I've just finished the second of a couple books I received for my birthday. I would recommend
Stringbag: The Fairey Swordfish at War. There is some technical information, but not so much that one gets tired of reading about how many bolts were required to hold the struts etc. It covers the unitsa and their actions in chronological and theatre order, with enough background information to provide context. Most will know about the famous battles, like Taranto etc. However, the author also covers less well known incidents like the very first "dambusters" raid involving Swordfish attempting to torpedo Italian dams. Though a failure due to the torpedoes either failing or getting stuck in silt, it was a brave effort. So a very good book.
The other book was also one enjoyed -
The Chianti Raiders: The Extraordinary Story of the Italian Air Force in the Battle of Britain. The Italian's limited participation in the BoB is usually seen as a joke, and I suppose that is true because of the negligable effect they had. But what the book highlights is the bravery of the crews, and to me, that made for an excellent read. Just like the RAF in Singapore, wider perceptions of effectiveness, and the stories of sheer determination are often hidden by the critic's comments of failure.
On Friday I had to pop into the "village", and I took the opportunity to visit a tiny second hand bookshop that usually doesn't have a great selection of WW2 books. Maybe come away with a book every other visit (which is only 3 or 4 times a year) but this time I hit jackpot. I picked up the following:
Desperate Venture: The Story of Operation Torch £4
Men Behind The Medals: A New Selection £5 for HB! I have the first book multi-signed by veterans
Attacker: The Hudson and its Flyers £5
Soldiers in the Air: The Development of Army Flying £5 Old book but Peter Mead was one of the developers of AOP during the war and so lots of anecdotes
British Flight Testing: Martlesham Heath 1920-1939 £10 An A4 size book looking at the work of testing prototypes - so every aircraft that became operational upto the start of the war is covered. Rather chuffed at getting this
Hawker Aircraft since 1920 £18. OK not the cheapest copy available but he was asking £25, and I savedon postage. Near mint copy too. I have a number of books in the series covering other aircraft manufacturers and they are a must for any aviation enthusiast.
And he threw in a booklet for free!
Fleet Air Arm, 1920-39 by Sturtivant. Only 50 odd pages but with 100 photos of prewar aircraft.
The only problem is that I've actually just started Cy Grant's
A Member of the RAF of Indeterminate Race so the above books will have to wait
