aviation experts and The Narrow Margin has been published in translation in France and around the world. They also wrote A Summer for Heroes and Jane's World Aircraft Recognition Handbook.

Thornaby, 1930, saw the formation of 608 squadron Auxiliary Air Force. Remembered by some veterans as ¿the kipper patrol,¿ their job as part of Coastal Command, involved protecting shipping convoys, looking for submarines and defending the northern supply routes. Although their role was never seen as glamorous and never received national glory, nonetheless, they played a significant part in the defence of the United Kingdom. This book tells the story of young pilots such as Geoffrey Ambler, Geoffrey Shaw, William Appleby-Brown and Peter Vaux, and airmen such as Albert Guy, Harold Coppick and Syd Buckle, and considers how their lives were dramatically changed with the onset of the Second World War, which saw them cease to be part-timers and become full time members of the Royal Air Force.The book serves as an insight into the history of this squadron, as well as the history of Thornaby Aerodrome itself. It uses as its basis, a series of interviews with veterans from the squadron and presents their memories of squadron life, along with many of their personal photographs. The Kipper Patrol provides a long awaited history of a squadron remembered by many local people, and recognised by both the Airman Memorial and the replica Spitfire. It serves as a lasting memory to both the squadron and the aerodrome, and in particular, to the many veterans who so willingly gave up their time to share their memories.

Beretter om den engelske eftersøgnings- og redningstjeneste som den var organiseret under 2. verdenskrig